Soul Treasures
Discovering the depths of our precious inner beauty through SoulCollage®
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KaleidoSoul's Members-Only Weekly Newsletter
Issue #20- August 14, 2006
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Quotation of the Week
The world needs anger. The world often continues to allow evil because it isn't angry enough.
-- Bede Jarrett
Inner Journeys
with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
Who's Locked Up In Your Inner Dungeon?
Sometimes I visualize all of my "inner voices" as residing in a big castle. Each one has its own room and sometimes I visualize (in meditation or in writing) myself there, exploring the rooms and the part of me that inhabits each one.
One day a few weeks ago while "exploring" my inner castle, I found myself in the dungeon, so to speak, and guess what? There are some parts of me that I've locked up down there because other parts have been stronger, or because I just haven't known how to interact with them.
 My Angry One is one of those parts. I don't have a name for her yet (except Angry One) , but I am getting to know her a little bit better day by day.
She has given me some very interesting information as I've been working with her. For example, she reminded me that I didn't exactly grow up with very good role models for expressing anger (my mother lashed out with hers, and my father kept his under lock and key). She helped me to see that I chose to follow my father's anger pattern because it wasn't as hurtful to others.
The most exciting revelation, however, came when I asked her What do you have to give me? and she replied, I give you a signal that something isn't right in your world. I give you the knowledge that anger is ok and acceptable. I give you a sense of responsibility to try to fix whatever is making you angry. I give you energy to right wrongs and to speak up for yourself in situations where no one is listening to you.
One day last week I imagined myself taking her hand in the dungeon and inviting her to go with me "upstairs" into my world and into my life. "Just for the day," I promised her. I can't even begin to tell you what a difference it made!
And it just so happened that that very same day, my husband did something that REALLY angered me on a very deep level (not just surface stuff being activated, but many years of stepfamily issues rising to the surface). And as I was feeling my blood boil, I remembered The Angry One and that she was with/beside me for the day..... It was as if she really had been set free. I was able to speak my anger to my husband without being consumed by it, and believe me.... this was a brand new experience for me.
Reflection activity of the week: Make a commitment to pay attention to your own inner Angry One this week. Are you comfortable allowing her to walk through your day with you, or is she/he locked up in your own inner dungeon? Find a way this week to honor this angry voice inside of you: make a SoulCollage card for it, spend a few minutes listening to it in a journaled dialogue, or simply make a little extra room for it in the "upstairs" of your soul. And if this whole idea of an inner castle and dungeon intrigues you.... I challenge you to take your inner wise self with you and go down to that dungeon. And notice, just notice (don't do anything yet) if there are any other parts of you locked up down there.
SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
I lay my images on waxed paper when I spread glue on the backs of them. It's easy, doesn't take up much room...and you can use it again many times over. The glue dries and you can open the paper back up since it's waxed!
--from Cheryl in Illinoios
We'd love to hear from you!
Question of the Week
Is it really okay to use someone else's art in my own SoulCollages? Shouldn't I be worried about copyright laws?
It really is okay as long as you are using the SoulCollage cards for your own personal use and nothing else! Copyright issues come into play when you start selling your cards to the public.... which is something we never, ever do with our SoulCollage cards! The ultimate purpose of creating your own SoulCollage deck is to access your own inner wisdom, so if another artist's image helps you to do that, then by all means, incorporate it into your deck!
Have a question about SoulCollage®
that you'd like answered?
Send your questions to members@KaleidoSoul.com.
We'll try to use your question
(along with an answer, of course!)
in an upcoming issue of Soul Treasures.
Soul Friends
The voice of a different Kindred Spirit each week!
Laurel Aston
Mountain View, CA
and
Athens, GA
Hello KaleidoSoul Community,
I use varying combinations of both intuition and conscious decision-making to create cards in my SoulCollage deck.
When I allow time and space to make cards with no conscious intention, I love just sitting down for what I call Flipping, Ripping, and Snipping (images from magazines) and seeing what wants to arrive at my doorstep to be assembled on a card. This is a magical, wonderful and intuitive way to make cards, and a lot has been written by SoulCollagers about it.
So I thought I would write about the conscious decision-making and planning I use to enrich and expand my SoulCollage practice.
Sometimes I consciously choose to study a suit to explore its possibilities and prepare for card-making. Recently after choosing the Companion Suit I reviewed my studies in yoga psychotherapy about the symbolism of the chakras, and also looked through my Companion cards. I was drawn to the first card I made with Seena, a fifth chakra card titled simply "Bridge" (see below).
I thought about how my awareness of the fifth chakra has changed since making that card in 2002. However, I am amazed that the card contains so many universal images for the meaning of fifth chakra energy: the bridge - a path from and to inner and outer knowing, the language of drumming, the power of voice, and walking and talking with friends.
In this review of my first card, I realized that I'd like to find the companion animal that empowers me from the throat chakra to speak out more in the world. I like to do intentional exploratory work which can be a possible starting place for my next SoulCollage making opportunity.
One very satisfying combination of intuitive and intentional card-making was creating my own Muse Suit, to honor a creativity philosophy I study and teach from, published in The Nine Modern Day Muses & A Bodyguard. From the conscious choice of this structure, I made ten cards, honoring Jill Badonsky's reinvented Muses who address particular obstacles to creativity.
Since each Muse is multi-dimensional, I used an intuitive process to create the Muse aspects that wanted to come forth, not knowing which dimensions of the Muse would take shape in the cards. As I did my Flipping, Ripping, and Snipping of magazine images, I did actually work on more than one card at a time, collecting images that looked like Bea Silly, Aha-phrodite, Shadow, and all the others. You may view these ten Muse cards on my website.
The Muse cards help me not only with creativity obstacles... since the nine Modern Day Muses are a combination of Committee traits and Council archetypes, they hold a lot of personal and universal wisdom, and they can be read for any kind of question.
I have another new suit that I am working on, really a sub-suit, as it could be considered an addition to the Council Suit. During an eight week class titled The Embodied Feminine (which was Valerie Sher's research project for her Ph.D. at the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology), we danced the energies of the archetypes: Maiden, Mother, Warrior, Crone, Virgin, Lover, Light Woman, and Dark Goddess. I am now collecting images and will make cards in tune to the particular musical tracks that move me at the time I select and assemble my images. I plan to consciously use these cards to inspire me to re-engage more in dance, rhythm, and body movement.
And so there are many ways to make new suits, to combine the conscious knowing and intuitive intelligence in practicing SoulCollage, as well as fabulous and fun ways to use the cards once they're made. The ways I've shared aren't anything all that new, just the confluence of things in my life taking a new shape!
I invite you see my Autumn 2006 SoulCollage class schedule. (Just click on SCHEDULE in the upper left of this page).
Laurel Aston,
Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach
SoulCollage & Muse Journey Facilitator
My website: Sparking Art Studio
Sparking the Wonder Within
Here are 2 of my favorite SoulCollage® cards:
 Shadow
Suit- Muse
I am the One Who finds freedom in my inner web.
I am the One Who is liberated by exploring my dark side.
I am the One Who releases the darkness into my creative expression.
I am the One Who unzips and frees the magic of transformation.
Bridge- 5th Chakra
Suit- Companions
I am the One Who knows the mirror aspect of the 5th chakra.
I am the One WHo walks and talks and reflects with friends.
I am the One Whose voice bridges my inner and outer worlds.
I am the One Who wants to experience a sacred circle of communication.
Want to share your SoulCollage story and cards with other
KaleidoSoul Kindred Spirits?
Send them to members@kaleidosoul.com.
We'd love to hear from YOU!
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're having trouble viewing the Home Page in the above link, try this Text-Only Kindred Spirits Home Page.
And remember, as a Kindred Spirit... everything in the Kindred Spirits Shop is 50% off!
If you missed the Tele-Playshop last week, don't worry, you can listen to it now! Completely Random, Completely Divine is now in your Audio Library.
The next Tele-Playshop is on Tuesday September 12 at 6:00 pm (EST). The theme will be the Council Suit. Stay tuned for more details!
 Soul Nourishment
Books, movies, music, & websites to support your inner work as you dive deeper into your soul....
Books:
The Dance of Anger, by Harriet Lerner. Subtitled A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships, this book is an excellent guide to anger, what it is, and how to express it in ways that are healthy and creative.
The Art of Emotional Healing, by Lucia Capacchione, Ph.D. I highly recommend anything by this author, but this one in particular is excellent. There are over 60 easy activities for exploring our emotions using artistic and creative means such as drawing, painting, dancing, writing, sculpture and more.
Music:
For me, anger manifests in a need for physical action. I find it helpful when I'm feeling angry to move my body in some way: walking fast, swimming an extra few laps, or just standing in the living room with some loud rock music on, and dancing. Try it! See if your Angry One can channel her anger into a riotous dance the next time she shows up!
Movies:
Erin Brockavich, starring Julia Roberts. You may have seen this one, but have you ever noticed how Erin channels her anger at "the system" into something that is powerful and good?
Websites:
Life Scribing- excellent resources for journaling, and for being the scribe of your own life, including the universal feeling of anger.
Mindfulness of Emotions- this link leads to an excellent short article which talks about how to approach all of our emotions (including anger) mindfully instead of reactively.
Spinning the fragments of your world
into wholeness and beauty
through SoulCollage®
Published by KaleidoSoul.com
and Anne Marie Bennett.
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this newsletter in any way.
Inner Journeys, copyright 2006,
Anne Marie Bennett
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