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.
Brown Bear
When Seena Frost created the Companions Suit, she called it the "energetic dimension" of the SoulCollage® Deck. This encompasses two energies: nature's energy, and the body's energy. The way that these two come together is what makes our SoulCollage® work with animal guides unique.
Seena based the foundation of this suit on the work of Stephen Gallegos, author of Personal Totem Pole. If you are interested in more detail about how these two energies come together, I suggest you read his book and/or listen to Seena Frost's new CD:The Companions Suit.
For now, let's focus on the first chakra, which is the energy center in the human body located at the base of the spine. This chakra, also called The Root Chakra, is focused on our sense of survival, tribe, family, groundedness, and sense of Home. When this chakra is in healthy functioning mode, you experience a sense of security and a wholesome relationship to the earth and to nature, and to the place that you call home.
I discovered my first chakra companion, brown bear, while listening to Seena's guided meditation on herIntroduction to SoulCollage® CD.
You can see my Brown Bear card on my blog, Inner Surprises.
It's interesting to note that when I created my Brown Bear card, I didn't really understand clearly what the chakras were all about. I was just allowing my imagination and intuition to lead me. Later, when I did some more reading about the chakras, and I realized that it had to do with a sense of security and home, I had to chuckle to myself at the synchronicity of how I happened to put the house with the open door on this card which was made totally intuitively.
I'd also like to point out here that sometimes, when you are doing the guided meditation to invite one of your Companions to come forth, you might discover a different element of nature instead. For example, you might "see" the sky, a tree, a flower, a gemstone, a shaft of sunlight, cluster of stars, ice crystals, the ocean, or any other aspect of nature.
This month why not spend some time focusing on your own First Chakra. How grounded are you feeling? If you feel you need some support in this realm of your body, why not invite your own First Charka Companion to come forward... and watch what happens!
You might also enjoy these resources for your own Companions Suit work:
- Wise and Wonderful: A Guided Exploration of the SoulCollage® Companions Suit - 6 week e-course focusing entirely on this suit. Short weekly lessons with homeplay assignments. Work at your own pace. A unique learning experience.
- Power Animals Tele-class - led by SoulCollage® Facilitator, Michele Lessirard.
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.
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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.
Why Beaver is the Perfect 1st Chakra Companion For Me
The animal that is my companion for my first chakra is the beaver. I discovered this while experiencing Seena Frost's guided meditation (see above links). While I don't know a whole lot about beavers (we don't have beavers in Australia) I have supplemented the little I do know with some research and have discovered some valuable qualities that Beaver has to share with me.
SAFETY
I learnt that if danger is approaching, a beaver will slap its large flat tail on the surface of the water to make a vibrating alarm call that sends all beavers diving under water to hide from any approaching danger. It is interesting to note that the tail slap of a younger beaver (recognisable as a different sounding slap from a smaller tail) is often ignored by older beavers as the younger of the species are still learning when a slap is really required and may slap when there is no real threat.
What this behaviour has taught me-
In the past week I have been put in an awkward situation at work when someone told me that something was a risk to a project (and I acted in their advice) only to realise later that perhaps the risk wasn't as large as they led me to believe. My tail slapping beaver has reminded me that sometime I need to seek the corroboration of a more experienced "beaver" before taking action. My companion says I am the one who checks the facts before running scared. I seek the advice of more experienced staff when I am unsure how real a risk something is.
PEACE AND QUIET
I also read about an experiment in which researchers left speakers with the sound of rushing water playing loudly overnight nearby a beaver dam. In the morning when they returned they found that the speakers were buried under sticks and mud and gravel, with the sound from the speakers no longer audible. It seems that the trigger for the beavers to build a dam was to build it until the sound of the water rushing was stopped - not an actual desire to stem the flow of water for other reasons (although there are other pay-offs for the beavers once the water has stoped flowing - like it is easier to catch fish).
What this behaviour has taught me-
I am someone who loves peace and quiet and is easily irritated by loud or repetitive noises. My beaver companion reminds me that there is probably a deeper reason why I'm attracted to the peace and quiet, and gives me permission to seek peace and quiet when I need it, without apology. My companion says: I am the one who craves peace and quiet. I give myself permission to care for myself by creating an environment that helps me feel calm and serene.
INDUSTRIAL & PERSISTENT
Beavers are also industrious, resourceful and persistent. A beaver can fell a small tree using its teeth. The biggest recorded tree felled by beavers was 46 inches in diameter. Beavers also build dams that can halt a stream or change its course.
What this behaviour has taught me-
Can you imagine being able to fell a tree with your teeth? This definitely reminds me that I can achieve anything I put my mind to (and nothing is impossible!). If I take action and work diligently, I can make things happen. I'm also reminded that I have the power to change the course of my own life. I am the one who is persistent and consistent. I don't give up when the going gets tough. I keep "beavering" away and trusting that eventually my efforts will be rewarded.
These are but a few of the lessons I have learnt through researching my 1st charka companion, Beaver. I encourage you to spend some time connecting with your companion animals, and listening to the lessons they can share with you. This may be through stories, myths, legends, nature documentaries or other research. You may like to view your animal in the wild or a zoo. Just spend some time getting to know the habits of your animals and see how they relate to you, your chakras and your life.
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.
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Soul Songs Back Issues - Read back
issues of Soul Songs on
this KaleidoSoul page. An excellent resource.
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 2009,
by Anne Marie Bennett and
Karen Mann.
Articles may be reprinted by
permission only.
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