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Inner Surprises Blog

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By Anne Marie Bennett

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New Year Reading with Affirmations

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Here are the four cards I drew for my New Year Reading this week, and what they said to me about my journey into 2014.

Note that I chose one card from each of the four suits in my deck, plus one card in the “Unknown” section.

 

sctimebottleTIME IN A BOTTLE
Committee Suit

IĀ  am the one who feels worried and anxious about not having enough time.Ā  I am the one who wants to throw away all the clocks and never have to worry about time again. I am the one who believes I don’t have enough time to get everything done.Ā  My message to you about the coming year is this: I am an old, false belief that you inherited from society and your ancestors.Ā  You don’t need to buy into my energy any more!Ā  Focus on creating pockets of time during each day where you can slow down, even for a couple of minutes and be STILL.
AFFIRMATION:Ā  I have enough time

 

 

 

sckripaluKRIPALU
Community Suit

I am the one who is a sacred holy place for you. I am the one who plays a big role on your life’s journey.Ā  I am the one who has nurtured you and lifted you up and loved you and taught you for more than 25 years.Ā  My message for you about your year is this: Come back to me and rest here again this year a few more times. This place calls to your spirit, offers you sacred solitude and rest.Ā  Come to me and rest.
AFFIRMATION: I place visits to Kripalu and other sacred places high on my priority list.

 

scdolphin (2)DOLPHIN- 6th CHAKRA
Companions Suit

I am the one of great Intelligence who knows how to work AND I also know how to play and frolic and have fun with my friends.Ā  Our message to you in 2014 is to lighten up- play and laugh more, operate from your INNER knowing only, not the distracting ways of the world.
AFFIRMATION: I choose to laugh and play and lighten up daily.

 

scprayerPRAYER
Council Suit

I am the one who stands for every prayer ever prayed since the beginning of time.Ā  I stand for the power of prayer.Ā  Prayer is any time you make connection with Spirit.Ā  It may be asking for something, it may be about healing of yourself or others.Ā  It might even be just to rest in Divine presence.Ā  My answer to your question about focus for the New Year is this: at the end of every meditation time, yoga time or any Quiet Time you give yourself, add a few prayers.Ā  Seek inner changes. Ask for what you need, it is always given.
AFFIRMATION: I choose to add conscious connection with the Divine to my Quiet Times.

 

 

 

scunknown223Unknown Card
Unknown Suit

I am the one who is in a Holy Place surrounded by Holy Ones.Ā  These beings of light speak to me on other frequencies yet I hear them clearly. My answer to your question about focus for the New Year is this: You are also surrounded by these Holy Ones.Ā  This is a year to give them your full attention.Ā  Bathe in the clear waters of their wisdom and love for you.Ā  Open to receive the Light they freely give to you.

AFFIRMATION:Ā  I listen, look for and hear the Holy Ones all around me.

 

 

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AFFIRMATIONS

Just a note about affirmations!Ā  I highly recommend this book by Sondra Ray: The Only Diet There Is, which is more about affirmations than about losing weight. Even if you don’t want to let go of weight, read this book if you are interested in using affirmations to affect transformation!Ā  It’s more than just saying them out loud, or writing them down. It’s about getting in touch with those inner voices who don’t believe the affirmation, and listening to them and honoring them so you can get past them.Ā  Give it a try and see!

Rainbow Misfits

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Rainbow Misfits
Rainbow Misfits

Who are you?

We are the ones who are not the right colors.Ā  We are the ones who don’t belong.Ā  We stand out, we don’t blend in.Ā  We are the ones who are unique, rainbow-colored. We are the rainbow misfits.

What do you have to give me?

We give you the courage to be bright, to be bold, to be uniquely you.Ā  We give you courage to be different from the rest.

 

What do you want from me?

We want you to stay true to your own colors.Ā  We want you to be who you really are, not a mirror image of everyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily SoulCollage Reading- 090811

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Today I am feeling a bit lonely and separatedĀ  from my SoulCollage Facilitator community. Today is the first day of the 4th International SoulCollage Facilitators’ Conference in Baltimore, MD, and I am not able to be there because of the health issues I’ve had this summer.

I am especially feeling lots of strong emotion right now because I worked for almost 2 years as co-chair of the Planning Circle team to bring this Conference to life, and today is the day that everyone is gathering for lots of SoulCollage workshops, ceremonies, learning, fun, joy, camaraderie and blessings of community.

So I drew two cards from my deck this morning to see what they had to share with me.Ā  As usual, I got just what I needed!

 

Person huddled in orange blanket, fire, white/clear vases in background–

Untitled SoulCollage Card

I am the one who is warm, who is basking in the glow of the fire and flames in front of me. I am the one who is wrapped in the fiery color of orange, the color of heat and life and joy.Ā  I am the one who is standing in front of vases and containers made of milk glass and clear glass.Ā  I am the one whose back is turned to the fragile glass containers.Ā  I am the one who is focusing on the heat, on the light, on the fire.

My message to you today is this: Even though you are alone, you are wrapped in the soft blanket of community warmth and spirit.Ā  The fire you are focusing on is the same fire that those at the Conference are focusing on: the fire of passion for this process (SoulCollage) and this community.

Keep your back to that which is fragile and self-contained and will easily shatter.Ā  Keep yourself wrapped in this blanket of joyful community and warm fire. You are not alone, never alone. Just keep the focus where it should be.

 

Crow Woman


Crow Woman

I am the one who is surrounded by crows- one is on top of the Book of All Knowing.Ā  Many are flying in heart formation beside me. And I have warrior painted crows on my face and neck and chest.Ā  I am the one who is adorned with, surrounded by and infused with Crow Medicine, Crow Energy.Ā 

My message for you today is this: Crow is your Animal Medicine of the heart chakra.Ā  Take some time today with sit with Crow as you meditate. Invite Crow into your imagery this afternoon.Ā  Listen to what Crow tells you. Listen to what your Heart tells you.Ā 

I know that you are feeling lonely today because you are not at the conference with everyone else. The secret to lifting this feeling of loneliness is to acknowledge it, welcome it into your heart. Crow symbolizes community and in your heart, know that you are connected to this SoulCollage community in the deepest, most visceral of ways.Ā  You are not alone, dear one, you are part of Crow Tribe also.

Daily Reading- 8/30/11

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Divine Child

 

As some of you know, I have had an emotionally and physically tumultuous summer (and that’s putting it mildly).Ā  At the end of August I finally started doing my Every-Other-Daily readings again and here are theĀ  two cards that showed up for me.

Very comforting and enlightening!

 

Divine Child:

I am the one who is full of simplicity and joy.Ā  I am the one who is held by the Mother.Ā  I am the one who brings gifts.Ā  I am the one who is comfortable in my nakedness.

My message for you today is this: Smile. Notice what gifts you are carrying in your arms.Ā  Allow yourself to be held by Great Mother.Ā  Rest. Go to the ocean and sit. Smile again.

Journeyer

Journeyer

I am the one who moves forward, no matter the weather.Ā  I am the one who sometimes sits and rests and thinks about the Journey.Ā  I am the one who makes my own trail.Ā 

My message for you today is this: Journey is not always about movement. Sometimes you need to pause and rest and give yourself time and space before moving on.

 

Time in a Bottle

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I am the one who is running out of time. I am the one who knows that I donā€™t have all the time in the world.Ā  I am the one who is afraid that I canā€™t get everything done in time.

I am the one who has so much to do and to share with the world and not enough time to do it. I am the one who tries to capture time and save it, hoard it, hang on to it because I think I can control it better this way.

My message for you today is this: Pay attention to your relationship with time. You are hurting yourself with your attitude towards time. Time keeps ticking on, even if you hoard all of the clocks in the world into locked jars and cabinets.

 

This card is one that I made several years ago and it accurately reflects exactly how I feel about the passing of time.Ā  Sometimes I look at it and think that the large image of the woman in the top right corner might be the Keeper of Time, but whenever I read from it, I tap into the energy of the sadness of time passing. So here it came to me again, last week, in one of my daily readings, and after I had just gone on at length in my journal about how there is so much to get done, and how am I going to get it all done..etc. You know the drill!

I find great comfort in this card, even though it seems to remind me of my powerlessness in the face of Time.Ā  It helps me to remember that time is just a mental construct, and that as long as I keep myself in THIS moment, right now, that is all that matters.

And when I CAN do this… stay in the present moment…. then I find deep peace, and my worries and fears about getting everything done (or not done!) simply fade away.