Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

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Vulnerable Child

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Scvulnerable When I first made this card a while ago, I thought it was a Committee card, for the part of me who can be as vulnerable as a child.

Then when I drew it in a daily reading and did some journaling/dialoguing with it, I discovered that it is a Council card, more like a Spirit Guide.  From what it “said” to me, it seemed to be bigger than just one of my inner parts.

I love surprises like this!  There is so much wisdom and strength emanating from this card.

Who are you? I am the one who is soft like a baby, soft as an innocent baby rabbit, who tiptoes joyfully into your heart and gladly gives flowers and gifts to anyone who wants to receive.  I am the one who was present at the beginning of the universe.  I am the one who knows it is okay to be vulnerable, open to the vastness of feelings that the universe offers.  I am the one who knows it is completely and utterly okay to give (everything), and to love (fully) with the innocence of a child.

What do you have to give me? I give you the gift of vulnerability, for it is indeed a gift to be open and pure in your feelings.  It is a gift to open yourself and reveal your innermost soul to the universe.  I give you the pure emotions of pain and heartache and grief, for sometimes these come as a result of loving so purely and so fiercely.  But I also give you the emotions of joy and tenderness and love, and I give you safety and acceptance too.  I also give you people you can be vulnerable with.

What do you want from me? I want you to let go of the safety rail and step out into the vast openness that comes to your soul when you choose to be vulnerable.  I want you to know that the only way to true safety and freedom is to take the risk to be truly vulnerable with others.

What are you saying to me right now, today, about my life? When you love someone or something deeply, you open yourself up to be in a soft, vulnerable place.  This is a GOOD thing.  It is a beautiful thing to be able to love like that.  Don’t hold back your love from others because you fear the pain that occurs when they are gone.  Never hold back your love.  Open to it.  Give it. Always.  No matter what.

New SoulCollage® Book!

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through the eyes coverReflecting on life
through the lens
of SoulCollage®…

I am delighted to announce the publication of my fourth book, although this is my first book-book about the powerful process of SoulCollage®.

It’s a compilation of 87 essays that I’ve written over the years for our Kindred Spirits members’ newsletter, Soul Treasures.

The essays are grouped into these categories:

  • Life Lessons
  • Community Suit
  • Animal Companions Suit
  • Spirituality
  • Using Your SoulCollage® Cards

Each essay is followed by card making and journaling suggestions to deepen your own work with the process, as well as resources for further understanding.

I hope that this book inspires and encourages you on your own SoulCollage® journey!

Lots more info here.

P.S. I have autographed copies for sale and you can also purchase 10 or more copies at a discount to resell or to give as gifts.

P.P.S.  My other books are:
My Other Dad (a novel for pre-teens)(under Anne M Pacheco)
Bright Side of the Road: A Spiritual Journey Through Cancer
Sunflower Spirit Workbook for Women with Cancer

She Who Sleeps Easily

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Scsleep_2 Several years back, I found that I was having trouble sleeping.  My gynecologist said it was probably something to do with menopause. My therapist encouraged me to do visualization before bed. Everyone had a theory.

What I finally did was to make this card….

Who are you? I am the one who sleeps deeply and easily.  I am the one who sleeps like a rock.  I am the one who lets go of the day and allows sleep to claim me every night.  I am the one who willingly closes my eyes at night and gives in to the call of my inner dream world.  I am the one who rests and nourishes my body with sleep.

What do you have to give me? I give you daily rest.  I give you the ability to let go of the day’s journey.  I give you dreams and deep physical peace.

What do you want from me? I want you to stop resisting sleep.  I want you to allow yourself enough rest every night.  I want you to know you won’t miss anything as you sleep.  I want you to know you will be safe as you sleep.

This card has also suggested to me, via a Daily Reading, that I use the card and a candle in a nightly ritual, along with my journal, before getting in to the bed to go to sleep.  When I remembered and allowed myself to do this, it seemed to put closure on my day for me and allowed me to fall asleep faster, without all the usual inner “chatter.”

If you’re having trouble sleeping, try making your own “She Who Sleeps Easily” SoulCollage® card and listen to its wisdom for you.

Overachiever

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Scoverachiever I’ve been giving myself a crunchload of deadlines lately, for my personal life as well as for my business.  Today I drew this card in my daily reading.  Big surprise!  It’s Gabriella, my Overachiever/Pusher.

I am the one who always needs to be DOING something. I am the one who wants to win, to be the best.  I am the one who hates wasting time, who doesn’t understand why you need an hour or two to sit with your feet up reading a novel.  I am the one who makes lists and schedules and insists that you DO them all.  I am Impatience’s sister.  She and I are molded of the same DNA.

I give you a sense of purpose and I’m good at seeing what needs to be done and at showing you how to meet deadlines.  I want you to do, do, do, and to forget about all this “being enough” crap.  I want you to keep improving yourself.

My message for you today is this… I am the one who wants you to finish everything on your TO DO list before I let you play or have fun or do something “luxurious” like relaxing with a good book. Take a step back and look at my energy and what it is doing in your life… Notice how my energy can be channeled into balanced action for your life.  I can help you but I need tight reins.  I can help you but I need some boundaries.

What I Learned from “Judging Amy”

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judging amyWhen I was laid up in bed several years ago with bronchitis, I started watching two hours of Judging Amy reruns every day, and somehow I got hooked.  After a few weeks, I couldn’t justify lying in bed until 2 every afternoon, so I began recording the episodes  and then watching them at night or catching up in weekend marathons.

If you don’t know this show, it’s about a Juvenile Court judge (Amy) who is in her 30’s and lives at home with her mother (Maxine) who is a social worker, and her 10 year old daughter (Lauren).  While I found the courtroom scenes, the social work stories, and the love triangles intriguing, I still wasn’t quite sure why I was so drawn to this show.

A few of my inner voices were intent on judging me for this prime time obsession.  Can’t you find something better to do with your time?  This is ridiculous.  You are becoming a TV junkie.  How juvenile are you anyway?

But I felt, somewhere deep within me, the need to keep watching it.  It felt like this was more than a television show to me somehow, and I decided to trust these inner nudges to keep watching.  I decided to trust my intuition, and to develop a “wait and see” attitude.  So I kept watching.

Sometime in the middle of this Judging Amy Marathon,  I did a SoulCollage® reading where I asked a question of my deck, and then drew 4 cards.  Interestingly enough, THREE of those FOUR cards had something to do with the topic of mothering.

As I journaled through the reading, I came across a startling realization!

Divine Mother- Unconditional Love and Nurturing
Divine Mother- Unconditional Love and Nurturing

Here is part of what the Divine Mother card “said” to me as part of this reading: Good, truly deep mothering is not something that you ever received, although your mom’s intentions were good.  And so you are now struggling with the process of inner mothering. I can help you with this. 

Watching Judging Amy is helping you too. Do not brush it aside as “just a tv show…”  You  are receiving much wisdom and insight from watching Maxine and Amy, and Amy with Lauren…. Embrace what you are learning there. Be glad of it and grateful for it too.

I was completely startled to see those words coming from my hand, and from the voice of the Divine Mother!  What she told me made perfect sense.  It was all suddenly crystal clear.

After that I watched the show with a bit more of a focus, and the lessons I learned on what it means to mother myself came faster than I could write them down!

I love telling this story about myself because it’s a clear reminder of how I can and should always trust my intuition.  My soul truly DOES know what will serve me best… all I have to do is listen and follow!