Soul Treasures
Discovering the depths of our precious inner beauty through SoulCollage®
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KaleidoSoul's Members-Only Weekly Newsletter
Issue #24- September 11, 2006
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Quotation of the Week
We are all broken and wounded in this world.
Some choose to be strong at the broken places.
---Harold J. Duarte-Bernhardt
Inner Journeys
with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
Healing Our Wounds
 Five hours in the emergency room one beautiful Sunday summer afternoon. Two Vicodin pills. A boxful of bandaids. Ten antiobiotic tablets. Half a tube of bacitracin... These are my soon-to-be-forgotten memories of an infected fingernail which now (3 weeks later) is finally beginning to feel and look "normal" again.
But the journey to healing this tiny little nuisance of an infection wasn't as simple as I expected. Three weeks is a looooong time when you're waiting for an infection to go away. And I found that many of my "inner voices" were highly activated because of this one tiny little infection.
For example:
Inner Critic (Ethel): How could you have been so stupid as to bite that nail down so far before going for your manicure?
Worrywart: I just know this is going to turn into blood poisoning, and then we will die.
Impatience: It's not healing fast enough.
Worrywart: Oh no, it's going to get infected again.
Judge: What on earth is wrong with that stupid doctor? I don't think he really got all of the infection out.
Inner Critic: I told you you should have asked for a different doctor.
Scared Inner Child: Hey, this hurts really bad. I want some love and attention.
Inner Mother: Oh sweetie, you can skip washing the dishes until it's all healed. I'll run a warm bath for you, will that feel good?
Well, you get the idea. As the weeks went by and healing wasn't evident to me, parts of me got panicky and anxious and downright cranky.
What I forgot during the weeks that my finger was healing is that our wounds and injuries often heal when we're not looking. It's a very simple truth, but one that I often forget when I'm faced with a stressful situation like this one.
Looking back on my life, I remember times when the hurt was so deep I thought I would never heal. The broken leg. The lover who left me. The stepchild who rejected me. The death of my father. The chemotherapy treatments. The loss of a beloved cat.
And yet, when I think of these wounds today, I feel no bitter pain, I sense no anguish.... and I am awed by the wonder of how time and space really do heal us- body, mind and spirit.
Five years ago today, America was wounded deeply when the Twin Towers were attacked. This is a wound that is much more severe and unfathomable than a broken leg or an infected finger. Yet deep as that wound was, it too is a wound that is healing. Very very slowly, in the tiniest of increments, but our country's worst wound is healing.
The important thing is to trust the process of healing, to remember that if it takes a tiny little fingernail infection three weeks to heal, then how much longer it takes for a broken heart, a lost relationship, a shattered bone. And more important than this, remember to give you own wounds time and space to heal. Ask for help- doctors, nurses, friends, family, animals, and of course- Spirit.
Reflection activity of the week: Look back today and remember September 11, 2001. Where were you when you heard the news? How did you feel? What inner parts of you reacted to the tragedy of September 11? Pay attention to those inner parts that were hurt, scared, angry, or terrified. Acknowledge them. Listen to them. Do they still have things to say about that day? Write out a dialog, like mine above. Make SoulCollage cards for them. Can you notice any healing that has taken place in these parts since then or are they still bearing the wound? Make a list of wounds (physical, emotional, spiritual) you have received throughout your life. Have any of them healed? Are there some that still need your time and love and attention?
SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
Try ripping/tearing the edges of some images the next time you make a card instead of cutting straight lines with scissors. This gives a very different look and "feel" to a card.
-- from Karen in Australia
We'd love to hear from you!
Question of the Week
I make some of my cards in my art journal which is much bigger than the 5 x 8 mat boards used for SoulCollage. Is there some easy way to know what percentage to shrink them down to so they fit on the 5X8 mat boards?
Try this online Proportion Wheel. Just type in one measurement at a time. For example, if you have an 11 x 14 image and you want to shrink it to 5 x 8, put an 11 in the first box and a 5 in the second box, then click on "Calculate percent."
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!
Karen Mann-
Melbourne, Australia
When I discovered SoulCollage it changed my life & what I thought my future was going to be about. SoulCollage now plays an vital role in my own self-care; it plays an important part in my personal development & inner therapeutic work; and it is becoming a pivotal part of where I am heading professionally! In my business I'm using SoulCollage with groups and I am also using it in my Life Coaching practice with one-on-one clients.
Just last week I returned from a trip to the United States where I had so much fun co-facilitating the inaugural KaleidoSoul SoulCollage Retreat as well as connecting with a number of other "SoulCollagers" as I travelled for 5 weeks. It was wonderful to finally meet (in real life) people who I had become friends with over the Internet through discussing SoulCollage. I found that because we had shared such intimate & authentic parts of ourselves through our SoulCollage cards, when we did meet in person it didn't feel like we were strangers at all, because we already knew each other through our cards!
I bought the SoulCollage book from Amazon.com in July 2003, read it and loved it, but for some reason I wasn't ready to make cards yet! I set the book aside and didn't begin making cards till January 2004. Once I made my first card I was hooked and within a month I had booked myself in to attended the facilitator training in June 2004. This was a life-changing step in so many ways... including the fact that this was my first ever trip overseas.
I'm an artist and I've also studied some art therapy techniques. I was actually looking for some other collage and art therapy books on Amazon when I stumbled across the description for the SoulCollage book. For quite a while it had been a goal of mine to create my own tarot deck, so when I saw the SoulCollage book it seemed that this process was even better than illustrating a tarot deck, because this deck was all about me!
There are so many things I love about SoulCollage. I love making the cards intuitively, and how, through using this process, I have come to trust my intuition so much more. I love the seeming "magic" of the synchronicities that occur, in order to assist me to make sense of my cards. I love the power of the readings, how through drawing a daily card or a more detailed reading, I can find my own solutions to issues in my life. I also love the sense of calm that I find after spending some time with my creative self, making cards. There are so many different aspects to the SoulCollage process, and each of them bring something wonderful into my life.
I've been using SoulCollage alongside my own personal therapy to assist me as I explore & resolve issues in my life. Sometimes I've made cards intentionally to deal with issues that have arisen in therapy (or my life), and other times, through the intuitive card making process, something from my unconscious has made itself known through my cards, and then I have been able to work with this issue through SoulCollage journaling and/or with the support of my therapist. The depth of my personal growth and self-awareness has been greatly supported through my use of the SoulCollage process.
I would like to encourage anyone who is just starting to practice SoulCollage to try to make cards intuitively, rather than intentionally. Don't get caught up in having to know straight away what suit a card belongs to, or exactly what it means. Create cards by pasting pictures together that "call to you", allowing pictures you are attracted to to come together, rather then collecting pictures with a particular purpose in mind.
Once you've made a card intuitively, then allow yourself to be patient as you wait for the meaning to "make itself known". It may take weeks or even months for the meaning to become apparent, but when it reveals itself, the wait will have been worth it.
Here are 2 of my favorite SoulCollage® cards:
No Longer Does Things
The Hard Way
Suit: Committee
I am the one who has a tendency to do things the hard way. I don't feel like I deserve the "reward" if I haven't worked hard for it! I am the one who is learning to care for myself, learning to enjoy the present moment and celebrate the journey as well as the end result. I can take things easy and enjoy whatever comes my way. I will no longer "create" struggle for myself. I will celebrate all achievements and triumphs, even if they seem to have come "easily" to me.
This card reminds me not to feel like I have to do things the "hard way" in order to feel like I truly deserve the "reward." We don't have squirrels in Australia, so it was interesting to note the times when I did see squirrels during my trip to the US. One particularly memorable time was on a hike down into the Grand Canyon where my partner was telling me we should stop soon- because it is harder to climb up than go down so we should make sure we have enough energy left to easily hike back up again. I was arguing that I wanted to go further down, I wanted to feel like we really had seen the Grand Canyon. When we stopped for a rest and to continue this discussion a squirrel came and sat only a couple of feet away from me. This little creature reminded me that I had already "seen" the Grand Canyon and I did not need to go on an exhausting marathon walk to prove I'd been there!!! We turned around and easily climbed back up!
My Future Self
Suit: Committee
I am the one who strides confidently and smiles lots. I am an artist and express my individuality loudly & proudly. I follow the ebb and flow of life and am centered, calm, joyous and authentic. I know my place in the world, I know myself, I enjoy being me!!! With my scissors and paper I help others to find and express themselves too- I'm sharing the love through collage!
I LOVE this card. It was made in answer to the question "who is your future self?" There is such a sense of fun and freedom in it, and also a clear sense of purpose. The stylish woman in the high heeled boots is striding past the front of our National Gallery and seems to be so confident and looks like she knows who she is and what she wants. One of my friends now often checks in with me to see if I'm feeling good by asking "do you have your 'kick-ass' boots on today?"
Visit Karen's website,
Flying Colours Creativity.
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 (e-books, e-courses...etc) in the Kindred Spirits Shop is half price.
Don't forget to take a look around your Members-Only Audio Library, which is a treasure trove of SoulCollage information and ideas.
Your Member's Shop is now all-new, overhauled and easier to use (thanks to the Shopping Cart, which means you can now buy more than one thing at a time!). Try it, you'll like it! There's even something there, Buckets of Blessings, that aren't for sale in the main KaleidoSoul Shop!
If you missed the Tele-Playshop yesterday, don't worry, we recorded it, and you can listen to it now! The Council Suit: From Archetypes to Angels is now in your members-only Audio Library. LIsten all at once, or download it as an mp3 file. CD's coming soon!
NEXT TELE-PLAYSHOP.......
Embracing Our Shadows....
with very special guest Seena Frost!
Save the date now!
Wednesday October 18 at:
5 pm Eastern, 4:00 pm Central, 2:00 pm Pacific, 11:00 a.m. Hawaiian,
10 p.m. in Europe, and Thursday 7 a.m. in
Australia
.
This informative, insightful tele-playshop
 (not quite a class, not quite a workshop!) will gently tackle a sometimes challenging subject- our shadow sides. Special guest Seena Frost, creator of SoulCollage, will lend us her wisdom and insight on this fascinating topic. We will talk about the shadow sides of SoulCollage cards. There will be lots of time for asking questions!
The phone number to call (as well as the access code!) will be posted in the October 16 issue of Soul Treasures.
 Soul Nourishment
Books, movies, music, & websites to support your inner work as you dive deeper into your soul....
Books:
The Intuitive Healer, by Marcia Emery, PhD. Subtitled Accessing Your Inner Physician, this book shows us how to unlock our inner powers of health and healing by harnessing the wisdom of our intuition. Forward by Carolyn Myss.
Writing Out the Storm: Reading & Writing Your Way Through Serious Illness or Injury, by Barbara Abercrombie. Using various writing exercises, the author shows us many creative ways to transform anger, despair, loneliness, fear, and other emotions into very beneficial and positive energy.
Music:
The Way of the Dolphin, by Medwyn Goodall.- beautiful and serence music that incorporates dolphin sounds and laughter.
Movies:
Flatliners, starring Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland. Watch the healing that occurs when each of the main characters goes back in time to face their individual wounds from the past.
Websites:
Remember September- a wonderful art project from Artella. See what it's all about. Participating in this project might just help you heal some of your own wounds that occurred five years ago today.
Creative Arts for Healing- a page full of wonderful resources that use art as a basis for healing all our wounds.
Inspiration Quotes Cafe- For those of you who embrace the healing power of quotations... this site's for you!
Spinning the fragments of your world
into wholeness and beauty
through SoulCollage®
Published by KaleidoSoul.com
and Anne Marie Bennett.
Please do not reproduce or forward
this newsletter in any way.
Inner Journeys, copyright 2006,
Anne Marie Bennett
All rights reserved.
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