| 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.
Sacred Rocks, Sacred Earth
Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.
--- Serbian Proverb
I was visiting my stepdaughter Merri a few weeks ago and was sitting in the kitchen talking with her while she was preparing lunch. There was a new plant on the table in front of the window and Tori, now 5, pointed it out to me. I oohed and ahhed over its green finery appropriately, then turned my attention to something that Merri was saying.
But Tori tugged on my sleeve. "Bella, look!" she insisted, bringing me back to the potted plant. She then plopped herself on my lap and began examining the small stones that Merri had placed around the top of the soil in the pot. One by one, she picked up the rocks and studied each one. We exclaimed in wonder at the individuality of each stone. Together we pointed out various colors, shiny bits of mica, different shapes, jagged or smooth edges. She was in absolute awe and delight at these little rocks, none of which were more than half an inch in diameter.
Krishnamurti was an Indian writer, speaker and philosopher who taught that if you take any old rock from outside and put it in the middle of your living room, and every day you pay attention to that rock, it will become a sacred rock. Why? Because we have paid attention to it. There is holiness and there is wholeness in paying attention.
So I’ve been paying attention to Earth these last few weeks, really looking closely and paying attention. And I have been startled by so much beauty, so many sacred gifts that are just bursting to be seen, felt, experienced, enjoyed. The many miles and many shades of verdant trees lining the highways I drove this week. The bold and delicate iris in our garden which bloomed on my birthday. Huge seawashed rocks lining the ocean shore near where I live. The deep rich earth which feeds my mother-in-law’s garden. The lush array of greenery and flowers that bloom there.
The Serbian proverb above always gives me pause. Be humble, for you are made of earth. If I think of those words in light of the sacred rocks I recently discovered with Tori in her mother’s new plant pot, then I am indeed humbled. What a glorious thing- to pay attention to this big wide beautiful Earth we’ve been given. What a humbling thing- to realize that I am made of the same materials as this big wide beautiful Earth.
In preparing for this essay, I realized that I had no cards in my SoulCollage® Deck that symbolize this relationship with Earth that I am talking about here- the relationship that is deepened by slowing down and paying attention. I do have a card for Gaia, Mother Earth, but that is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about something more personal, more relational. So I’m in the process of making this card and will post it on my blog when it is finished.
In light of this theme of paying attention and honoring our sacred Earth, here are some resources I hope you’ll enjoy:
Forest Bathing - This is not something I made up. It’s a time-honored Japanese practice called shinrin-yoku. It began in 1982 and is now a recognized relaxation and stress management activity in Japan. Recent studies show that forest bathing is very affective at increasing a component of the immune system that fights cancer.
Essence of Wild - This is a
lovely website focusing on the heart and soul of nature. I love their concept of
Barefoot Breathing - a practice of placing your bare feet on the earth
while you practice mindful breathing.
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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4-Week Online Class
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The Alchemical Goddesses:
Yemaya the Creator, Aphrodite the Lover, Kali the Destroyer
In the ancient temples devoted to the goddesses, the priestesses were mortal women who were initiated to learn the mysteries, keep the fire burning, and serve the goddess. They helped the people understand themselves through understanding and honoring the goddesses. In this sacred temple set of classes, we will all be acting as priestesses, stoking the flames, creating the altar, and performing rituals of self-discovery and self-care to honor the goddess within each of us.
Facilitated by:
SoulCollage Facilitator,
Stephanie Anderson Ladd
Starts July 8, 2012
Registration Now Open
Please click image above for lots more info!
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| Guest
Column: Catherine Anderson |
My name is Catherine Anderson and I'm a SoulCollage® Facilitator and Trainer from Charlotte, NC. I am delighted to be adding my voice to Soul Songs and hope that my words inspire you to look more deeply into your deck of SoulCollage® cards.
Earth: Mother of All
"If we think of ourselves as coming out of the earth, rather than having been thrown in here from somewhere else, we see that we are the earth; we are the consciousness of the earth. These are the eyes of the earth. And this is the voice of the earth." --- Joseph Campbell
 When I spend time in natural surroundings, feeling the sun on my shoulders, the breeze on my skin and the sound of the birds, I find I breathe more deeply and my body relaxes. I feel at home. But few of us have the luxury of basking in nature on a daily basis, and yet our lives are so intertwined with the earth. The earth rotates and as it turns we are affected by the rhythm of the seasons, the rhythm of the oceans, the phases of the moon and the hours of sunlight. The earth we live on affects our lives in a profound way.
According to Clinton Ober, one of the authors of the book Earthing (KIMEE AMAZ AFFIL LINK PLS) :
"We humans, as all other living beings, are electrical creatures on an electrical planet, and the ground beneath us is more than something we just stand, walk, play, and build on." The book explains how grounding refers to the electrical potential of two conductive bodies equalizing. This is what happens when the skin of our body touches the skin of the earth. So in a real sense we have a living relationship with the Earth on which we live.
The tradition in many religions of full body prostrations is a reminder to touch the ground with our bodies. People who carry an inner peace and calm with them are referred to as "down to Earth" or "grounded." And we all know that time spent gardening with our hands in the soil renews and invigorates us.
Many of my SoulCollage® cards call on me to move closer to my true nature by connecting more deeply with the natural world. My "Green Self" card (above) reminds me:
I am the one who feels the bliss and relaxation of close connection to the earth when I allow myself to become one with the natural world.
 The Earth also offers nourishment for our physical bodies. To plant a tiny seed and see it become food for our table seems miraculous to me. My "Grateful Self" card (left) reminds me that the Earth provides me with an abundance of opportunities for joy, for play and for nourishment, both inner and outer. This Neter says,
I am the one who co-creates with Earth to provide all I need to sustain my body and soul.
What about the rhythms of the earth? The invention of the electric light allows us to be awake late into the night, when all is dark outside. Refrigeration has allowed us to eat foods even when they are not in season. Although these developments have allowed us certain advantages, they have disconnected us from the cycles of the seasons.
Consider becoming more aware of the changing of the seasons and even create a series of SoulCollage® cards that reflect this circle of birth, growth, degeneration and death. The changing seasons are a powerful metaphor for the cycle of life-death-life. In fact, this continuous cycle is even reflected in the life-giving soil of our earth which is made up of parts of creatures long dead, mingled with the dust of generations of flowers and plans, trees and animals and our own ancestors. Indeed, as Hildegard of Bingen reminds us
"The earth is the mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all."
Catherine Anderson is the author of the book The Creative Photographer. In addition to SoulCollage® workshops, Catherine teaches photography, visual art journaling, creativity and bookmaking workshops from her studio in Charlotte, NC and leads Photography Retreats in the US, South Africa and Italy. You can visit Catherine at her website.
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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 The Earth from one SoulCollager's Deck.
We Are One
Council Suit
Claudette
California
We are all connected in this world, though sometimes we forget and others don’t even realize it. We are all responsible and are charged to express that responsibility.
Earth Wisdom
Council Suit
Melisa
Ontario, Canada
I am the one who is ancient -- I have been here forever. My strength knows no bounds. No matter what happens, I will still be here. I am the one who has seen all. I know all. I am wisdom. I have secrets. I have secrets and knowledge to share with the ones who are curious enough to come looking.
Earth Birth
Council Suit
Catherine
California
I am born of the feminine aspect of earth.
I am one fully embodied, emerging woman.
I am here to remind you of your primal earth origins.
I am the sacred feminine alive in the earth body now.
Fountain
Suit Unknown
Maria
Brazil
I am the one who is in line with wiser people always looking for the fountain of wisdom, believing that Nature gives us everything we need.
Please feel free to submit one of your cards for a
future issue by sending a reply email to this
newsletter.
Future themes include:
July- Seasons: Summer
August- Open Gallery
(send us anything!)
September- Sadness/Loss
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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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| Upcoming SoulCollage® Retreats |
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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SPECIAL SAVINGS:
FR*EE SHIPPING! |
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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
