| 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.
I can have fear, but I need not be fear,
if I am willing to stand someplace else
in my inner landscape. ~ Parker Palmer
Transforming Fear
 Early in 2011, we did our first issue on Fear. I put a
notice up on our KaleidoSoul Yahoo Group, saying that I needed
cards on the theme of Fear for this issue of Soul Songs.
Usually I get anywhere from 4-6 responses, depending on the theme.
How many cards did I get on the topic of Fear last year: MORE THAN
TWENTY!
As they kept pouring into my email box (and many people submitted
more than one!), I was led to realize that I'd hit a nerve of some
sort. I can see very clearly now how Fear plays a distinct (yet
sometimes subtle) role in ALL of our lives. Here is the story of my
own Fear/Fearless cards that I shared in the February 2011 issue of
Soul Songs. The cards from our readers in the right side
column of THIS issue are all brand new, however. Take a look at
them and see if any strike a chord in you.
And SoulCollage® is the perfect vehicle for us to give voice to our
Fears, AND for us to begin to transform fear, to uncover Fear's
many gifts.
Making a Fear Card
The impact of Fear holds true in my own life as well. Last year,
after much inner work and outer guidance, I began to see more
clearly the patterns of Fear that have been with me since
childhood, passed on to me invisibly by an extremely fearful and
overprotective mother. At a SoulCollage® workshop I attended last
fall, I found some images that resonated with me about this flock
of Fears in my inner world, and I intentionally made a card to
honor them (see above).
We are the ones who are hiding out behind the windows and doors
of your psyche. We are the ones (and there are many of us) who are
afraid, who huddle together in your mind and whisper fears to you
as you sleep and while you are awake.
We are the ones who have been with you since childhood. You
inherited us from your mother. We were her fears too.
We speak to you of powerlessness and joylessness. We paralyze you
with our scary stories that are mostly false.
We give you a sense of ancestral lineage... we give you a closeness
to your mother that you never felt while she was alive. We give you
something to think about and focus on besides joy. We give you huge
distraction from the present moment. Sometimes, when the fear is
valid, we give you time and a way to prepare, a way to meet the
fearful thing or person.
I felt much more at peace after making and working with this card.
There is something very powerful about giving our Fears image and
voice. They become less powerful. We see that they are only one of
the many, that they are not the ONLY voices inside of us.
Making a Fearless Card
 At
that same workshop, I made several other cards, and one of them was
this one. As often happens with intuitive cards, I didn't know what
I was creating until I let it "speak" to me. This one spoke to me
of Fearlessness, which just about gave me goosebumps considering I
was so focused on expressing my Fears. Evidently, there ARE other
voices inside of me that do not buy into my Fear messengers from
within!
I am the one who breathes fire, who plunges forward without
looking. I am the one who bravely flies through the air, knowing
and trusting that I will be caught. I am the one whose body is
strong and tall and who stands and moves proudly through
life.
I give you strength and I give you courage. I give you fearless
energy to move through your life. I give you joy in the moving
forward.
I want you to not hold back. I want you to JUST DO IT! I want you
to move forward with trust and strength. I want you to leave your
fears behind. I want you to know that you CAN do whatever you set
your mind and body to.
Transforming Fear
In January I was led to do a three-card reading with my Deck, where
I asked my Neters, "Who has wisdom to give me about how to
transform fear in my life? When I start to have fearful thoughts,
what can I do to be sure that Fear doesn't paralyze me?"
I drew 3 cards and was deeply amazed and wonderfully surprised at
the 3 answers I received. I believe that the answers might just
speak to some of you as well, so I posted the cards I drew, and
their responses on my blog, Inner Surprises, and you can read
them here.
Anne Marie Bennett is a writer, self-taught
artist, website goddess, cancer survivor, and SoulCollage®
Facilitator / Trainer who was mentored directly by Seena Frost. In
2005, she fell in love with SoulCollage® and was inspired to use
her professional experience along with Internet technology as a
means to serve the world by putting SoulCollage® "out there" in a
really big way with KaleidoSoul. Anne Marie lives in eastern
Massachusetts with her middle-aged husband, two elderly cats and
one youthful dog who keeps them all young. You can read more about
her on her website annemariebennett.com or on
her blogs Inner
Surprises, and Standing
Still.
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|
OUR NEXT TELE-CLASS
|
60 minute SoulCollage® tele-class
with SoulCollage® Facilitator
Audrey Chowdhury in Wisconsin
Discover how to use sound and music to give voice to some of your
cards. Please bring your cards (or just some images) to this call,
along with your journal.
Easily Accessible from Anywhere in the World!
Visit this page
for more info now.
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| Guest
Columnist: Kat Kirby |
I'm Kat Kirby, Art Therapist and SoulCollage® Facilitator and
Trainer from San Diego, CA, soon to be from Prescott, AZ!! I work
with people in recovery from addictions and eating disorders, and
share my passion for SoulCollage® wherever and whenever I can. I am
excited to be writing for Soul Songs, and hope you find that my
words inspire you to create a new card or two!
How SoulCollage® Helps Us Deal with Fear
"Fear" is one of those words you don't want to think about. Who
wants to feel fear? Why would we make a SoulCollage® card about the
part of our self that feels this scary emotion?
Let's begin by defining fear. According to Dictionary.com, Fear is
"a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain,
etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or
condition of being afraid".
I think it's interesting that fear is about the future, about what
might happen.
People have all kinds of fears. Here are a few of them that spring
to mind:
Fear of heights, spiders, the dark. Fear of not being good enough,
not being accepted, not being loved, of being alone. Fear of
sickness, of injury, of death. Fear for a loved one. Fear of the
unknown.
We are all affected by fear, real or imagined, concrete or
irrational.
 One
of the first SoulCollage® cards I ever made was an intuitive
collage which spoke about FEAR. "I Am One Who fears death by
fire, death by freezing. I scream in terror of the unknown, the
darkness, the empty path. I fear that no one will hear my
screams."
When I first studied art therapy way back in the 1970s, I was
struck by the power that images have in our lives. Whether we
create pretty artwork or dark representations, we are working
through something that is deep within us. When we acknowledge the
shadowy truth of Fear, when we create a card to represent what that
looks and feels like, we lift a huge weight off our shoulders. Once
we create the card, we take back some control. When we give Fear a
voice of its own, to allow and encourage it to speak from the "I Am
One Who" statement, we can begin to understand it a little better,
and that can bring about healing and transformation.
AAnd in SoulCollage®, fear, as well as other shadow elements, can
be explored in a safe and creative way.
 This
next card is my "Facing Fear" card. "I Am One Who is not afraid
of you. I see you and I know you are scary, but I also see that you
are a monster that I created, that I imagine. I Am One Who takes
you for what you are: a reminder that I hold the power within my
self, and that if I live in the moment, I will not be tormented by
Fear."
We can make a card to balance out this emotion: the opposite of
Fear, the strong and courageous self, or a Protector card (which is
one of my favorite cards and which travels with me whenever I lead
workshops or trainings elsewhere.)
One of the things that I remember learning in my Facilitator
Training with Seena Frost is that when we make a card that feels
uncomfortable or difficult, we do not try to make it less so. We
don't add a pretty butterfly or a sunburst to lessen its impact. We
create the card with its full fury, and we include it in our deck
because we were driven to make it. It will help us on our
journey.
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself ..." FDR - First
Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933
Kat Kirby is a Registered Art Therapist, SoulCollage®
Facilitator and Trainer. She leads creative workshops and retreats
throughout the US and abroad. Kat has been working with
SoulCollage® since 2006 and believes strongly in the healing power
of the arts. For more information about Kat's SoulCollage®
workshops, trainings, and retreats, please visit her website,
2 Kat
Studios.
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| KaleidoSoul Creations |
As promised, we are featuring
SoulCollage® cards from our readers in each issue.
Each card below is a card that represents Fear from one
SoulCollager's Deck.
Fear
Committee Suit
Sophia
Maine
I am one who used to feel swallowed by fear, a vulnerable little
girl overwhelmed by things larger than myself.
I am one who felt like I was drowning, underwater, unable to
emerge.
I am one who had to teach myself to emerge, to realize it's okay to
accept the support of others, to lean on loved ones during my time
of need so when their time came, I'd be strong enough to support
their leaning on me.
I am one who turned around, faced the fear, and watched the jaws
close--not close on me, but close in a gesture of mutual respect
and admiration.
I am one who is no longer afraid of fear.
Unsure/Afraid/Stuck
Committee Suit
Amy
North Carolina
I am one who is afraid to move forward; stuck in this spot, I
look behind for reassurance.
I resist the pressure to go ahead before I am ready.
I feel murky, unsure, and uneasy.
I am afraid of judgment and am afraid to risk.
I ask, "will you still love me if I do it my way?"
Ghosts
Committee Suit
Sylvia Eichmann-Sueess
Switzerland
I am the one who, despite fear, descends deep into the darkest
shadows of myself.
I am the one who finds the face of light there and brings it up to
consciousness, that the ghost might become an
angel.
Fear
Audrey
Texas
I am one who is afraid of what will happen if we don't control
the amount of trash we produce.
I am one who is frightened by the mountain of debris we carry
around with us.
I am one who is afraid of what others are thinking when they look
at me.
Don't Abandon Me
Committee Suit
Mar
Ohio
I am one who will cling to anything, regardless of how broken it
may be just to be sure I am not alone.
To see LOTS more SoulCollage® cards on Fear from our
readers, please visit this KaleidoSoul
page.
Please feel free to submit one of your cards for a
future issue by sending a reply email to this
newsletter.
Future themes include:
Journeys
Elements: Earth
Seasons: Summer
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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®.
Kindred
Spirits Join our fast-growing worldwide
membership of people who put the "soul" in SoulCollage®!
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| MAGICAL
INNER JOURNEYS: Guided Meditations for SoulCollage®
Work |
Make Your SoulCollage® Work Come Alive!
Available as CDs, MP3 downloads, written scripts
Save 25%-
Use Coupon Code LISTEN
Expires April 15, 2012
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| Releasing Fears |
Click on the image above for a wonderful meditation on releasing
fear.
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| CONTACT US |
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Upcoming SoulCollage® Retreats
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COLORADO
Heart and Soul: An Inspirational Escape for
Women
Granby, CO
May 17 – May 20, 2012
Facilitators: Mary McCormick, LMT and Mary Scott, MSW
Life Coach Mary
Scott offers wisdom for the mind and body, and SoulCollage® will be
introduced by Mary McCormick, SoulCollage® Facilitator and Reiki
Master/Teacher. You will have the opportunity to explore this
beautiful process, make as many cards as you want and do readings
with your own cards. Card making tables will be set up all weekend.
Mary McCormick will be available to for sharing your card readings
throughout the weekend as well. The registration fee includes a
complimentary, pre-retreat coaching session with Mary Scott to help
you get the most from your weekend escape. ! Move a little, learn a
little, soak a bit, rest a lot. Do it for yourself AND those who
love you!
Registration Info
Here
CALIFORNIA
Deep Diving: A Weekend of Transformation and Mythos
Malibu, CA
May 19 - May 20, 2012
Facilitator: Cat Caracelo, MA
Discover and deepen your personal connections with a guided, intuitive and experiential art weekend in an extraordinary ocean front setting in Malibu. Spend a weekend in an intimate circle, guided by Cat Caracelo. Explore your own personal mythology and life-path through depth process, transformative art, mixed media and SoulCollage®. Using imagery, symbols and patterns, you will find new facets of your personal myth and bring home art that will deeply inform your 'art & life.' A follow-up coaching session with Cat is included in the retreat pricing.
Registration Info
Here
FRANCE
SoulCollage® in France
Carcassonne, France
May
24-29, 2012
Facilitator: Kat
Kirby
Come to a beautiful part of
France on the outskirts of Carcassonne and join me for a 6-day
SoulCollage® retreat. We will meet in a 200-year-old stone barn,
renovated in Art Deco style with 8 comfortable bedrooms, private
pool, tennis court, bicycles and home-cooked meals. We will combine
our SoulCollage® sessions with a visit to the local market and
optional field trips. Whether you are new to SoulCollage® or an
experienced Facilitator or Trainer, this retreat might be just what
you've been waiting for! You might even want to add a few days
before or after our gathering and explore parts of Europe you've
always wanted to see. Cost includes everything other than air
fare.
Registration
Info Here
WISCONSIN
Finding Your Inner Compass with SoulCollage®
Willard,
Wisconsin
July 27-29, 2012
Facilitator: Audrey
Chowdhury
Are you feeling lost during
these times of great transition? If so, this is your chance to
stop, reflect, and recover your inner wisdom. This retreat is
designed to help you reconnect with your heart's desire. You will
have the opportunity to:
- journey through the realm of the soul through musical soul
journeying,
- create SoulCollage® cards
- make mandalas (circle drawings using
pastels)
- share with kindred spirits
- consult with Audrey individually
- walk in the beautiful wooded grounds
- eat delicious, organic, nutritious
meals
- meditate in the exquisite chapel
Registration
Info Here
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Soul Songs
Back Issues - Read back issues of Soul Songs on
this
KaleidoSoul page.
Just look for whatever SoulCollage® topic you are interested
in,
and read to your heart's content!
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
2012,
by Anne Marie Bennett and
Cat Caracelo, Imelda Maguire,
Kat Kirby, or Catherine Anderson.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
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Soul Songs
