Soul Treasures
Discovering the depths of our precious inner beauty through SoulCollage®
|
KaleidoSoul's Members-Only Weekly Newsletter
Issue #30- October 23, 2006
Special Note:
This newsletter is part of someone's paid subscription!
If someone forwarded this issue to you,
please consider subscribing yourself by clicking here.
Quotation of the Week
To be divine is to be whole and to be whole is to be everything: the positive and the negative, the good and the bad, the holy man and the devil. When we take the time to discover our shadow and its gifts we will understand what Jung meant by "The gold is in the dark."
--- Debbie Ford, in The Dark Side of the Light Chasers
Inner Journeys
with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
SoulCollage: Light and Dark
 When I first started SoulCollage, the hardest thing for me to "get" was the fact that my hidden, scary parts had something good to give me. I struggled and struggled with this until I discovered a part of me that I'd long since locked in "the basement" of my soul.
Meet Maggie... she's the sad woman on this card I made for the part of me who cries easily, who grieves easily, who feels deep sorrow. I discovered this part of me when stumbling across the
 image of the sad woman on the couch, hugging the pillow to her chest.
I named her "Maggie" because we were watching the final season of Six Feet Under at the time, and there was a very sad character named Maggie in those last episodes.When I first made this card to honor her, the little boy with the heart was not a part of it.
My therapist did some guided visualizations where she led me through some inner conversations with my Maggie. During one of these sessions, I had a very big "aha" moment. The reason why I grieve so deeply.... the reason why I cry so easily... is because I have such a big, loving heart.
This was a major revelation to me. I had never thought of this before. I had just always been ashamed of the fact that I cry so quickly, that I feel things so intensely. But I'd never thought to seek the gift in this shadowy part of me.
When I realized this, I went in search of an image to represent "Maggie's" big heart. Now my card represents so much more to me than just dark sadness and grief. Now it shows me the light within the darkness.
I find that I am much more comfortable now with the part of me that cries easily and feels so deeply. Just last night I had a sudden thought about Scooter, the cat we lost last spring. I think about him often, but last night my thought was accompanied by a vast wellspring of sorrow. It took me unawares, and before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face.
At first, I heard another inner voice saying, "It's been six months, for crying out loud... you don't need to be crying about that silly cat anymore."
But then..... then I caught myself. "No," I said to that inner critic. "This is Maggie. Maggie needs to cry. We LOVED Scooter, and we're just not done crying yet." So I cried. And then I stopped. And I felt much better. Much better!
Maggie is an integral part of me now. I have accepted this part of me that I used to be ashamed of. I have listened to her and embraced her. I have given her space in my soul.
Reflection activity of the week: Intentionally have a dialog with one of your inner parts that you are uncomfortable with. Do this in your imagination and/or in your journal. Continue the dialog until you find the gift that this part brings to you. The gifts ARE there. May we all search for ithem; may we find them, embrace them, and bless them.
SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
Don't forget to use your frame when making your cards! If you don't have one because you haven't taken a SoulCollage® workshop, you can make your own by tracing a 5"x 8" mat board onto a piece of heavy cardstock and then cutting out the opening. This is the best tool for laying out your images before gluing them onto the mat board. You can see exactly what will fit and what won't be visible. (see page 69, in SoulCollage by Seena Frost).
We'd love to hear from you!
Question of the Week
I have made a couple of shadow cards that are pretty scary. I made them spontaneously/intuitively, just putting images together even though they didn't make sense at the time. I haven't "read" these cards yet but I want to post them on the KaleidoSoul Community group at Yahoo. However, I don't know if they would be appropriate when they are this dark and scary.
My answer to this is purely personal, and other SoulCollage facilitators might disagree, which is okay. I don't think ANY cards are too dark to share with other SoulCollagers. Shadowy, dark images touch on universal feelings. Truly, they ALL do.... and your sharing them just might give someone else permission to go ahead and make a really dark card to honor that part of themselves instead of being afraid of it. It is courageous, strong work we do when we "go with" this process, which is exactly what you are doing here: following your intuition and making these cards, even though you are uncertain of their meaning. Bravo, and please do share!
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!
Michelle Trachtman
Woodbridge, CT
Wilton, NY
I discovered SoulCollage in late 2004. I was just browsing the internet for collage and came across Seena's website and book and Anne Marie's website, KaleidoSoul. From day one I was hooked- who wouldn't want to know themselves better in this new and unique way? I have always loved collage and finding the hidden meanings in images, but to be able to truly find myself, well this was over the top!
So I went ahead and ordered the book and (like many things) it just sat there for a while. Then something inside me started to stir and I decided to do Anne Marie's e-class, and then one of her in-person workshops and I knew this was something I had to know more about and share with other people in my life!
In May 2006 I had the opportunity to fly to California and take part in Seena's SoulCollage Facilitators training at Skyote Mountain Retreat and I haven't been the same since. My cards are the most personal part of me. Creating the cards just seemed to happen. The images just "speak" to me and then the collages are created. Some of the cards are easily identifiable as far as which suit they belong to and others take some time. The I am the one who exercise has been extremely valuable for the interpretation process, making the cards' "voices" even clearer.
This process is enjoyable from start to finish and I know it will be an integral part of my life for years to come.
Here are 2 of my favorite SoulCollage® cards:
 The Great Mother
Suit- Council
I am the one who is mother to all. I will take care of you in times of need. I am the one you can come to to be nurtured, when you just need a mother's touch I will nourish you and cradle you all the days of your life. I am the who they call mother.
The Seeker of Truth
Suit- Committee
I am the seeker of truth. Searching my reflection to find the real me. I am the who will show you how to dig deeper to get at the truth of who you are, even if for now, your reflection is as deep as you can go. I am the one who seeks the truth.
About Michelle:
Michelle lives part time in CT and part time in upstate NY with her husband, 2 children and 2 dogs. As many of us, Michelle's life journey has taken her on many different paths. She has a Master's Degree in Speech/Language Pathology from Northwestern University, she has worked in the areas of public relations and membership development for different businesses and in 1993 she started her own business called The Momware Company, running seminars, workshops and 1:1 coaching sessions for mothers in the areas of time management, organization and life balancing techniques.
Although always crafty, Michelle really began to focus her attention on her creativity when she hit her 40's. Since then she has been rug hooking, doing punchneedle embroidery, quilting, knitting and most recently creating cloth dolls. Noticing how creativity impacted her life, she became a SoulCollage facilitator and has just become a Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach, helping other artists work their way through any blocks, fears or sabotage in order to follow their own creative dreams.
Look for Michelle's upcoming website, www.letyourcreativitysoar.com. You can reach her now at honorcreating@aol.com.
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 all-new, all-improved, easy to use Kindred Spirits Shop is 50% off!
Did you miss the October tele-playshop Embracing Your Shadow last week with our special guest Seena Frost? Not to worry! We recorded it and it's ready and waiting for you in the Members-Only Audio Library, which is a treasure trove of SoulCollage information and ideas. Embracing Your Shadow was our 7th Playshop. Have you listened to them all?
Upcoming Tele-Playshops:
Monday November 13 @ 6 pm Eastern,
5 pm Central, 3 pm Pacific, 12 noon Hawaiian,
11 p.m. in Europe, and Tuesday 8 a.m. in
Australia
. Topic to be announced in next week's issue.
Tuesday December 5 @ 8:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Central, 5:00 pm Pacific, 2:00 pm Hawaiian, Wdnesday 1 a.m. in Europe, and Wednesday 10 a.m. in
Australia
. Topic to be announced in next week's issue.
 Have you registerd for our Spring SoulCollage Retreat yet?
Early bird
Deadline: November 30 for big savings!
Creating Inner Sanctuary
with SoulCollage
May 4-6, 2007
Essex, MA
Join us for three days of creativity, community, and renewal as we explore the depths of SoulCollage at this beautiful retreat center located in the lush forest of Essex County, near the ocean. There will be lots of time for card making, sharing our cards and stories, and readings with our decks.
There are only 15 spaces at this retreat (some of them are single rooms!), and as a member, you have first dibs on these spaces. If the 15 spaces are not filled by December 1, we will then open the retreat up to everyone on the Soul Songs Newsletter Mailing List. Also, as of December 1, the price will go up by $50.
We're announcing this retreat early so that you can spread out the cost, with 6 inexpensive monthly payments instead of taking a big chunk out of your checkbook at once. For more details about the Retreat, the Essex Conference Retreat Center, and registration, please click here now.
 Soul Nourishment
Books, movies, music, & websites to support your inner work as you dive deeper into your soul....
Books:
Meeting the Shadow, by Zweig and Abrams. This is the book that Seena recommended in her Embracing the Shadow tele-playshop last week. Full of more than 60 short, easy-to-read essays about the shadow. This book will help you gently discover your own shadowy parts and befriend them.
Shadow Dance, by David Richo. Focusing on helping us to befriend the shadow self instead of projecting it onto others in dysfunctional or destructive ways. This book also will help us with the inner work we are doing with SoulCollage and our darker voices.
Spirit Taking Form: Making a Spiritual Practice of Making Art, by Nancy Azara. This book is a tremendous resource that presents the connections between art, visualization, and meditation with a compassionate creative spirit. It is full of art and soul, and imparts a gentle understanding of the spiritual process of making art. You can follow the book week by week or simply dip into its wealth of ideas and inspiration once in a while.
Music:
Healing Sanctuary, by Dean Evanson. Soothing, beautiful music that will enhance any healing work that you do with your shadow. I love using this for my own inner dialoguing. It is unobtrusive and healing.
Websites:
Creative Slush- a MUSEum of creative play and inspiring slushy tidbits
Animated Spirit Cards- I was so amazed when I first found this site. These e-cards are sooo beautiful!!! Who can you send one to today?
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.
To give us feedback, we invite you to send
a reply email to this newsletter. |
