Dancing Babies and Long-Gone Aunts

There's a wonderful scene in an old Ally McBeal episode that I love to refer to when talking about the SoulCollage Committee Suit.  If you've never seen it, Ally McBeal was a delightful comedy about a quirky lawyer and her life and loves in Boston in the 1990's. 

In this scene, Ally is telling John Cage (another lawyer, even more idiosyncratic than Ally) about how a small dancing baby has been following her around.  This baby has been appearing to her at the strangest moments and it's really starting to drive her crazy.  She has tried ignoring this imaginary baby, and she has even tried kick-boxing it out of her life, but it still continues to "haunt" her.

At this point, John tells her about a time in his life when he kept dreaming about his long-deceased aunt, who was insisting that he have tea with her. 

Ally is fascinated, because John's problem sounds so similar to her own.  "So what did you do to stop the annoying dreams?" she asks.

"Simple," John replies.  "I had tea with her."

I think of this in relation to all of my own parts that make up my Inner Committee.  If there's one that's really pestering me for attention, then the very best thing for me to do is to sit down with it and listen.  Instead of ignoring it, or  trying to kick it away in frustration, I invite it in to my inner play room and have a little tea party with it. 

Reflection activities of the week: Take a moment to see if there are any dancing babies and/or long-deceased relatives following you around this week.  Or any other inner voices that are acting out and causing you bewildering moments of embarrassment.  Instead of wishing it would go away, simply name it and then find some time to sit down with it. You can do this by making a SoulCollage card for it, or by asking it "Who are you?" and writing down its answers for a few minutes.




SoulCollage Expressions

Idea of the Week 

What works great for me is to use use the music on my iPod (or any mp3 player) while creating my SoulCollage cards.  I hit the "shuffle songs" button, and every time, the song that comes up has a message for me to help me with creating my cards! Fun, fun, fun!
         --- from Paula in Shanghai, China

Editor's note: Don't have  an  iPod or mp3 player?  Just try turning on the radio to any station and seeing what message you can get from the song that is playing.

Question of the Week

Is the Source card without a suit? I know it's important, so where in the deck should it go? 

You're right... the Source card is important in your SoulCollage Deck! It is "the  One" that holds "the Many."  For this reason, it doesn't belong to any suit.  It symbolizes the Source from which everything else is born.  I keep my Source card on a little ledge above my cards at all times, and when I'm doing a Reading, I lay it above the cards that I've drawn in response to my question. Keeping the Source card separate in this way allows it to "hold the space" for all of the other Neters in your deck.

For more information on The One and the Many and the Source Card, please read Seena Frost's article on this topic.



Soul Friends

Kathleen French
Omaha, Nebraska 

I have always been interested in dreams and symbols and, although trained as a writer, I've found I really like visual expression better. I am very visual and very intuitive and was immediately engaged with the process. I tell my friends I like to "cut and paste," and I find the manual manipulation of the process very satisfying. I also find that the physical aspects allow my right brain to ramble, so to speak, while I'm keeping my logical left brain engaged.

Years ago I had begun an artist's file of pictures of people, animals, places, flowers, etc. that I have used as inspiration and reference for various artistic pursuits. I immediately went though all the files and pulled out the ones to which I had an emotional response. My husband says I'm a packrat, but I find that sometimes has happy endings, as I had a stack of old magazines in the basement that I immediately went through and found many more images to cut.

So armed with many images and a trip to the art store to have mat board cut to size,

I began creating cards. I created cards completely intuitively and had some powerful insights into where I was in my life, where I had been and where I hope to go. My inner "voice" has cajoled me back into a daily meditative process and has pushed me toward new creative pursuits.

Some of my first cards were a series that talked to me about disappointments. I had some very powerful and surprisingly emotional responses both as I made the cards and as I worked with them. It was a cathartic process for me as I worked my way to a place of self-discovery and contentment.

After a while the cards changed to themes that foretold a positive future and the opening up of myself to both my creative energies and creative pursuits. It's been an exciting journey and very satisfying. I'm very interested in the concept of spiritual healing and have SoulCollage aa a potent ally in the healing process.

I began daily readings last January and my cards have added a dimension to my life that has complimented my personal spiritual practice and given me confidence to embrace those parts of me that might be called "negative." These shadow cards have revealed their own wisdom to me for my life and have very powerful things to tell me. When doing readings I sometimes use the I am one who... to gain insite and other times use the dialogue techniques I learned through the Ira Progoff Intensive Journal Process. Sometimes I use stream of consciousness and just write whatever comes to mind. The readings have helped me to focus on what I really want and have helped me maintain my centeredness.

Recently I received a phone call from a woman at the bookstore where I had purchased the book, thanking me for introducing them to SoulCollage! Three of the people that work at the store have begun the process of SoulCollage and we have started a monthly get-together to talk SoulCollage and work on cards.

I liken the process of SoulCollage to that of an unfolding rose. Each card is a petal of who I am and the beauty of myself is revealed, not in a single rose petal, but in the whole bloom. As I create new cards, what started as a bud is transformed into in a maturing rose blossom.

Here are two of Kathleen's current favorite SoulCollage cards:



Caged

Suit: Committee

I am one who feels caged. I am one who hides my personality from the world under a veil of propriety and correctness. I am one who is deeply introverted and fearful of exposing too much of myself to others. I am one who wants to break out, fly free and remove the veil.

 

I am one who sits in silence. I am one who seeks the light within. I am one who comes to the waters of inner knowledge, who is thirsty for spiritual knowing. I am one who sees the open door as an invitation to spiritual growth.

Kathleen French is a handweaver active in Complex Weavers, an international handweaving association where she leads two study groups, lace and ecclesiastical weaving. She has pursued textile crafts and arts from a very young age. She likes to draw and hopes to learn to paint and is also an avid genealogist.

Kindred Spirits Member News

---

Making the most of your KaleidoSoul Membership 


Keep track of all of your member benefits on the Kindred Spirits Home Page.

If you ever forget your Member's Password, just email annemarie@kaleidosoul.com. 



      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 will be hours on end of SoulCollage card making, plus several optional sessions on card interpreting, readings, and various aspects of the Committee Suit.
It's extremely affordable, plus you can pay  in 4 easy smaller payments. 
We're also offering you a $50 discount if you sign up with a friend.

More details! 

Upcoming Tele-Playshops

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. 

Date: Friday, May 18 2007 (That's this week!)
Time: 8 pm  EST
Here's the phone number to call and info about what to bring with you to the call.



June:
Round Table Discussion: SoulCollage Card Readings
Discussion Moderator: Anne Marie Bennett

We'll be talking about several different kinds of SoulCollage card readings, and there will be plenty of opportunity to share your own experiences if you want to.  If you haven't done a reading with your cards yet, that's okay too.... because we'll be doing a Reading live on this call!  I will do one to demonstrate, and then you can do one of your own.  You'll have the option to share your reading with the rest of us, but it's not required.  If you haven't done a Reading with your cards yet, or if you want some community support while you do one, this is the call for you.

Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Time: 7 pm  EST

Save the dates now. All of our tele-playshops are FR*EE for members, always!  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.  
 

 

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


Books:

The Women's Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations That Change Everyday Problems into Moments of Potential, by Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  I love working with affirmations, and this book is unique because it allows me to find a beautifully worded affirmation based on what is happening for me in my life right now.  The topics included are: Insight, Balance, Resiliency, Your Authentic Self, Abundance, Corporate Soul, and Divine Feminine.  And each of these topics is broken down into smaller categories so that it's really easy to find exactly the affirmation you need at any given time, for any given circumstance.

Stress Busters: 101 Ways to Inner Calm, by Robert Holden.  I heard Robert Holden speak on the Oprah show not too long ago and was impressed by his sense of humor, as well as his practical way of looking at life with joy and ease rather than anger and frustration.  This book is jam-packed with easy to use ideas that will give you: more energy, inner calm, greater confidence, sounder sleep and better health, among other things. Try them and see!

Rock Your World with the Divine Mother: Bringing the Sacred Power of the Divine Mother into Our Lives, by Sondra Ray.  Veteran new-ager, Sondra Ray explores the Divine Mother--through experiences with Ammachi, Mother Mary, Shastriji, Mary Magdalaine, and others--and affirms that this sacred and powerful energy is vital to both inner peace and world peace.

Music:

Mandala, by Kitaro.  I love all of Kitaro's music, which never fails to take me on wonderful journeys of spirit and imagination.  If you have never experienced Kitaro, this is a good one to start with.

The Visit, by Loreena McKennit. Her voice will sound to you like an angel hushing you to sleep.  Her music is Celtic in origin, but ethereal in spirit. Perfect background music for SoulCollage card making and readings.


Movies: 

 

Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson.  I saw this last fall when it was in the theatres, and found it totally charming, imaginative, and genuinely funny. Last week I rented it (it's finally out on dvd) and loved it even more the second time. Will Ferrell will grow on you as the main character in an author's new novel (excellently portrayed by Emma Thompson). Dustin Hoffman joins in as an English Literature professor who helps him discern what kind of a novel he is "in" and who the author is. The bottom line of this movie is to take your life into your own hands, to make your life exactly what you want it to be no matter what is happening around you, and no matter who seems to be writing your story for you. Funny, touching, a little silly, but always real.

Websites:


Bliss Trips- If you like my guided visualizations, you're really going to love these!  There are several CD's available, or you can also download them as mp3 files directly to your computer.  Creative, refreshing, fun, and rejuvenating.

Designs by Willow- Stunning, visionary art by Colorado artist, Willow Arlenea.  Click on "display of images" to browse through her many beautiful art prints, which can also be ordered as greeting cards.

Happy News- If you're tired of the depressing news morning, noon and night on TV and in the newspapers, you will love this site.  Their slogan is: Real News. Compelling Stories. Always Positive.  And they live up to it!

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