Community Cards

By Anne Marie Bennett

Anne of Green Gables

scanneofgreengables

One of my favorite books of all time is Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Besides the fact that the main character is a young teen who—like me—always has to tell people to spell her name “Anne with an E,” I am drawn to many of her other qualities: optimism, resilience, generosity, exuberance.

I have added Anne as a Neter in my deck because I want to be reminded of these qualities and to call these qualities out in myself.  At times she belongs in my Community suit of people who have influenced me, but she is also an archetypal Council suit Neter who represents the themes of friendship, optimism, and resilience.

Here is what Anne Shirley said to me recently in a reading:

I am the one with unstoppable optimism. I am the one who loves life, who is grateful for what I have. I am the one who had a difficult childhood until I was adopted. I am the one who is a lot like you- making up stories, writing, finding Kindred Spirits to hang out with…

My message for you today is this- lighten up a little! Give yourself some time today doing what you love- play at your art table, take a walk and breathe in the fresh Spring air, watch a TV show that makes you laugh, read a book that delights your heart, reach out to a friend and share your heart.

 

What about you? Are there any fictional characters who have made their way into your heart and mind? Maybe they belong in your SoulCollage® deck too!

 

Savoring Alaska

My husband and I had the pleasure of cruising from Seattle to Alaska in July of 2014. It turned out to be an amazing adventure!  I wasn’t thinking of it as an actual adventure until about halfway through when our ship turned slowly into a magnificent fjord known as Tracey Arm (near Juneau).  Only a mile wide and 28 miles long, this fjord had been carved by a glacier centuries ago.

Standing outside on the deck of our cabin at 5 a.m., I was overcome by the wide silence that engulfed me.  The ship glided along so very slowly at 9 mph, and all around me was nothing but raw untouched mountains, waterfalls, cliffs, and wilderness.  For four hours we glided up this fjord and back.  The deeper we went into it, the quieter it got.  It wasn’t just the slowing down of the ship’s engines.  A deeper stillness pervaded.  Even though I could see many others standing out on their own little balconies, all of us were silent.

At one point I sat down in the deck chair to rest, but it was all too raw, too precious, too majestic, and I had to stand up again.  What I was feeling reminded me of being in church when everyone is expected to stand up for the Important Parts.  I remained standing for the whole four hours.

I made this card when I returned, to try to capture the feeling that I had that day.

I am the one who went on an amazing journey to Alaska. I am the one who was happily surprised by the magnificence of my insights during this journey. I am the one who felt so very close to Spirit as we slowly made our way through the Tracey Arm fjord. I am the one who stands in wonder and awe at the power of Nature.

My message for you right now is this: appreciate Mother Earth. Honor Her. Remember your time in Alaska. Honor yourself for all of your inner Knowing. Stay close to Spirit, wherever you are!

 

Mothering the Adult Child

Who are you?

I am the one who mothers you as an adult.

I nurtured you from Beyond as a child, and I nurture you still as an adult.

I am the one you can STILL turn to even though you are “all grown up.”

What do you have to say to me today?

My message for you today is this: Come to me, turn to me, allow me to hold you in my arms. Your imagination is a power that is sometimes underused. Anything you need help with, please ASK me.

Feel my presence. Call me back into your life.

I am here for you always and in all ways.

You are not alone.

NOTE: Sometimes this card speaks to me from the daughter’s voice, but today it is speaking to me from the voice of the Mother.

 

My Brother Joe- Community Suit

ScjoeThis card honors my oldest brother, Joe.  He is ten years older than me, so we weren’t close until I was an adult.  But when I was in my early teens, he always took the time to do things with me.  The biggest thing he ever did for me was introduce me to the theatre.  When I was 12 he and his wife Karen took me to see a production of Man of La Mancha at the University of Connecticut, and I fell in love immediately with everything about theatre.

Joe is also a teacher, and a photographer/film maker, but his biggest passion is reading.  I believe I have captured the essence of my big brother and my relationship with him here on this SoulCollage® card, which honors him in my deck.

Who are you? I am the one who is your big brother.  I am the one who took you places when you were little and who introduced you to the theatre.  I am the one who loves taking pictures and filming documentaries, who loves books.

What do you have to give me? I give you a special bond, a special brother-sister relationship.  I give you curiosity and validation and unconditional love.  I give you a shared history and a love of reading and writing. I give you a sense of family and support in whatever you undertake.

Sarah Adams- A Place To Call Home

Once in a while a character on TV or in a movie, a character steps off of the screen and into my heart/imagination.

Such is the case with Sarah Adams on the Australian drama, A Place to Call Home.

The character of Sarah is a nurse returning to 1950s Australia after 20 years in Europe. A convert to Judaism, Sarah emerged from the horrors of World War II strong, principled, and defiant-a thoroughly modern woman still bearing the weight of the past.

I have seen the entire series three times now! Somewhere in the middle of being with her story over the course of a few years, I made this card for my deck as a way to keep her energy present with me as I go forward in my life.

This is one of those cards that could easily be in one of several suits.

Sometimes she reminds me of my own inner tenacity and spirituality and my ability to survive difficult challenges. At those times, she is part of my Inner Committee.

At other times her energy seems wiser, bigger and broader than me, and at these times she is part of my Council Suit.

And finally, once in a while she feels like a sister/friend, in which case she holds a place in my Community Suit.

Who are you?
I am the one who survived the Holocaust. I am the one who cares deeply for those I love. I am the one who had to make many sacrifices. I am the one who has suffered so much loss. I am the one who gave up my Catholic upbringing to embrace the Jewish faith when I married my husband. I am the one who is proud to be a Jew. I am the one who practices my spiritual rituals no matter what other people think. I am the one who is strong of heart and mind and body. I am the one who has no patience for injustice. I am the one who speaks my mind.

What do you have to give me?
I give you permission to speak up and to claim the truth, no matter what. I give you a big, steely heart that doesn’t suffer fools gladly. I give you wisdom and truth. I give you strength.

What do you want from me?
I want you to remember that you have also survived much. I want you to know that you have the same steely inner strength and that it will get you through anything.

Is there anything else you want to say to me today?
Yes. My character is fictional, but I represent many people in your life as well as your own.