December 2018: Full Cycle

Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter

Season's greetings
Reflections: Full Cycle
Plans for 2019
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

Welcome, welcome dear friends, welcome to the newsletter for December

Season's Greetings

However you celebrate at this time of year, or if you choose not to at all, the ending of the calendar year has some significance for most of us.



Maybe you are reflecting on the end of an academic year if you are in New Zealand or Australia, looking forwards to the summer holidays. Maybe you are anticipating all the busy-ness and connections of Christmas with family and friends. Or, you may be alone, through choice or through circumstances. 

However you are spending December, I send you warm virtual hugs and greetings.

Reflections: Full Cycle



The full title of my last workshop in the 'Stepping into Your Power' series here in Cornwall, at the Blue Lotus Therapy Centre, was 'Full Cycle - Being You - Return to Peace'. As we had flowed through a whole year together, we focused on one part of the 'Dare to Blossom Power Flower' in each workshop. At the same time, I was aware of all the parts of the flower, supporting, holding the strength of the whole as we gathered together. 

As I hold these gatherings every other month, we had six of them, and so the last was an opportunity to return to our centre point, to peace.

In the words of 'Compass Rose Speaks', my poem that seems to be deepening and strengthening in power each time I speak the words, "Return your attention to your Centre Point, to Peace. Grounded, Balanced. I am your Compass Rose". Each time I end, I remind those listening, in person or on-line, that your Compass Rose is your inner wisdom. Not external to yourself, but truly the deep heart of you, the centre, the guiding star within.

By being the real you, the authentic you - the you who is the author of your life - you return to peace. From that centre point of peace you are strongly grounded and balanced and able to choose the path forward that is right and true for you.

For you, in your journal or meditation:

• What is reaching full cycle for you?
• Will that cycle continue as the cycles of nature do? Or will something new come in to replace it? What would you like that to be?
• Settle into your heart, your centre, allow your breath to slow and deepen, and listen to the voice of your Compass Rose. What is she telling you?

To read the full 'Compass Rose Speaks' poem, or to listen to me speaking the words, click here.

Plans for 2019

As I enter this process myself, I am feeling my way towards what wishes to emerge in 2019. Last month I told you about the Pathway to Power Coaching Programme. The full details are now available here.



At the beginning of December I am hosting two free group gatherings, through Zoom video-confereincing, on Tuesday 4th December at 2.30 pm, and on Friday 7th December at 11.00 am (all times are UK time, GMT). The details are on Facebook through the Dare to Blossom business page (just look under Events), or if you prefer not to use Facebook, simply reply to this email if you would like to join us.

During those calls I will draw cards for each person (one, two, or three, depending on how many people join us), and offer you the chance to share a Magic Carpet Ride guided visualisation. The calls are an introduction to the January Dare to Blossom Mastermind Circle: "Take off into 2019 on your Magic Carpet". We will be getting away from the tyranny of 'New Year resolutions', and seeing where the insights offered by the Magic Carpet process take us. Click the link for full details and to claim your space.

Following that Circle we will begin the full year of unfurling the Power Flower once again in a Mastermind group. Details of that will be available very soon.

Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

Cornwall Workshops: The cycle begins again at the Blue Lotus on Saturday morning, 19th January, beginning with Peace

Root and Branch Listenings are available at any time as a one-off, or as a quarterly subscription. If you choose to subscribe,  you will receive your personal Listening four times a year. The next issue will be in December for the Winter Solstice. I will be starting work on those very soon, so if you would like to be sure of receiving yours in time for the Solstice, buy yours now.



Point of Focus Membership: if you prefer a monthly timescale with Dare to Blossom Cards drawn for you to reflect upon, with the option of adding on one-to-one coaching calls with me, the Point of Focus subscription may be for you. Some people find subscribing to these and the 'Root and Branch Listenings' together a valuable source of support.
 

Thank you dear friends for visiting with me again this month and sharing my musings.

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

November 2018: Change

Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter

Reflections: Changes
Celebrations and November special offers
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

Welcome, welcome dear friends, welcome to the newsletter for November, my birthday month.
You will see I have some birthday gifts for you below: a sale on my original artworks, and a special offer on the Pathway to Power coaching programme.

Reflections: Changes

How interesting. I choose the subject for my reflections pretty much at random. Often, as this month, when I am setting up the draft for the newsletter and the system asks me for the title. I now see that last month had a somewhat similar theme 'Shifting Seasons'. For me, just now, things are feeling unclear, obscured even, so I chose this favourite photo of mine. The koi carp in the pond, seem to be swimming in the sky, all about perception?



Returning to the theme, there are obviously more changes for me to explore. As some of you know, for most of October I have been forced to slow down by an injury to my right hand. A simple slip going in the door at home. Putting my hand out, as you do, to steady myself. I caught the little finger on my right hand and bent it right back and out, in a direction it is not designed to go.

The result was a badly swollen hand and a lot of pain. I assumed it was a sprain as it felt similar to a sprained ankle, as I have experienced at various times. So I treated it with ice, compression, rest - all the things you are advised to do. After a couple of weeks, the swelling was beginning to go down but the pain was as bad as ever. I still kept thinking that it would hurt even more if there were any broken bones, but eventually, one Monday morning, my husband suggested he go with me to the local hospital Minor Injuries Clinic a little later that day.

That plan was thrown into disarray by my husband being involved in a road accident, nothing too major luckily, he wasn't hurt, but his car was badly damaged and it took a long time for the police and ambulance to arrive and process everything that had to be done.  The other person, a young man (just 16) on a motorbike was fortunately only slightly hurt. And then we had to run around sorting out another car. (There is a reason why I am sharing all this.)

So, on Thursday that week, I had already arranged to go to the local hospital with my husband as he had a routine eye test that involved drops to dilate his pupils so he couldn't drive home. I took that opportunity to have my hand looked at. After a fair bit of sitting around, an x-ray was done and I was told that the long bone in the side of my hand (the metacarpal) is fractured. Not broken right through, but fractured, and 'well-aligned' so it will heal OK. No treatment except a little bandage to hold my little finger next to the ring finger so it is stabilised a little - and time.

The reason for telling you this story in connection with 'Changes' is to encourage you to reflect if you wish - without the painful prompt I hope - on unforeseen change. This always happens in life of course. My example is relatively minor. Someone I know has just this week found themselves in hospital following a fall, and awaiting surgery.

I am not sure if or how I could plan for such changes, other than knowing I need to put my own health first and ask for help from those around me - not always easy to do for someone used to just getting on with things.

From the perspective of my business, here too, sometimes changes can be unexpected and apparently out of my control. At other times they are a choice, a conscious plan. Sometimes one is prompted by the other. Being made to slow down and rest has allowed me to take more time for reading. But not for writing - one of the biggest enforced changes through this injury, as I am right-handed, has been an inability to write by hand in my journal as I would normally. Something I have missed a lot, and which has reminded me how important it can be to me.  There are ways round that: I can type, slowly and for short periods of time, as I am now of course.

I thought of recording my thoughts, and a good friend suggested that as a solution too. Or there is the dictation software that can convert my spoken words to text. I certainly cannot think about painting just now though.

Letting all that go for now, I realise I have been wondering how to change what I do in 2019. What do I truly love doing and want to keep? What do I just do because I always have done it and might be better letting go of now? What works well - whether in terms of income, or inspiration, or satisfaction for me? (Maybe it needs to be all of those?) What doesn't? Is it more about 'how' I do what I do, rather than the 'what' itself?

Do I need to clear space first so the new ideas can come in? Where can I simplify and streamline what I do, clear and prepare the ground and allow delicate new shoots to emerge? These shoots may be the 'whys' at the heart of the what and the how of my work.

For you, in your journal or meditation:

• What is changing around you?
• How will you choose to respond to this change?
• You may like to choose some of the questions I asked myself above to write about for yourself.

Celebrations

As I mentioned, November is my birthday month, and below you will find details of some special prices on my artwork, and a limited number of spaces on my 'Pathway to Power' Coaching Programme with a 20% discount.

Another recent celebration for me has been my nomination (by an anonymous person) in two categories for the Devon and Cornwall Region of the Venus Awards for women. I have completed the entry process in plenty of time before the closing date, and now await the announcement in January of the names of those going through to the semi-finals.



It is such an honour to be nominated for 'Inspirational Woman' and 'Lifetime Achievement', whatever happens next.

Sale of Artworks

So, during November, any of the original pieces (i.e. not including the limited edition prints or the greetings cards) on my website will be available at 20% reduction in price. I will not be changing the PayPal links so please contact me direct (or simply reply to this email) if you see anything you would like to purchase, for yourself or as a gift. If for someone else, I can offer a service to gift wrap and send direct to them with a card and message from you if that is helpful.



'Pathway to Power' 2019 Coaching Programme

I would love to offer you the chance to become one of the first people on this new one-to-one programme, at a special 'birthday gift' price of a 20% discount.

I say this is a new programme, it is, and yet the processes we will use are those tried and tested methods that I know work so well for people. Before I give you the details, let me say that in my experience (as a customer as well as a life coach) people do not decide to buy 'coaching'. If you are a sports person or an athlete, you might engage a coach to help you improve your performance, to win a race, to be a more effective team member.

In a similar way, the coaching I offer may be focused around a goal: perhaps finding your way to achieving an ambition, identifying the small steps that will take you there. We can work very productively together do this.  Sometimes it is about having the time and space to hear yourself think, to listen to what your heart, your soul, the true you really craves. Maybe there are elements of both - knowing your true desires will help you choose where to focus, and the best path for you to get there. Sometimes returning to balance and grounding, maybe letting go of some things that previously felt important, is the necessary first step.

You don't need to take my word for it, there are a number of testimonials on the website, such as this one, from Jocelyn.

"I just wanted to say a big thank you for your guidance over the last couple of months. You have helped me through a period of transition and taught me that cutting back - or drawing on your insight: “pruning” - is not the end but the start, allowing time and the capability to blossom; to continue to evolve....." (read more here)

I will be putting the full details on the website soon, for now I want to offer my loyal newsletter subscribers the first chance at the special offer. Here is an outline.

In six one-to-one coaching sessions, on Zoom video-conferencing, we will follow the path of unfurling the petals of the Dare to Blossom Power Flower. We begin by offering you the time to reflect and ground yourself in you centre point, in Peace. During each call you choose how you would like to use the processes I offer. Maybe I will draw some cards for you, usually three. Maybe you will also choose to be taken on a guided visualisation, a magic carpet ride. There will be plenty of time to hear yourself think in a quiet, safe space. You will leave each call with some new insights and perspectives, and some small steps to take you forwards.



In the following sessions, we will continue to unfurl each petal, one at a time: Purpose, Passion, Power, Progress. Completing the cycle by returning to your centre point, to Peace.

You can choose to take up half hour sessions or full one hour sessions. (Please note that there is not time for a full 'Magic Carpet Ride' visualisation in thirty minutes together.).

My normal coaching rate is £45 for half hour sessions and £90 for one hour sessions, with a ten percent discount for prepayment.

For you, I am offering 20% reduction on the normal price. You may choose to pay as you go, n which case I will invoice you ahead of each call. This means that the price for each step on your Pathway to Power Programme is £72 for one hour and £36 if you choose the half hour option. A saving of £108 (or £54).

If you are interested, and would like to book or have any questions, reply to this email, or pop over to my scheduling page here, and book a complimentary consultation. Then we can chat on Zoom video-conferencing over a cuppa and you can decide if this is right for you.

In the words of the phrase I have used for the last fifteen years, right from the beginning of my own journey with Dare to Blossom:

Live a life you love: start now, start here. If not now, then when?


Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

The next workshop here in Cornwall is on 17th November, at the Blue Lotus at Scorrier. Last time all the spaces were taken so if you are interested contact me soon. We are coming back full cycle to the centre point of the Power Flower, so the title is 'Full Cycle - Being You - Return to Peace'. Click the link for full details.

Root and Branch Listenings are available at any time as a one-off, or as a quarterly subscription. If you choose to subscribe,  you will receive your personal Listening four times a year. The next issue will be in December for the Winter Solstice.


 

Thank you dear friends for visiting with me again this month and sharing my musings.

Until next time,

with love,
Mary