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Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

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Just Do It!

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Creativity is an archetype that isā€”and always has beenā€”VERY strong in my life. Once I started learning about SoulCollageĀ®, I became very aware of how capital-C Creativity has been a major theme in my life since I was a little girl making sandcastles, a young girl writing novels longhand in spiral notebooks, a teenager creating poems and collages for friends, a teacher creating lesson plans and bulletin boards, an educational consultant creating workshops for the teachers in my district…

…and on and on, right up until today where I find myself creating SoulCollageĀ® cards and retreats and websites and embroidered hearts and art journals and novels and greeting cards and affirmation cards…. and… well, let’s hope there’s never any limit to my creativity!

So it didn’t come as much of a surprise to me when I found the image of the woman that would become my Creative Muse card (see left). Once I started doing some I Am The One Who… statements from the card, really heard her voice telling me to “just do it.”Ā  “IT” being whatever creative path I’m being called to at any given time.
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I am particularly moved by the expression on the woman’s face. She says to me:

I am the one who says Just Do It. Get out the paints or the crayons or the markers or the colored pencils and sit down at your art table and do it. You don’t need to think about it. You just need to do it. Look at the light coming through the open window. Let your imagination soar. Write that short story. Plot out your new novel. Stop thinking about doing it and just do it.

I offer you this message from my Creative Muse, at the beginning of this new season of Autumn. Whatever creative thing you are yearning to bring into your life this year, just do it! Even if it’s as simple as making a new SoulCollageĀ® card or dreaming up a new way to cook chicken or planning a winter garden.Ā  Just. Do. It.Ā  I bet you’ll be glad you did!

Do you have a card for your own Creative Muse who urges you to let your creativity flourish? Go ahead and browse through some magazines or some online copyright-free image sites like Pixabay or Unsplash until you find the one(s) that call to you.Ā  Share with our Kindred Spirits community on Facebook so we can all be inspired!

Full Heart, Open Heart, Clear Heart, Strong Heart

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Meditate with these words for a day or two, then use the journaling questions below.

Many native cultures believe that the heart is the bridge between Father Sky and Mother Earth. For these traditions, the “four-chambered heart.” the source for sustaining emotional and spiritual health, is described as being full, open, clear, and strong. These traditions feel that it is important to check the condition of one’s four-chambered heart daily, asking:
“Am I full-hearted, open-hearted, clear-hearted, and strong-hearted?”Ā  ~ Angeles Arrien

Love (Archetypal Council Guide). I am the one who shows you how to love with a full, clear, open, strong heart.

Spend some time journaling with and about the four chambers of your own heart:

  • Am I full-hearted today? When am I most full-hearted?
  • Am I open-hearted today? When am I most open-hearted?
  • Am I clear-hearted today? When am I most clear-hearted?
  • Am I strong-hearted today? When am I most strong-hearted?

If you find that you’re not as full/open/clear/strong-hearted as you want to be, brainstorm with some of your Council guides ways to give your heart more fullness, more openness, more clarity, or more strength.

Make a SoulCollage card for this four-chambered heart of yours, or make a cards to give image to each of the four chambers.

Anne Marie’s New Book of SoulCollageĀ® Essays!

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walking the path cover jpg 2I’ve spent several months going through and sorting out (and EDITING!), my Soul Treasures columns from the last five years. This brand spankin’ new book has 87 of them, for your SoulCollageĀ® enjoyment!

Let yourself be guided on the creative, expressive path of SoulCollageĀ®.

87 soul-inspiring essays will lead you to various ways to honor:

  • Yourself and All of Your Inner Parts
  • Beloveds/Teachers in Your Community
  • The Individual Parts of Your Journey
  • Naysayers Who Get In Your Way
  • Many Ways to Work with Your Cards
  • Frequently Asked Questions About the Process

Each essay is followed by prompts for journaling as well as suggestions for SoulCollageĀ® card making and further reading. Most essays have links to examples of SoulCollageĀ® cards included.

You are not alone on the journeyā€ is the powerful message conveyed by this book ā€“ donā€™t we all need to hear it? Through stories, prompts, and the voices of her SoulCollageĀ® cards, Anne Marie invites us to creative practice and deeper connection with our souls. ā€œHonor every step of wayā€ is the call woven through these inspiring pages. Let them beckon you to new inner discoveries and surprises.
~ Mariabruna Sirabella, Lead Trainer at SoulCollage Inc .

If you are new to the process, you will get a good feel for the inner depths that you can discover.

If you are already making cards, you will be invited to swim deeper into the heart-opening process that is SoulCollageĀ®.

If you are a SoulCollageĀ® Facilitator, you will find a treasure trove of ideas and activities for you to use in your workshops as well as with your own personal deck.

Available now on Amazon here (paperback, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited)
OR
Get personally signed copies here.

Love the cover? We have matching journals also!

Leaning Back, Moving Forward

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At one of our monthly SoulCollageĀ® classes for Kindred Spirits, we received beautiful time and space to write a poem based on one of our cards.

Here is the card I drew and the poem I wrote:

Leaning back into joy
I am not afraid
Leaning back
I fall
I rest
I smile
I trust

Walking forward towards the light
I am not afraid
Walking forward
I move
with ease
I see
I trust

And so it is true
that leaning back
and walking forward
are exactly the same.

I encourage you to draw a card from your deck today and just jot down some words and phrases to create a simple poem either ABOUT the card or FROM the voice of the card. Go ahead… it’s easy!

Journeys

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Here are two different cards about the idea of Journeys.Ā  I made the first one about 10 years ago. In the last few months, I made the second card and and was delighted to hear about this Neter’s different aspect of life journeying:

scjourneyerI am the Journeyer.Ā  I am the one who is on a Journey through life.Ā  No one can take your journey but YOU.Ā  There are times on your journey when you are moving forward and times when you are sitting still and pausing.Ā  There are sunny days and stormy days and also cold, lonely days.Ā  No one can walk your journey but you.

My message for you today is this- be proud of YOUR journey.Ā  It is uniquely ours and you are journeying well.

 

scjourneytogether

We are the ones who are journeying TOGETHER!Ā  We are the ones who are each on our own individual quest, our own unique journey, but we have found that the journey is easier and more FUN when we hook arms and travel with others who are on similar journeys.

Our gift to you is the knowing that you don’t have to journey alone.Ā  We give you camaraderie along the way.Ā  We give you companionship.Ā  We give you shoulders to lean on and partners for the long haul.

We need you to remember that even though YOU are the only one who can travel your journey, there is no need to shut yourself off from others.Ā  Ask for help. Ask for others to share their journeys with you too.Ā  There is much to gain from offering your hand to others as you journey onwards.