Marti Beddoe reflects on the 20th anniversary of SoulCollage® Circle.
A Story About The 20th Anniversary of SoulCollage® Circle
Dweller of the Deeps Committee Suit 2/1/2009
This is the story of a circle that has gathered about 240 times in 20 years! Since 2005 each member has chosen to lean into the wisdom of The Circle Way practices. All have found a safe home where the stranger is welcomed, included in all decisions, and encouraged to shine the light of their authentic self. In a space of sincere acceptance for self and others, over time each of us has discovered the resources to embrace her inner life with honesty, vulnerability, courage, passion, and compassion.
The backstory: After attending a PeerSpirit Circle training in 2001, Circle became a way of life for me. My whole self thrived in this new environment where I could speak and listen, diving below the surface and connecting in a deeper way with my husband, family and friends and work mates.
In the spring of 2005, at my third PeerSpirit Practicum, I saw Jon Hansen’s mesmerizing SoulCollage® cards. My Wounded Artist part was intrigued that the process required no artistic talent, only a willingness to trust SoulCollage®’s invitation, to “DISCOVER YOUR WISDOM, CHANGE YOUR WORLD™”.
Later that summer, Jon and his colleague Lynn graciously spent a day teaching me and a group of friends the basics of making SoulCollage® cards. Just as PeerSpirit came at a time when I was seeking a deeper connection to my soul and to others, SoulCollage® came at a time when many parts of my soul needed healing in a way beyond simple words.
So, naturally I called a circle! This group became a monthly SoulCollage® Circle that will celebrate 20 years of existence! It turns out I was not alone in yearning for a community open to exploring the inner life through images and poetry. Our circle has been sustained, in harmony with the SoulCollage® process, by The Circle Way principles, practices and agreements which have fostered profound trust.
The pandemic forced us to meet via Zoom. The hidden blessing was we could include members who had moved away. Today, our members live in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Tennessee. Currently we are building consensus around the plans for the 20th Anniversary Retreat which will gather during the 2025 autumnal equinox. For the first time in five years, we will be in the same room together!
A member says, “At this point, it’s hard to separate what parts are SoulCollage®, what parts are the PeerSpirit process and what parts are pure spirit.”
Circle Way intention and agreements promote integrity and intimacy
Each circle begins with reading our intention and agreements. Like any healthy organism, the intention and agreements have evolved over time. Our intention is…To create time and space for people to re-create, and to connect with their deeper essential self in a peaceful, meditative environment through sharing the Soul Collage® process.”
Check-in asks members to place a sacred object in the virtual center, give an internal weather report and news of one’s creative life since we last gathered. The Circle Way practices and principles discourage cross-talk, advising or lecturing. If shadow arises, we address it using The Circle Way protocol. Silence is a robust and invisible presence at each gathering. We create our SoulCollage® cards in silence, and then silently witness each other’s creations with reverence and amazement.
Initially most people find crossing the threshold from social space to circle space to be a big adjustment. The most transformative agreements we’ve created are a clear departure from social talk! For example, the agreement to “use ‘I’ language in order to speak from the heart and to avoid confusion.”
And then there’s the radical agreement “to serve as silent neutral witnesses.” By refraining from the current cultural norm of everyone giving their opinion as well as their evaluation of life—via praise or criticism—circle members have the safety to speak their truth and to share their SoulCollage® card and its poetry.
The Circle Way container, in partnership with the profound process of making SoulCollage® cards, has enlivened each and every soul who has sat on the rim of the circle over the past 20 years!
If you yearn for deeper connection and authentic conversation, call a circle! Use the very simple Circle Way guidelines to create a sacred container of trust and intimacy. Before you know it, years will fly by and you’ll have had the privilege of witnessing the journey of your circle mates and yourself. You will have had the most rare, profound, intimate and beautiful experience you could ever imagine. If you are ready to call your own Circle, I will cheer you on! You may contact me here.
About Marti Beddoe
A Peer Spirit/Circle Way facilitator since 2001, Circle is a way of life for Marti. She is grateful to her Circle Way teachers, Ann Linnea and Christina Baldwin.
She is grateful to Seena B. Frost who trained her as a SoulCollage® Facilitator in 2007. In addition to facilitating SoulCollage® experiences, Marti is a longtime meditation teacher in the Kriya Yoga lineage. She has called and facilitated many women’s spirituality circles. Read here about how Marti and Glenda Goodrich, introduced the Circle Way process at the 2011 International SoulCollage® Facilitators Conference. Her 2006 story, The Grandest Circle of All, is about circling with five of her seven grandchildren. The eldest of the Seventh Generation, Malcolm and William, are now fathers who share circle with their children!
Marti’s current work is as an End of Life Educator/Death Doula. In circle, she invites people to define for themselves what a Good Death might look like, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually. And, most importantly, to share those thoughts with loved ones!