For Use with the Book

Swimming In

To SoulCollage®

E-Workbook

For use with the book:

SoulCollage® bySeena Frost

This e-workbookwas written by

Anne Marie Bennett

SoulCollage® Facilitator

Table of Contents

Welcome 3

Gather Your Gear- List of Materials5

Meet Your Instructor10

Getting Your Toes Wet- Warm-Ups15

Learning the Strokes- Background Reading 18

SoulCollage®Overview18 The Four Suits

Committee19

Community24

Companions27

Council30

The Neters32

Splashing Around in the Pool

Making SoulCollage® Cards 35

Everyone Out of the Pool!

Interpreting A SoulCollage® Card 41

Gallery Walk51

Drying Off- Integrating the Experience 52-53

Resources54

Feedback Form61

Welcome!

Welcome to the e-workshop: Getting Started With SoulCollage®. I’m so glad you’ve decided to take the plunge and swim in to this exciting adventure that is a unique blend of spiritual practice and the fun of collage.

I would like to make it clear up front that SoulCollage® is a trademarked process created by Seena Frost. At this time, Seena is the only person authorized to train SoulCollage® facilitators. If you are considering using SoulCollage® in groups beyond the immediate circle of your friends, please sign up for the SoulCollage® Facilitator Training.

This is also a good time to remind you that SoulCollage® cards are for your personal use only. At no time do we sell our cards for any reason. The cards shown in this e-workshop are for the express purposes of giving examples of each part of the process.

Now… close your eyes for a moment and pretend that you’re near your favorite body of water. Is it the ocean? A lake? A swimming pool? A river?

Maybe it’s an imaginary body of water where the water shimmers lavender and pink! Maybe it’s the ol’ swimmin’ hole you used when you were nine. Or… perhaps it’s a deep bathtub surrounded by candles and fat fluffy towels.

Whatever it is, just close your eyes and imagine that you are there. Smell the water. Hear the sounds of the water lapping against the shore or the sides of the pool. Feel the warmth of the sun, or the cool serenity of the moon. Mmmmmm…..

Now. Are you ready to go swimming?

I thought so!

But first we must get ready.

Gather Your Gear

(List of Materials You Will Need)

Before we begin this SoulCollage® workshop, you’ll need to collect some materials. If you were really going swimming, you’d need: a bathing suit, flip flops, tanning lotion, sunglasses, snacks, a bottle of water, goggles, a beach ball…. Well, you get the idea!

Gather up your SoulCollage® supplies and spread them out in front of you on your workspace, which could be the kitchen table, an art table in your studio, the living room floor… Wherever you feel most comfortable!

Here is a list of what you will need. There is a detailed description of each on pages 5-9.

The book SoulCollage, by Seena Frost

Mat board pieces measuring 5” x 8”

Scissors

Adhesive

Frame

Images

A small candle (optional)

Music that you like (optional)

Brayer (optional)

Mat knife (optional)

File folders (optional)

The Book SoulCollage® by Seena Frost

This is the only book available on the topic of SoulCollage® and it is required for this workshop. If you don’t have your copy yet, please click here to purchaseit now.

Throughout the book you will find corresponding reading assignments. They will be presented in boxes like these.

Mat Board

Mat board is a heavy type of cardboard that comes in many different colors and textures. It is the same material used when you buy a matted photograph or picture.

You can buy it in large sheets at art stores and then pay a small additional charge to have it cut into 5” x 8” pieces for your cards.
It is also available for purchase at some craft stores.

You can go to framing stores and ask for scrap pieces of mat board because they usually have extra. Most stores would rather give it away than throw it out. Some stores will also cut it for you for free. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

You can also purchase these, precut at the KaleidoSoul Shop.

Please note--- mat board is not absolutely necessary for the base of your cards. Other materials to consider: cardboard, cardstock, file folders, any kind of heavy, stiff paper. Whatever you use, be sure to cut them all to the exact same size.

If you purchased the complete WORKSHOP IN A BOX, then you already have 15 mat boards to get started.

Scissors

Any kind of scissors will do for making SoulCollage®cards. You will be using them to cut out images from magazines, so it will be helpful to have a small (very sharp) pair for doing any detailed cutting that you need to do.

If you purchased the complete WORKSHOP IN A BOX, then you already have a nice sharp pair of scissors to get started.

Adhesive

If you purchased the complete WORKSHOP IN A BOX, you already have a large acid-free glue stick. However, you might want to try out different adhesives until you find the one that’s right for you. Here are some options. Most can be purchased at craft stores, art supply stores, and places like WalMart.

Whatever you choose, be sure that it says
ACID FREE on the label!!!!

Rubber Cement or Paper Cement- I like this because it’s slow to dry when you’re brushing it on. Also, any excess that gets on your card (or work surface) can easily be peeled off after it dries.

Glue Stick-- Be sure to buy the biggest one you can find!

Frame

If you purchased the complete WORKSHOP IN A BOX, then you already have a precut frame with an opening of 5” x 8”.

If not, it is simple to make one. Take a 5” x 8” mat board or piece of cardstock and lay it in the center of an 8.5” x 11” piece of cardboard or cardstock. Trace around the edges lightly with a pencil. Use a mat knife or scissors to cut out the opening.

This frame comes in handy when you find a really large image. You can lay the frame over it to see what will fit on the card and what won’t fit.

It’s also helpful when you put several images underneath it at once. You can see how the finished card will look because it covers up everything outside of the border.

Images

If you purchased the complete WORKSHOP IN A BOX, you will have a stack of 15-20 images that you can use to get started. You’re going to need more than this, however, as images are the most essential thing you’ll need to create your deck of SoulCollage® cards.

You can find more images for your cards in a number of places:

magazines
books
greeting cards
calendars (greatly reduced prices in January…stock up then!)
photographs
scrapbook paper designs
rubber stamps
online ( – image search)
catalogs
brochures
travel brochures
junk mail

For today’s workshop, we’ll be usingmagazines, so be sure you have a nice big stack in your workspace (and by big stack I mean, about 20-50!)

Here are some great places to get magazines for free. Most places are more than happy to save magazines for you (so be sure to ask first) because they feel better recycling them than throwing them out.

your dentist’s office
your doctor’s office
the library
yard sales that are over
family and friends
school libraries

Helpful But Not Necessary

A candle- Lighting a candle before you begin can help to create sacred space. It doesn’t have to be a big or elaborate candle, even a tealight on a pretty plate will do.
A CD or tape of soft music- Choose some music that YOU find relaxing. This will also help to create sacred space for your SoulCollage® card making experience.
A brayer- for smoothing any air bubbles out of the images on the card after you’ve glued it down
A mat knife- helpful for marking the corners of images under the frame so you know where to glue them when you transfer them to the card
File folders- good for organizing your images(which you may or may not find helpful)

Meet Your Instructor

I’m Anne Marie Bennett, and I’ll be your swimming (oops, SoulCollage®)Instructor today. Let me tell you a little about myself.

My passion for collage began in childhood when I spent many carefree hours pasting cut-out pictures and words into handmade cards and booklets for family and friends.

My passion for soul work also began when I was a child and continues to this day. My spiritual journey has taken me from the Catholic Church to the Episcopal Church (and a few other denominations in between!), to 12 Step groups, to small meditation and yoga groups, to individual and group retreats.

When I discovered SoulCollage®in February of 2005, it was love at first card! I felt like I was in heaven! For me, it is the perfect weaving of spirit, art, and self-expression.

I became a trained SoulCollage® facilitator in September of 2005 and have been leading workshops ever since.

My life journey has taken me down several career paths, including: second grade teacher, program creator for a gifted/talented program, educational consultant/district trainer for Jostens Learning Corporation, and Box Office Assistant Manager at the North Shore Music Theatre. During my time with Jostens, I led motivational workshops for teachers, and spoke at various regional conferences on creativity, humor and self-esteem.

I feel closest to Spirit when I’m near the ocean, as well as when I’m writing, creating art, teaching, and sharing the gift of SoulCollage® with others through small groups and workshops, both online and in person.
I'm a self-taught artist and love experimenting with mixed-media collage, rubber stamp art, altered books, and watercolor. I'm also a freelance writer.

Other passions that I celebrate: self-expression, travel, bookstores, chocolate, my three cats, theatre, dance, photography, yoga, long walks, Native American culture, dragonflies, swans, creative movement, and rainbows.

Enough about me!

Now it’s your turn.

The PlaySheet on the next page encourages you to look back over your own Life Journey. Jot down a few answers as they occur to you.

If you’re doing this workshop with others, spend a few minutes sharing two things from your PlaySheet answers with a partner or with the whole group.

Playsheet #1

Getting To Know You!

Today’s date ______

Passions that you celebrate:

When have you done collage in the past?

What kinds of soul work have you done in the past?

When and where do you feel closest to Spirit?

Is there anything inside of you that is asking for change?
What kind of change?

Affirmations to Hold

In Your Heart

Print this page and post it somewhere near where you’ll be working. I can’t stress these guidelines enough. Imagine each one of them as lifesavers thrown to you when you start to hear yourself thinking negative, self-limiting thoughts such as “I can’t do this,” or “I don’t think I’m doing this right.”

I allow myself to have fun as I make my cards.

I trust the process of SoulCollage®.

I let go of self-judgment.

Everyone is an artist,including me.

I have all of the answers inside of me.

I can choose to go as deep as I want
with this process.

There is no “right” way to do this.

Each inner part of me has something of value to share.

Adapted with permission from Noelle Remington, CPC, Life Doula Arts,
Creative Life Coaching and SoulCollage® Workshops.

A Few More Words

Before We Begin…

SoulCollage®is a highly individual process, so please do it how YOU feel comfortable doing it.

Some people enjoy solitude while they learn about SoulCollage® and like to create the cards alone; some prefer to do it with friends.

Some do it in total silence, some enjoy soft music; others like to play Broadway musical soundtracks or Elton John or….

Again, do this workshop in the way that feels right for you today. You might want to do it alone this time, then next week gather some friends together and do it in a group. Or vice versa.

It’s all okay. No matter what.

Also, let me say this. As you’re searching for images and making the cards, you mightcome face to face with issues that until now you’ve successfully kept just under the surface of your awareness.

This is okay too. However, if something comes up for you that feels scary or just too big to deal with alone, please make time to talk about it with someone. This “someone” can be a close friend, relative, therapist, coach, minister, priest or rabbi. Most importantly, it should be someone who feels SAFE to you, someone you trust.

Getting Your Toes Wet!

Warm-Ups

Remember that body of water we were talking about a little while ago? Picture yourself there again. Ahhhhh….. you’re going to walk right up to the edge of the water now and get your toes wet! Mmmm… wriggle them around in the cool water. Feel the sand squishing up against your foot. Or maybe you’re standing on a smooth sun-warmed rock at the edge of a glassy lake. Go ahead. Dip your feet in. Feel the water. Relax.

Good job!

Now, let’s get out of our heads and into our bodies just a little bit more.

Close your eyes and take three very long, very slow deep breaths.

Go ahead. The slower, the better.

Breathe in compassion, breathe out self-judgment.

Good.

Whatever kind of music you enjoy, play some of it now. Look at the clock. For five minutes, I want you to move your body to that music, however you like. You might want to do a few yoga postures. You might want to just float around in space, however the spirit “moves” you. Then again, maybe you’ve been running around all week and what your body needs most right now is NOT to move but to experience the stillness. That’s okay too. Be still. Listen to your inner wisdom.

Follow its lead. Let it be okay. And do it for ten minutes (or more!) if you want to. Remember, there’s no “right” way!

We’re going to do a very brief I am the one who… exercise, which is at the heart of the SoulCollage® process.

This process is explained in detail on pages 75-77 of the SoulCollage® book by Seena Frost. Read these pages now.

Now, pick up one of your magazines and flip through the pages. Take a few minutes and rip out a picture that you like. Try not to think about why you like it, just rip it out.

If you purchased the WORKSHOP IN A BOX, you will have a file folder of images. You might want to choose one of these images for this exercise.

If you’re doing this alone, glue the image on the PlaySheet that follows, and write two or three I am the one who… statements underneath it.

If you’re doing this in a group, hold up your picture and share your statements out loud, taking turns.

Example:

PlaySheet #2

Warming Up

Paste your magazine image below this sentence.

I am the one who…. Statements for above image
(use back of this page if your picture is really large):

Learning the Strokes-

SoulCollage®

BackgroundReading

It’s important for you to complete this section before you begin making your first cards.

For each topic, you will be asked to read a chapter in the book SoulCollage, by Seena Frost. Read the chapter carefully, jot notes in the margins if you like, and fill in the corresponding PlaySheets thoughtfully.

Introduction/Overview

Please begin by reading the Introduction (pages xi – xiii).
Then read Chapter 1 (pages 1-2).

Next read Chapter 3 (pages 5 - 6) for an overview of the four suits.

Now read Chapter 4 (pages 7 – 8) for a look at the Source Card.

The Committee Suit

“Inner Family”

Read Chapter 5 (pages 9 – 22) for a detailed look at the Committee Suit,then complete the PlaySheet that follows.

NOTES:

PlaySheet #3

Namiug Your Committee

Look at the list of possible Committee Members on page 18.
Jot down at least 10 that you know are inside of you.

Look back at PlaySheet #1.
Rewrite your Passions That I Celebrate list here.

Name 5 things that you like about yourself.

Name 5 things that get in the way of liking yourself more.

What are some good qualities that your friends would identify in you?

Name 2 people you admire and want to be more like. What is it about them that you value?

Each quality you have written is one of your inner voices. Even the "dark ones." Even the qualities you admire in someone else!

You don't have to like them for them to be a part of you.

Take another look at what you’ve written on PlaySheet #3. Some of the voices on your list are clearly positive. Some are more neutral. And some may seem negative and bothersome. This is all okay! They are each a part of you and they all need to be heard.

A few of them may seem to be dominant, the ones who are continually "running the show." Others may be living on the fringes, unable to speak, silenced and hidden in the shadows. Remember that each part of you wants to be seen, heard, named and honored. Making a SoulCollage® card for each of them is a most powerful way to do this.

Spend only a few more minutes with this list, and know that it is not final. It is the beginnings of a list of Committee members for your SoulCollage® deck.

Embracing Allof the Inner Voices

Every day there are all kinds of "committee meetings" going on inside our heads(and sometimes even while we sleep!). The beauty of SoulCollage® is that it helps us to identify, embrace, and pay attention to these inner voices. I have found that simply noticing a voice (especially a shadowy voice that doesn't seem to like me) diminishes its power over me.