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Mailer 1 Issue # 76 September 10, 2007
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| Quotation of the Week
Inspirational words to ponder.....
The real trick to life is not to be in the know,
but to be in the mystery. ---F.A. Wolf
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| Inner Journeys with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
 Tucker the Mystery Cat
It's been more than a year since our beloved tiger cat Scooter left us. I wrote about the beginnings of this loss in the May 8 2006 issue of Soul Treasures. Of course, the feeling of deep grieving continued and even now I still sometimes miss him keenly.
But a mysterious thing happened last summer, and I share it with you here to remind us of the Mystery that surrounds us always.
Scooter was the "he-man" cat of our little posse of three felines. He was the mouser, the birder, the one who strutted like John Wayne across the front lawn and kept other cats at a distance. "Don't mess with Scooter," seemed to be the prevailing subtext of the feline consciousness in our neighborhood.
About a month after his death, I noticed some strange cats wandering through our property. This had never occurred before, and I was struck with a slight and sudden fear for our two female cats Sasha and Minnie, who had never had to fight because Scooter was always around protecting them. One cat in particular was a scruffy, heavyset gray tom, and he looked like he was up to no good. I chased him away on several occasions.
 Shortly thereafter, "Tucker" appeared, meowing loudly in our driveway as if to announce his appearance. At first I was a little afraid of him as well. He was a black and white tuxedo cat with a partially bitten ear, and a slight limp. Other than that, he looked well-fed and taken care of.
Tucker came to us many times last summer and fall. He always seemed to appear right when I was feeling the saddest, and missing Scooter the most. One time my husband discovered Tucker and the gray tomcat in an archetypal feline standoff on our back deck. That was when I realized what he was doing: protecting our property (and our other two cats) from the neighborhood "riff raff," just like Scooter had always done.
Whenever I saw Tucker, I would put out a special bowl of food for him. Sometimes he ate; sometimes he didn't. But he usually came right up on our porch and looked me in the eye, although he never let me get near enough to touch him.
I can't explain it exactly, but I felt exquisitely comforted whenever I saw him. Perhaps he was an old hunting buddy of Scooter's who missed him and came looking for him, assessed the situation and decided to lend a helping hand (oops, paw!). Maybe he was an angel cat. Or it could have all been just a mighty big coincidence.
For several months I pushed these ideas around in my mind, but to no avail. I had questions but there simply wasn't an answer. Eventually I decided to simply rest in the mystery of Tucker-ness, to just let him be whoever he was, and to gladly accept wherever it was he'd come from.
We haven't seen him since this spring, and we haven't seen any of the neighborhood feline "riff raff" either. Looks like Tucker did his job. And I am exceedingly grateful for the gift he gave us of comfort, protection, and a reminder that it's possible and necessary to embrace the unknown on a daily basis.
Reflection/Activity of the Week- Take a curious look at your life lately. Where is the Mystery making itself known? Notice if you have a hard time with unanswerable questions, or if that comes more easily to you. Create a SoulCollage card for one of these parts of you. Or express the Mystery itself in a card somehow.
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| Soul Friends Voice of a Different Kindred Spirit Each Week
Laura Hegfield
Amherst, New Hampshire
I've been practicing SoulCollage for a year and became a facilitator in February. I discovered SoulCollage one day while surfing the internet. I was in a bit of a funk with too much time in my hands. Our plans to move to a new home inNorth Carolina had just changed. After months of preparing my home, my family and myself... we weren't moving! I was feeling disappointed and rootless. I had already quit my job so I had all this time to sit and ponder the situation, an unexpected gift.
Understanding "my place" in the world became my journey. SoulCollage was a perfect modality for contemplation, feeling my feelings and healing. As a visually creative person, this practice gave me a new way to sit (contemplate), in my house (my body) and connect with God in a personal and prayerful way. As a teacher of yoga, art and Jewish spirituality, I am on my own soul journey, always exploring the ways these three aspects of my professional and personal life intersect. SoulCollage® is not a religious practice but a powerful tool available to anyone who wants to take a closer look at their life.
That said, it reminds me of a Jewish technique called Cheshbon HaNefesh. This Hebrew phrase translates to "Accounting of the Soul". Rabbi Mendel of Satanov wrote a book titled Cheshbon HaNefesh in the early 19th century describing this method in great detail. His intention was for us to turn inward and take stock of our attitudes and actions, to be accountable for destructive habits and embrace our beneficial attributes.
When translated into English, however, we can take the root of the word, "account," and add another dimension of possibility. "Giving an account" means telling a story. SoulCollage takes us to the heart of our personal narratives and presents them right before our eyes. A SoulCollage card goes a step further than a written journal by becoming a visual bridge, spanning the divide between spoken and unspoken words. This allows us to reframe the deep-rooted myths that limit our potential.
As part of my personal practice, I see a Spiritual Director on a monthly basis. Images from my SoulCollage® cards often come into my awareness as we sit and wait in silent companionship. When this happens the cards are like angels, bearing the message "stop and take another look." Sometimes clarity only comes when we turn and look again. In Judaism this is called t'shuvah, and it is the essence of Cheshbon HaNefesh. I am also blessed with the opportunity to teach Jewish teens from around the greaterBoston area through Prozdor, the high school atHebrewCollege. Each week I share these concepts with my students. They meditate, make collages, and speak from their cards using the "I Am One Who..." activity. For some students, the act of making a collage is enough. They are young, and it's scary to be vulnerable in the presence of their peers. But for others, the depth of this work is a source of joy and relief. Teens today are overscheduled and under tremendous pressure. In my classes, SoulCollage and Cheshbon HaNefesh give students time and space to relax, play, speak from their hearts and truly be heard.
I think this is what every soul longs for. A sanctuary in time and space where we can experience joy, tell stories from our unique perspectives, know that we have been listened to, and discover how we fit into this enormous puzzle of a universe. Most often, I just flip through magazines on my own, with my kids, with my students or dear friends; tearing, cutting and gluing pictures that know where they want to be. In this simple yet mysterious way the cards are teaching me about "place."
Some times when in a deep meditative state I'll see a shadowy image and know that I need to make a card for it so I can figure out what the image is trying to tell me. It's very cool when that happens!
There's this line in Exodus that describes the moment that God gives the Torah to Moses and it says that the people saw the sound of the shofar (horn). This is a call to awakening! Seeing and hearing become one experience, inseparable in that moment.
The essence of SoulCollage is this same unified sensory quality, visually listening to the voices in our hearts and minds. Visually listening to the voice of the Divine spark that is imbedded in each of us.
And each card is indeed a shofar blast, waking us up to our own stories, showing us and telling us how and maybe even why, we have arrived at this particular time and place in our lives.
And so I offer this to all of us engaged in SoulCollage... wake up and be present, look/listen and know that you are in exactly the right place, right now.
Here are two of Laura's favorite SoulCollage cards:
Moving Into Stillness
Suit: Committee/Ruach
I am the one who...
is moving towards your center.
I am the one who is on a journey towards peace.
I am the one who is coming into stillness.
I give you permission to sit...a moment eternal.
 Sh'ma/Listen
Suit: Council/Chaya
I am the one who listens.
I am the one who is present. I am the one who is swirling near and far.
I am the one who offers the world compassion.
I want you to keep listening and open to wider circles.
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| SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
Sometimes I like to do what I call a "backwards" SoulCollage reading. I ask a question, as usual, but instead of randomly drawing some cards form my deck to answer the question, I flip through all of my cards and consciously choose a few that seem to have answers for me at that time.
I don't always do this. Sometimes there's more power and energy in choosing the cards in the Reading randomly, and sometimes there's more power and energy in choosing them this way.
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| Kindred Spirits Member News
Making the Most of Your KaleidoSoul Membership
 Keep track of all your Member Benefits on the Kindred Spirits Home Page.
If you ever forget your password, please send a
reply email to this message.
Upcoming Tele-Playshops
Dialogue With The Mysteries: 
SoulCollage As a Journey of Mythic Discovery
Presented by
Anne Marie Bennett and
Robin Cooper-Stone, MFA,
SoulCollage-Facilitator-To-Be in Virginia
Seena Frost has said that the Council suit and Companion suit make up "the larger story." What is this larger story, and what does it mean for our lives? In this tele-class, we will be discussing our SoulCollage cards as the revelation of the "hero's journey" we have undertaken and what the stages of this journey are. We will also consider the potential value of reading certain myths to enrich our SoulCollage work and our participation in "the larger story." We will also discuss what Seena Frost calls "the local story," the Committee and Community suits, relative to our own personal mythologies. To paraphrase William Blake, "We must more consciously create our own myths or be enslaved to the myths of another." Towards this end, we will be answering questions with the potential to open new vistas in our SoulCollage work.
Robin Cooper-Stone, M.F.A., taught The Heroic Quest in freshman composition courses at theUniversity ofAlabama. A few years ago, she took a workshop with Dr. James Hollis, author of Tracking the Gods: The Place of Myth in Modern Life. She is one year into her personal SoulCollage journey and will attend the SoulCollage facilitator training in Maryland this October. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. Date: Monday September 24, 2007
Time: 7 pm EST (one hour)
Save the date 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. Upcoming SoulCollage Retreats
Just Be...Connected, A Gathering for Creative Bloggers. October 12-14, 2007 inHyannis (Cape Cod), MA. Anne Marie will be teaching two SoulCollage workshops, plus there are many more creative, art-full workshops that you can sign up for this weekend. You don't need to have a blog to attend, but lots of creative bloggers will be leading the workshops you'll be taking. There's lots more info at the Just Be Connected website.
 All Things Bright & Beautiful- April 10-13, 2008 in Essex, MA. You asked for it, you got it: A three-night retreat focusing soul-ly on the SoulCollage Animal Companions Suit. If you're longing to bring the wisdom of the Animals into your life in a creative, personal way within the safety of SoulCollage.... please join us! More details are on your Members Only Retreat Info Page. Also...if you sign up before September 30, you'll be receiving a very special Gratitude Goodie Gift in the mail next month. Includes a CD, a 5-pack of Anne Marie's handmade cards, and more.
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| Soul Nourishment
Resources to support your inner work as you dive deeper
into your beautiful soul
 Books:
Wake Up To Your Stories, by Alyson Mead. Subtitle: Using the Art of Personal Narrative to Heal Your Past, Nurture Your Relationships and Ask for What You're Worth. A mouthful maybe, but well worth reading. Our stories are our lives...and we all have them. Our personal stories control how we see the world, how we interpret it, and how we relate to others. Stories are also how we connect to others. This book helps us get in touch with our own personal stories so that we can heal past wounds, reinforce connections with family and friends, and begin the process of building the lives we really want.
Maggie Taylor's Landscape of Dreams, by Amy Standen. If you love unique visual images (and what SoulCollage doesn't), you'll enjoy this large-sized book of digital art by PhotoShop artist Maggie Taylor. She buys funky stuff at flea markets and on eBay, and then she photographs or scans them and creates amazing images with them. Talk about a method of self-expression that meshes with SoulCollage!
Forty Days and Forty Nights, by Ilene Segalove. Doing something for 40 days can make or break a habit. Throughout history, 40 days has been known as a sacred period of time, and is often referred to in the Bible and ancient scriptures as the length of time required for enacting change. This interactive journal helps readers dedicate a manageable but inspired time and space for conscious growth.
Anyway: Finding Personal Meaning in a Crazy World, by Kent M. Keith. NPR called this book "simple, elegant, and profound." A wonderful set of guidelines for centered, joyful living... also know as "the paradoxical commandments." Example: People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway." Music:
Soulflight: Chanted Mantras for Healing & Illumination, by Bhavani Nelson. When I was assisting at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, I had the privilege of working with Bhavani during a morning workshop session on chanting. Her voice is absolutely beautiful, and I did experience a wealth of healing while lying in meditation, absorbing her music. I think you'll love this CD.
Websites:
Change Your Mind Day- These special days are being held all over the world to promote an afternoon of silent meditation. Check out this site to see if you can participate in a city near you. There's also information about participating in this powerful event online.
Voyager Tarot- Fascinating tarot deck with beautiful images similar to SoulCollage. --shared by Kindred Spirit Rita in Ontario
Coming Out of the Spiritual Closet- fascinating article by Doreen Virtue.
Artista- Creative safaris for women. You'll find lots of options for creative adventures here.
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| More Resources
Ongoing resources that our Kindred Spirit Members find helpful
Inner Surprises Blog: Anne Marie's blog full of an intimate glimpse into her SoulCollage Deck. There also are bimonthly SoulCollage Challenges posted here. You can read past Challenges by clicking on "SoulCollage Challenges" in the right column.
Soul Songs, Your Fr*ee Monthly SoulCollage Newsletter: The September issue is all about Creativity. You can also read all back issues at the link above. The topics are listed with each issue, so this is a valuable resource that you'll use again and again.. KaleidoSoul Community Yahoo Group: This is a safe place where you can post your cards (if you want), ask your questions, and virtually "meet" other Kindred Spirits .
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| Final Treasures
Soul Treasures is brought to you by KaleidoSoul, Spinning the fragments of your world into wholeness and beauty through SoulCollage.
SoulCollage® cards are made either from one's own art or from images found in materials which have been bought by or given to the SoulCollage card maker.
These collaged cards are used only for the cardmaker's own inner exploration. SoulCollage cards are not sold, traded, bartered, or copied (except as a back-up for the cardmakers own use) as is stated in the Principles of SoulCollage®.
Where SoulCollage cards are available to be seen by others,
it is for the purposes either of demonstrating the SoulCollage process
or of sharing the cardmakers' inner process in the context of community.
SoulCollage® is grateful to the artists and photographers
who make this deep awakening process possible
and in all ways SoulCollage® seeks to be respectful of their rights.
Published by KaleidoSoul.com
and Anne Marie Bennett.
Please do not reproduce or forward this newsletter in any way.
Inner Journeys, copyright 2007, by Anne Marie Bennett.
All rights reserved.
To give us feedback,
we invite you to send a reply email to this message.
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