Soul Treasures
Discovering the depths of our precious inner beauty through SoulCollage®
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KaleidoSoul's Members-Only Weekly Newsletter
Issue #35 November 27, 2006
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Quotations of the Week
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. --- Walt Disney
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.
--- Mark Twain
Inner Journeys
with Anne Marie Bennett
Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage® into Your Daily Life
Inquiring Minds Want to Know
 A friend was telling me a story the other day about something she'd heard on the news. A 600 pound moose had been seen wandering the streets of a small New Hampshire town. I kept interrupting her with questions. "Was it male or female?" "Was it from a zoo or was it wild?" "Don't moose travel in pairs or packs or families or something?" "So why was this moose all by itself?"
Finally, she looked at me and said, frustration seeping through her voice, "I just don't KNOW! Stop asking me all these questions!"
I was so surprised, I had to pause. I hadn't even realized I was asking so many questions. Aha! I had just met the Curious Questioner, a part of me I am now in the process of creating a SoulCollage card to honor.
In thinking back, I see that this Curious Questioner has always been a big part of my life. When someone is telling a story, I constantly interrupt them to ask questions. I seem to have this insatiable curiosity about everything I see and hear, which is why the internet is such a fine gift to me! I have noticed this about myself before, but I always connected it with the part of me who is a Writer (details are important, you know)!
In noticing and honoring this part of me, I discovered I really really like her (in spite of her tendency to interrupt people while they're telling a story!). And now I'm trying to use her energy to focus inward as well.
I recently heard Geneen Roth talk about using a process called Inquiry to help us get to the bottom of our emotional overeating. But it can be applied to our process with SoulCollage as well.
It's very simply, really. Just start with a situation that is troubling or frustrating to you in some way, or a SoulCollage card that reflects a part of yourself that you are having trouble with. Then allow your Curious Questioner to start asking questions. It's important to remember that the Questioner is completely impartial and nonjudgemental.... he/she is driven only by a compassionate desire to know what's going on inside of you.
I find it works best to do this in my journal, as a dialog back and forth between The Curious Questioner and my inner wise self. I've been amazed at the answers that bubble forth simply because the right questions were asked!
Reflection activities of the week: Do you have a Curious Questioner inside of you? Set an intention to find some images for a SoulCollage card for this part of you. Listen inside during several minutes of intentional quiet this week.... is there something that this Curious Self is longing, itching, yearning to know? Make an effort to satisfy that longing. Try an Inquiry dialog with a difficult situation or a part of you that's giving you trouble. Remember, the Curious Questioner only asks impartial, nonjudgemental questions during this dialog.
SoulCollage Expressions
Idea of the Week
Be sure to collect background images as well as images of people and animals. Background images are usually full-page images that will cover the entire 5"x 8" mat board with some left over. They can be: scenery, patterns, flowers, interiors, house exteriors, landscapes, and more! A great place to find background images this time of year is on calendars. Or better yet, wait until January when they are all discounted and stock up then!
We'd love to hear from you!
Question of the Week
Does Soul Collage discourage the use of text?
Words have always meant a lot to me and I use them often in my other collaging.
I 'm glad you brought this up. It's one of the first questions I asked in the introductory SoulCollage workshop that I took almost two years ago in
Oregon
. And I know a lot of people are always wondering about this, so you are not alone!
The idea behind leaving words off of our SoulCollage cards is this: the images that we choose (or that choose US) speak to us on a purely subconscious level. Putting a word (or words) on a card tends to act as a label, which can limit the meaning of the images now, as well as in the future.
Remember, we are making these cards not just as an activity in the present moment to express something we are feeling right now, but as a tool for us to access our own inner wisdom, both now and in the days and months and years to come.
Karen Mann, a SoulCollage facilitator in
Australia
has written on the KaleidoSoul Community Group Board about how a card that meant one thing when she made it a year ago, today can mean something very different to her. If she had put words on that card, it might limit her understanding of the meaning of that card to her life situation right now. For example, if she had placed the words JOURNEY TO THE CENTER on a card a year ago because it felt right then...... and then she draws that same card today in a reading, when she sees the words JOURNEY TO THE CENTER, she is immediately drawn to and reminded of that concept, which might prevent her from looking at the card anew and seeing what other wonders it might hold for her today, or what else it might say to her today.
However, as with all things SoulCollage, there is no "right" answer. I have words on two of my cards. I am currently thinking of creating a suit which expresses my favorite quotations without using words. You could even create a suit just for words. It's totally up to you.....it's your deck and it's your process. Just keep in mind the big reason behind steering away from words in most of the cards in 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!
Lorraine Sumners
Sydney, Australia
Hi everyone! My name is
Lorraine
(aka Raine) Sumners and I live beside the
Cooks
River
at Undercliffe in
Sydney
,
New South Wales
,
Australia
.
I first discovered the joy of Seena's SoulCollage website, book and process about 5 years ago and I can still remember the excitement and anticipation I felt the day my book arrived in the mail and as I sat on my porch with great delight opening the cover and diving right in! Intuitively I had a strong sense that my life would never be quite the same again and how true that has been!
The truth is, I had actually begun collecting images/cards/papers from about the age of 17 without knowing or even wondering why (although I also clearly remember how one of my most favourite pastimes as a small girl had been scrapbooking, so I think the signs were there early!). And even though I have been making collages over the years - always as gifts - it wasn't until I discovered Seena's work and SoulCollage process, that I finally knew what was behind my image-gathering for all these years and that now I had a very real & soulful purpose for all of those picture storage boxes under my bed!!!
As so often happens with synchronicity, in recent years I had begun to use collage in my creative expression more and more during therapy and workshops and had made some shadowboxes and also collaged a cauldron, a Gourd and a bodycast of myself! So when I happened upon Seena's SoulCollage I think intuitively I had already begun this very similar creative journey.
Since then, as well as using SoulCollage for my own growth and healing, I have had the wonderful opportunity to also share this process with other women - during the course of my monthly women's group - and also in some introductory workshops which I hope will continue to grow and flourish in the future.
Images have always touched me deeply on an intuitive level. While using the SoulCollage process, I love the way the deeper parts of ourselves are given the opportunity (and permission!) to "speak" - without editing or judgment - through images and symbols.
Also, having always been prone to "living in my head" (for childhood safety & emotional reasons) I find that the SoulCollage process is a very useful way for my creativity to bypass my intellectual and logical thinking, allowing much deeper feelings and responses to emerge.
I also love the way in which a SoulCollage card emerges with a whole life and story of its own - and reveals yet another layer of my inner world and life story.
Another thing which I have come to love about the SoulCollage process, is that I have been able to weave even more card making into the creative component of my ongoing monthly women's group - which has been meeting for several years now. I have found that no matter what we are working with (currently we have been studying the Enneagram) it has provided myself and others a valuable medium with which to experience many wonderful insights, emotional expression and healing.
I also really love the way that the SoulCollage card making and process is available to every single person who has the ability to be open-minded. The brilliance of this is that the usual pressure and self-criticism of whether someone feels they are creative or not doesn't get in the way so much! And I have to say... at the end of the day, I have NEVER yet seen a SoulCollage card which wasn't amazing, moving and soulful in its own right - have you?!!!
SoulCollage continues to make a difference in my life in the way that it assists me daily in healing and growing on my journey. It also inspires me and encourages me to listen and inquire more deeply to my inner world while providing an environment of understanding and compassion. I also love that it is a process which can be shared and enjoyed with others and in so doing, helping to build community while encouraging people to explore and express themselves intuitively and creatively. Each and every one of us has such a rich tapestry of life to tell and SoulCollage provides the canvas on which we can weave our story.
The only advice I could imagine giving to others would be to simply keep on collaging and speaking from your cards. Follow your heart and intuition, and trust in your inner wisdom which always knows... (even if its not clear straight away!)
Also perhaps to keep that "inner eye" open for anything which may help to tell your story and with your inner ear open, listen carefully to those voices within who need to be listened to, expressed, honoured and owned - with love and compassion - and continue to have the courage and curiosity to keep on asking the questions!
I would very much like to thank Seena and Anne Marie from the bottom of my heart and soul for this priceless work and for providing such a wonderfully nurturing & growing community of kindred spirits.... And also a heartfelt thankyou also to Karen Mann for her wonderfully insightful, inspiring and generous contributions and adventures on her own SoulCollage Journey. Also to every other fellow SoulCollager & Kindred Spirit for sharing their own incredibly rich, meaningful and moving cards and journeys with us all. I have been touched and inspired by all of the cards which have been have shared.
And I do have just one other important discovery I'd like to share...
This year I have also found it invaluable and hugely rewarding on my journey to make a card called "The Witness", who resides within, and represents "The Benevolent One" and is the one who observes all that I am and all that I do with deep compassion and without judgment. I keep this card in a central position so that I am aware of it often and I can't tell you how many times - on a daily basis - it has helped me to stop and observe how I am "treating myself."
If I am stressed and not coping or feeling inadequate, I find that by remembering to have compassion for myself in every situation really helps to quieten the "inner critic" and simply observe the situation and my feelings in a more neutral and compassionate way. It really works for me!
I thank you all for listening and I look forward to seeing and sharing our cards and journeys on which I wish you well and many blessings.
Here are 2 of my favorite SoulCollage® cards:
 Tightrope
Walker
Suit- Council
I Am One Who Needs you to remember to surrender... to trust and be strong and patient through all of these changes.
This will be your greatest physical challenge in life since childbirth. I ask that you be tender, brave & strong during this transition from mother to crone. I ask that you trust in this process and know that your body is doing exactly what it needs to do in order to pass into the next phase of your journey as a woman ~ into the unknown. Look after yourself and know that I will look after you also. I am your safety net.
The Bear-
3rd Chakra
Suit- Companion
I am the one who...
fiercely protects you when the need arises.
I live inside you and represent loyalty, wisdom and strength. In the past I have been sleeping an unending Winter's sleep and did not heard your cry for help. But now I am awake and will be here for you always. My message for you is that you remember that you can be
both fierce & generous at the same time.
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 ever forget your Member's Password, just email annemarie@kaleidosoul.com.
And remember, as a Kindred Spirit... everything in the Kindred Spirits Shop is 50% off!
Things You Need to Know:
 KaleidoSoul 2007 Desk Calendars- There's only four days left to win one of three FR*EE Kindred Spirit Memberships. There's a Golden Calendar Page inserted in three calendars (sortof like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!). Since you're already a member, this means that you won't have to make a monthly or yearly payment ever again (or you can give it to someone who isn't a member yet)! The calendars are 20% off because you're a Kindred Spirit! The shipping's inexpensive too. More information here.
Your Members Only Audio Library- The Embracing Your Shadow recording (with special guest Seena Frost!) will only be available until December 1 (that's this Friday!).
Next Tele-Playshop (FR*EE for Members!)- Save the date now. We'll give you the phone number to call and the access code in the issue before each play-shop.
Light Up Your Holidays With SoulCollage : Tuesday December 5 @ 8:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Central, 5:00 pm Pacific, 3:00 pm Hawaiian, Wednesday 1 a.m. in Europe, and Wednesday 12 noon in
Australia. More details.
 2007 SoulCollage Retreat-
Creating Inner Sanctuary with SoulCollage
May 4-6, 2007 in beautiful 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.
November 30 (this Thursday!) is our Early Twirly Deadline. Can you beat it? If you sign up for the May Retreat by November 30, you'll save $50... plus we'll send you a special bonus package- a 2007 KaleidoSoul Desk Calendar, and a 6-pack of Anne Marie's beautiful handmade note cards. This bonus pack is worth $25, and yours just for signing up early. Pay all at once, or spread out the cost with 6 inexpensive monthly payments! 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:
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character, by Richard P Feynman
What Do You Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a Curious Character, by Richard P. Feynman.
World-renowned author and Nobel Prize winner Feynmann has created two books of essays well worth reading. They don't need to be read in any particular order, and are great for sitting on your nightstand and reading one or two each day on waking or going to sleep. There is much food for thought here. I am especially drawn to his natural propensity for curiosity, a deep hunger to know what there is to know. There are stories of his childhood, his marriage, his science adventures, and his life as a teacher. If there is an inner voice inside of you that lives with an intense curiosity, you will like these books!
Music:
 Being Peace:
by Marina Raye.
I love all of Marina Raye's music. A unique blend of handmade flutes, accompanied by cello.... this music will lead you to your own peaceful center. Excellent choice for meditation and guided visualization as well as creative projects and SoulCollage card making. 60 minutes. Listen to samples of all the tracks from this cd.
 Safe Harbor,
by Elizabeth Stephens. Divine music therapy for the soul. Intricate piano music woven with harmonious flute. Listen to samples of all the tracks from this cd.
Check out CDBaby.com, a great new place to buy cd's. Their New Age section is a must for all serious SoulCollagers! Their customer service is unsurpassed and they stock cd's from over 158,000 artists. Great selections, great prices, friendly people, and a good deal on shipping. What more could you want?
Movies:
Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman. In theatres now. This one is getting mixed reviews, but I found it totally charming, imaginative, and genuinely funny. Will Ferrell deserves an Oscar nomination for his role as the main character in an author's new novel (excellently portrayed by Emma Thompson). Dustin Hoffman joins in as an English Literature professor who helps him discern what kind of a novel he is "in" and who the author is. The bottom line of this movie is to take your life into your own hands, to make your life exactly what you want it to be no matter what is happening around you. Funny, touching, a little silly, but always real.
Websites:
Self-Help Healing Arts Journal- a safe place to heal your inner artist, realize your dreams, and boost your self-esteem. There are some excellent articles here on journaling, self-hypnosis, art projects, and healing art. This site also has an excellent quotations section.
Greater Good- charity mall where 30% of all your purchases goes to the charity of your choice.
Picture to Ponder- twice-weekly newsletter with images that will inspire your SoulCollage cards!
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
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Inner Journeys, copyright 2006,
Anne Marie Bennett
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