| Soul Singing with Anne Marie |
Hi!
I'm Anne Marie, the creator of KaleidoSoul.com, and a SoulCollage®
facilitator in Massachusetts. If you're just starting to sing your
song with SoulCollage, this column is especially for you.
Silly and Blessed
Judging from the minimal response we received when we asked our readers for
cards on the topic of "humor," this seems to be a much-needed theme! So let's
set aside a few minutes and talk about something funny for a change.
A few months ago I was on my own personal two-day retreat at Kripalu. I was
sitting in a comfy chair in the spacious lobby on a quiet morning, gazing out
over the Berkshire mountains. It was peaceful and I was seriously intent on the
book I was beginning to read.
After several minutes, a young couple settled on a sofa several feet away from
me. They were newly in love, I could tell, because of the way they were
whispering and giggling together. They went on like this for several minutes, at
some points bursting into loud, joyful laughter. Listening to them made me smile
inside. I thought how long it had been since I had taken time to simply sit and
laugh like that (with or without someone special beside me).
Instead of wishing they would go away and leave me alone, I just closed my eyes
and basked in their unabashed silliness, and it seemed to wash me clean of my
own inner seriousness which seemed dusty and stale that morning.
Then later that day, the book I was reading indicated that the word "silly"
comes from the Gaelic word for "blessed." Ahhh…. I thought! A new revelation. I
did indeed feel blessed from being so near to that couples' silliness. It was
downright contagious.
I made my own "Sense of Humor" card (see column to right) a long time ago, but I
didn't know that's what I was making at the time. I just knew I loved those
images and they seemed to belong together. When I let them "speak" to me, they
seemed to be reminding me of my own abundance sense of humor, my own inclination
towards silliness. And when I stop to think about it, I don't give this card
enough latitude in my life. I do love to laugh. I am very witty and I enjoy
making others laugh. But my Inner Committee Member who is Serious usually has
way more power in my life.
Maybe it's time that that changed!
Reflection Activity: Find some time this month to do something
completely silly, and see if this action blesses you in some way. Make a SoulCollage card for to honor your own inner "Silly One" or a SoulCollage card
for your "Sense of Humor." Maybe there is a comedian who has enriched your life
with laughter… would you like to make a Community Suit card for that person for
your deck? Think and journal about times when laughter made a difference in your
life. Make a list of books, movies, TV shows, and/or CD's that make you laugh.
Be sure to read, listen to, or watch at least one of these every week. Notice
the difference this makes in your life this month!
Anne
Marie Bennett is a freelance writer, self-taught artist, SoulCollage®
Facilitator and Facilitator Trainer who trained with Seena Frost. Her background
is elementary education, computer software training, writing, and mixed media
art. She lives, laughs, writes, and sings (and makes her own SoulCollage® cards!) in Beverly, MA.
More of Anne Marie's cards/interpretations are available on her blog,
Inner Surprises.
|
| Soul Symphonies with Karen |
My
name is Karen Mann and I'm a SoulCollage® facilitator from Melbourne,
Australia. This column is for those of you who have already made some cards
& are ready to discover the symphony of voices inside of you and around
you.
Maintain a Sense of Humour
I have a tendency to take things way too seriously. My spiritual teachers
are often reminding me that "life isn't really a serious business" and that
"personal growth doesn't have to be hard work." I need to remember that
having a laugh is a great way to learn and grow and release emotion too.
I am currently learning to allow humour to play more of a part in my quest
for personal growth. One SoulCollage card that seems to challenge me to
lighten up and have more of a sense of humour is my "Do It My Own Way" card.
This card shows one of Dr Seuss' Cat in the Hat illustrations overlayed on a
self portrait of Frida Kahlo. While both of these famous people were very
creative, Frida Kahlo used surreal self portraits to depict her physical and
emotional pain, whereas Dr Seuss used fun rhymes and crazy story book
characters to engage young readers and teach them great life lessons.
 In this SoulCollage card "The Cat in the Hat" is precariously balancing the
responsible goldfish, who is reprimanding him, on top of an umbrella. The
goldfish in this story tries to be the voice of reason and responsibility.
He says "No! No! Make that cat go away! Tell that Cat in the Hat you do NOT
want to play. He should not be here. He should not be about. He should not be
here when your mother is out!" The fun and frivolity feels dangerous to him.
The contrast of the outrageously silly exploits of 'The Cat in the Hat'
against the serious, brooding face of Kahlo portray the tension between my
need to explore, understand and express my journey and pain thus far and my
need to laugh, have fun and enjoy the journey, no matter what it brings.
There is definitely a strong part of me that resists fully embracing humour,
because like the goldfish in ‘The Cat in the Hat', I am worried that fun and
frolic will lead to mess and mistakes. As I learn to retrain this belief
system, I find that this card has much to teach me. The different parts of
this card express some of the key learnings about me as I begin to embrace
humour as a tool.
In this card the cat says I am the one who has fun. Being responsible is
required at times, but sometimes having fun and bending the rules can also
be required. Learning and growing is not always such a serious business. Go
on, let yourself be silly... What's the worst thing that could happen?
The serious fish says I CAN have fun and still be okay. Sometimes I resist
having too much fun because I'm scared things will get out of control. I am
learning that laughing and learning are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes
it's the fun and laughter that gets us through.
In this card Frida Kahlo says: I am the one who can be serious and in pain,
but it is through maintaining my sense of fun that I have survived. I remind
you that laughter really is the best medicine. Laughing helps us to be able
to survive anything.
All three voices in this SoulCollage card have come to agree that I need to
lighten up and enjoy myself. The underlying message of this card is that
doing the right thing does not necessarily mean being serious and solemn.
This is a reminder that laughing is sacred and maintaining a sense of humour
is a vital part of continuing to learn and grow. In The Cat in the Hat Dr
Seuss says that "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." This SoulCollage card has helped me to learn more about embracing humour and how
through seeing the funny side I can still learn and grow.
Karen Mann
is an artist, art teacher, Lifestyle Coach, yoga and meditation teacher, and
SoulCollage® facilitator. Karen has been working with SoulCollage cards for more
than four years and facilitates a variety of SoulCollage Groups. Karen also runs
SoulCollage Facilitator Training weekends. Karen offers regular workshops in
Melbourne
and Geelong, Australia, and is also available to travel to other regions in Australia. For more
information, or to contact Karen, please visit her website,
Flying Colours Creativity.
SoulCollage® is a trademarked process created by Seena B. Frost.
For more
information about Seena and the origins of SoulCollage,
please visit her website.
SoulCollage®
cards are made either from one's own art or from images found in materials which
have been bought by or given to the SoulCollage card maker. These collaged cards
are used only for the cardmaker's own inner exploration. SoulCollage cards are
not sold, traded, bartered, or copied (except as a back-up for the cardmakers
own use) as is stated in the "
Principles of SoulCollage®." Where SoulCollage cards are
available to be seen by others, it is for the purposes either of demonstrating
the SoulCollage process or of sharing the cardmakers' inner process in the
context of community. SoulCollage® is grateful to the artists and
photographers who make this deep awakening process possible and in all ways
SoulCollage® seeks to be respectful of their rights.
All articles in SOUL SONGS are copyrighted 2009,
by Anne Marie Bennett and Karen Mann.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
| |
| KaleidoSoul Creations |
As promised, we are featuring SoulCollage® cards from our readers in each issue.
Each card below is one SoulCollager's expression of their own personal
sense of humor.
Fun!!!
Suit: Committee
Artist: Imelda
Location: Ireland
I am one who enjoys silliness, who loves a good joke, who delights in
sharing fun with friends.
I don’t mind looking silly at times, and I know
it’s good to remember the fun my younger self had by immersing herself in a
bit of madcap carry-on.
I remind you to take yourself lightly sometimes.
Goddess Fed-Up-Pia
Artist: DJ
Location: Florida
I am the oldest one, in the battle of weight loss.
I am the wise one of compassion who is here for my children still in the struggle of weight loss.
I have fought every battle and will guide you with laughter and strength.
I will teach you self-love in all of your sizes.
Sense of Humor
Artist: Anne Marie
Location: Massachusetts
I am the one who steps blithely in through your open windows and enters your life with a light step and a sense of humor.
I am the one who can laugh at myself, even though I am bound in chains and black leather.
I am the one who loves to laugh and who brings acres of fresh air into a room with my laughter.
KaleidoSoul Notes
Noteworthy resources for anyone interested in SoulCollage
 Facilitator Trainings: Information about content and dates/locations of upcoming trainings of
SoulCollage Facilitators.
SoulCollage website -
Seena Frost created the process of SoulCollage, and this is her website.
KaleidoSoul -
Spinning the fragments of your world into wholeness and beauty through
SoulCollage.
Tele-Classes -
These are fun, interactive tele-classes that are easily accessed from anywhere
in the world.
February's tele-class is called:
Sharing The Treasure: Passing SoulCollage On To Others
Presented by Imelda Maguire, SoulCollage Facilitator and Facilitator Trainer in Ireland. There are more details on this KaleidoSoul page.
Kindred
Spirits -
Join our fast-growing worldwide membership of people who put the "soul" in
SoulCollage! Receive a weekly newsletter all about SoulCollage, advance
notice of new SoulCollage materials, half- price discounts on all e-courses
and e-books in the KaleidoSoul Shop. And more!
Inspiring
Resourses
Books,
Music & Inspiration
Artella is a lively playground for writers, artists, and any kind of creator (That's YOU!). You will find a wealth of resources, ideas, and playful projects to delight your inner artist and/or your inner writer.
Find thousands of creative products in The Artella Store! Check out their e-courses too! My favorites are: The Gratitude Garland, Accounting Your Blessings, The World of Pretend, and DeCluttering For Creatives. There's lots of fr*ee stuff to love at Artella too.
All Books For Less --
Amazing website for any book lover. They have zillions of books (I'm not
kidding!) on any topic you can think of, all at greatly reduced prices.
It's not like Amazon or Half.com where you are buying from individual
sellers. This is a reputable dealer and most of the books are available
in quantity, which is great for book clubs as well as gift giving.
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Soul Songs
