Inner Journeys
       with Anne Marie Bennett

Integrating the Practice of SoulCollage Into Our Daily Lives

Dead-heading as a Spiritual Practice

I did not inheritmy mother's green thumb.  That's right,there is no "inner gardener" card in my Committee Suit!  In fact, when we addedthe porch onto our house several years ago and the flowering plants I'd hungthere were dying, my mother-in-law Connie had to tell me that I needed to startdead-heading them.

Dead-heading? I wasn't sure I wanted to do anything to my plants that includedthe word "dead," but she reassured me that pinching off the already spentblossoms would resurrect the plant and give it even more life andvitality.  So I took her advice and beganthe dead-heading process.  Lo and behold... the plant literally came back to lifeovernight. 

And so the lesson: sometimesgrowing things need sun, sometimes they need water, and sometimes they justneed to be rid of whatever is blocking the flow of nourishment from the soilthey are planted in.

I think of this often as I am dead-heading the plants on ourporch every summer and I'm reminded of the value of "dead-heading" in my ownlife as well.  It's inspired me to cleanout (and I mean, clean out) a fewdrawers and closets that have been holding things (I mean, lots of things) I no longer need. 

Every time I do this (one drawer or closet or shelf everymonth or so), I find that I feel lighter inside.  I love getting rid of things that drain mycreative and personal energy.  Having too much clutter, oreven a spattering of clutter seems to block my ability to take in nourishmentfrom Spirit as well.

I've also been doing some work with emotional clutter.  As I sift through the pieces of my past (somebroken, some gleaming, some muddy, some clear) I am more and more able to shedtears and anger that should have been expressed years and years ago.  It's a slow process and I find I must accessmy inner patient self... she is a grand ally for me as I do this dead-heading work.

Reflection Activity:  Lookaround the place where you live. Take a brief stroll around your inner life aswell.  Is there some "dead-heading" ofyour own that you can take care of this month? Remember, it might be flowersthat need the work, or it might be a drawer, a closet, or an old memory that needsto be brought out into the light and let go of. Remember to be gentle (with the flower, with your belongings, with yourself) during this process.  Is there someway that SoulCollage® can help you do this dead-heading work?

Soul Friends
    The Voice of a Different Kindred Spirit Each Week


Sandra Levine
Newton, Massachusetts

I first started making SoulCollage cards in July of 2006.  I didn't do much with this at the time, although I collected tons of magazine pictures.  In July of 2007, I took a week's SoulCollage retreat with Seena Frost and have been making them ever since.   It was a week of self-discovery and healing.

My first two cards were anattempt to express my grief and wants.  Now I make cards when the moodstrikes and often to celebrate an occasion, remember an event, honor mypast, or connect with my inner self.  I now have over 130 cards in mydeck.

I was drawn to SoulCollage as a healing from my grief.  My husband had cancer and passed away in April of 2006.  I found SoulCollage a means of healing and expressing my inner thoughts.  I needed an outlet to express my frustrations, and SoulCollage helped me in a way that was extremely healing and healthy for me.

I love the way the cards seem to direct my thoughts and not the other way around.  It is my "friend" when I am looking for an answer, and I make new cards to fit my mood.  I find a picture that I am drawn to pertaining to either a hidden aspect of my life or an immediate situation.  From that, I build up on each card.  The pictures usually come to me when I need them.

When you are beginning SoulCollage, don't worry about the picture.  Sometimes something you have in mind will turn out to be entirely different than what you expected.  You should use your instincts instead of only what you are thinking.  Just let your mind be free and you will find the correct images.  The answers and pictures will build up to tell a story of what  you need at the time.  I would suggest that you not look for specific pictures, but just take what you are drawn to and build up from there.

You can use SoulCollage to get an answer to an immediate question, or just to see what the card is saying to you.  It is very powerful and healing, and should be a relaxing and beautiful experience.

I collect pictures and file them in groups in a see-through labeled plastic cabinet.  Some examples are "women," "archetypes," "children," "animals," and "nature."  I also put a rubber stamp on the back of the card to identify the suit.  For example, my archetype cards have a stamped goddess image on the back so I can identify them as separate from the other suits.

Here are 2 of Sandra's current favorite Soulcollage cards:




Stubbornness
Suit: Committee

I refuse to grow old and am very much into enjoying life as I did as a child.

I believe in having fun as long as you are able.

I am the one who enjoys life.  I am the one who keeps trying.

I am the one who dares to be childlike in my persistence in life.  I am the one who will not give up.

 
Time and Illusion

Time is a man made, perhaps necessary, evil.  It is as false as the faces you put before the public.

I made this  card because I believe that we are but an illusion of time.

I am the one who defies time.

I am the one who bears a false face as false  as time itself.

I am the one who sees life as an illusion created.

I am the one who covers up my true self to the timeless world.

SoulCollage Expressions
  Ideas and Challenges to Spice Up Your SoulCollage Practice


Idea of the Week

Digital Frames

I have a digital picture frame with my SoulCollage cards as the images, like the slide shows that some of us have on our websites. It's a nice item for personal reflection during times of quiet, and a beautiful way to keep the energy of my Neters  with me throughout the day.                      --- from Ruth in Washington

Kindred Spirits Member News
     Making the Most of Your KaleidoSoul Membership

Date: Thursday September 25

Time:
6:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Central, 4:00 pm Mountain,
3:00 pm Pacific, 12:00 noon Hawaiian,
Friday 11 p.m. inLondon,
Friday midnight. inRome, Friday 8 a.m. inMelbourneAustralia
and Friday 10 a.m.  inNewZealand

Save the datenow.

Allof our tele-classes are FR*EE for members, always!
And remember, don't worry if you can't attend...
we'll be recording it and you can listen to it anytime in your
Member's Only Audio Library.
We will give you the phone number and access code
to call in that week's issue of Soul Treasures.

October, 2008- Creative Source, with Sharry Teague

November 19, 2008 (Wednesday, 9 pm EST)- Witness and Soul Essence Transpersonal Cards, with MariabrunaSirabella

December 16, 2008 (Tuesday, 8 pm EST) Eckhart Tolle's A NewEarth and SoulCollage, with FranCherlow.

April17-19, 2009 inLitchfield,Connecticut. Ifyou've been longing to take your SoulCollage practice out into the world bybecoming an "official" Facilitator, then please join us for abeautiful spring weekend at Wisdom House.  There's more information onthis KaleidoSoul page .