Inner Journeys
       with Anne Marie Bennett

Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage Into Our Daily Lives

At the recent SoulCollage Facilitator Training inMaryland (where Roberta Rook and I were assisting SeenaFrost and Kylea Taylor), I found myself in a discussion about the currentpolitical situation in theUnitedStates. The topic of archetypes came up (as it usually does in SoulCollageCircles!) and someone referred to the battle between the current twopresidential candidates as a struggle between a Warrior and a Peacemaker.

Now, since SoulCollage does not play favorites when it comes to politics orreligion, I won't go into which presidential candidate is being governed bywhich archetype.  And besides, that mightsimply be a matter of opinion!  I justmention it here as a reminder that everything that happens around us, andeveryone around us (well-known or otherwise) are influenced by ancient archetypes.

 
And I also mention it here because it reminded me that in myown personal Council of Archetypes, I don't have a Warrior OR a Peacemaker.Instead, I have a Peaceful Warrior.

She came to me very early on in my SoulCollage journey, inan intuitive card that you can seeon this page of my InnerSurprises blog.  When I initially didthe card interpretation, I was surprised to hear her telling me she is myPeaceful Warrior guide.  I hadn't beenconsciously aware of her before, but listening to her and looking back on mylife, I could see the kernel of truth she was sharing with me.

I have never been one to go valiantly charging in to save the day, or rescuesomeone with clanging symbols and loud shouts. My Warrior's way is softer, gentler, more low-key, discreet.  Peaceful.

Several months after meeting my own Peaceful Warrior in this card, I was in adifficult situation at my place of employment. There had been a huge misunderstanding over something I had said aboutmy boss, and I found myself being reprimanded by her boss, unfairly (althoughhe didn't know this at the time).  In themidst of my anger, I did a SoulCollage Reading, and Peaceful Warrior is one ofthe two cards that I drew.  Talk aboutgetting exactly the right card whenyou need it!

I did some journaling with her, and she seemed to be tellingme that I could rely on her energy and strength to deal with thissituation.  It was from her that I gotthe idea to call my boss's boss on the phone from home and talk this out in areasonable and peaceful manner.  Standingup for myself in a real and visible way, yet utilizing her Peaceful Warriorenergy to calm the rough waters.  So Ipropped this card up on the desk beside my phone when I called him the nextday, and she was absolutely right!  Herstrong yet peaceful energy enabled me to stand my ground in a way that wasn'thurtful to anyone, while expressing myself in a way that we both could be heardand understood.

It was a powerful experience that I will never forget.  Not just the phone call itself, but going tomy Deck with a real need and receiving an answer and some valuable insightabout my inner life.

Soul Friends
    The Voice of a Different Kindred Spirit Each Week


Brenda Fernandez
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts

Hello everyone, my name is Brenda and I live inSouthYarmouth,MA (CapeCod). I was introduced to SoulCollage in September of 2007. I havealways been interested in magazine collaging, even when I was a teen. Iremember making collages of movie stars, such as Elvis, Natalie Wood and SandraDee. I'd make them and put them all around my bedroom. It was so much fun. 

As the years went by, I'd go throughmagazines and tear out pictures and put them in a box, and when I'd had apersonal challenge in my life I would go through the images in the box and lookin magazines and create a collage. I would always feel very peaceful andrelaxed when I was doing it.

I didn't do the collages on a regular basis,mainly during challenging times I'd use the collages as a healing method. InAugust of 2007, I had just completed a collage and was finding myself saying tomyself, "this is great, it really heals my soul, this is soul collaging."  I was getting really interested in doing moreof it and wanting to introduce collaging as a healing tool.

So I got on the internet and started looking to see if anyone was doingcollage workshops. I felt like I wanted to do a workshop and was trying to comeup with a workshop called SoulCollage so onto the internet I went. I typed in "SoulCollage" and you guessed it... it popped up all right, and with a link to Seena'ssite. So I started looking over the website, looking for workshops and found itwas inCaliforniaand I knew I wasn't able to do that. So I ordered Seena's book and the CD Introduction to SoulCollage.

I then started to peruse the yahoo and google search engines and looked ateverything that had anything to do with collage. I found a book called"Creative Collage Techniques" by Nita Leland & Virginia LeeWilliams and ordered it. I loved reading all the different techniques and itinspired me to look at collaging differently. I also came upon the KaleidoSoulwebsite and there I stopped. I found everything I needed!  I spent some time looking it over and finelycame across a workshop inBeverly,MA, which was 2 ½ hours away fromwhere I lived. I sent an email out to Anne Marie and attended my first workshopon September 15, 2007.

As of this writing, I have made 65 SoulCollage cards and I have 15 Cards inwaiting. The waiting cards have images attached to them, but are not complete.They may sit for a day, week, a month, or months. For these cards, when imagescall me, I cut them out and attach them to the cards.   Then they sit until the next image calls meand I attach that one to a card and so on until the final image or imagesemerge and I complete the card. For me it simply means that I'm not ready toeither move through something I've been working on.

Also, when I've completed cards and looked at them sometimes they don't feelright to me. I will ask the card why this doesn't feel right at this time and Iusually receive a response that is healing for me. It will take me into myheart for contemplation. I have moments when the images tell me what I'm to createand it simply falls into place and than I have moments when I simply know whichmagazine I need to look in and I'll find all the images I need.

After the workshop in September of 2007 it took me about six months before Imade another SoulCollage. In April 2008, I attended a SoulCollage Retreatfacilitated by Anne Marie, and that is when I started to create my SoulCollagedeck. I had been going through a challenging time not knowing what to do withmy life.  I had been divorced for fiveyears and nothing seemed to be happening for me. I felt stuck.

After the retreat was over and I went home, I started to collage more and moreand have been doing it ever since. What I like best about SoulCollage is thatit is so relaxing, peaceful and heartwarming, it shuts out the rest of theworld. It allows you to be with your inner being and listen to your intuitionand honor it. SoulCollage is soul strengthening, soul energizing and soul stimulating.The difference SoulCollage makes in my life is that it has opened me to my joyand my divine heart. I feel so peaceful, so inspired and so balanced within my beingwhen I am doing SoulCollage and it flows out into my life.

Since I have been doing the SoulCollage, I feel my life has been lesschallenging and I find peace and grace coming more often and I like it. I lookforward to continuing the SoulCollage process as it feels exactly right for me.I have done a few  "I Am the OneWho" writings but not as much as I'd like. I seem to put a block up to thewriting part of the SoulCollage process. I know if I truly open to this part ofthe SoulCollage process it will bring me greater clarity. I hope to bring thatblock down and put more time in doing the writings and experiencing the gift ofa greater awakening.

My advice to others is if your heart brings you to it, continue it... ontinuethe process of SoulCollage. It will bring you great joy as well as gentle andsubtle changes that will take you on an inner journey that will open many newdoors to your soul. SoulCollage has such gentle power, gentle strength andgentle courage in assisting one in creating a life of joy.

My creative process in making my cards: I don't have the luxury of having aseparate room for creating my SoulCollage cards. I have a 4 foot long table atthe end of my bed and underneath it I have plastic lids that belong on aluminumbaking pans that I purchased for 20 cents each. Each lid is labeled and placedin alphabetical order. (Such as; animals, children, flowers, miscellaneous,nature, people, spiritual, travel etc.)

As I pull out images from magazines,newspapers, cards, calendars and I put them in the proper lid. On top of thetable I have a plastic container holding my supplies (scissors, rubber cement,glue sticks, mat boards and anything else I think I may need). When I get readyto create SoulCollage cards, I bring everything out into my living room to putthem together. I seem to need a more open and larger space to create the cards.I sit on my bed each night for about 15 to 20 minutes going through magazinesand pulling out what I am drawn to. This helps me to relax and helps my bodyget ready to sleep. .

I am a healing practitioner, specializing in Sound Healing, IntegratedEnergy Therapy, Reiki and Intuitive Readings. I will also be bringingSoulCollage and Mandala energy into my practice.  I will be doing the Facilitator Training withAnne Marie in April of 2009 as well.

Here are the 2 cards I have chosen to share with everyone:

Facing the Masks
Suit- Committee

Bring On The Joy!  

I am the one who brings the sunshine into one's heart and mind. I amthe who bursts out with joyous laughter. I am the one who expressesthrough the deep inner joy of the heart. I am the one transforming intothe light of happiness.

This card came about when my heart was open and filled withhappiness. I felt my life moving forward not so much on a physicallevel, but on an inner level which was ready to experience this feelingof joy.

SoulCollage Expressions
  Ideas and Challenges to Spice Up Your SoulCollage Practice


Idea of the Week

Use "Sparkle Mod Podge" on top of one or two of your cards (very lightly) for a magicalfairy dusting effect.  I saw someone doing this at the Facilitator Training in Maryland (I'm sorry I can't remember who, or I would give her credit here) this month. She had put it on top of a playful inner child card and it really was sweet.  

Kindred Spirits Member News
     Making the Most of Your KaleidoSoul Membership

Witness and SoulEssence Cards:
Unraveling the Mystery
with
Mariabruna Sirabella,
SoulCollage Facilitator in California

Two of the often misunderstood and under-appreciated cards in the SoulCollage Deck are the transpersonal cards: Witness and SoulEssence.  This evening, Mariabruna will help us to decipher and live with the Mystery of these two very special cards.  If you are curious about the meaning of these cards, or why they don't "have voices," or how to go about making them and using them in your deck, this is the class for you!



Note: The card above is Anne Marie's Transpersonal Witness Card.  You can see Mariabruna's Source, Witness and SoulEssence Cards (along with many others) on her website, Sirarte.

Mariabruna Sirabella, MS, LMFT, has a Laurea inCommunication and Performing Arts from Bologna University, Italy and a Masterin Counseling from CSUS,California.In her first career as a researcher in Theater Anthropology, she spent manyyears in the tribal areas ofSouthern Indiastudying eastern spirituality, traditional theater, tribal rituals, and healingtrance dances. Mariabruna has a holistic psychotherapy practice inWatsonville,California,is Adjunct Faculty atJFK University,CA, and is a SoulCollage®Facilitator and Trainer. She teaches internationally in English, Italian andSpanish.  You can read the rest of Mariabruna's bio on this page.

Save the datenow.

Allof our tele-classes are FR*EE for members, always!
And remember, don't worry if you can't attend...
we'll be recording it and you can listen to it anytime in your
Member's Only Audio Library.
We will give you the phone number and access code
to call in that week's issue of Soul Treasures.

December 16, 2008 (Tuesday, 8 pm EST) Eckhart Tolle's A NewEarth and SoulCollage, with FranCherlow.

New England SoulCollage Facilitator Training

April17-19, 2009 inLitchfield,Connecticut. Ifyou've been longing to take your SoulCollage practice out into the world bybecoming an "official" Facilitator, then please join us for abeautiful spring weekend at Wisdom House.  There's more information onthis KaleidoSoul page .