Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

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All My Companion Animals

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I’ve been practicing SoulCollage since 2005 and finally am at a place where my chakra Companion Animals are all in place. For a while there, during and after my second cancer journey in 2011-2012, some of the original animals moved on and new ones moved in.  A few months ago I made one SoulCollage® card that contains ALL of their energies, PLUS the energy of White Owl, who in the last several months has indicated to me that she oversees all of the Companions. So… a Companion for the Companions, I presume!

Who are you?

We are the ones who give your body energy and strength and fluidity. We are the ones who accompany your body on its daily journey of life.

I am your first (root) chakra companion Wolf. I am the one who reminds you to plant all four (okay, TWO!) feet on the earth and to keep your energy there when you get too much “in your head.”  I am the one who reminds you that you are connected to the earth, to the sacred earth, and to your ancestors.

I am your second (sacral) chakra companion Sea Lion.  I am the one who reminds you to be joyful, to play, to activate your creativity, and to love your sensual body, no matter how heavy or light it is. I am the one who urges you to remain fluid in your movement and in the journey through life.

I am your third (solar plexus) chakra companion Fox.  I am the one who brings you the fire and deep truth of your own authentic being. I am the one who is powerful and strong, and I impart that to you as much as you will let me.

I am your fourth (heart) chakra companion Cat. I am the one who gifts you with softness and openness of heart. I am the one who sees in the dark and reminds you that you too can see into all of your own dark places with softness. I am the one who gifts you with unconditional love and a heart that loves that way as well.

We are your fifth (throat) chakra companions Lion and Lioness.  I am the one who encourages you to roar when you need to roar and to be silent when you need to be silent. I am the one who guards what comes into and goes out of your mouth. I am the one who is powerful. Know that your need to express yourself is very strong and we are here to assist you at all times with that expression.

I am your sixth (third eye) chakra companion Dolphin. I am the one who has resided here since you were born. I am the one who gifts you with a deep intuitive knowing about many things. I am also here to remind you to play, to laugh, to have fun, to enjoy this precious life you’ve been given.

I am your seventh (crown) chakra companion Dragonfly. I am the one who came to you in your 30’s as a symbol of Spirit. I am the one who reminds you that you are not alone. I am the one who continually shows you how you are connected to every living being on earth.

 

 

Honoring Death in Our Decks

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My First Death Card

As we approach All Hallow’s Eve and All Saints Day this week, I’ve been pondering the subject of death, dying, and all the many ways that Death can show up in our decks.

You may be thinking this is too gruesome to even think about, much less make cards about, and if that is so, I invite you to take a step back and remember what this process of SoulCollage® is all about.  That’s right… it’s about WHOLENESS… and how can our decks be WHOLE if we don’t include Death?

My Second Death Card- Helpless Scarecrow

Seena always insisted, in her teaching, that we each need to have a card in our deck that represents the idea or fact of Death.  I have had a few of these over the years, and I notice that as I grow and age, my thinking about Death is changing, and so do my cards!

When a Death card shows up in a SoulCollage® reading, it doesn’t mean that you or someone you know is going to die. Instead, it might have a message for you about transition, or transformation of some kind, or about something you need to be letting go of so something new can come it.

There are many ways that Death can show up in our decks:

* as Committee (inner) parts who have feelings/attitudes about death (for example, I am the one who grieves a loss, I am the one who fears death…etc)

* as Community (family, friends, teachers, pets) members who have died

* as an archetypal Council Neter- this card will represent the idea or theme of Death as part of the Larger Story of human consciousness

My Current Death Card- Into the Mystery

Please read this back issue of Soul Songs: Your KaleidoSoul SoulCollage® Free Monthly Newsletter  to see others’ cards about the many aspects of death. There are also essays there by Karen Mann and myself- one on death as transformation, and the other on honoring a loved one who has died with a SoulCollage® card… and how healing that can be.

If you are a Kindred Spirit Member, we have a couple of audio recordings in our Members Only Audio/Video Library where we also dive into this topic.

 

Divine Mothers- Council Suit

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Here’s a good example of how it’s possible to have more than one SoulCollage® card for any given Neter (energy or being) in your life.

Divine Mother- BirthingScdivinemother_1

I made this first Divine Mother card a month or two into my SoulCollage® journey.

Who are you? I am the one who first gave birth.  I am the one who holds all mothers in my arms and all children as well.  I am the one who sees and knows and is sure of her decisions.  I am the one who blesses your womb whether or not is has borne children.  I am the one who shelters and protects the children, ALL children.  I am the one who helps you to give birth to ideas, dreams, books,websites, relationships…. anything that is created from the seeds I plant within you.  I am the one who mothers your inner mother, who parents you and her with wisdom and tenderness and love.

What do you have to give me? I give you the power and will to give birth to your dreams.  I give you abundant, never-ending, unconditional love.

What do you want from me? I want you to know that giving birth doesn’t always mean giving physical birth to children.  It also means giving birth to that which is inside of you.  It also means opening yourself up wide and letting your authenticity out into the world. I want you to give birth to your dreams. I will help you to do this. And I want you to mother yourself and your Inner Family/Tribe with tenderness and compassion and faith.

 

Divine Mother- Unconditional Love

About a year after making the first Divine Mother card, I was sifting through images at one of my workshops, and discovered the central image in this card here.Scmother01_1 It called my name so loud and clear, that I had to smile (and I grabbed it, of course!).  Shortly after that, I created this card, and deeply curious, did the interpretation that you see below.

As I was writing, it became clear to me that this was another Divine Mother card.  At first I was a little dubious about having TWO Divine Mother cards, but then I realized…. WHY NOT???  This is a very powerful archetype for me on many levels, so why not have two cards to express two different aspects of her?

Who are you? I am the one who shields you, who protects you from danger and harm.  I am the one who loves you unconditionally and always, no matter what.  I am the one who knows you like no other ever has or ever will.  I am the one who protects you with nothing but my own two hands.  I am the one whose face is hidden but whose hands show all.  I am the one who is your shelter, your comfort, your lean-to.  I am the one who is always waiting for you to come to me.  I am the one who is blessing you with my hands and my heart.  I am the one who sees the seeds of beautiful flowers inside of you and who does everything in my power to bring them to blossom in your soul.  I am the one who knows you completely.  I am the one who makes self-acceptance possible.  Because I accept you exactly as you are, you are better able to do the same.

What do you have to give me? I give you unconditional love.  I give you flowers in your heart and soul.  I give you protection and strength, a place to come home to.  I give you nurturing and sustenance and shelter from life’s storms.  I give you acceptance and love, no matter what.

What do you want from me? I want you to come to me, often.  I want you to open to my love for you, to believe it, to accept it, to receive it fully.  My love makes the biggest difference in your life, but you have to receive it, you have to come to me to get it, you have to allow it in, you have to believe that you deserve it.

The Self-Expression Express

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I am the one who finds myself in solitude and writing.

When I was 15, I had a fun job in a library.  I have always loved books so I really loved this job.  A few other kids my age worked there with me.  During break times, we would be in the conference room together.  They’d be chatting, and I’d be scribbling happily in my journal.  Sometimes I’d join in their conversations, but mainly I used my free time for writing.

One day, Bob (one of my peers) challenged me.  “Why are you always writing in that notebook?”  He was definitely curious.

At first I was startled; then confusion took over!  I had no idea why I wrote so much.  I just did.  One of the older librarians was having lunch with us that day, and she overheard Bob’s question.  She saw how puzzled I was and noticed my inability to answer, so she responded for me.  “Anne Marie writes to express herself,” she said.

Aha!  A lot of puzzle pieces fell into place right then, and my eyes shone with the absolute truth that her words gave me.  Yes, that’s exactly it, I thought with gladness.  Writing is my means of self-expression.

The writing is mine.  Mine alone.  It got me through a difficult adolescence, and many a confusing love gone wrong.  It got me through my challenging college years, and through my first teaching job 500 miles from everyone and everything I knew.  It got me through a difficult decade with my stepfamily, and it got me through two cancer diagnoses.  It is still getting me through.  It is one of the few things in my life that has been a constant, positive companion since I was very young.

When I discovered SoulCollage® in 2005, my writing became deeper and fed my soul even more.  I now count SoulCollage® right up there with writing as my main mode for self-expression!

Time for Reflection

What is the one thing in your life that is yours alone, your main mode of self-expression?  It doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit like my writing.  It could be cooking, dancing, gardening, jewelry making, teaching, singing or something else that is uniquely yours.

What is something you can do today to activate and celebrate this one thing?

 

Did you enjoy this  essay? There are lots more essays relating SoulCollage® to our lives, along with card making, journaling, and reading suggestions in Anne Marie’s book,
Into the Heart of SoulCollage.

Breaking Into Flower

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Beauty- I am the one who breaks into flower when I see myself in the mirror.

Were it possible for us to wait for ourselves
to come into the room,
not many of us would find
our hearts breaking into flower
as we heard the door handle turn.

~ Rebecca West

I want you to imagine this scene, so read through what’s below, then close your eyes and imagine that it is happening to YOU.

You are standing in a crowded room at a party. There is music in the background; people are talking in pairs and groups all around you. Glasses are clinking, laughter and a savory aroma is coming from the kitchen. Someone is refilling your glass with your favorite liquid.

Suddenly, the door into this room opens and someone new walks into the party. You look up curiously. The door is on the other side of the room so you cannot see this person clearly until they are a few feet away.

But then you do see this person… and it is YOU!

Imagine that you are watching this on your DVD or DVR player, and press the Pause button. Pause this scene.  Pretend that the person who just walked into this party is your best, most wonderful, authentic, true self.  What does she/he look like? What is she/he wearing? How is this person holding their body?

Then look at yourself, the one who was already at the party. How are you reacting to your True Self who just showed up? Are you about to turn away? About to go find someone more interesting to talk with?

Or… as Rebecca West so poignantly writes… is your heart breaking into flower at this very connection with yourself?

Questions to Ponder

1. How does it feel to “break into flower” when meeting up with your true self?  Or how would it feel if you’re not there yet?

2. List 5 ways that you can be more welcoming to yourself this week.

3. Make a SoulCollage® card that gives image to you, breaking into flower when you see yourself.