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Theme: SoulCollage®, Authenticity & SoulEssence
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Greetings, and welcome to Soul Songs, the official KaleidoSoul Newsletter, focusing on SoulCollage® ideas, resources and cards. Our intention is to fill each issue (and your life) with inspiration, soul-solace and delight.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any friends, colleagues, or family members who will enjoy it.
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Hi! I'm Anne Marie, the creator of KaleidoSoul.com, and a SoulCollage® Facilitator in Massachusetts and worldwide online.
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Reveling in My Uniqueness |
As I was pondering what I had to say about authenticity for this month’s issue, two serendipitous things happened.
1. I caught my breath when reading this fragment of a sentence from Samantha Togue’s new novel, A Single Act of Kindness:
…wanted to be more like her dear grandmother who unashamedly reveled in her uniqueness.
2. I came across a journaling exercise I did many years ago (while culling old journals for wisdom and deciding which ones to let go of). It is called “Times I Have Felt Most Alive/Creative/Authentic” and as I read it, tears came to my eyes and I found myself literally reveling in my uniqueness. Here are some excerpts from that journal:
I am teaching a computer class and I am in the rhythm of the teaching, the listening, the learning. There is a rhythm to the teaching and the response, and I am in touch with the process of it, the knowing when to slow down and when to quicken. The sensing of who is following me and who is lost. Teaching and glowing. Children as well as adults. I am most alive, most myself in this process, and a part of me is deadened when I am not.
I am in the St. Peter’s church office and I am putting together the church newsletter. Compiling, rewriting, making pieces fit on the page, adding artwork, borders, cartoons, humor, and tying it all together. Feeling the flow of it, finding the pieces that will make it all work as one tiny witness to God’s love through the community here.
I am writing my very first novel. I am writing! I let the characters come to me, speak to me, tell me their stories. I listen to them. I write their stories. I am struck with wonder and awe at the creation of them. And how little I have to do with who they are and what they say to each other. I feel like a channel and if I sit quietly enough, the rest will come to me and the words will follow, and the creation will be blessed.
I am sitting in a folding chair in front of the stage during rehearsal of our church’s production of Godspell. The cast is running through Act 1 and I am taking notes on suggestions for change, for improvement. I have such a good eye for this! Even though I am on the floor and they are on the stage, I am part of this production. It is all one to me. I feel alive and a part of it, belonging, contributing, creating. I have found a part of me that I’ve neglected—my yearning to be involved in theatre somehow. I have discovered a new delight, a new way to quench an unnamed thirst. I feel full, whole, alive as I help to create this living work of art.
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I encourage you to put your to-do lists aside this week, close your eyes, and think back on a few times in your life when you felt the most whole, alive, creative, authentic . . . times when you unashamedly reveled in your uniqueness.
Meditating on those times might just be enough for you. Notice how thinking of those times makes you feel in your body, and what it does to your mind and spirit.
You might want to do a journaling activity similar to what I’ve shared above. For each of those times, write a paragraph starting with “I am….” Keep it in the present tense. As you remember the past in this way, your present energy might just change!
Consider making a SoulCollage® card for one or more of those times when you were most authentically YOU. Or a card for a community member who encouraged you towards authenticity. The cards I've share in this column are for my Committee suit inner teacher (at top) and my Council suit archetypal Teacher energy (here) .
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Anne Marie Bennett is a SoulCollage® Facilitator / Trainer, published author, website goddess, and two-time cancer survivor who was mentored directly by Seena Frost.Anne Marie lives in eastern Massachusetts with her middle-aged husband, one adolescent feline, and a treasury of birds, squirrels and chipmunks who keep them hopping. Her books about SoulCollage® are available here.
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The Power of Symbols in Our Decks with SoulCollage®
Facilitator Kat Kirby
from Arizona
Friday, June 21, 2024
Time: 2 pm Eastern
FR*EE for our
Only $10 for non-members
Easily Accessible from Anywhere in the World!
Video recording available if you can’t attend
in-person.
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Embracing Our Authentic Selves
Have you ever beheld a newly created SoulCollage® card and felt an overwhelming sense of fulfillment? Smiled and said to yourself “yes, that’s it” or something like that? We all know that wonderful feeling when we’ve made a card that seems perfect visually and energetically, a card that resonates with a vibration deep within. Such Neters offer the brilliance and comfort of authenticity.
Our decks are meant to represent our uniquely personal stories; they become visual autobiographies that reflect our genuine selves. Seena Frost encouraged us to find the right images and to revise, rename, or even replace cards to maintain authenticity and relevance in our decks. Even our most difficult of Neters should visually ring true if we are to make the most of their wisdom. It’s worth taking the time to review our cards and attend to those that are “not quite right” or just “good enough.” We may have cards that were never quite right, as well as those that could be updated to become more relevant to who we’ve become since we created them.
I’ve discovered that the SoulEssence card can be an invaluable guide to exploring and maintaining authenticity. It represents the unique spark of Source (The One, The Divine, The Origin) that you entered this lifetime with. Seena Frost refers to “the coding of the SoulEssence” that determines our potential, including the unique constellation of archetypal energies that influence us.
I’m a proponent of reviewing and revising cards, perhaps because SoulEssence was one of the first cards I replaced in my deck. A wise and insightful therapist helped me see that the first version wasn’t authentic. It reflected how some others saw me rather than my essential spark. The creation of a new card was a wonderfully healing experience. In its current form, it helps me review and refine individual cards, and my deck as a whole. I enlist it as a visual and energetic reference point as I browse through my cards.
It's interesting to compile cards that resonate strongly with SoulEssence; they may further assist us in nurturing authenticity. Ideally, our Happy Child card expresses that unique spark and can encourage us to be true to ourselves. Mine does. I also found strong SoulEssence connections with my Committee cards “Simply Being” and “Comfy in My Own Skin,” and with my “Creator” Council card (all shown here).
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I encourage you to try this exercise. First, place your SoulEssence card in the center of your space. Then browse your deck, focusing on Committee and Council cards, collecting cards that resonate with your SoulEssence. Invite those Neters to share some perspectives about authenticity in your life and your deck. Try to identify at least one card that, together with SoulEssence, can support you in pursuing authenticity in your SoulCollage® practice.
The Committee Suit often has opportunities to increase authenticity. We may have cards that have suboptimal images, or that simply don’t represent us well. Such cards lack the resonance of authentic cards and may even feel a bit distant. It’s worth asking them what they’d need to be more true to you. I never felt connected to my blonde cowgirl “Desert Girl” card but wanted a card for my desert self. When I asked her for advice, she simply said “I am so not you.” (Correct. I am a petite, brown woman!) I retired that card, and immediately realized that a mystery card I’d had for years was my genuine “Desert Woman” card! I share these two here.
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Perhaps you have some Committee cards that don’t feel as genuine as you’d like. Try inviting a “not quite right” card to speak and guide you by completing:
At this time, I am …
At this time, I am not …
Consider that I may be …
To be more useful, I need …
As you tend to your authentic self with your SoulCollage® cards, remember that your deck’s purpose is to serve you. Only you can determine what’s genuine, true, and supportive for your journey with this magical process. Have fun and welcome the surprises to come!
Come explore and grow authenticity in your deck! There’s still time to join Michele’s “SoulCollage® Deck Tending: Ministering to Our Authentic Selves” series of virtual mini retreats here.
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Here are some of our readers' SoulCollage®, Authenticity & SoulEssence cards: |
Authenticity
Council Suit
Anne Marie
Massachusetts
I am the one who stands strong and tall and who is completely confident and sure of myself. I am the one who is comfortable with who I am and who doesn’t take guff from anyone. I am the one who is powerful in my body, mind, and spirit. I am the one who anyone else’s opinions of mine because I don’t need their opinions to know who I am.
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My Sovereign Self
Committee Suit
Lisa
Alabama
I am one who flows and flies with the omniverse to rise up into my crown of sovereignty. I am one who is my most authentic self when I honor the truth of who I am as my soul, through lifetimes and eternity. And everyday adventures of living. I am one who holds steadfast to my path, no matter how it may wander, allowing anything less than the grace of God to fall away. I am one who is so grateful for this SoulCollage® process that facilitates my finding and honoring and sharing and living this authentic life.
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True North
Council
Dot
Pennsylvania
I am one who seeks to be aligned to my true north. I am one when aligned lives in the world as my authentic self. I am one who knows the joy of such alignment, even when it is a challenge to achieve.
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Hildegard von Bingen
Council Suit
Susan
Massachusetts
Hildegard, mystic of the Medieval church
Sequestered in a cell
Hidden away yet still heard
Cloistered as she wrote
Sacred words handed down through the ages
Authenticity was her true nature
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Amanda Gorman
Community Suit
Dot
Pennsylvania
I am one who speaks my mind in poetic words, challenging us all to be our authentic selves so we can be an authentic people and an authentic nation. I am one who has learned to be my authentic self and to believe in my inherent worth and dignity. I am one who believes our authentic words can move others to be their best selves and to create a better world.
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Stand Tall and Proud
Council Suit
Jill
Canada
I am one who is true to myself, to my community, to my culture, to my land. I stand tall and proud, in bold and striking colors, my gray hair and lined face proof of my having lived this life I’ve been given, confident in my rightful place on this earth.
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Authenticity
Council Suit
Marianne
Pennsylvania
I am one who is the force of truth in the world. Regardless of distractions, pressures and complications that may surround I look with a clear eye. I am in the wildness of created beings like the lion that simply demands the lion be who he is. And I am one who can be counted on to provide you with direction when there are challenges along your path. I will always point you toward honesty and genuineness.
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Please feel free to submit one of your cards for a future issue by sending a reply email to this newsletter.
Future themes include:
July: Stories
August: Play
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Are You Ready to Have More Fun with SoulCollage®?
With Our Video Retreat Recordings
You Can Look Forward To:
* Inspiring, fun ideas for card making and working with your cards
* teaching/guidance from Anne Marie (19 years experience)
* handouts shared during each retreat
* guided imagery experiences
* journaling activities with your cards
* songs and musical expression
** great ideas for your own workshops if you're a Facilitator
* and a whole lot more
Use code WOW on this page and the pre-recorded video retreats
are only $30.00 each!
Coupon Expires June 14, 2024
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MASSACHUSETTS
SoulCollage® Facilitator Training
Westfield, Massachusetts
October 16-20, 2024
Trainer: Isabel Phillps
This is a four-night, four-day, in-person SoulCollage® Facilitator Training held in a beautiful retreat setting in western Massachusetts. Participants in this Training will develop the skills needed to share the powerful SoulCollage® process in the world: how to prepare and offer a variety of workshops, how to create brave space to empower participants, and how to adapt workshops to match the needs of different audiences. The Training covers business and ethical considerations, and new Facilitators will leave with the clarity, competence, and inspiration to become part of a global community of over 5,000 Facilitators serving the world! Visit this page for more info now.
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ARIZONA
Living as Instruments of Peace
Scottsdale, Arizona
March 7-9, 2025
Facilitator: Michele Manos
Peace often feels elusive, both within and in our tumultuous world. Peace requires intention, attention, dedication, and practice. It may begin by resolving conflicts within. SoulCollage® can help us "tune" ourselves as instruments of peace, ministering to our own souls in preparation for peacemaking. The beloved Casa, dedicated to Francis of Assisi, is the ideal sanctuary in which to explore and embrace peace. We’ll explore diverse teachings, tap into our own wisdom, and consult SoulCollage® cards old and new. This special weekend in the desert offers a perfect blend of a retreat, workshop, conclave of peers, and meeting of friends. More information here.
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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®,
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.
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All articles in SOUL SONGS are copyrighted 2024,
by Anne Marie Bennett, Cat Caracelo, Linda Woolfson,
Michaela Daystar, or Michele Manos.
Articles may be reprinted by permission only.
Image of singing birds Copyright: Kudryashka from Deposit Photos.
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