Ā 

Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage Inspiration

By Anne Marie Bennett

Subscribe to updates

Hermit- Council Suit

by

Schermit_1 When I first made this card, I had no idea what she represented. I only knew that every placement of every item felt absolutely “right” to me.Ā  It only became clear to me who she is after doing the interpretation that follows:

Who are you? I am the wild feathered one who dances in the forest alone.Ā  Ā I am the one who is at home in the woods.Ā  The trees are my friends.Ā  I am the one determined to remain alone in these woods, in my home in the trees.Ā  I find light and mystery and surprise in my alone-ness.Ā  I find my strength and passion in solitude.Ā  Behind the doors of my soul is where all of the answers lie, and these doors are accessed through solitude only.Ā  My freedom comes from being alone.Ā  I am free here in the wilderness of my Self, to dance and sing and be exactly who I am, to discover who I am, to revel in the beautiful mystery of my Soul’s expression.

What do you have to give me? I give you a deep yearning for solitude.Ā  I give you a wild imagination for soul-searching.Ā  I give you freedom.

What do you want from me? I want you to never be ashamed of your need for solitude.Ā  It is more than a passing need, it is an integral part of who you are.


The Good Mother

by

Scmother_1 I drew this card today in my Daily Reading, and noticed in my Readings Notebook that she has come up about once a month in the past 5 months!  This is definitely an issue that I’ve been working on and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she keeps appearing in my readings.

In the past, this is a little bit of what she has said to me: I am the one who reads you to sleep each night, who walks with you on the beach and who holds you when you are sad.  I am the one you tell your troubles to and I am the one who knows how to make everything all right.  I am the one who listens to your happy stories, your jokes, your disappointments, your failures.    I am the one who listens without judgment.  I am the one who picks you up when you fall, who comforts you when you are sad. 

Today, though, I noticed that her message was a little different: I am the one who is your inner mothering voice.  I am the one who instinctively knows how to care for and nurture others, and most of all how to care for and nurture YOU.  Most of your life I have been the loudest, strongest, and best at nurturing others- friends, nieces, nephews, schoolchildren, stepchildren, cats.  Now I am asking to play a larger role in taking care of, loving, and nurturing YOU. 

Allow my voice to speak to YOU now, Anne Marie.  It is time.  I am the one who gives “mother” a good name.  It is time to relearn the old scripts of the mother-daughter relationship.  It is time now to mother your self with love and compassion and the same tenderness that you have always given to others.

Vulnerable Child- Council Card

by

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

Then today I drew it in my daily reading and did my first interpretation with it, and 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.  Here is my interpretation:

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 as deeply as you love Scooter (my cat who disappeared three weeks ago), you are opening yourself up to be in a soft, vulnerable place.  But this is a GOOD thing.  It is a good thing to be able to love like that.  Always a good thing.  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.

Mystical Child

by

Scmysticalchild When I drew a card from my SoulCollageĀ® Deck yesterday morning, I asked “Who will help me deal with the loss of my dear cat Scooter?” This is the card that I drew, and her voice immediately offered me comfort and a subtle kind of peace: I am the one who believes in magic and fairies.  I am the one who talks to angels and animals, and hears them talking back to me.  I am the one who believes in prayer and who prayers frequently and fervently, with faith.  I am the one in direct contact with the Divine.  I am the one who believes in magic and who watches spellbound as rabbits are pulled out of hats and scarves change color in mid-air. I am the one who acknowledges the Mysteries of the universe, who accepts the Mysteries and loves them as they are. I give you a sense of mystery and awe. I give you the knowledge of other realities and the open mind to accept them. I want you to believe in fairies and angels, and to know that dolphins and cats can talk to you.  I want you to see magic everywhere you turn. I want you to pray and to know that your prayers are ALWAYS answered.  I want you to stay connected to the Divine.  What I have to say to you today is this: Scooter has been gone for a week now, but from the first moment you met him, you  asked for Angel Protection for him, because you knew he was a wild free spirit– he told you this, and you listened, you heard him.  You honored his deepest heart’s longings by letting him have his freedom, and you always knew that you couldn’t be the one to protect him, as much as you wanted to.  Now, today, in the midst of your aching grief, I want you to know and to believe that he has and has always had the Angel Protection that you continually asked for.  I want you to have faith that the Angels have honored your request.  It really is that simple.  I also want you to know that all of your inner communication with Scooter was real. He felt safe with you and he loved you fiercely.  Let there be joy and gladness in the midst of your tears and pain, for anytime a wild creature like this is loved so deeply, heaven is full of gratitude and rainbows.

The WorryWart

by

Scworrywart I made this card about a month ago because I’m aware of the worrier inside of me. When I found these images, I knew immediately it was my inner WorryWart. However, I added it to my deck and didn’t do any interpretation work with it…. until this morning. My beautiful 12 year old tiger cat, Scooter, has been missing for 2 days now, and even though he’s an outdoor cat who disappears like this from time to time, I love him and miss him dearly when he does.  Last night was especially difficult as I found myself playing over and over in my head every bad thing that could have happened to him. So when I drew my WorryWart this morning in my daily SoulCollageĀ® reading, I wasn’t surprised at all.  His energy has been running rampant inside of me. Here is what I learned from my work with this card today:

Who are you? I am the one who frets and worries and doesn’t think that anything ever works out right. I am the one who grotesquely alters your thinking patterns.  I am the one whose sharp teeth bite and shred your calm faith to pieces. I am the one who devours you with worry and false fears.  I am the one who expects the worst to happen every time.  I am the one who begins speaking in whispers and these whispers eventually turn into panicked screams.  There is nothing gentle and kind about me.  I exist to distract you from any peaceful state you attempt to achieve.  I am the one who fills your mind with sharp prickly thoughts of impending disaster and worst case scenarios. Who are you related to in my inner world? I am the son of your mother’s Worrier. I am Nancy Negativity’s beloved sister. I am the cousin of Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop. What do you have to give me? I give you protection from surprises. When the other shoe does drop on you, I think it doesn’t hurt you as bad because I’ve prepared you for it. What do you want from me? I want you to worry all night, and all day too. I want you to give in to my power. I want you to forget about prayer and meditation and faith. I want you to toss out any ideas of trusting in the divine order of things, and I especially want you to get that idiotic quote “All shall be well and all shall be well…” out of your mind.