| 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.
And the Teacher Did Appear
I was 31 years old, shopping in a crowded little New Age bookstore. Throughout my life, I'd often found solace in bookstores and that day in particular, I truly needed an extraordinary kind of comfort. I was in the throes of an overly dramatic, very difficult relationship with an alcoholic. I loved Dan with all my heart, but he was drowning in his addiction and couldn't see it.
 On that day, in that bookstore lightly scented with sandalwood incense, I found a cassette tape titled simply
Peace. There was a scene of a beautiful sunset on the cover and the marketing lingo promised “guided imagery and soothing music for relaxation, healing and inner harmony.” It sounded exactly like what I needed right then, so I picked it up and added it to my growing pile of self-help and spiritually-oriented resources.
Over the next few years, I listened to that cassette tape over and over and over again. There were several short guided meditations which were spoken in a gentle, soothing male voice with a comforting New York accent. Restful music by Steven Halpern gently swirled in the background. I don't have the cassette any longer, and it is out of print, so I don't remember the exact titles of the meditations, but I do remember the feelings of security and empowerment that they evoked in me. Somewhere along the way, I had lost touch with the core essence of Anne Marie, and those meditations, those words, gave that essence back to me. I marveled at how I had found that tape exactly when I needed it the most.
At the age of 33, I was finally able to let go of Dan for good. Yes, I had the support of a church community as well as a couple of regular 12 Step groups. But looking back, I can see that it was the messages on that cassette that led me to
seeking community and support because I was finally able to grasp the fact that I was worthy of, and in dire need of, a life that was free of emotional abuse and so much drama.
Flash forward to me at the age of 48. I was attempting to recover from the after-effects of my first journey with cancer. I was also attempting to integrate the difficult past 10 years of my stepfamily story. The guided meditation tape called
Peace was long forgotten. In fact, cassettes themselves were long forgotten! But I was still seeking solace in bookstores, and at some point that year, I stumbled across a book called
A Deep Breath of Life, by someone I'd never heard of named Alan Cohen. The subtitle was
Daily Inspiration for Heart-Centered Living, and that really spoke to me as something I desperately wanted and needed.
A Deep Breath of Life is a book of short daily readings. Each page begins with a quotation followed by a short essay by Alan Cohen, and ended with a one-line prayer and a short affirmation. To say that this book breathed new life into me and opened my heart to a world of possibilities is minimizing the effect that it had on me. It didn't happen right away, and I was hardly even aware of what was happening inside of me, but that book accompanied me throughout that whole year and beyond. It reshaped me; it gave my heart a wide tenderness I didn't know existed.
After a year or so, I began to notice a difference inside of me as a direct result of reading this book daily. “Hmmm . . .” I thought. “I wonder who this Alan Cohen person is.” So I went online and discovered he'd written many other books. I purchased several and dug right in!
Now, it wasn't simply the fact that this man had a lot of wisdom to impart. He truly did and does. For me, I resonate most with the way that he shares his wisdom, which is mainly through the mode of storytelling. He uses real stories from his own experiences as well as ancient stories from ancient wise ones. I was filled with gratitude that I had found a teacher who spoke so directly to my heart and to what I needed at that point in my life.
At some point after delving into more of his writing, I went to his website and discovered that many of his books are published by Hay House and that he has his own online radio show. I was excited by this opportunity to listen to him “live” instead of just reading his books, so I went online and settled in to listen.
It took several minutes before I realized that his voice sounded familiar. “Now, where on earth have I heard this guy speak before?” I wondered. It didn't hit me right away. I think it took a few more hours of listening to that strong male voice with the comforting accent before I remembered. That cassette tape. So many years ago when I was lonely and hurting and afraid. Those guided meditations that I listened to when I so sorely needed to come back home to myself, to remember who I was, to let go of a relationship that no longer served me.
That cassette tape was also from Alan Cohen.
How marvelous that I was drawn to this particular teacher not just once, but twice in my life when I was in desperate need of guidance and inner nourishment. Ever since that moment when I realized the powerful effect this one teacher had on me, I was able to viscerally understand the meaning of this golden nugget of wisdom:
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
Indeed. How marvelous that Spirit watches out for each of us so closely, so genuinely, so tenderly.
I recently created a SoulCollage® card to honor some of the many teachers who have graced my life over the years (see above). Alan Cohen is the first one on the top stair!
Time for Reflection
Think back over your own life. Make a list of “teachers” who have appeared when you were ready.
Honor one of these teachers with a card, or honor all of them with a card. Let their wisdom continue to inspire you within your deck!
What particular kind of wisdom or teaching are you ready for right now? Sense that readiness inside of you. Offer up a prayer to Spirit that you will be led to the right teacher. Remember that a “teacher” can take many forms: a novel, a film, a song, an online course, a quotation, or something that you hear a stranger say in passing. Teachers are not only found in self-help books but in the world around us. Your teacher might be a little child, an ornery relative, a character in a novel, or even a being on a SoulCollage® card.
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 VIDEO CLASS |
Bold as Gold:
Find Your Inner Badass with SoulCollage®
60 minute
SoulCollage® Zoom video class
with SoulCollage® Facilitator
Jennifer Boire from Quebec, Canada
Where do you need courage and boldness to stretch beyond your comfort zone?
Are you in touch with the positive attributes of your inner rebel, persona non grata, change agent, risk taker, or the one who rocks the boat? Maybe you have never been that person, or maybe you are that person!
Using the process of SoulCollage®, along with journaling, we will name and claim our inner Bad-Ass and give her a Voice. This one-hour video class is meant to shake things up, gently, and surround you with the love and support, the listening and the breathing space to let your inner Bad-Ass surface and surprise you.
Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Easily Accessible
from Anywhere in the World!
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We offer much gratitude to Catherine Anderson,
for her years of service to Soul Songs
as a regular columnist!
And we welcome Marti Beddoe from Illinois,
and Michele Manos from Arizona,
as our newest regular columnists.
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| Guest Columnist: Marti
Beddoe |
 Hello, dear SoulCollage® friends! I’m Marti Beddoe from Naperville, Illinois, a SoulCollage® Facilitator since 2007. In this inaugural column, I’m humbled to follow the magnificent Catherine Anderson, one who surely embodies the Teacher Neter. My commitment in these columns is to share practices that sustain lives of Meaning, Joy, and Beauty.
In Gratitude for my Teachers
If someone were to inventory the hours of my life or the “real estate” on my website or the cards in my SoulCollage® deck, they would conclude that the Neters of Teacher, Seeker, and Gratitude are the dominant threads in my life tapestry. Various embodiments of these three Neters have contributed to the person I’ve become over the seven decades of this incarnation. Given the SoulCollage® motto,
Discover Your Wisdom, Change Your World, I imagine many SoulCollagers share my respect for the Neters of Teacher, Seeker and Gratitude.
 My most significant Teachers haven’t usually been the ones in classrooms imparting data or information. Rather, they’ve been ones who’ve challenged my firmly held beliefs, who’ve broadened my Horizon of Awareness, and who (like the Fool delights in doing), have often upended my life. Sometimes their voices and actions were compassionate. Sometimes their voices were thundering booms, lightning strikes illuminating my complacency or
painful dark nights of the soul. Both approaches got my attention, stopped me in my tracks, and often changed the direction my life was heading. These Teachers inspired new thoughts which led to new words and new behaviors, habits and actions.
Starting in my thirties, my Seeker Neter launched an intense quest for Wisdom. I was fortunate to discover humble teachers who discouraged me from elevating themselves above me. They encouraged me to listen within and to seek my own direct experience of truth—not to blindly accept their version of reality at face value. I also observed these teachers had a practice of integrity—they acknowledged the source of their wisdom. They didn’t claim to be the inventors of the ‘wheel’ of some original thought or process when in fact the ancient ones had already come up with it hundreds or thousands of years before! My Inner Adolescent, with her well-honed BS detector, helped me sniff out those teachers who did not practice what they taught; those who lived to serve their own ego; those whose purpose was to gain name and fame for themselves instead of humbly assisting their students’ sincere search for enlightenment.
EEarly on, Mr. Tashjian set the standard for the Neter of Teacher. Mr T was my wildly and widely-loved Eighth Grade U.S. History Teacher the year I was newly and traumatically transplanted to Rhode Island from Richmond, Virginia. One day in his class, genuinely confused, I raised my hand and politely drawled, “This text book
has a misprint, Mr. T. It says here the South lost the Civil War. This is a mistake. All my Virginia History books and teachers said differently. Mr. Tashjian.”
Amidst my Yankee classmates falling out of their chairs howling hysterically, Mr. T called for order and said, “Now, people listen up, and take note of what Miss Beddoe did here. She exercised her First Amendment Right and challenged the authority of our textbook. Granted, she got her facts terribly wrong. Next time, Miss Beddoe, get your facts straight. Remember, trust but verify, is good scholarship. But, people, you need to remember this in the years to come. You need to wake up and to speak up.
You need to have the guts to think for yourself. You need to challenge authority. Just because a book or a teacher or even your parents says it’s so doesn’t mean it is so! Seek the truth for yourself. And be sure to verify the facts, people!”
Most importantly though, I never forgot the priceless gift Mr. Tashjian bestowed upon my 13-year-old mortified self. He gave me permission to think critically and to speak for myself. He reframed a humiliating moment into an opportunity to learn and grow. That’s when the Neter of Teacher made a permanent home in my heart. That’s when I experienced the ability of a Teacher to transform and empower a vulnerable young life. He was the first adult who saw and honored my authentic Seeker Self. Mr. T changed my life forever in that moment. May we all be blessed at least once in our lives by a Mr. T!
A Practice: The Seeker and Teacher have a Heart-to-Heart dialogue.
Browse through your deck, pulling out cards that relate to the Neters of Seeker and Wisdom/Teacher. Then, just for fun, try pairing up the Seekers with the Neters of Teacher/Wisdom.
Next, let each one in the dyad answer:
- Who are you? (“I Am One Who…”)
- What do you have to give me?
- What is your message for me?
- How will I remember your message? (It helps to use sensory clues such as colors, sounds, fragrances, etc. For example, “When you see the color blue, remember my message…”)
Finally, ask the Seeker and the Teacher what they want to tell each other. Record the dialogue in your journal.
Allow for Surprise, Synchronicity and the Sacred- the magic elixir that is SoulCollage®! Enjoy what your Neters have to teach you each time you visit them!
In honor of the countless teachers who have blessed me, I offer you this gift of a Gratitude practice (called the Okagesamade Meditation Practice) that I learned from an important Teacher. Download it here.
Please feel free to share the practice. I would love to hear about your experience! You may contact me at marti@martbeddoe.com
P.S. A special shout-out to my eldest grandson Malcolm who, in his 5th year of studying for an Industrial Engineering degree, chose to say “Yes” to the Neter of Teacher! This Fall he will begin teaching elementary school children in Dallas, Texas as part of the Urban Teachers program.
Since 2007, Marti Beddoe has been a SoulCollage® Facilitator and meditation teacher in the Kriya Yoga lineage. She is Founder of Designs for Peace, a service offering practices to support lives of Meaning, Joy, and Beauty. Marti facilitates
Walking the Beauty Way Retreats and would be delighted to bring one to your area. Find out more here! Her monthly blog posts,
“Contemplating the Beauty of…” consider the Beauty of various Neters. You may Subscribe here at the bottom of this page.
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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 the archetype Teacher.
Teacher/Communicator
Committee Suit
Michele
Tucson
I am the teacher, the motivator, the Explainer-in-Chief. I love preparing and presenting a call to action. So inspiring to watch students transform.
Unforgettable, Incredible Teacher
Community/Council Suit
Chigoke
Georgia
I am one who teaches and connects you to the ones who have gone before you. I am the one who keeps you receptive to the advice of those with you now. I am the one who instills in you to hear the voices of those yet to come. I am the one who says stay connected to all that is in you, within you and around you. My message: "Open yourself up to your river name, call your self "ABUNDANCE."
Mr. G
Community Suit
Glenda
Minnesota
I am one who taught you to sing harmony in a choir.
I am one who brought you the joy of singing sacred choral music.
I am one who loved to sing duets with you.
I am one who lived a life of music every day of my life.
Teacher
Council Suit
Anne Marie
Massachusetts
I am the one who has been with you since you were a little girl. I am the one who gives you the gift of sharing your learning with others. I am the one who shows you how to gather information and then transform it in ways that makes it easy for others to absorb. I am the one of the Light, who guides you to share the Light.
Teacher
Committee Suit
Kara
Washington
I am one who plants the seeds of opportunity and waters them with encouragement and kindness. I am one whose teachers/ancestors stand, invisible but strong, beside my students and me as we grow yet another generation of sensitive, wise and caring human beings. I am one who senses the generations of musicians who came before me, and those who will come after me: my teachers' teachers' teachers, and my students' students' students.
Teacher
Suit Unknown
Catalina
California
I am one who has fire as essence. I am one who is a teacher, a healer, a guide. I am one who is ready to make a difference, who is happy to make a difference. I am one who has much to offer. I am one who lights up lives and helps others in different ways, at different times. I am one who has light for the world. I am one who you can count on, I am one who comes with lessons and Blessings, I am one who reminds you teaching is learning. I am one who needs the spark to live.
Elementary School Teacher
Committee Suit
Anne Marie
Massachusetts
I am the one who was an important part of your life in your twenties. I am the one who loved to set up the classroom every September and welcome the new second graders in. I am the one who found great pleasure and satisfaction in watching young minds light up with excitement about learning. I am the one who remains a treasured part of your inner world and memories.
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: Open Call (send anything)
October: Community Suit
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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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JOIN KINDRED SPIRITS -
ENTER TO WIN
A BLESSING BUNDLE!
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Join the affordable and inspiring
Kindred Spirits Membership
anytime in August 2018
and you'll have a chance to win* one of
THREE (3) Blessing Bundles!
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ONE WEEK ONLY
Save 20% on Magical Inner Journeys
A new book by Anne Marie Bennett
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 Step inside any one of these 44 guided imagery scripts, and you will find yourself transported, through your imagination, to inner landscapes that have long been waiting your exploration. Use these on your own, or share with any group you lead that is open to spiritual and personal growth.
Included are many resources and suggestions for personal use, suggestions for Facilitator use, as well as tips for how to guide a Magical Inner Journey effectively- before, during, and after the reading of the script.
These Magical Inner Journeys were designed with SoulCollagers in mind, however they can be adapted and used in many different settings and for a wide variety of purposes.
Topics include: Inner Voices, Archetypes, Spirituality, Animal Companions, Inner Treasures, Be Here Now, and more.
No coupon needed.
Visit this page to purchase.
Price is going back up to 14.00 on August
9, 2018.
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Online Workshop
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 A Creative Visual Map for Success:
The Right Brain Business Plan
with Chantel Zimmerman who is an experienced SoulCollage® Facilitator/Trainer and a Licensed Right Brain Business Plan Facilitator
September 10 - November 2, 2018
First live video conference: Wednesday September 12
All classes recorded... you don't need to attend "live."
Perfect for:
* developing a business plan * visioning a new idea * or breathing life into an existing business. For SoulCollagers with an idea in mind AND / OR for Facilitators or others who are looking to build their business
Kindred Spirit members,
Save $100
Revive or start your creative business today by visiting this page for more info now.
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Upcoming SoulCollage® Retreats
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MAINE
Soul Path Renewal
Saco, Maine
August 20-24, 2018
Facilitator: Gail McMeekin, Deborah Knox
Using the wisdom of SoulCollage® and Spiritual Autobiography, spend 4 days at lovely Ferry Beach Retreat Center on the coast of Maine and renew your body, mind, and spirit in community with soul-seekers. Using both colorful mages and writing, you can unlock your inner longings and emerge refreshed and empowered to deepen the fulfillment in your life! You will have fun, tap into your creativity, find the answers that you are seeking and learn spiritual practices that you can use forever.
Visit this page for more information.
COLORADO
Soul
Inspired Journeys: Flourish & Soar
Retreat
Manitou Springs, Colorado
August 31 - September 3, 2018
Facilitator: Monica Charvet
This retreat offers dedicated time for intuitive soul-tending and
self-care habits that lead to personal growth and positive
transformation. In addition to a weekend in a private Colorado
mountain estate and farm-to-table meals, we offer spa soaks,
breath-taking nature walks and an assortment of play-shops.
SoulCollage® sessions introduce artful self-expression and
insightful reflection to deepen the relationship with Self. This
practice is combined with JourneyDance movement to stimulate
emotional release of what doesn't serve you. Local attractions, fun
and adventure complete the retreat's itinerary. Ultimately,
participants create their own personal Happiness Habits,
contributing to a fulfilling, purpose-full life! Book with a
friend, each will save $100 if done by July 31, 2018.
Visit this
page for more information.
MASSACHUSETTS
Dreaming the Shaman's
Journey with SoulCollage®
Westfield, Massachusetts
September 14-16, 2018
Facilitator: Anne Boedecker, Gail Byrnes
Awaken your spirit through shamanic journeying and SoulCollage®!
Join us for an intensive weekend retreat at the beautiful Genesis
Retreat Center. We will begin each session by creating sacred
space, and then you will be guided through the shamanic realms.
You'll take what you learn from your teachers and guides and give
it voice through SoulCollage® card making and journaling. Fee
includes two nights lodging + six meals. Register soon; space is
limited.
Visit this page
for more information.
MASSACHUSETTS
ReWeave Your Life with SoulCollage®
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health- Lenox, Massachusetts
September 16-21, 2018
Facilitators: Anne Marie Bennett, Jeanne Marie Merkel
Life’s transitions take many forms. We get laid off from work, change our marital status, move to a new location, start a business, watch our children go off to college, take on new relationship roles, or just start wondering what our purpose is in life. Being in transition can be unsettling—or it can be a time of great peace, joy, and renewed purpose. SoulCollage® is an intuitive process that can help us weave the many pieces of our lives together into one beautiful whole, whether you are in transition or not.
Join us for 5 days card making, guided imagery, soul journaling, and lots of inner discoveries as we open to the depths of SoulCollage® in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts for an unforgettable retreat experience. Anne Marie and Jeanne Marie have been leading retreats and workshops together since 2006.
Visit
this page for more information.
CALIFORNIA
Fall Equinox Retreat: Ancestral Dreaming & Soul Stories
Elsinore, California
September 28-30, 2018
Facilitator: Cat Caracelo
Discover your soul stories through art-making, working with SoulCollage®, mixed media and extended process. We will be mapping the energies of this Equinox to the turning of the year, creating a seasonal wheel in the round house, using art to expand the map of life. Explore the power of depth work and map the path that is calling to you now, using art as ritual, dreaming techniques and ancestral connections to honor a new season of life.
Visit this page for more information.
CANADA
Rituals and Personal Practices based on the 4 Elements
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
September 28-30, 2018
Facilitator: Mariabruna Sirabella
Rituals and ceremonies, as well as personal practices, are so central to human identity, that we find them around the world, in some form, in all societies and times. During this weekend retreat, we will gather to experientially expand our understanding of their value in our lives. We will enliven their presence with simple and meaning practices based on the wisdom of the Four Elements. Perfect to use in conjunction with your SoulCollage® practice and/or workshops.
Visit this page for more information.
ENGLAND
Spirit & Place: A Women's SoulCollage® Retreat
Rocknell, Devon, England
October 22-27, 2018
Facilitator: Sally Freed
SoulCollage® Sisters! We’ll stay at the beautiful Mill House Retreats, a traditional centuries-old thatched farmhouse offering all the comforts of a modern home in the heart of southwest England. We will discover our own deep wisdom and intuition through the simple, yet profound, creative process known as SoulCollage®, as we explore our connection to both Spirit and Place. This retreat will be an opportunity to create, reflect, explore and be restored. We will share meals and laughter, song and silence, and offer space for meditation, prayer and ritual. Your time at Mill House will provide ample room to breathe on your own, as well as make meaningful connections with others.
Visit
this page for more
information.
CALIFORNIA
Annual
Winter SoulCollage® Retreat: Prayer
San Rafael, California
November 15-18, 2018
Facilitator: Mariabruna Sirabella
Prayer is a mysterious, sacred, universal, and powerful impulse of
the soul, compelled to reach for what is lovingly much larger than
itself - to find comfort, express joy and gratitude, or simply
converse with the divine. Join Mariabruna for this 4 day retreat as
we explore the unique ways that we experience prayer through
SoulCollage®, and other creative, meditative practices held in
times of rich, deep silence. The Santa Sabina Retreat Center
provides a tranquil and beautiful setting for sharing the amazing
field of prayer.
Visit this page for more information.
ITALY
La
Dolce Vita- Goddess Retreat in Italy
Tuscany,
Italy
September 14-24, 2019
Facilitator: Cat Caracelo
Join Cat for Fall in Tuscany where we will stay in a beautiful
villa with a small circle of amazing visionary, artistic and
wholehearted women! Dance with La Dolce Vita and seek the wisdom of
the Goddess: Diana, Minerva, Melusina, whose ancient Etruscan names
and energies are held in the heart of this land. We will work with
SoulCollage®, mixed media and layered process as we connect with
the expression of the divine feminine. We will visit sacred
springs, mythic gardens, inspired environments and sultry seas,
beautiful places in Tuscany, as well as Florence and Siena - where
we will explore alchemical energy, artistry and vision as reflected
in the dreamscapes of the ancient, renaissance and modern
artists.
Visit
this page for more
information.
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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 2018,
by Anne Marie Bennett and
Cat Caracelo, Linda Woolfson, Marti Beddoe, or Michele Manos.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
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Soul Songs
