Friday 30 March 2012

April 2012 Newsletter

In this issue:

Reflections: on Reflection
Book news: request for your help
Daring to Blossom "Seeing you, being you" April workshop: special offer for subscribers

Reflections: 
on Reflection
 
Recently I attended the Mind, Body Spirit fair at Perranporth and had a brief talk with Patrick Gamble who I have known for many years. Since I last had a good look at his display he has produced new work including a pack of oracle cards using his amazing artwork.
 
My friend Maria and I drew a card each, and then decided to buy the book that accompanies the cards which gives a reading for each. My card was:
 
Reflection
Look ahead, forwards, do not look back, embrace, future

The wolf’s piercing eyes look through you and know all of you, the eyes are the gateway to the soul and show all that we are and have been before.

The wolf is saying: ‘no more reflecting upon your past, reflect your energy towards your future.’

Our life is like a big invisible map that we are trying to see and make sense of. We try to learn and discover more of ourselves by retracing our own footsteps back to the early days of our existence. You will find no answers and no understanding there. Everything in life has polished you into the person you are, so allow yourself to walk your future and embrace your pathway ahead of you

  
(copyright Patrick Gamble 2011)

I found this idea of reflecting energy towards the future inspiring. So often I feel I start with good intentions of reflecting on past events in a positive way, and then it can be so easy to slip into various unproductive thoughts.

Perhaps I am blaming myself for something, berating myself for words I said to someone, ‘beating myself up’ about a past event that I cannot change now. Even grieving – for a person, a place, a part of myself that is lost. Allowing grief is an important and valuable process, andthere is also a time when I need to acknowledge and honour that, move on, and choose to take all the good memories with me into the future.

To accept, in Patrick’s words, that ‘Everything in life has polished you into the person you are, so allow yourself to walk your future and embrace your pathway ahead of you.”


For you: some suggestions for your journal or meditation reflections:
  • What has polished you into the person you are?
  • How can you honour that and then embrace your pathway ahead of you?
You might wish to explore this in art or poetry, music or dance.

Book news: request for your help
Last month I mentioned that I am writing a book based on these newsletters, working title: 'Five years of Daring to Blossom'. And I would like to ask for your help - please could you look back and see if any past newsletters have had a particular resonance for you. Did you do the exercises? What was the result? Did you receive any useful insights?

I would be very grateful if you feel inspired to send me your thoughts, I feel it would be interesting to readers to hear about how the newsletters were received by people once I sent them out 'into the ether'.

You can rest assured I will not publish any of your words without your permission and you can choose to use an assumed name and/or have details changed to ensure confidentiality.

I will look forward to hearing from some of you. Many thanks in advance.


Daring to Blossom "Seeing you, being you" April workshop: special offer for subscribers
I recently sent out a special offer to all of you for the next workshop in Cornwall on 21 April. In case you didn't see that, here are the details again:

As a thank you for being loyal newsletter subscribers here is a very special offer for you: bring two friends with you to the workshop and qualify for a place for yourself at no charge. Even better, if they book before the end of March, the paying guests will still receive the Early Bird discount of 50% - so will only pay £30.

Once your two guests have booked, let me know who they are and I will register you for your place. There is one other thing - please ask your guests to subscribe to the newsletter so I can send them regular news direct.


Spring: a time for action: Saturday 21 April at Pine Lodge Gardens
This workshop will be an opportunity for you to take a day out from your busy life to review and reflect and choose, if you so wish, some actions that will move you on towards being more of the person you already truly are. We will share meditations, activities, talk and laughter. We will take the opportunity to spend time outdoors in the wonderful Pine Lodge Gardens - whatever the weather! (Bring appropriate shoes, coats etc!)

Early Bird booking before 31/3/2012 - places are deliberately limited to keep the group small so book soon for your 50% discount.

Here is the link again: Book Here!


I hope to see you on 21 April - or if not, perhaps on 21 July or 20 October