SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

Time in a Bottle

Time in a Bottle

I made this card over a decade ago because I was captured by the images of those two bottles filled with clocks. They reminded me of that old Jim Croce song, Time in a Bottle. Remember that one? That song always made me sad, which is probably why I found some melancholy images to go with the bottles.

This Neter recently showed up in one of my every-other-daily readings recently and it had an important reminder for me:

I am the one who wants to keep time standing still so that nothing ever changes. I am the one who knows that I can’t do this but it doesn’t stop me from wanting it.

I am the one who is distressed and sad that time keeps marching on, meaning that all things must change, must die.

I am the one who tries so hard to keep time in a bottle, even knowing that it is futile

My message for you today is this- It is my energy that fuels your anxiety. You cannot keep Time in a bottle. Time is fluid, and so is life. Death is a fact of life- yours and everyone else’s. Begin to let go of your grasping, your holding on. Let it all go. Look ahead, look beyond. There is more to this Life you are living than the measuring of Time.

 

Old Laughing Woman

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This is one of my favorite newer cards! I found the image of the old woman and she seemed to be calling my name. I can just hear her laughing! After I combined two different backgrounds and moved her onto the card, I breathed a sigh of completion, then asked her “Who are you?” and “What is your message for me today?”

I am the one who is very, very old. I am the one who sits on my throne-like chair in my simple black shirt and flowered skirt and white shawl. I am the one who wears prayer beads around my neck continually. I am the one with bare feet.

I am the one who is laughing with delight. I am laughing, unrestrained.

I am the one who laughs in the face of aging.

I am the one whose hands are folded in prayer position.

I am the one whose throne is in front of an archway of barren trees and an autumn sunset. I am the one who laughs at the absurdity of life. My back is turned to the golden sunset in the west. I am the one who knows the sun is setting behind me and my end is coming soon, but I don’t care. I am intent on laughing and enjoying THIS moment.

My gift to you is the ability to laugh out loud whenever you want to. I want you to recognize the HOLINESS of laughter. The prayer in my heart is that you will always feel at ease in your body, and laughter will do that for you, every time!

My message for you today is this- I know you are worried about your aging body. The antidote to this worry is laughter. The antidote also is prayer. The answer is to spend more and more time simply resting in Spirit’s presence and allowing yourself to be held.

Heart Chakra- Breath, Clear Lungs

I created this card intentionally a few years ago when COVID-19 started raising fears around the world. I wanted a card in my deck that reminded me of the power of conscious breathing to keep me grounded in the present, and also a reminder to affirm to my body how clear and healthy my lungs are. This is what this Neter says to me today:

I am the one who closescbreaths my eyes and focuses on my breathing. I am the one who is conscious of each inhale and exhale.

I am the one with clean, strong, healthy lungs.

I am the one who knows the power of slowing down and breathing intentionally.

My message for you today is this- SLOW DOWN! Breathe. Feel the presence of Spirit and all your beloveds with you.  Each conscious moment of breathing in will remind you that you are loved, that you are not alone. It’s a mystery but it is a fact.

Three Wise Women

I made this card intuitively, just feeling drawn to the facial expressions on these three women. They seemed to fit perfectly on this background of light shining through an expansive cave.

When I asked “Who are you?”
this is what they said:

We are the ones who keep you in touch with your own deep wisdom. We are the ones who are ALWAYS with you in your daily life. We are your Guides from Beyond. We are the ones who offer you wisdom and guidance moment to moment.

We are the ones who find you in the cave of your being, and who each you contemplation and joy and trust in your inner knowing.

Our message for you today is this… use this week to slow down, to really look within, to see the beautiful Light that is within you, and to offer yourself the love and compassion that you need, that you deserve.

Keep on standing in the light. It is never far away.

 

Dolphin Blesses My Third Eye

From a very young age I have been drawn to dolphins, but I never thought much about it until 2004.  My mother died that year, and the week before her stroke, I was reading Madeleine L’Engle’s A Ring of Endless Light I found myself totally captured by the intuitive nature of the dolphin.  Also, there were many messages for me in that book about communicating with other beings (people as well as animals) in ways that went beyond words.  Because my mother had had a stroke and lay unconscious in a hospice bed for several days, I felt like I was communicating with her on a different level altogether. This lovely synchronicity is how I came to understand that Dolphin was choosing to be my 6th Chakra Animal Companion.

The 6th chakra is the energy center located at the center of our forehead, also known as our “third eye.” This energy center is the home for our intuition and imagination, and I was delighted to find m Companion—Dolphin—there.

In SoulCollage®, we do inner work through guided imagery and other paths to get in touch with each of our body’s chakras/energy centers. Our founder, Seena Frost, taught that our body’s energy centers find alignment with Animal energies. Once we discover which Animals are Companioning us in our chakra centers, we make cards to honor them, and to  bring their energy and wisdom into our decks and our journeys. There is more info about the SoulCollage Companions Suit here.

I am the one who is intelligent and imaginative. I am the one who sees, inside and out.
I am the one who is intelligent and imaginative. I am the one who sees, inside and out.

Here is the wisdom that Dolphin energy brings to me:           

Who are you? I am the one who is the prince (and princess!) of the seas.  I am the one who smiles, who laughs, who Knows.  I am the one who rides the waves in pleasure and delight.  I am the one who loves to play, who can “talk” to humans, who knows what others are feeling just by listening to their thoughts.  I am the one who knows that communication exists on many, many levels.

What do you have to give me? I give you freedom from time constraints, freedom from past and future, freedom to remember this present moment. I give you the motivation to play, to have fun, to delight in your life, to enjoy each moment as it comes.

What do you want from me? I want you to slow down, to take the time to play a little each day, to remember your outer “tribe” of playmates and to let go of all inner and outer judgements and to give yourself permission to relax and enjoy life more often.

 

Take a few minutes now to listen inside. Is there an Animal energy that you’ve always been drawn to?

Create a SoulCollage card for it, then ask it the questions I’ve asked:
Who are you?
What gifts do you bring me?
What do you want from me?

What wisdom does this Animal’s presence have for your life and your journey right now?