| 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.
Opening The
Heart
Years ago I saw a New Yorker cartoon that has stayed in my
mind ever since. The image shows an old man in his apartment,
hunched over and standing by the front door which was laden with
padlocks and chains. He was staring in amazement at the bottom of
the door because someone was slipping a big lacy heart Valentine
through the sliver of space between the bottom of the door and the
shiny surface of the floor.
 I
was struck by the very simple fact that no matter how many locks we
put on the doors to our own hearts, no matter how much we try to
wall ourselves off from others, no matter how we build barbed wire
fences around our hearts to protect ourselves . . . there is always
a tiny sliver where Love can find its way in.
I’m talking about Capital-Letter-L Love here, folks! The
Love that surrounds us at all times. Call it what you will. Spirit.
God. Source. The One. Buddha. Allah. Each and every one of us is
Beloved of this One. I am passionate about this belief.
There have been many times in my own life when my heart has been
wounded, and a few times I honestly thought I would not recover.
These were times when I offered all my love to someone and that
love was rejected, returned, rebuffed. My heart felt sore, weary,
broken. At those times I was certain that I could protect myself by
padlocking the door to my heart, many times over. “Don’t let anyone
else in,” whispered those sad, world-weary, wounded parts of my
self.
And yet. Love still found a way in. Sooner or later, I would feel
it. In a moment or prayer or meditation. In the glimpse of a word
or a look from a loved one. In a story that I read or a move that
touched my heart. Spirit always finds a way in, whether it be a
tiny crack, or the widest open window.
My challenge is to be continually aware of what’s going on in the
heart chakra area of my body. Is it feeling tight and restricted?
Open and flowing? Somewhere in between?
My challenge is also to be aware of the place that Love has in my
life. Am I able to freely show my love to others or am I holding
back? Am I open to the love that the Beloved has for me every
moment of my life or, like the man in the cartoon, have I padlocked
the door to my heart?
As long as I am aware of those times when I am not open to the Love
that is swirling all around me, I can more easily get the key and
remove the locks that are blocking me from experiencing how Beloved
I truly am.
Time for Reflection
What’s going on with your own Heart Chakra energy this week? Are
there locks on the door to your own heart? How can you open that
door? What would it take?
What does it mean to you to live with an open heart? How does Love
flow freely from Spirit’s heart to yours, and from your heart to
others?
If you know who your Heart Chakra Animal Companion is, place that
card front and center this week. Spend some time imagining a
conversation with this Animal energy regarding how open or closed
your heart is.
If you haven’t discovered your Heart Chakra Animal Companion yet,
use this
page to help you find out how.
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, an
elderly dog and two adolescent felines who keep them all young. You
can read more about how SoulCollage® assisted her on her cancer
journey on her website SOS Cancer Journeys. Anne
Marie's newest book, Through the Eyes of
SoulCollage® is now available.
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| OUR NEXT
TELE-CLASS |
Soothing Out Some
(Soul) Wrinkles with
EFT Tapping + SoulCollage®
60 minute
SoulCollage® video class
with SoulCollage® Facilitator
Diane Montgomery from Florida
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is a wonderful and useful
technique to add to your SoulCollage® toolbox. Join us for this
experiential EFT class and learn the basics of this powerful
process. We'll actually be tapping to smooth out any "wrinkles"
that are occurring in your life right now that are causing you
stress and anxiety.
Bring a card or image with you that represents a part of you that
you don't like very much. If you're a Facilitator Diane will also
be sharing ways that you can use EFT Tapping before, during and
after a workshop.
Wednesday August 9,
2017
4 pm
Eastern
Easily Accessible from Anywhere in the
World!
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| Guest
Columnist: Karen Regina |
 Hello, I’m SoulCollager Karen Regina from
Cincinnati, Ohio. This is my second column for Soul Songs, and I’m
honored to follow in the footsteps of the thoughtful Facilitators
and gifted writers whose wisdom typically fills this space. May my
words help open your ears to new voices and inspire new
cards.
Revelations from My Heart
Love is a recurring theme in my deck, not because I’ve mastered it,
but precisely because I’ve not, especially when it comes to
romantic partnership and self-love. From the beginning of my
SoulCollage® journey, I’ve been drawn to heart symbolism. I keep a
separate envelope that contains many dozens of heart images, most
of them jewelry or art pieces from mail catalogs. Many of these
heart symbols end up on cards, tucked into corners or peeking out
from under a larger image, to remind me of love’s energy. I have
multiple heart chakra cards and several Council suit cards for the
archetype of Love. I store my cards in my green-and-pink
heart-chakra-colored Sacred Space room, so I like to think they’re
always bathed in a patina of love.
 I made
this first card intuitively, the meaning not clear for a time. It
seemed to have something to do with my back, a subject I revisit
often in cards, since I have mild scoliosis. I liked the symmetry
of the four figures and since I do some back stretches, this
picture spoke to me. I tried placing various small images in the
center but none worked—until I laid the small pink heart there. I
thought, OK, it’s a good color match and the size works, so that’s
the one. Maybe the message is to give my back some loving care. I
slipped the card into my deck. Then one day, my daily reading from
Marianne Williamson’s A Year of Miracles book was titled “On
Not Turning Away from Love.” She posed the question, “Why would we
turn away from love?” Instantly, I reached for this card and
realized that what it actually showed was me turning my back on
love, over and over.
I watch Marianne’s weekly online Livestream lectures and she
comments often about love. She notes that women often lament having
no romantic partner and the dearth of eligible men. Wryly, Marianne
observes that actually there have been plenty of potential partners
that have crossed our paths, only we “blew it.” I squirm when she
says this because I recognize its truth in my own sorry love life;
I’ve not had a romantic partner for decades. With this card, Self
presents evidence that I have indeed turned my back on love. While
my ego mind can recount valid (i.e., hurtful) reasons why I chose
to do so, I need to own my resistance as the problem.
I am One who too often turns my back on love, keeping it at bay.
I close myself off and refuse to see the love in my midst. I am One
bowed by sadness and isolation, washed out from lack of love. I am
One who looks at what is black and white, missing the bright colors
of Love.
 This card,
made intentionally during an online class, is about the heart
chakra. Here, the woman faces front, looking at herself across the
flower-filled center, as green and pink foliage—heart chakra
colors—surrounds her. The card has a warm, optimistic sense,
suffused with the scent of self-love and a desire to just sink into
the extravagance and be comforted by it.
Self-love is something I continue to address because my ego and
inner critic can be brutal. The repetitive motifs of female figures
in these two cards suggest recurring patterns—bouts of resisting
love and cycles of nourishing self-love.
I am One who basks in the sweet sensations of self-love. I am
One whose heart blossoms as I practice
self-love.
 The third card
manifested the day after I committed to writing this column, and it
determined the subject I’d write about. That morning I opened Sue
Patton Thoele’s The Woman’s Book of Soul to the meditation
“Surrendering Head to Heart.” Her words resonated with me, as she
described how individually and collectively we are out of balance,
having for so long allowed the head to rule over the heart. “We
need to return to the balance and harmony that can be achieved only
by training our heads to surrender to the wisdom and compassion of
our hearts.”
I knew at once I needed to make a card reflecting this truth. For
most of my years, I’ve relied on my mind to lead and manage my
life. Following my heart has been much trickier for me. Yet this
card manifested quickly and easily, visually showing me the path.
The large red heart dominant in the background might seem a bit of
an overcorrection, but I wanted a vivid reminder to rebalance in
favor of my heart. A Course in Miracles calls the shift from
head to heart a “journey without distance.”
I am One learning the wisdom of surrendering my head to my
heart. I am One choosing to feel more and think less, accepting
Love’s guidance. I am One revealing my heart to
others.
As I look over these three clearly related cards, I notice a
progression in colors from pale pink against stark black and white,
to soft greens and rosy pinks, to vibrant red. My heart energy
grows stronger, I sense. I also notice that in each card, there is
really only one person. The key to finding, having, and sharing
love is not about others; it’s about Me. That’s my ongoing lesson.
Daily meditative readings will continue to inspire new cards, and
I’ll stay alert to how the messages of individual cards become more
powerful when considered in context with others.
Karen Regina,
M.Ed., is retired from a career in secondary education, history
museums, and at the University of Cincinnati, where she instructed
and supervised pre-service teachers. She began her spiritual
journey in the early 1980s, under the guidance of such pioneering
teachers as Sondra Ray, Barbara DeAngelis, and John Gray. Karen
delved into SoulCollage® in early 2014 and quickly embraced it as
the cornerstone of her current spiritual
practices.
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|
ONLINE SERIES with ANNE MARIE:
Building a SoulCollage® Deck:
4 Suits + Transpersonal Cards
|
 September 6 – October 4, 2017
Curious about how to create an actual SoulCollage® deck?
Wondering about the 4 suits and what each one means?
Want to experience more fully the "transpersonal cards?"
In need of a refresher course on any of these topics?
If so, this is the class series for you!
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SUMMER STOCK UP SALE
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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 from one SoulCollager's Deck that
represents their Heart Chakra in their lives.
Opening My Heart
Suit Unknown
Ingrid
Denmark
I am one who is opening my heart chakra. The
color frequency is turning from green to Rosa. I am one who is
feeling empathy to all living creatures. We are all one and
many.
Chippy the Chipmunk
Companions Suit
Melissa
Texas
I am one who might be cute and little, but I have a BIG heart
that loves deeply. I am one who gives you maneuverability and
quickness, the agility to be smart and protect your heart. My gift
to you is the pine cone, for it opens up AND is protected and
resilient.
The
Ant in my Heart Chakra
Companions Suit
Heather
Hawaii
I am one who presses on. I am one who goes deep. I am one who
remembers the way. I am one who desires community. I am one who
helps dry barren land become irrigated so that it is able to grow
things. I am one who is strong and can carry much more than my
weight. I am one the plans for the future. I'm one who is committed
and gets things done. I am one who is tenacious. I am one who
spends a lot of time in the depths and working to support, to
sustain.
Bear
Companions Suit
Gail
Connecticut
I Am One Who has the heart of a bear;
fierce and tender in turns. I Am One Whose heart is filled with
community, connection, and compassion. I Am One Who longs for equal
time in solitude, sanctuary, and serenity. I Am One Who leads from
the heart, bleeds from the heart, sings from the heart, and cries
heart wrenching tears. I Am One Who strives to live a wholeheARTed
life.
Heart
Chakra
Companions Suit
Audrey
Colorado
I am one who uses the light of my heart chakra to follow my
path. I am one who looks for nourishment where ever I can find
it.
This Heart is on Fire
Suit Unknown
Judy
Massachusetts
I am the one whose heart is on fire. May I be the one whose
heart extends passionately toward all that is good, sacred, kind
and wondrous.
Heart Chakra
Companion Suit
Diane
Washington
Up from the depths I rise into the sunshine. I bring rainbows
to accompany us on the journey to health. I can hold my breath for
a long time, as you have been doing. There is no need to stop
breathing. My heart is big and strong and pure. We will flow
through the sea effortlessly. I will carry you.
Heart Chakra
Companions
Kas
Pennsylvania
I am the one who is filled with compassion and love. I listen
to the sounds and vibrations around me. I put my ear to the ground
to see what is coming. I open up to understanding that all is
centered in the heart. This is the place I live and move the love
around and upwards. Hear my horn make the music of love as I share
it. I am large, powerful and sometimes move slowly along. Swaying
with an inner song that only I hear and turn up when
needed.
Cat
Companions Suit
Anne Marie
Massachusetts
I am the one who lives in your heart. I am the one who loves
unconditionally, who lives and loves with feline grace. I am the
one who brings comfort, loyalty, and playfulness to how you
love.
Heart Chakra
Companions Suit
Susan
California
I am one who sees clearly the elements of the heart. I know my
heart is a pathway to spirit and my essential being. I see the
young elephant and eye of the Mother and know that an open heart
nurtures and loves and accepts nurturing and love in equal measure.
And I see and recognize that when my heart is coiled around itself
like the dragon, it can lead to deep sadness, fear and mistrust. My
message for you is to honor and guard all the elements of your
heart’s energy. Respect its power within you. Your heart is the
gateway between your lower and higher chakras, between yourself and
others. Nurture it every day with kindness and open it to
compassion.
Please feel free to submit one of your cards for a
future issue by sending a reply email to this
newsletter.
Future themes include:
September: SoulEssence
October: Open Call
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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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CONTACT US
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UPCOMING SOULCOLLAGE® ONLINE
WORKSHOP
|
Goddess Within the Great Round:
An Expressive Arts Workshop
 September 10 - November 4, 2017
SoulCollage® Facilitator: Kathryn Costa
Discover the goddesses within you!
Kathryn Costa brings three of her passions together in this all-new
online workshop series: Mandalas, SoulCollage®, and Greek
Mythology. Her storytelling style brings these classic stories
to life and relates them to everyday situations.
In this series you’ll meet seven feminine archetypes depicted in
the Greek mythology: Aphrodite the lover, Hera the wife, Demeter
the mother, Persephone the daughter and Goddess of the Underworld,
Artemis the sister, Athena the strategist, and Hestia the wise
woman and hearth keeper.
Getting to know the goddesses activates their qualities and powers
within you. And you’ll discover how to navigate and pair their
powerful characteristics to best serve your aspirations and your
relationships.
Kathryn Costa’s playful, conversational storytelling style will
draw you into these ancient myths and leave you going "ah-ha! I get
it.”
A steal at only 35.00!
Lots more
information here.
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Upcoming SoulCollage® Retreats
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NEW
MEXICO
SoulCollage® Soul
Journey
Taos, New Mexico
September 20-24, 2017
Facilitator: Deborah Milosevich
During this Soul Journey SoulCollage® retreat, participants will be
led through several unique and creative processes that will be fun,
develop a greater self-awareness, and access inner sources of
wisdom. There will be time for making lots of SoulCollage® cards
and sharing their insights as well. The workshop atmosphere is fun
and relaxing, and the process itself requires no artistic
background or skills. We will also be roaming the streets of
magical Taos where we will do some seeing and drawing. This part of
the workshop will consist of simple, approachable drawing exercises
designed to enhance any skill level.
Visit
this page for more info.
CONNECTICUT
SoulCollage® by the
Sea
Mystic, Connecticut
October 6-8, 2017
Facilitator: Debbie Mitchell
Join other Kindred SoulCollagers for a weekend of making cards,
relaxing, leaving your daily routine behind, and connecting with
your inner self! This retreat is for you if you have never made
even one card or for you if you have 100 cards! At this retreat you
can expect: plenty of time for creating cards that you’ll cherish,
lots of images, surprises, journaling, card reading, a private room
with shared bath (two nights), five wholesome, delicious meals,
plenty of time for YOU, creating cards late into the night (if
you’re a night owl), meeting new friends, connecting with your
inner self, walks among the dahlia gardens and readings by the sea
(weather permitting).
Visit this page for more info.
ENGLAND
Goddess
Retreat 2018
Glastonbury & Cornwall, UK
April 26 - May 7, 2018
Facilitator: Cat Caracelo
Follow the ancient pathways to a place where myth and memory
connect, where the landscape is a mirror of the soul. Join a small
circle of women to journey to sacred sites, engage with the lands,
explore the earth-based energies, honor the Goddess and reflect
experience with expressive and expansive art, SoulCollage® and
more. Twelve-day all-inclusive retreat offers two extraordinary
homes, with grounds, spa, chef-prepared dinners, sacred sites and
dedicated creative space. Payment plan is available.
Visit
this page for more info.
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CONTACT US
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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 2017,
by Anne Marie Bennett and
Catherine Anderson, Cat Caracelo, or Linda Woolfson.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
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Soul Songs
