Who's Driving Your Bus Today?

I like to think of my Inner Committee members as riding in a jaunty old school bus, painted all the bright colors of the rainbow.  

On an ideal day, my Authentic Self is driving the bus.  My Authentic Self is the part of me who is my deepest, truest self. It is the channel that Spirit uses to speak to and through me.  This Authentic Self is the part of me who loves and unconditionally accepts all of my many parts.  

When I get overwhelmed or caught up in behavior that is getting in the way of my ability to love myself (ie: overeating, nagging at my husband, berating myself...etc.), then I know that someone other than my Authentic Self has grabbed the wheel of the bus and is driving. 

But guess what?  The more I practice SoulCollage®, the more I am able to differentiate the many and various parts of me who are sitting (running around, screaming, sobbing...etc) on my inner rainbow-colored bus.  And the better I get to know them, the easier it is to notice when one of them takes over the wheel of my life.  And so it is also easier to find out why they have hijacked my inner family's vehicle, and then to accompany them back to their rightful seat (which is never the driver's seat!).

Reflection activities of the week: Take several index cards and write the following on each one in a bright-colored marker: Who's driving my bus today? Put each card somewhere prominent where you'll see it and be reminded to ask yourself this question often.  See if you can notice the subtle shift that occurs when one of your Inner Committee members takes over the "driver's seat" of your life.





SoulCollage Expressions

Idea of the Week 
Once in a while, I like to get to know one of my inner Committee members first before I actually make a card for them.  So I do some I am the one who... writing from this part of me first.  This is especially helpful when one of these inner Committee members is "driving my bus" and I don't know exactly who they are.  After I get a little more understanding about this part of me, then I will start looking for and being open to images that express it for me.

Question of the Week 

Is it okay to add glitter to my cards, or beads or other embellishments?  I don't see any cards like that on the websites.

Yes!  Add anything you like to make the card a perfect expression of whatever part of your world you are imaging.  You don't need to use only magazine images. You could use photographs, or scrapbook paper.  Some people even paint the mat boards for their backgrounds.  Your imagination is the only limit when you're creating your deck!

Soul Friends

Lisa Eubank
Houston, Texas  

I discovered SoulCollage about a year ago when my friend Cheryl  mentioned it to me. I was immediately intrigued and ordered the book a few days later. When I opened the book and began reading it, I knew I was supposed to teach SoulCollage to others.  I went to the KaleidoSoul SoulCollage Retreat last summer in Massachusetts, and just attended the February Facilitator's Training with Seena in California. I'm very excited about sharing SoulCollage with others.

I love SoulCollage because it's a wonderful creative outlet for me, and it also allows me to tap into my developing intuitive side.  It has become both a source of creative expression and a means of drawing on my own inner wisdom.

I am also a Kaizen Muse Creativity Coach and workshop facilitator. One of the techniques I teach others and utilize myself is the Kaizen methodology of breaking things down into the smallest possible step. I have developed a Kaizen approach to SoulCollage in which I lay out images that appeal to me and work with them as I have time. I often trim images while I'm on the phone. When I'm ready to make a card, I lay the images out on my worktable and tweak them when I pass by (sometimes for several days) until they feel right and are ready to be glued down.

I also glue things that I know are supposed to be backgrounds to my cards. When I have images in search of a background, I try them against the backgrounds in search of images until I find the right fit.

Please visit my website, which is called Creative Inspirations.  I hope to get some of my SoulCollage cards up there soon.

Here are two of Lisa's favorite SoulCollage cards:



Wallflower
Suit: Committee

I am the one who...

...fades into the background in social settings.

...longs for connection with others.

...wants to be seen for who I truly am.

 

I am the one who...

...has been through the fire and survived.

...survived the worst experience imaginable.

...appears dead and used up but is not.

...survives and flourishes despite seemingly impossible odds.

...has hope even when things seem like they can't get any worse.

...bounces back from adversity.

Kindred Spirits Member News

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Making the most of your KaleidoSoul Membership 






      


There's A Universe Inside You 
         Weekend SoulCollage Retreat
    September 7-9, 2007
             Spirit Fire Retreat Center
        in the Massachusetts Berkshires

Join Facilitators Anne Marie Bennett, Jeanne Marie Merkel, Anne Boedecker, and Karen Mann for an unforgettable SoulCollage Retreat Weekend this autumn in the beautiful mountains of western Massachusetts.  The theme will be our many inner voices, both light and shadow. There's going to be lots of beautiful music, some SoulCollage songs, a little dancing, and a Blessings Bonfire (with drumming!) on Saturday night.  Also, we'll have hours and hours to make cards for our decks, and there will be thousands of images to inspire our imaginations!

We're announcing this retreat early so we can make it as affordable as possible, with  5 easy smaller payments. 


Upcoming Tele-Playshops


April:
Your Personal Totem Pole
Presenter: Anne Marie Bennett

Do you get the part about animal totems but aren't sure how they're related to the chakras?  Then join us for this tele-class which will be (in part) based on the book The Personal Totem Pole, by Eligio Stephen Gallegos (more information below in the Books section).  This is the book that Seena Frost references when she talks about the Companions Suit of our SoulCollage Decks.  We'll talk about animal totems and we'll talk about chakras, but most of this class we'll be talking about how the two are intertwined.  This will make a huge difference in your understanding of the Companions Suit and of your animal guides' place in your life as well.

Date: Sunday April 15, 2007
Time: 6 pm EST

 

 

May:
Round Table Discussion: SoulCollage Card Making
Discussion Moderators:
SoulCollage Facilitators Anne Marie Bennett & Cheryl Finley

This tele-playshop is going to have a different format.  Cheryl and Anne Marie will be facilitating a round table (more like "round the world!") discussion on the many different ways to make SoulCollage cards.  We'll be operating from a basic outline and letting everyone have time to share ideas and suggestions, tips and tricks.  But you don't have to share if you don't want to... you can just listen in if you like.

Date: Friday, May 18 2007
Time: 8 pm  EST

Save the dates now. These tele-playshops are FR*EE for all members, always! We'll send you the phone number to call in upcoming issues of Soul Treasures. And remember, don't worry if you can't attend... we'll be recording them and you can listen to them anytime in your Member's Only Audio Library.

 

 

  SOUL NOURISHMENT 

Books, movies, music, & websites to support your inner work as you dive deeper into your soul....


Books:

">Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance, by Julia Cameron.  This is the third book in the author's trilogy that began with The Artist's Way and was followed by Walking in This World.  Sprinkled with abundant, beautiful quotations on writing, art, and creativity... Finding Water is also crammed full with practical yet wise and creative ideas for how we can continue to produce even when our creative wells have run dry.  It's meant to be read and completed in the course of 12 weeks, but you can really dip in anywhere and find something meant just for you. Weekly topics include: Optimism, Reality, Support, Balance, Resilience, Truth, Perspective, and Safety.

">Five Good Minutes in the Evening, by Jeffrey Brantley & Wendy Millstine.   Subtitle: 100 Mindful Practices to Help You Unwind from the Day & Make the Most of Your Night.  This book really lives up to its title and subtitle.  Take the author's word for it, "Just five good minutes stand between your stressful workday and a restorative evening of calm, serenity and joy."  It's a small book that's easy to keep beside your bed.  My favorites (so far) are: Waterfall of the Mind, Body Mantra, Never Alone, and Media Vacation.  You don't need anything additional to do the activities in this book.

Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know: Ten Principles for Total Emotional and Spiritual Fulfillment, by Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D.  Each of these 10 principles are simple enough, and we've heard them all before.  But the author really zeroes in on our relationship with ourselves, and shows us how to "build an inner center of emotional and spiritual self-reliance that nothing and on one can take away from you."

Music:

$5.00 CD's- Sound too good to be true? It's not! Choose your category and then see how many great cd's you can find to fit your own personal tastes!

Serenescapes, by Fred Armand.  Relaxing, meditative music that is perfect for soul work like SoulCollage card making and readings!  Click on the image to the left to listen to some of the music on this beautiful cd.






Websites:

Journey to Light-Heartedness- I just ordered some of these "Pass Along Cards" and can't wait to start passing them along. This is a great way to change the world we live in, one little card at a time!

Self-Healing Expressions- Great site with lots to offer us on the idea of intuitive spiritual healing through art.

Soulebrate- Awesome site with lots of soul-stirring art by Oregon artist Tara-jenelle Walsch. Click on "greeting cards" to see some of her breathtaking and inspiring art.

Brought to you by KaleidoSoul

Spinning the fragments of your world
into wholeness and beauty
through SoulCollage®

Published by KaleidoSoul.com
and Anne Marie Bennett.
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Inner Journeys, copyright 2006,
Anne Marie Bennett
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