Soul Songs: Your SoulCollage NewsletterSoul Songs
Your SoulCollage® Newsletter

Enabling us to sing the songs
we were born to sing
through the practice
of SoulCollage®
Issue #75   September 2011 Theme: Family
Welcome!

Greetings, and welcome to Soul Songs, the official KaleidoSoul Newsletter, and the only monthly newsletter that focuses exclusively on SoulCollage® ideas, resources and artists.

Our intention is to fill each issue (and your life) with inspiration, soul-solace and delight.  Whether you are new to SoulCollage®, or already immersed in the creation of your deck, Soul Songs is for you. 

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Read back issues of Soul Songs on this KaleidoSoul page.

Soul Singing with Anne Marie
Anne Marie, the creator of KaleidoSoul.com
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.


Family of Origin Card

I was inspired to make this card by my friend Lis who transitioned this summer.

Several years ago in our SoulCollage® circle, she shared that she had made a card for each of her children, AND she had made a card that had all of her children plus herself on it, representing her family. It had never occurred to me to put more than one person on a Community card, and I found that I loved this idea. So I decided to create something similar for my family of origin (see above).

The images on the left side of the card are of my parents (in the front), and my two big brothers (Joe and John) on either side of me in the back. This is from about 30 years ago, so don't laugh!

The images on the right side of the card are of my 2 nieces and nephews surrounding me. This was from about 20 years ago. Again, no laughing!

When I first created this card, it said to me:

We are the ones who are your family. We are your family of origin, from whom you were birthed into the world. We are the ones who love you unconditionally. Mom and Dad, Joe and John, Mike and Pete, Allison and Stephanie. You are one of us. We are your original tribe. Our message for you today is this: We love you. We support you. We carry you with us and you carry us with you, wherever you go. We love you.

This card has shown up in my Daily Readings at various times, usually when I am going through some kind of a struggle, and it is a blatant yet joyful reminder to me that I am loved, that I am not alone, that my life began in love and that this love continues. In July of this year I drew this card in a Daily Reading right after an invasive and painful breast biopsy. Here is what it said to me then:

We are the ones who are your home base. We are the ones who birthed you into the world. We are the ones who formed shelter around you when you were young. We are the ones who are your Family.

Our message for you today is this- we are older now, and two of us are gone, but we are still here for you. We love you and think you are wonderful. Please carry our love with you in your heart and in your wounded body. All is well. You have foundation of Family beneath you.

I strongly encourage you all to create a similar card for your own SoulCollage® Deck. Keep in mind that if your own family of origin was not loving or safe for you, that it doesn't have to be a card that represents them. Think of a group of people who are caring and supportive, who accept you exactly as you are no matter what. Make a card for that group of people. Allow their presence and energy to speak to you.

Also note that you can imagine this family, this group, these people in your heart, and sit down and do the "We are the ones who..." exercise even BEFORE you make a card for them! I think you'll find that this is a powerful way to stay connected to your own unique community.

 

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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Guest Column:  Cat Caracelo


I am Cat Caracelo,M.A., a SoulCollage® facilitator, life coach and transformative artist from Petaluma, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. 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.


The Family Dance

There is a beautiful, complex and nuanced dance that takes place within each of our lives. It is the dance of self, relationship, love, perception and connection. I have had many experiences with my family dance. I find this method of seeing, moving into conscious alignment with myself, is a rich source of information to guide me, as I live my life out loud.

Through our histories and stories, we move and find our way. Within our families and communities, we circle and sway. Whether large, small, chosen, extended, found, gathered or birthed we dance the family dance with self and with others. In SoulCollage® the Community Suit provides a wonderful invitation to honor and explore our own dance.

How do I dance my spiral of experience in SoulCollage®?

It took me some time to dive into my family connections through my cards. I spent a great deal of time exploring other parts of myself but eventually found my way to family. I began with honoring and simply creating cards for the important people in my life. Some relationships were more challenging than others but each card represented an important part of my life. I chose intuitively, initially making a card for each of my children, my ex-husband, my brother and mother. Later, I expanded out into the spiral dance with cards for my grandchildren, parents, friends, birth mother, unknown ancestors, pets and important mentors.

As I began to explore the Community Suit through these cards, I found that I was deeply delving into the complexities of relationships, myths and stories. Card-making for this suit was more purposeful, as I gathered myself, energetically, to create cards for people I loved. I found myself moving into a gentle rocking rhythm as I sifted and sorted images. Although I was focused on a specific person, I found myself following the images where they led me.

I am a mother, and my first cards spoke to me with the voices of my teenagers. I found that my images held layers of life stories, truths which I recognized as belonging to the individual. They surprised me, too, the images that gathered themselves - often speaking to me of how I was dancing or struggling, with myself, in relationship to my loved one.

A card I created about my son (Jake) resonated with this sense of deep layering. At the time, he was navigating the middle teen years and struggling to find himself. Not academically oriented, Jake retained the sweetness of a strong-willed toddler who had loved me beyond measure. Yet I felt emerging the flaming heart of a budding warrior, an attribute that matched the energy of my brother. The crooked path marked my son's patterns and that image was present in his SoulCollage® card, as were images of the deep cavern, a lit headlamp navigating the darkness, a toy knight and a chubby toddler. Flying birds from my brother's card found their way onto my son's card. This card told me of my son's life path, and my own. It showed me how to be in relationship with him as he was navigating new pathways and it informed me of my fears and assumptions. I was grateful for this insight and have danced with the card for many years.

I have found that the cards I create for some of my family members and circles, particularly the important women in my life, have often held so much content that I have created several cards for one person. I find that a card will tell me, "This is not all that needs to be shown," and this sense will alert me to a new card waiting to be made. The cards, placed side by side, each exemplify the different ages, life experience and voices that are important for me to recognize and hear. This practice, of working with multiple aspects of my community, has gifted me with recognizing and honoring the impact of time passing as well as the richness of working with layers of stories, perspective, relationships and voices that are unique at specific ages.

The influence of my relationships and our family myths color my cards and my life. These are the stories that are created through the lens of my experience and perception. Invite yourself to play and explore the community suit - experience family in new ways and may the richness of your spiral dance meet you well!


Cat Caracelo, M.A. is a Life Coach, SoulCollage® Facilitator and Artist leading individuals and groups in transformative process. Cat has been working with SoulCollage® since 2007, offering regular workshops in her Gypsyheart Studio and global Mythos workshops using SoulCollage® and transformative art to explore personal myth, life-stories and life-stage transitions.

For more information about Cat or to request your free Exploring Mythos e-Book, please visit her website, www.catcaracelo.com or her blog Finding Gypsy. You can also find out more about Cat's latest online tele-series, Stringing Stories on 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 that represents Family from one SoulCollager's Deck.  
  

 


Grandma H.
Community Suit
Nancy
New Jersey

I am the one who left too soon. I am the one who is mysterious because you knew me the least. I am the one who is still here in my way.


 

Leaving England
Committee Suit
Rosie
New Zealand

I Am The One who has walked away from the security of a loving family. I Am The One who has left the land of my heart. I bring you the gift of independence. I want you to soften and be more accepting of who you are and what you have done. I want you to be grateful for the wonderfulness of the life you have. Remember how it could have been if you stayed in England. Lost in a world of drugs. None of your friends there now are into the same as you. I want you to remember how much you have grown because you went away. You have created a very fine life. Not possible had you stayed.




Aunt Carrie
Community Suit
Marie
New York

I am the one who will never forget how you always showed me your love, kindness and compassion. You were in life as you will be forever, beautiful. I will miss you terribly, rest in peace.




Sibs
Community Suit
Suzy
Hawaii

We are ones who always have a good time when we're together. We are the ones who know how to get along with each other, even with our quirks. We are the ones who have come into acceptance of each other.




My Family is Held
Community Suit
Imelda
Ireland

I am one who feels very blessed to be a part of this family. We are held in loving hands, We are a family united and held together by our memories and by the loving spirit of our mother. We are safe and protected.


To see LOTS more SoulCollage® cards on Family 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:
Animal Companions: Earth
Community Suit: Musicians
Animal Companions: Water

 
 

KaleidoSoul Notes
KaleidoSoul Notes

Noteworthy resources for anyone interested in SoulCollage®

Facilitator TrainingsFacilitator Trainings: Information about content and dates/locations of upcoming trainings of SoulCollage® Facilitators.


SoulCollage websiteSoulCollage 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®!
NEW ONLINE CLASS
 

 
Facilitated by Cat Caracelo.
First class is September 18, 2011.
Click image above for more info now!

Kindred Spirits
(save almost 50%...)
Use your special Coupon Code
on the checkout screen.

Not a Kindred Spirit yet?
Find out more here.
 
Upcoming SoulCollage® Retreats
NEW MEXICO
 

SoulCollage® at Ghost Ranch
Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico
October 2-8, 2011
Facilitator: Kat Kirby


Immerse yourself in the soul-satisfying process of SoulCollage® for a wonderful week in the beautiful landscape of northern New Mexico. This is Georgia O'Keeffe country, where she lived and painted. Discover your soul's true voice as you enter the beautiful world of imagery and intuition. You will learn how you can consult your cards for self-exploration and understanding. The SoulCollage® process recognizes the One-ness of our existence as well as the Many parts of ourselves. This workshop is perfect for beginners and for those who have already started their SoulCollage® journey. Kat Kirby, Registered Art Therapist, SoulCollage® Facilitator and Trainer, and workshop leader from San Diego, will be your guide.

Registration Info Here



MASSACHUSETTS
 

SoulCollage® - Doorway to Your Inner Wisdom
Rowe, MA
October 21-23, 2011
Facilitator: Maggie Cahoon


Fall foliage, SoulCollage® card making and readings, ritual and ceremony, fun and laughter. Please join us for a SoulCollage® retreat at Rowe Conference Center in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of western MA. We will dive deep into delicious card-making and we'll learn how to access information hidden within the cards. Through this process of soul tending, you are invited to give visual expression to the unique parts of your life and discover and nourish the seeds of your destiny. No previous artistic experience is necessary to create magnificent cards. For beginners as well as experienced SoulCollagers. Come fall in love with your cards and yourself!

Registration Info Here



HAWAII
 

Women's SoulCollage® Retreat
Kihei, Hawaii
November 2-7, 2011
Facilitator: Rona Smith and Suzy Allegra


Explore inner life in Paradise! If you want to re-energize your creative soul, discover your deepest being, and have a fun, meaningful vacation, this is for you!

At our retreat, you will:
  • Gain clarity, understanding, and acceptance
  • Find direction and inner strengths
  • Discover the myths of Hawaii to broaden your scope of helpful neters
  • Learn rituals created exclusively for our retreat
Spend five days exploring your inner world, while you discover magical Maui. Smell the fragrant air, stroll the beautiful beaches, dip in the warm Pacific and walk an evocative labyrinth. This will be a retreat you will never forget!

Registration Info Here

 

GUATEMALA
 

SoulCollage® and Yoga Retreat
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

February 4-11, 2012
Facilitator: Laura Hansen


On this retreat, daily gentle yoga and expressive movement will open our bodies and support our creative unfolding. Meditation practices will open our hearts. And the SoulCollage® process will deepen our connection with our innate wisdom. To soak in the riches of the beautiful and gentle Guatemalan culture, there will be outings and excursions to visit nearby traditional Mayan villages, artisan markets, a women's weaving collective, and market towns. There will be abundant free time for card making, swimming or kayaking in the lake, lying in a hammock amidst the lush gardens, receiving a massage, journaling, or reading a book.

Registration Info Here  
 

 CONTACT US:

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 2011,
by Anne Marie Bennett and Karen Mann.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.