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Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

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Honoring Christmas All Year

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I am the one who loves the holidays, who celebrates the holidays in ways that give me pleasure and joy.

I promise to honor Christmas in my heart
and try to keep it all the year.

~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

This is my very favorite quote from one of my favorite stories of all time, A Christmas Carol.

Every year one of my holiday traditions is to see the North Shore Music Theatre musical production of A Christmas Carol. SometimesĀ  I go alone, sometimes with my husband or a friend, and sometimes I take one or more of our grandchildren.

For me, the story embodies the true meaning of Christmas which is all about lovingĀ  and giving. If I have to skip a year, I feel like something is missing from my holidays.

I made this SoulCollageĀ® card several years ago as a way to give image to how I feel about “the holidays” and what I love about Christmas.Ā  I know I have to skip it this year because we’re in a worldwide pandemic right now and all theatres are closed. So I’m going to keep this card out on my altar throughout the holidays as a reminder.

Do you have a favorite quote about whatever holiday you celebrate this winter?Ā  Try making a card to express it or share it in the comments section below.

Gathering Blessings

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It’s fall now here in eastern Massachusetts, and our thoughts are turning to gathering fallen leaves that are collecting on our lawn and driveway.Ā  When I drew this card today, though, I am led to ponder other things that can be gathered, like. . .for instance. . . blessings!

I love having this card in my deck to remind me to notice and actively collect blessings (that for which I am grateful) all year long, not just at Thanksgiving and the holidays.

Who are you?

I am the one who stands in a field of flowers. I am the one who gladly picks the flowers and gathers them into my big bowl.

I am the one who is grateful for every blessing that comes my way, every single one.

I am the one who notices my blessings, who takes time to savor each one as I gather it in.

Dragonfly- Crown Chakra Companion

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scdragonflyWho are you?
I am Dragonfly, representing your 7th Chakra, at the crown of your beautiful head. I am reminding you of all things that have to do with Spirit, Source, and The One That Holds The Many.Ā 

I am the one who is colorful, iridescent, ever morphing into more beauty.

Why have you come to me today?
I am here to remind you that I am ever present and that you can trust my presence and my connectivity to the wider Net.Ā  Look at my wings in the image of the lower dragonfly- my wing are made up of a web, a net. I am also here to remind you to your connectedness to everyONE and everyTHING.

A Note from Anne Marie

The truth that we are all connected, even to those who have left the earthly plane, plays a huge part in my novel, Dragonflies at Night: More Than a Love Story, which was just released.

I hope that Savannah’s story touches you, along with the voices of her mother, Deirdre Rose, and her Aunt Suzanna.
Get your copy here.

 

I Can Do This

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I have to say that this is one of my favorite SoulCollageĀ® cards. I made it several years ago and was inspired by one particular episode of The Amazing Race.

In this episode, the participants were given the difficult challenge of walking across a very long, wobbly thinly-woven bridge. They were very high up in the air and we were all happy to see that they were attached to a safety cord in case they fell.

I was on the edge of my seat watching the contestants attempt this challenge, and one young woman in particular caught my heart. For the entire length of the crossing (and it was perilously long) she was chanting under her breath, “I can do this.” Over and over. I can do this. I can do this. And guess what? She did it!

I’m never going to be asked to do something that dangerous (I certainly hope not anyway!) but there are plenty of other challenges in my life that I have faced and will face in the future. And whenever I face one, I promise myself that I will remember that young woman’s forceful, positive, super-focusing mantraā€”I CAN DO THIS!

 

Who Are You?

I am the one who is climbing.Ā  I am the one who is on a journey, climbing, and it is a hard, steep journey.Ā  But I can do this.Ā  I am the one who is walking steadily through the dry, hot desert. But I can do it.Ā  I am the one who is strong, who can climb without falling. I am the one who is focused, who knows the journey is hard and steep and yet I can bring some fun to it.Ā  It can be hard and easy at the same time.Ā  If I stay in my body, I Can Do This.Ā  I can stay focused and balanced and keep up the steep climb.Ā  I can even have fun doing this. I can do it.

What Do You Have To Give Me?

My gift to you is of positive thought and determination.Ā  My gift to you is perseverance, strength, attention, focus.Ā  My gift to you is the awareness that it can be fun and difficult at the same time.

What Do You Want From Me?

I want you to say “I can do this” over and over and over until you believe it too. I want you to know that I am a very real and viable part of your being.

Bubble Woman- Committee Suit

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Scbubblewoman
I made this card intentionally to give image to the part of me who refuses to feel anything, is afraid to really feel the messy emotions of life. This part of me often goes numb when confronted with difficult situations and feelings in order to self-protect.

I was never TAUGHT to feel and accept my feelings, but I’m learning this skill now and it’s enriching my life immeasurably.Ā  I wanted to honor this numb part of me anyway, because she really has been (and sometimes still is) an integral part of my life and she isn’t going to go away.

Who are you?
I am the one who is encased in this glass bubble- safe, protected.Ā  I am the one who is safe from the fire, safe and protected from the bubbling rabble of pieces and parts of you that have strong feelings. I am cool and calm and collected, safe in my womb.Ā  No one and nothing can reach me here.Ā 

I am turned away from these angry, sad, fearful, joyful, anguished parts of you.Ā  I don’t want anything to do with them.Ā  They are messy, dirty, bloody, frightening, and I want them to go away.

I am the one who wants to stay in this Numb Bubble and not feel anything.Ā  Ever.Ā  I don’t like feelings.Ā  They are messy and complicated and time-consuming.Ā  I like this bubble. I’ve found that it keeps me safe from my feelings.

What do you have to give me?
I give you protection and safety from the heat of emotions.Ā  I give you numbness to protect you.Ā  My world is not colorful but it is safe.

What do you want from me?
I want you to NOT FEEL anything!Ā  I want you to keep me away from those ragged feelings of yours. But then again… I really, really want you to set me free. It’s really hard to breathe in here!