Issue #221 - November 2023 |
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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. |
People travel in and out of our lives; this is a fact. A beloved teacher moves to another state. The mother we love slowly disappears into Alzheimer's. A friend says good-bye. Our lifelong partner deserts us. A cherished pet dies.
How do we let go? The same way everyone else lets go. Painfully, with tears and heartache. Perhaps kicking and screaming. Making a SoulCollage® Community card for someone we love but who is no longer with us is one of the best ways I know to not only honor that person, but to soothe our own wounded hearts.
I learned this firsthand several years ago when I discovered that Doug, an Episcopal priest I was close to in the late 80’s, had died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. He was only 53. We had lost touch over the years, so I was truly shocked to hear that he had died. In light of this, I allowed myself to grieve and that grieving was deep and raw. As I was grieving, and as I was making a SoulCollage® card to honor Doug, I realized that even though our paths had gone in different directions, we truly were still connected.
A few weeks after making the card, when I was journaling with it from Doug's “voice,” I truly felt that he was right there with me in the room. I didn't have a vision, and it wasn't anything like seeing a ghost. Instead, I felt a deep, visceral, real connection to Doug, a connection that transcended time and space. It was incredibly vivid and emotional, and it left me with the deepest feeling of peace.
If you are grieving the loss of someone you love, don't ever doubt that they are still with you. Our community connections transcend separation, even death. It's as simple and as beautiful as that.
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Create a Community suit card for someone you love who has died. This could be for someone you lost recently, or someone who left you a long time ago.
When you’re finished, don't just add the card to your deck and forget about it. Spend at least fifteen minutes allowing that person's voice to “speak” to you using the basic SoulCollage® journal questions:
Who are you?
What do you have to give me?
What wisdom do you leave me with?
Is there anything else you have to say to me today?
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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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90-minute SoulCollage® Zoom
Re-inviting Play in our Elder Years
with SoulCollage® Facilitator
Sushmita Mukherjee from New York
Date: Saturday, November 11
Time: 12 noon Eastern
FR*EE for our
Only $10 for non-members
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Sacred Cycles:
The Role of Death Within Life
When I first encounterd SoulCollage®, I was grateful to have the careful guidance of Seena Frost’s classic book SoulCollage® Evolving. As a newbie to this world, I was fascinated by the amazing range of cards Seena recommended we create, and I endeavored to make as many of them as I could.
I dutifully created my card for the archetype of Death, an eerie image that looked the part: A mysterious threshold, and a phantom being waiting on the other side. But truth be told, I didn’t feel much connection to this card, nor did I understand how I might use it. Death was not something I thought about much, having no conscious fear of it. Certainly, I’d lost people close to me, and my cards that represented the grief process got a fair amount of air time in my readings. At the time, I couldn’t see my relationship to Death itself, only the aftermath of it in my living experience. As my deck grew, my Death card rarely made an appearance in readings. When it did, I struggled to find its voice.
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The question that I ultimately came to was this: “Of what significance is reflection on Death to a person who doesn’t actively fear it?”
Perhaps you’ve already seen the fallacy embedded in this question. Because my conscious relationship with Death was premised entirely on the fact that I didn’t fear it, I could not look past fear as the central and most important aspect of Death. Trapped in this narrow definition, I was missing factors important to our relationship with Death that are not predicated on fear, but rather on mystery, change, and connection to the wider Web of Life.
Then something happened that opened my heart to the presence of Death in my life, and the incredible value found in turning towards this relationship: I began aligning my life with the seasonal cycles of nature.
As I shifted my career away from higher education and towards spiritual mentorship, I completed the Embodied Wisdom Teacher Training Program with the organization Shakti Rising. This program taught us to understand our lives in relation to the cycles of nature—to reclaim our place as animals of this Earth, and to take on the benefits and responsibilities of this identity. We observed these cycles not just in the world around us, but within us as well, coming to understand ourselves as an embodiment of the Web of Life.
It was here that I began to challenge my notion that Death is just one thing—the ending of my life to be feared or accepted—and to see its presence within the cycles, showing up in many ways all the time. I came to see Death in the ending of a significant relationship; in the transition of my child out of toddlerhood; in the way my own self-perception had to change when I left my university job, leaving parts of me behind. And as I sit here now writing this in mid-Fall, heading towards the seasonal Death of the Winter season, I also see the familiar face of Death in my garden as many plants arrive at the end of their cycle.
Each of these Death moments brought some measure of grief at the change. But here’s the piece I was missing when I struggled to find the voice of my Death card; the miraculous thing that transformed my relationship to Death, softening my dualistic, limited understanding of it: Our lives are filled with Death all the time; and each Death opens space for Life to continue and flourish. This realization was profound, transforming my relationship with Death to one of reverence and wonder. I’ve taken this insight into my life, my teaching, my Reiki practice, of course my SoulCollage® practice, and onto my body—in the form of a huge tattoo of a vulture, surrounded by the seasonal wheel, that now graces my back.
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I also began to see the connections between the Committee cards I made to mark such life transitions, and the Council card of Death that had so long eluded me. In working with these connections, I was finally able to turn toward Death as an ally, a teacher, and as a simple fact of life.
And so, I made another Death card for my Council Suit (and many others after it), this one named Sacred Cycles. I am one who is ever-present, holding joy and grief, beauty and decay, mystery and change within my sphere. I am one who erases duality, holding all that is within the spaciousness of my being. I am here to remind you that you have enough space within you to hold it all as well.
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Michaela Daystar trained as a SoulCollage® Facilitator in 2013 with Mariabruna Sirabella and Seena Frost, and has brought SoulCollage® into myriad spaces, from college classrooms to government agencies. She is trained in the Japanese origins of the system of Reiki through the International House of Reiki, and teaches all levels of Reiki at her wellness studio in Davis, California, as well as on-line. Visit Michaela at her website, HeartScapes.
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The Great Big SoulCollage® Companions Suit Celebration of 2024
A magical, informative, experiential deep dive
into the mysterious realm of Animal energies + our physical energies
via the SoulCollage® Companions Suit,
aka “The Suit of Many Colors”
7 Months * 7 Facilitators *
** Many Animal Companions*
This all-new, totally-unique SoulCollage® Zoom series is for you if . . .
. . . you want to meet one or more of your own Animal Companions
. . . you’ve already met some/all of your Animal Companions because you’ll be guided to get to know them more fully
. . . you are ready to explore and deepen your understanding of this “suit of many colors”
. . . you want to connect with the international SoulCollage® community
. . . you would like some good ideas for workshops if you’re a Facilitator
You can pay in full or make 7 small monthly pays.
Scholarships available!
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Here are some of our readers' Death cards: |
Death is a Mystery
Council Suit
Teresa
Pennsylvania
I am one who holds you in the depths and mystery of death. I am the one who supports you and encourages you to explore this path.
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Acquainted with Death
Committee Suit
Michele
California
I am one who is befriending Death. With memories eternal for those who have left, my preparedness and acceptance grows.
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Facing My Fear
Committee Suit
Kayle
Michigan
I Am the One Who is terrified of being killed in an auto accident. I Am the One Who is terrified of my loved ones being killed in an auto accident. This is a place of darkness for me. I Am the One Who reaches for my Protection Energy to calm me. I Am the One Who will place my hands over my heart when I feel this fear.
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Eternal Balance
Council Suit
Kas
Pennsylvania
I Am the One Who is here to remind you that this is the never-ending circle.
Life and death are interwoven. It is an eternal balance. They are the front and back covers that hold your story together. I am the one who is always being born, creating a newer version of the last. Fear not. There will be Light and Love to guide you.
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Float
Committee Suit
Sharyn
Washington
I am the one who can choose to be swept under or I can choose to float. I am the one who was left while the others went on. I am the one who must deal with the grief that remains after the death of others. I am the one who has had cancer 3 times. I am at peace with probably not making 'old bones'. Death is just another place on the journey. Spirit at rest, body free...
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Death
Council Suit
Jennifer
Canada
I Am One Who is peaceful even in death. I Am One who is being blessed, and experiences the prayerful attentions of a loved one. Appreciating the end of a cycle is part of Death. My gift to you is to help you appreciate life, while you are alive. I am in all the transitions, transformations and endings you experience in your lifetime. You need to be aware of me, honor me with your Sacred Grief.
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Chasing Angels
Committee Suit
Maggie
Washington
I am the one who is aware of signs from beyond. I am attuned to grief and know that experiencing loss is a part of what makes us who we are.
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Death
Council Suit
Maggie
Washington
I am the one that awaits your essence on the other side of the gate. I am the great unknown. I am not to be feared as this is where you existed before you were born. I am the one that welcomes you home.
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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:
December: Rest
January: Indra’s Net / Connections
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Noteworthy resources for anyone interested in SoulCollage®
KaleidoSoul - Spinning the fragments of your world into wholeness and beauty through SoulCollage®.
Membership- Worldwide connections with SoulCollagers, plus 24/7 inspiration and ideas for card making and working with your cards!
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ARIZONA
Communing at The Casa: A SoulCollage® Weekend with Your Wise & Wonderful Younger Selves
Scottsdale, Arizona
December 1-3, 2023
Facilitator: Michele Manos
This weekend—at the Franciscan Renewal Center—offers meaningful play and creativity as we connect with our younger selves. Enjoy Michele's "Playing with a Full Deck" activities, and some sessions led by others. You'll come away with enthusiasm for your personal practice, and if you're a Facilitator, for your own workshops. Plenty of free time for card making and enjoying the sanctuary spaces of the Center, including a pool and labyrinth. This gathering includes learning, sharing, individual activities and group rituals - imagine the perfect blend of a retreat, workshop, community of peers, and meeting of friends.
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ARIZONA
Collage for Your Soul
Carefree, Arizona
February 19-22, 2024
Facilitator: Kat Kirby
Spend a delightful four days at Spirit in the Desert, in beautiful Carefree. This retreat is designed for you to explore your Self, using images, imagination, and intuition via the process of SoulCollage®. You will also be guided to create a simple hand-made journal with pockets for your SoulCollage® cards and pages to write whatever wants to be expressed. Daily labyrinth walks will enhance your observation skills and inspire you to take in the beauty of nature as you walk your spiral path to self-understanding.
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ENGLAND
Return to Avalon Goddess Retreat and Pilgrimage
Glastonbury, England
May 9-17, 2024
Facilitator: Cat Caracelo
Travel to the place of myth and memories, where the landscape is a mirror of the Soul. Glastonbury, the ancient isle of Avalon is rich with sacred and ancient sites. Explore the earth-based, mystic energies; honor the Goddess in the bounty of Spring. Make inspired art with SoulCollage® and more as you deepen your story in this all-inclusive women's retreat! We will celebrate the lingering Spring with Beltane Energies still influencing our hearts. This is a special season that evokes soul growth and beauty.
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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 2023,
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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