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Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage®

By Anne Marie Bennett

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SoulCollage®

Gathering Blessings

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It’s fall now here in eastern Massachusetts, and our thoughts are turning to gathering fallen leaves that are collecting on our lawn and driveway.Ā  When I drew this card today, though, I am led to ponder other things that can be gathered, like. . .for instance. . . blessings!

I love having this card in my deck to remind me to notice and actively collect blessings (that for which I am grateful) all year long, not just at Thanksgiving and the holidays.

Who are you?

I am the one who stands in a field of flowers. I am the one who gladly picks the flowers and gathers them into my big bowl.

I am the one who is grateful for every blessing that comes my way, every single one.

I am the one who notices my blessings, who takes time to savor each one as I gather it in.

Hestia- Goddess of the Hearth

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I madeĀ  this card years ago and always thought of it as my “sacred space” Neter, but then I listened to Kathryn Costa’s Kindred Spirits class on goddess archetypes and learned quite a bit about them.

I took the Goddess Quiz on the site that she recommended, and discovered that my own top three personal goddess archetypes, expressing themselves in my life right now are: Persephone, Artemis, and Hestia.

After reading more about Hestia (Goddess of the Hearth) on the recommended site, I suddenly realized that I already have a SoulCollageĀ® card for her, and this is it!

Who are you?
I am the one who loves to stay home. I am the one who turns away from drama and turns instead to the sanctuary of my inner life. I am the one who creates and operates from my own inner sacred space. I am the one whose inner fire burns brightly and warms my soul.

What do you have to give me?
My gift for you is the intuitive ability to create a homey atmosphere of warmth and sacredness wherever you go.Ā  I give you the knowing that your inner life is paramount.

 

 

The Fool Brings Change

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Fool is an archetypal energy that brings CHANGE with it. Some of this change is minor, like when you get a haircut and it comes out all wrong; and some of this change is huge, like what the coronavirus has brought to us.

Seena Frost, the founder of SoulCollageĀ®, taught that there are two archetypes that touch ALL of our lives, no matter where we are. One is Death; the other is The Fool.

This is my second Fool card. I made this while leading a retreat where we focused on the 3 S’s of SoulCollage:
Sacredness, Surprise, and Synchronicity

It feels appropriate to share it with you now that we are still in the midst of COVID-19 and all the surprising life changes that this virus has brought to us.Ā  And I’ve learned, if I really get comfortable with and welcome The Fool’s changes into my life, I also can (most of the time) recognize the sacredness and synchronicity of these changes.

Who are you?

I am the one who is all about surprises.

I am the one who changes things around and switches things up when you least expect it.

What do you have to say to me today?

My message for you today is this: do not fear all these changes, dear one. I urge you to find a way to look forward to them… to welcome them, and delight in them if you can.Ā  My appearance in your life can bring joy and new perspectives too.Ā 

Notice that even the ugly old fire hydrant has flourishing green leaves growing on it!

 

 

Killjoy

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Killjoy

Who are you?

I am the one who is about to beat the crap out of this woman in the red dress. I am the one who hates that she is so happy and passionate. I am the one who was your inner Teacher, Lucius, in the old days.

I am the one who prefers that you stay under wraps so no one can see you in your happiness.

I am afraid that someone will take advantage of you if you peel off all the layers and let yourself shine, so I am intent on keeping you down.

I am a strong part of your inner world, and I control several of your other shadowed parts.

What is your message for me today?

Remember that as Director of your inner cast of characters, you can take me out of this starring, controlling role at any time.

 

Note from Anne Marie:Ā 

I discovered a unique way of looking at my inner parts through this wonderful book, Soul Play: Turning Your Daily Dramas into Divine Comedies!

It is one of the most helpful, and certainly THE most creative book on our inner parts/inner voices that I have ever had the pleasure to read.

I’ve actually read it several times and shared its premise during many a SoulCollageĀ® workshop on the Inner Committee. I love the imagery of imagining our inner parts as characters in a play, and that I am the director. Many inner shifts occurred for me while reading and working with the ideas and suggestions in this book. Highly recommend!

Collages Without Words

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Most collage processes involve the combination of words and images.Ā  However, Seena Frost, the founder of SoulCollage Inc., strongly recommended that we include only images in most of our cards.

Why is this?

Well, if we put words on our cards, when we draw one in a reading, our left brain will immediately go to those words to find the meaning of the card or the answer to our question. We can’t help it; we are conditioned from a very early age to believe that words contain the answers.

On the other hand, if we only put images on our cards, this allows us to access the right side, the more intuitive side, of our brain.Ā  In this case, we are able to go directly to an image and speak from it instead of about it. For me, this is the most powerful part of the SoulCollageĀ® process.

When beginning to work with a card (or Neter energy), we usually ask it “Who are you?” in order to begin a relationship with it. It responds with “I am the one who…” or “I am one who…” or “I am…”Ā  and always in the first person, from its own voice and point of view. This is much easier to do with an image than with a word!

Of course, as with all things SoulCollageĀ®, this is not an absolute rule.Ā  I have words on a few of my own cards, but I try to leave them off as much as possible. Some SoulCollagers I know have created a separate suit in their decks just for words.

I’ve included a few of my SoulCollageĀ® cards here that don’t have words. If you haven’t done a lot of dialoguing with a card/image, try it and see. Choose the card on this page that seems to be more alive for you than the others. Ask it “Who are you?” or “Why have you come to me today?” or “Why are you here?” and then sit back and listen. You might write down the answers you hear in your journal or you might simply savor this inner conversation in your imagination.