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Highlights of this issue:  Quotation of the Week
If you enter this world knowing you are loved
and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with. --- Michael Jackson 
Inner Journeys with Anne Marie Bennett Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® Into Our Daily Lives Paying Tribute to Michael Jackson I know you're probably wondering what Michael Jackson, or his death, has to do with SoulCollage®. Let me explain. The news of his death reached us on the first night of our annual KaleidoSoul SoulCollage Retreat last Thursday night. Even though we were secluded in our beautiful retreat center, tucked away from "the world," technology saw to it that we knew. The first person who heard this news was visibly moved to tears. A few others were shocked, and some remained silent, whether out of respect or judgment, I'm not sure. And it doesn't matter. I personally was never a big Michael Jackson fan, one way or the other. I don't buy into tabloid stories about celebrities' mistakes or successes or shame. This is because of the fact that about 20 years ago I was involved in a (very) small town "scandal" of sorts, and while rumors were flying and gossip was simmering to a nasty burn, only I and the other person involved knew the whole truth, and it was nothing remotely like what was being printed in our small town newspaper. So I have a certain empathy for people who get written about and talked about before all of the facts are truly "heard." Now that Michael has been gone for a few weeks, I have been internally heart-sore at the headlines and stories that are being thrown about on television, in the newspapers, and on everything online from MSN headlines to Facebook entries. It seems that the need people have to judge him far outweighs the necessity of humans to embrace each other with kindness. I was thrilled to read about the Broadway cast of Hair doing a tribute to Michael Jackson in Central Park, and was delighted and moved to tears to hear Nigel Lythgoe's oral tribute to him on last week's episode of So You Think You Can Dance. Also, my brother sent me a link to Deepak Chopra's Tribute to Michael Jackson, and I would like to pass that on to you here. Please take a few minutes to read what one of America's most-loved spiritual writers is saying about the life of Michael Jackson. Notice that he writes with kindness and without judgment. I offer this to you as a wave of kindness and compassion against the negativity and rumor mills that have sprung up in the last few weeks. May Michael Jackson rest in peace.
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Our Next Tele-Class SoulCollage® and the Art of Sacred Listening, with Laura Hegfield, SoulCollage® Facilitator in New Hampshire  Consider
allowing silence to be the container that holds your SoulCollage® practice.
Laura believes that silence can open us to a more intimate listening experience,
ultimately allowing us to drink a more satisfying cup of the sweet wisdom our
cards have to offer. During this tele-class, Laura will offer some practical
tips for incorporating more silence into your life and your SoulCollage®
practice (alone, with friends or as a facilitator in workshops).
Laura Hegfieldd is a SoulCollage® Facilitator, Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, Yoga & Jewish Spirituality Teacher, Artist, Blogger, Wife and Mom practicing the sacred art of "life" in Southern New Hampshire. Date: Sunday July 19, 2009 Time: 7:00 pm Eastern, 6:00 pm Central, 5:00 pm Mountain, 4:00 pm Pacific, 1 pm Hawaiian, 12 midnight in London, 1 a.m. in Rome, Monday 9 a.m. in Melbourne Australia and Monday 11 a.m. in New Zealand
Upcoming Tele-Classes and Presenters: August 16, 2009 (Sunday, 4 pm Eastern) - Power Animals, with Michele Lessirard, shamanic teacher/practitioner and SoulCollage® Facilitator in Florida. Last evening, just before dusk, I (Michele) looked out our family room window to see two great horned owls dancing on the ground by our palm tree. Owls rarely come down out of the trees to such a vulnerable place. What does the Owl dance mean? How would you work with the Owl's message? There are two main types of helping allies that shamans consult and work with in their journeys: power animals, also known as guardian spirits, and teachers in human form. In this teleclass we'll explore SoulCollage® and the relationship of power animals beyond the body chakras. In building relationship with our helping allies we come to know our true essence; from this place of power we feel more connected and grounded, better able to move out into the world in service to our family and community. During the teleclass we'll explore Nature, power animals and the SoulCollage® process. Michele will talk about power loss, power animals and the soul retrieval process using your SoulCollage® cards. September, 2009 - Movement and SoulCollage®: Blossoming Your Inner Dancer, with Lisa Thornbury-Clark, SoulCollage® Facilitator in Ohio. Your body is a powerful vessel of your wisdom, your life journey and your own unique expression of the Divine. Add movement and dance to your SoulCollage® practice, and you'll create a multi-sensory journey which will deepen your experience. Join us as we explore playful and sacred ways to connect your inner-dancer to your card-maker self. This tele-class will include experiential movement activities as well as discussion. That's right, we'll be moving instead of just sitting and listening! You'll learn creative ways to add movement and dance prior to card making as well as ideas and suggestions for conducting solo and group movement and dance "readings" with your SoulCollage® deck. Please attend this call in a room where you have some space to move freely and safely, and use a phone with speaker-phone capability if possible. It would be helpful to have a yoga mat or blanket for the session as well as your SoulCollage® cards nearby. No previous movement or dance experience necessary. Invite your inner-dancer to come out and play! Date and time to be announced, please stay tuned. October, 2009 A lively teaching on the chakras, and how they relate to SoulCollage® within the context of the Companions Suit. Facilitated by Jenni Holloway, SoulCollage® Facilitator in San Diego. In Jenni's SoulCollage® workshops, she combines the principles of developmental psychology, yoga philosophy & Chakra Energy Healing. A fascinating topic for one and all. Date and time to be announced, please stay tuned. New England SoulCollage® Facilitator Training October 9-11, 2009 in Chester, Connecticut  If
you've been longing to take your SoulCollage® practice out into the world by
becoming an "official" Facilitator, then please join us for a beautiful fall
weekend at The Guest House
(so named for
Rumi's famous poem).
Training participants make cards, share cards, and use their own processes as teaching examples for the group in learning how to facilitate SoulCollage® work. You'll learn how to facilitate "readings" which use our own intuition to deepen self-knowledge. You'll learn creative applications and how to adapt the SoulCollage® process to different populations. We'll work towards constructing a plan that fits each participant's intended uses of the technique. No degree or other credentialing is needed to register for this course. Enthusiasm for the process and its use in one's own life are the chief criteria for participation in the training To make this Training more accessible and affordable, we've added an option for you to pay in three smaller payments. There's more information on this KaleidoSoul page. | ||||||||
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SoulCollage®
Expressions
, featuring Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Betty Buckley. This is a poignant movie about the healing power of love. When Mac Sledge, a burned-out country western singer, marries Rosa Lee, a widow whose husband was killed in Vietnam, they are both trying to drive away the shadows of their past. Her boy, Sonny, wants to accept Mac but first he must come to terms with the father he never new. This deeply spiritual film shows how these three people are reborn through the power of love, gaining strength even in the most broken places of their lives. ---from Spiritual Rx, Prescriptions for Living a Meaningful Life, by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
, by Jennie Nash. A wonderful story about a woman trying to find her creative voice while feeling caught between the reputation of her father, a legendary photographer, and her daughter, an up and coming painter. Recommended by
Kindred Spirit Kat in California.
by Julia Alvarez. Stories about adolescence told through a look at the Latina version of the coming-out party. The
"quince," a celebration marking a girl's 15th birthday, is the background for this book. Julia, a noted novelist and poet, argues against a tradition that creates
"one night princesses" and for a ritual that gives them tools to survive the long haul.
