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Inner Surprises Blog

SoulCollage® Suits

By Anne Marie Bennett

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SoulCollage® Suits

Two Cards – One Message

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I drew these cards in my every-other-daily readings this year, a few months apart from each other. They had a similar message that might just resonate with you today, wherever you are on your own Life’s Journey:

scdancingongravestones

Dancing on my Grave

Who are you?
I am the one who is performing an elegant ballet on top of my grave. I am the one who isn’t buried in the ground yet. I am the one who holds flowers in my hand. I am the one who is ALIVE! I am the one who isn’t dead yet. I am the one who is dancing in the facee of the sunrise.

My message for you today is this… you are not dead yet, dear one! Keep reminding yourself that you are ALIVE!!Ā  EnJOY your life.

 

Savoring the Momentscstrawberry girl

Who are you?
I am the one who is swinging on my swing. I am the one who is happy when I am near the ocean. I am the one who loves fresh, ripe strawberries! I am the one who is content to do nothing but swing and play.

My message for you today is this… take some time today to just sit and BE with yourself. Find a way to bring play and joy to your life today, if only for ten minutes. You don’t always have to be DOING something!

 

Questions to Ponder

Feel free to play with these questions in your journal, or respond in the comments below if you feel so led.

1. Do either (or both) of these cards have a message for YOU?

2. Can you find ten minutes in your day today to stop moving, to stop DOING things, and to simply BE?

3. How does it feel to pause and to remind yourself that you are ALIVE?

Life is Hard . . . Or is it?

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Life is Hard

When I was growing up, I learned that life is hard work. My father worked two jobs when I was small, just to make ends meet. My mom worked hard at being a homemaker. She cooked and cleaned and looked after my brothers and I. And then she cooked and cleaned some more.

When she did spend time doing what she loved (writing letters to her pen pals, creating hand-decorated stationary), it was with apology and guilt. Each of my brothers worked their way through high school and college, and then so did I.Ā  I never saw people living a life that was grounded in joy. “Joy” was a frivolous “extra,” something talked about only around the holidays, and then never in connection with a personal life.

I made this card soon after I began SoulCollaging in 2005, as a way to give image to this old belief that I was buying into.Ā  This Neter says:

I am the one who believes that life is full of difficulty, sorrow, distress. Life is hard, I tell you! Everyone has a hard life and a sad story. There’s no way around it.

Now that I’m older and creating my own life story, I find myself filled with the desire to live my life in the tempo of joy. For a long time, I struggled with this, because the “life is hard” idea was ingrained so deeply inside of me. But I am slowly learning to let go of that old belief, and as I do, I find that I’m able to experience more and more joy.

And do you know what? When I allow the Universe to flood my soul with joy, the world doesn’t explode and the Guilt Police are nowhere to be found!

Here are some questions to think about/journal with this week:

What are some self-definitions that no longer serve you?

Can you create an intention to let go of one (just one!) of them this week?

What would happen if you let go of this outdated idea of yourself?

Make a SoulCollageĀ® card for the part of you who already knows how to live with ease and joy.

 

Anne of Green Gables

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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 whoā€”like meā€”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.Ā  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 SoulCollageĀ® deck too!

 

Saying Goodbye to a Beloved Cat

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I am the one whose heart was broken.

One year ago today (May 8, 2021), our cat Seymour let go of his aging, sick body and transitioned to the Beyond. These are SoulCollageĀ® cards that I drew a few weeks after he died and they spoke great comfort to me.

I hope that these Neters bring comfort to your own heart in whatever grief you are experiencing.

This one (left) I classify this in my deck as being of two suits- Committee (the 2 broken-hearted people on the ground) and Council (the Mime of Sadness on the top).

Broken Heart says: I am the one whose heart is crying because I have given my heart fully to a sweet little cat and he has left me. I am the one who is sad.

I am the one whose heart feels torn apart. I am the one who continues to love Seymour even though I cannot see him.

I am the one who is watched over by the Mime of Sadness.

I am the one whose heart will be stronger when stitched together at the broken places.

Mime of Sadness says: My message for you today is this- know that you are not alone in your sadness. Know that others have felt this same tearing of the heart. Know that the Spirit world looks kindly on you for the love that you bestowed upon Seymour and for the love that was given you in return. Know that we are helping to lift your sadness. Open to Our Presence. All is well.

 

Dancing On Gravestones

scdancingongravestonesI am the one who is laying backwards on top of a tall gravestone as the sun rises. I am the one who holds flowers in my hand. I am the one who is tall and graceful. I am the one who is strong and balanced.

I am the one who came to this cemetery to grieve and to honor a loved one who has died. I am the one who honors the memory of my loved one by living life to the fullest- by moving and dancing and buying flowers and watching the sun rise every day.

My message for you today is this- there is no grave site or cemetery for your beloved Seymour. His body has turned to ash but his spirit is still a part of your spirit. You are united in this way for always. As you are with Sasha, Scooter, Minnie- your spirit-felines. And Suzy your spirit-canine.

You are allowed to feel sad whenever that sadness comes. Allow it in. Allow that sadness to remind you what a big heart you have. Your heart hurts so much because you love so much. Grief is simply the flip side of love. So… feel the sadness, and remember that you can honor your loved ones’ lives by carrying on their legacy. Think on what legacies they each left you. What lessons did they teach you? How can you carry this forward in your own life?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savoring Alaska

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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!Ā  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). Ā 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.Ā  The ship glided along so very slowly at 9 mph, and all around me was nothing but raw untouched mountains, waterfalls, cliffs, and wilderness. Ā For four hours we glided up this fjord and back.Ā  The deeper we went into it, the quieter it got. Ā It wasn’t just the slowing down of the ship’s engines. Ā A deeper stillness pervaded. Ā 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. Ā What I was feeling reminded me of being in church when everyone is expected to stand up for the Important Parts. Ā 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!