Ā 

Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

Subscribe to updates

A Reading for a Weekend Retreat

by

I have to laugh… really laugh at the daily reading I just did with my SoulCollageĀ® deck.Ā  And my mirth is bubbling over, and I just have to share it with you!

Tomorrow morning I am leaving for three full days of an “Unplugged” retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, which is in Western MA, about 2.5 hours from my home.Ā  I am feeling really excited by this opportunity to unplug, and reconnect to myself on the inside, so to speak.Ā  The retreat I am attending is called “Writing the Mind Alive” and based on the Proprioceptive Writing process. Am so happy about bringing my own soul back into my writing.

But I digress… I am laughing because the two cards I drew today in my daily reading are all about solitude, rest, and going within!


Solitude

I am the one who curls into myself, who closes my eyes and goes within, who rests in the solid, secure knowing that I am safe, that the waves will not overtake me or wash me away.

I am the one who is at home tucked away in my soft, beautiful shell.Ā  I am the one who is at home near the ocean, water.

I am the one who is watched over and protected by luscious purple divine growth. I am the one who is watched over while i sleep, protected while I go on inner journeys.

My message for you today is this… enjoy your Unplugged weekend.Ā  Rest in the safety that accompanies all of your inner journeys. Breathe. Rest. All is well.

PERMISSION TO REST

I am the one who is content to just BE.Ā  I am the one who doesn’t always have to be DOING something.Ā  I am the one who gives you permission to rest.

It is not a coincidence that you drew these two cards today, right before your Kripalu retreat.Ā  This is a retreat that you are receiving, not giving, not leading… but a retreat for YOU to receive.Ā  Give yourself permission to rest while you are there. Give yourselfĀ  permission to receive.Ā  Relax. Be still. Let go.Ā  And see what comes to you.

Authenticity Rides Again

by

Here is a perfect example of how a card can change its meaning and message, over time.Ā  When I first made this card, she seemed to be all about Authenticity. You can read my original writing about her here.

Today I drew her in my daily card reading, and as soon as I saw her, I said to myself “Ahh… Authenticity!”Ā  But then I reminded myself not to label her. And I let her speak to me, right now, today, in this moment. Here is what she said:

I am the one who is standing strong and golden against the backdrop of the setting sun. The last time you saw me, the sun was rising, but right now it is a sunset you are seeing. Soon darkness will cover the earth and we will survive the darkness because we will remember this blessed golden light.

I am the one who presides over endings and beginnings.

My message for you today is this: pay attention to what is ending in your life. Pay attention to that which is beginning.

This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear today!Ā  And it so comforted and warmed me, to see this familiar face in my reading this morning, and to hear her speak to me in this moment, instead of continuing to repeat what she has told me before.

Childless- Committee Suit

by

I made this card in 2005, to help myself with the huge sadness I feel from time to time over not having my own children. I do have three stepchildren and was very active in their upbringing and their lives from the time they were in elementary school, BUT… it is not the same thing!

Who are you?
I am the one who doesn’t have my own children. I am the one who sees this as a choice, and also a loss.Ā  I am the one with so much love to give and who gave all my love to my husband’s kids and now it feels like those bowls of given love are empty.Ā  So much given, and nothing received. Where was the flow?

I am the one who bows under the weight of all this sadness, loss and pain.Ā  I am the one who envies women with children.Ā  I am the one who feels an empty place inside where my own daughter would have dwelled.

I am the one who bows heavily to the choices that I made, who understands those choices were not made alone, or quickly, who knows that this choice to remain childless was mainly made out of love for my husband, who already had three when I met him.

I am the one who knows that this decision is also blessed with light, but mostly I am the one who is weighted down with the burden of grief and loss.

What do you have to give me?
I give you a life that is free to be led in solitude, a life that is filled with all the things and people you love, a life of freedom from the responsibility that comes with having your own children.

What do you want from me?
I want you to acknowledge that there is blessing and light and joy in spite of the grief.Ā  I want you to feel your grief, not deny it.Ā  I want you to know that you are not alone.Ā  I want you to know that you made the right choice.Ā  I want you to remember that there is more to mothering than giving physical birth.Ā  I want you to honor your choice to remain childless.

NOTE FROM A READING IN APRIL, 2007 (2 years later):

I am the one who sees the empty bowls as things of lightness and grace.Ā  I am the one who is filling the bowls with good things, joy and memories laced with blessing, and with love.

I am the one who embraces the emptiness that these bowls offer.

My message to you today is this: the empty bowls have gifts to offer… embrace these gifts as you live into the Divine Mystery of birth in other areas of your sweet, precious life.

Leaving the Past Behind- Committee Suit

by

Who Are You?
I am the one who is walking away. I am the one who has climbed the colorful blocks and is moving out the door to a new way of being.Ā  I am the one who has put on my hat and is leaving this place for another, brighter place. I am the one who is trusting completely that I am moving to the next right place for me.

What Do You Have To Give Me?
I give you the knowing that it’s time to leave old parts of you behind. I give you bright red doors to walk through. I give you a new place to go to. I give you faith and joy and the excitement of the future.

What Do You Want From Me?
I want you to move on out those open doors. I want you to SEE those open doors, so you can easily walk through them. I want you to put on your hat and come with me. We don’t need the past anymore!Ā  It’s time to freefall into the next phase of our life!

The Little Demo Card That Could

by

I am sooooo excited about this card, not only because… just look at it… it is breathtaking (to me, anyway!).Ā  Not only that, but mainly because of the way I created it.

I was leading a workshop on Saturday and three of the participants were new to SoulCollage. So I needed to do a little card making demo for them so they could see how a card came together.Ā  I realized this a little late, like about 5 minutes before I was going to have to do it, so I hurried to the table of images and grabbed the first large image that caught my eye… the background of the monks on the floor with the heavy curtains and the light coming through the windows.

Then I looked for an image to go with it and grabbed the baby in the flower because the colors looked right.

And when I was laying that out under the frame so they could see how to do a layout, I realized I needed another image because it didn’t look complete (also part of the demo I was doing… letting them know it’s okay to add and take away images as they create).

So I grabbed the image of the clasped hands, again, because the colors were “right.”Ā  In my mind, I was still making a demo card and only a demo card. I wasn’t making a card for my own deck, or so I thought!

So I glued it all down and showed them that part of the process, then flipped the card over to let it dry and pretty much forgot about it. Near the end, I was getting ready to demo the I Am The One Who… interpretation process and I needed a card to do it with, and I remembered this one, so I trimmed off the edges and when I turned it over and saw what I’d made, WITHOUT EVEN TRYING, I was blown away.

A new card for my deck and I wasn’t even trying to make a new card for my deck!

Even the “bit of sky” between the two clasped hands is an integral part of the meaning of this card, and I didn’t leave that bit of blue sky there intentionally either. I just didn’t want to take the time to find the tiny scissors and snip it out because, after all, I was only creating a “demo” card for my workshop participants!Ā  Ha!

Who are you?
I am the one who is sound asleep in this little flower.
I am the one who rests peacefully knowing that the world is safe.
I am the one who is present with these monks even though they are not aware of me.
I am the one who rides in on the Light of God’s grace.
I am the newborn, the one who is just beginning.
I am the one who represents the powerful, peaceful presence of these monks at prayer.

What do you have to give me?
I give you a sense of safety, that all is well.
I give you a knowing of the presence of God’s grace.
I give you the certainty that you are surrounded by God’s grace and blessing, no matter what.
What do you want from me?
I want you to rest in the awareness of God’s grace.
I want you to know that God is present in all parts of the world, in all religions, places, times, cultures, and to all people. All people.
I want you to remember that the Unseen is sometimes the most powerful of all.

Is there any other message you have for me today?
You are safe. We are here, guarding you, protecting you.
There are many unseen beings surroundingĀ  you today and always. We may not be seen with human eyes, but our presence touches you like the sky touches the whole earth.