Ā 

Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage®

By Anne Marie Bennett

Subscribe to updates

SoulCollage®

The Self-Expression Express

by
I am the one who finds myself in solitude and writing.

When I was 15, I had a fun job in a library. Ā I have always loved books so I really loved this job.Ā  A few other kids my age worked there with me.Ā  During break times, we would be in the conference room together.Ā  They’d be chatting, and I’d be scribbling happily in my journal.Ā  Sometimes I’d join in their conversations, but mainly I used my free time for writing.

One day, Bob (one of my peers) challenged me.Ā  ā€œWhy are you always writing in that notebook?ā€Ā  He was definitely curious.

At first I was startled; then confusion took over! Ā I had no idea why I wrote so much. Ā I just did. Ā One of the older librarians was having lunch with us that day, and she overheard Bobā€™s question. Ā She saw how puzzled I was and noticed my inability to answer, so she responded for me. Ā ā€œAnne Marie writes to express herself,ā€ she said.

Aha!Ā  A lot of puzzle pieces fell into place right then, and my eyes shone with the absolute truth that her words gave me. Ā Yes, that’s exactly it, I thought with gladness. Ā Writing is my means of self-expression.

The writing is mine. Ā Mine alone. Ā It got me through a difficult adolescence, and many a confusing love gone wrong.Ā  It got me through my challenging college years, and through my first teaching job 500 miles from everyone and everything I knew. Ā It got me through a difficult decade with my stepfamily, and it got me through two cancer diagnoses. Ā It is still getting me through. Ā It is one of the few things in my life that has been a constant, positive companion since I was very young.

When I discovered SoulCollageĀ® in 2005, my writing became deeper and fed my soul even more.Ā  I now count SoulCollageĀ® right up there with writing as my main mode for self-expression!

Time for Reflection

What is the one thing in your life that is yours alone, your main mode of self-expression? Ā It doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit like my writing. Ā It could be cooking, dancing, gardening, jewelry making, teaching, singing or something else that is uniquely yours.

What is something you can do today to activate and celebrate this one thing?

 

Did you enjoy thisĀ  essay? There are lots more essays relating SoulCollageĀ® to our lives, along with card making, journaling, and reading suggestions in Anne Marie’s book,
Into the Heart of SoulCollage.

Breaking Into Flower

by
Beauty- I am the one who breaks into flower when I see myself in the mirror.

Were it possible for us to wait for ourselves
to come into the room,
not many of us would find
our hearts breaking into flower
as we heard the door handle turn.

~ Rebecca West

I want you to imagine this scene, so read through what’s below, then close your eyes and imagine that it is happening to YOU.

You are standing in a crowded room at a party. There is music in the background; people are talking in pairs and groups all around you. Glasses are clinking, laughter and a savory aroma is coming from the kitchen. Someone is refilling your glass with your favorite liquid.

Suddenly, the door into this room opens and someone new walks into the party. You look up curiously. The door is on the other side of the room so you cannot see this person clearly until they are a few feet away.

But then you do see this person… and it is YOU!

Imagine that you are watching this on your DVD or DVR player, and press the Pause button. Pause this scene.Ā  Pretend that the person who just walked into this party is your best, most wonderful, authentic, true self.Ā  What does she/he look like? What is she/he wearing? How is this person holding their body?

Then look at yourself, the one who was already at the party. How are you reacting to your True Self who just showed up? Are you about to turn away? About to go find someone more interesting to talk with?

Or… as Rebecca West so poignantly writes… is your heart breaking into flower at this very connection with yourself?

Questions to Ponder

1. How does it feel to “break into flower” when meeting up with your true self?Ā  Or how would it feel if you’re not there yet?

2. List 5 ways that you can be more welcoming to yourself this week.

3. Make a SoulCollageĀ® card that gives image to you, breaking into flower when you see yourself.

Take Me Or Leave Me

by
I am the one who is worthy of my own self-love and deep inner compassion.

I had to get over my fear of running
through the world naked
and learn to say,
“Take me or leave me.”
~ Steven Spielberg

There is something about this quote that makes me smile, that makes me feel feisty and smart and strong, both of my feet planted firmly on the ground.Ā  And look who said it! Mr. Spielberg is a world class film creator and director.Ā  We would be minus some truly extraordinary films if he did not continually embrace the “take me or leave me” mantra.

Don’t we all have a fear of running through the world naked? Isn’t that the stuff that real nightmares are made of? Who wouldn’t be afraid of actually doing that (except, perhaps, for those “streakers” from the 60’s)?Ā  Who wouldn’t be fearful of the vulnerability that this suggests?

And aren’t we all equally afraid of baring our hearts and our souls?

However, if I can manage to strip my inner being to the core, plant my feet firmly on the earth and say, “Okay, whoever is out there, THIS IS WHO I AM. TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME,” then I have empowered myself to embrace freedom; I have allowed myself the space to continue to grow into who I really am.

Questions to Ponder:

Is there a part of you who is hiding itself away for fear of being hurt?Ā  Get in touch with that part of you. What does it really want to say … or do?Ā  How does it want to express itself?Ā  You might want to make a SoulCollageĀ® card for this part of you.

Is there another part of you that is ready (or getting ready) to stand up and say, “Take me or leave me?” to whoever needs to hear it?Ā  Get in touch with this part of you also.Ā  Find some images and make a card for your very own Take-Me-Or-Leave-Me Neter.

Invite these two parts of you to dialog with each other. For example, you might start like this:

Fearful/Vulnerable Self- I don’t know how you can be so self-assured.
Take Me Or Leave Me- It takes a little time, and a lot of self-love.
F/VS- What do you mean? I don’t know how to do that…

…and so on…

Or listen within and begin with whatever YOUR inner parts are saying.

Yes to Life!

by
I am the one who says YES to life!


When you come right down to it,
all you have is yourself.
Yourself is a sun
with a thousand rays in your belly.
The rest is nothing.
~ Pablo Picasso

 

When I think of my Self as a bright glowing sun with a thousand rays in my belly, I literally get goosebumps (in spite of the warmth of that image).Ā  Then I close my eyes and imagine that sun as the whole of me, filling me and holding me with its essential power and light.Ā  I see this “sun” as the solar star that is the center of our universe; I also see it as Spirit, that universal energy that gives me breath and life.

Each of these “thousand rays” represents a card in my SoulCollageĀ® deck: an inner voice (shadowed or bright), a loved one in my community, an animal guide, a spiritual guide or archetype that has always been active in my life. Each of these rays of light emanates from my center, my true authentic self, my SoulEssence… that spark of Spirit that lives within each of us, uniquely our own.

These thousand rays lighten and lift me until I’m soaring high above all the old definitions of myself, all my outgrown ways of being.

Picasso is right. The rest is nothing.

I am all that I have.Ā  Myself, a shining light of wonder, shadow, passion, and heat… and a thousand rays of that passion radiating from my center out into the world.


Reflection Time:

Are you allowing the sun (Spirit, Source, God, the Divine, the Universe) to carry you today?

What old definitions and stories are you getting ready to leave behind? Which definitions and stories have you already let go of?

How can you express this sun-self of yours?Ā  Find some images and make a SoulCollageĀ®

card. Get out your fingerpaints or crayons. Write a poem.Ā  Share your response by using the “contact” button at the top of this page.

Honoring Our Ancestors

by

Throughout my life, I’ve never been one to wonder “Who were my ancestors?” or “What are their stories?” Maybe I’ve been a bit too self-involved.Ā  Or maybe it’s because both of my parents came from dysfunctional families that were touched by the disease of alcoholism and therefore, they never talked about their parents (very much) or grandparents (hardly ever).Ā  Why would I be curious about people who obviously caused harm to their families, and more specifically, to my own mother and father?

But lately I’ve been rethinking this whole topic.Ā  Thanks to Audrey Chowdhury, a SoulCollage Facilitator in Wisconsin, who has written a thought-provoking and creativity-inspiring book, Ancestral Impressions: Exploring Your Ancestry through Creativity, Imagery, and Intuition.Ā  Don’t let the sepia-toned cover fool you- this is a powerful book that is popping with imagination, color, and creativity.

Because of Audrey’s teachings on this topic, I was reminded of a SoulCollageĀ® card I made a while back that spoke to me from my collective ancestors’ voice. This card and its story can be found here:Ā  Soul Songs Newsletter October 2017

Also as a result of Audrey’s book, I have been led to make some new cards honoring my ancestors, both known and unknown.

I made this card (right) to honor my mother’s parents. Their names were Gus and Alice. Grandma Alice died when I was 22, and she was close to our family. Grandpa died when I was 5, and I have no memory of him. But after reading Audrey’s book, I came to realize that their story is an important part of my own story and I felt led to make a card honoring their relationship.

Although my mother and grandmother hardly ever spoke of my grandfather (he was an alcoholic), I was happy to findĀ  some pictures of them when they were very young and obviously in love, and then added a photo of them in their older years, holding hands. The addition of the Indra’s Net image and pale pink flower petals speak to me of being held in the Oneness of all beings.

Who are you?
We are the ones who gave birth to your mother. We are your grandparents. We are the ones who loved you when you were born, and now love you from another space and timeless time. We are the ones who were in love and whose marriage lasted “til death do us part.” We are the ones who lived through the Depression. We are the ones who knew what hard times were. We are the ones who survived. We are the ones who are so proud of you.

What do you want from me?
We want you to know that even though we both died when you were young, we are still connected through the “nettedness” (Seena’s word!) of all beings.Ā  Our lights shine bright on Indra’s Net, as does yours. We want you to know that we are happy that you have connected with us here. We want you to continue learning about our stories.Ā  We want you to know that you are loved.

 

I made this SoulCollageĀ® card (left) to honor my parents as a couple, along with what I am calling my “unknown ancestors.”Ā  I found the photo of my parents on their wedding day with their mothers beside them, and then added a variety of photos of other ancestors from both of their families. Some I can identify, and some I cannot.

Who are you?
We are the ones who came before you. We are your parents and your parents’ parents’ and the parents of them as well. We are the ones who are your lineage. We are the ones who bear your roots. We are the ones whose DNA matches yours. We are family, even though you do not know all our names. We are the ones who are, and have always been, a part of your life.

What do you have to give me?
We give you the knowledge that you are not alone. We give you your physical characteristics, your intellectual curiosity, your creativity. We give you the will and the capacity to survive difficult situations. We give you our love.