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Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

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First Chakra – Grounded in My Body

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I made this card to honor my first, root chakra in a different way, specifically about my physical body.Ā  I’ve been inspired to create these chakra cards because of the tele-classes I’ve been participating in with SoulCollageĀ® Facilitator Jenni Holloway .

Who Are You?

I am the one who loves my legs, my feet,Ā  my body.Ā  I am the one with both feet planted firmly on the earth.Ā  I am the one who allows my feet to show me the way. I am the one who allows my legs to give me support.Ā  I am the one who honors my body, who remembers to point my toes forward when I am standing still or walking.Ā  I am the one who gives my body a healthy foundation.Ā  I am the one whose energy is reflected in the color red.

What Do You Have To Give Me?

I give you strength and poise and a deep reminder that you are connected to this earth.Ā  I give you the pleasure of being in your body.Ā  I give you the reminder that you don’t always have to live in your head.Ā  I give you vibrancy and energy and the deep protectiveness of earth.

What Do You Want From Me?

I want you to know that you are more than what is in your head, more than your thoughts. I want you to stay grounded, to breathe into your legs and feet, and to remember that you have a body and to take care of it always.Ā  I want you to remember me when you see the color RED!

Groundhog Day Reading- Surprise!

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This is one of the cards I drew in my daily reading this morning.  And I’ll admit, I didn’t even realize it was Groundhog Day when I first began this writing.  But halfway through, when I started writing about the shadows, it came to me, “Oh my gosh, it’s Groundhog Day!
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And this card is all about SHADOWS!   Which is what I most especially love about SoulCollage!

I am the one who stands at the open curtain with my lips pursed.  I am the one who is beginning to come out of hiding.  I am the one who is bathed in shadow and light.

I am the one who raises my face to the heavens, to the light and who embraces my light and dark parts.

I am the one who has been behind the curtain and who now is looking out to see where the shadows are coming from.

My message for you today is thisā€¦ hold my hand, stand by my side as I look out this window.  Seeing my own shadows is scary, you know. I donā€™t like looking at the shadowy figures in my mind.

And itā€™s not a coincidence that today is Groundhogā€™s Day.  He is looking to see his shadow.  6 more weeks of winter if he does!  And when he does, everyone groans and whines about more winter.  But for me, I am happy to see my shadow because it means there is more light!  I am happy to see my shadow because it means I am seeing more and more of my whole, real, authentic, beautiful self.

New Year’s Day SoulCollageĀ® Card Reading

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Not EnoughI drew two cards yesterday as part of my Daily Readings ritual with my SoulCollageĀ® Deck.  I wasn’t specifically asking for guidance in the New Year, but look what wisdom I unveiled!

NOT ENOUGH

I am the one who was led to believe I wasn’t enough.

Not pretty enough, not smart enough, not good enough, not sexy enough, not loving enough. 

I am the one who was locked into that belief for many, many years.

I am the one who hid for decades behind masks.

I am the one who felt so ashamed all the time. 

My message for you today is this- please take care of me. 

Remind me that I AM enough. Shelter me.  Hold me.  Feed me with joy and with present moment awareness of Source.  My energy no longer serves you.  Remember that.  Don’t let me start believing the old stories again.

So I was a little annoyed at first because I drew such a DARK card to start of my New Year.

But…. look at what I drew for my second card:

Metamorphosis METAMORPHOSIS

I am the one who is bursting forth into butterfly beauty. 

I am the one who is transforming into my truest divine nature. 

I am the one who shatters the beliefs and lessons of the past. 

I am the one sailing, flying, on a sea of jeweled green heart-growth. 

I am the one who smiles, looking inward.

I am the one who is leaving behind the musty coccoon. 

I am the one who is unfolding my wings, leaving the past behind.

Daily Reading- What a message!

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I’ve been getting back into the habit of daily (ok, ALMOST daily) SoulCollageĀ® readings with my cards. Just a few minutes in the morning, sometimes longer.  I’m really enjoying the gift this practice has of centering me and connecting me back to my wisest, clearest Self.

Today, I drew these two cards:

ScicandoitI Can Do It Myself- Committee Suit-

I am the one who is bent under the weight of this over-full tray I am holding.  I am the one who is gripping onto the try tightly.  I am the one who thinks I have to do this by myself. I am the one who is doing this alone come hell or high water.

My message for you today is this: I am tired of carrying this heavy tray all by myself.  Please help me?  I have been taught that I have to do all of the hard stuff alone.  But is that really true?  Can you please, please help me???

Yes, I will help you, dear one.

Thank you for trying to carry all of my burdens for so long.  Itā€™s time to set down the tray. There are others on our team who will help us to carry what needs to be carried.

Thank you!  It is really hard-wired inside of me, this thing about having to do it all myself and all the time, you know? I just need some help in breaking that hard-wiring.  I just need your patience, and I need you to help me to make different choices so I can understand, really understand, that I am not alone.

Scforgiveness Buddha/curtains (Keys to Joy suit)-

I am the one who is sitting alone in the light-filled window, only curtains stirred by the breeze.  I am the one who is sitting still and quietly and trusting that I donā€™t have to DO anything to be loved and held in love by Spirit.  I am the one who is meditating, praying, still.  I am the one who is at home in my body.

I am the one who is at peace with myself.  My message for you today is this- sit still, now.  You are almost done with your journal entry for today, yes?  Go in your Quiet Room and sit on the chair with your prayer shawl and close your eyes.  Be still. Let go of everything that you have been struggling to carry.  Let the world go on without your struggle, your insistence on doing, doing, doing.

And while writing about them, I looked at them side by side and saw such amazing similarities and differences, that I really had a wonderful “inner surprise!”

I was drawn to how similar the cards are in color and tone… the grays and whites, the neutral tones, the almost blandness of each of them.  But the huge difference is the energy in each one. The first card seemed to be showing me the energy that’s been controlling me these past several months, and what I receive from the second card is the energy that I would like to invite more of into my life!

Carrying- Council Suit

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Sc000111000 I made this card at the annual KaleidoSoul retreat last month and did the interpretation below off the top of my head during a session I was leading there. 

Once again, I am surprised and amazed at how deep this work can take us, and how quickly:

Who are you?

I am the one who carries colorful things on my head.  I am the one who isn’t burdened by what is on/in my head.  I am the one who contains all things.  I am the one who is at all stages of a woman’s life.  I am the one who loves being a girl, and a young adult,, and an older woman.  I am the one who celebrates all the stages of a woman’s colorful life.

What do you have to give me?

I give you color and confidence and the poise to carry many rich and colorful things all at once.  I give you gladness.  I give you the knowing that it is good to be a woman and to “carry” many things.

What do you want from me?

I want you to relax into the “carrying.”  I want you to know that all is good.  I want yo to be proud of what you “carrying.” 

Is there anything else you have to tell me today? We are women. We carry things in our heads and hearts and minds and souls.  It is what we do.  Be proud of this.  Be proud and glad about the many things you are carrying.