August 2020 - Challenges and Changes

August 2020

Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter 

Reflections: Challenges and Changes
From my archives: August titles poem
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom
"The Powerful Voice of the Quiet Ones" signed copy or ebook

Reflections: Challenges and Changes
Some of you already know that my brother Roger died suddenly recently. There is no easy way to share news like that, even when you do not know the person.

Many of my family subscribe to this newsletter, so I am extending my arms to you again, as we often do, in a big warm virtual hug around the world. And to everyone else who would like a hug too - so many of us have experienced losses of all sorts during this time.

Those of you who have read my recent book "The Powerful Voice of the Quiet Ones" may remember that there I describe my first memory, of being allowed to hold my baby brother in the car on the way home from the hospital. I was two and a half years old, and I loved him immediately.

Roger had a minor heart attack many years ago,I can't remember how many, just that it is more than twenty years. Since then he has been pretty well and yet he went to bed on 8th July and didn't wake up.

Many of us would probably choose that way to go if we could, with no long illness or suffering. For his wife and son, for me, and for the rest of our family, it is of course a huge shock, an immense change. Add to that all the challenges of it happening at this time, when here in the UK we are still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and it feels doubly difficult at times. We are lucky in that we are allowed to attend his funeral, along with up to thirty people. This will be on Friday this week.

Life is always about challenges, and about changes. Even though some of those feel impossible to deal with, to rise above, I know, for me, they can bring the biggest personal growth. Or to put it another way, the greatest insights into my personal power within.


"Green Sprite" - shared here simply because I love this painting.

I have read many books about near death experiences, and describing communications with people who have passed on, and I have my personal beliefs about what happens when the life of our bodies comes to an end. A friend recently shared this video on Facebook, a short piece by a medical doctor, Zach Bush, about his experiences. (I hope the link will work here, you should be able to watch it even if you are not on Facebook).

At first, I thought it was a long wait until the funeral. Now I appreciate the space it has given me to just be with the shock, and with the new reality that my brother is no longer here. To reminisce with family about happy memories. To allow myself to feel the sadness and acknowledge those regrets about conversations unspoken which I think we all experience.

  

Here are the two of us, in photos separated by over sixty years, the latest taken last September. That was when we met up with one of my cousins and her husband at Trelissick Gardens here in Cornwall. Roger arrived on his motorbike and we browsed family photo albums over tea and cake in the National Trust cafe. It was while we were walking around the gardens that we got chatting to some people who took photos of us all. Rest in peace little brother. Or as my husband, a fellow motorcycle enthusiast, wrote in our family tribute to be read at the funeral: "Ride in peace Roger. Norton or Triumph?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This month, I have decided not to offer you any specific prompts for writing or meditation - maybe simply flow write starting with anything that comes to mind, and see where that takes you. Or, you could choose one of the lines from my August poem below as a starting point.

From my archives: August 

Here is my 'past titles poem' for August, you may like to try reading it aloud. I find the flow changes each time I do that, and at the direction change in the middle, which can be interesting. 

Ordinary and extraordinary
My stroke of insight
More on connection
Growth and changes
Authentic voices
Keeping that holiday feeling
Change
Unleashing our power within
Learning
Evolving
Stepping into power
The (rocky) pathway to power
Appreciation

Appreciation
The (rocky) pathway to power
Stepping into power
Evolving
Learning
Unleashing our power within
Change
Keeping that holiday feeling
Authentic voices
Growth and changes
More on connection
My stroke of insight
Ordinary and extraordinary

I will leave you with the poem this month, rather than sharing an article as well. Simplicity feels good just now.

Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

"Your Powerful Voice" Autumn Online Six Week Circle - begins on 7th September

The first run of this new circle is currently in full flow, and I have planned another turn around the Compass Rose for those who were not able to join us.  The full details are here. We share in a private Facebook group and with weekly Zoom gatherings, on Tuesdays at 2.30 pm UK time. The price for the full six weeks is £88, with discounts for people who have been to past circles. There are also concessionary places available to help you if this feels just what you need just now but finances are an issue.
So, if you are at all intrigued, join me for a Taster Circle (free) on Thursday 27th August at 2.30 pm UK time. Contact me here, or via Facebook to register and receive the Zoom link.

For those of you with good memories, last month I wrote "In September I am planning to restart the truly 'deep and slow' exploration with the Compass Rose, with one month for each place, each point, so we may dive in with even more time." After my brother's death I feel I need to step back a little from that - I may plan it to run through the calendar year 2021, as in previous years - we'll see what emerges.

One to one Coaching: "Your Powerful Voice" Coaching Programme

Maybe groups are not for you? Maybe you don't wish to be on Facebook? Or you would like to dive deeper into this work for yourself? I offer one to one sessions on Zoom and I have recently developed a new six session programme, around the theme of "Your Powerful Voice". We will follow the same flow as in the group work, around the points of the Compass Rose, beginning and ending in your centre point, in Peace.

There is a special offer of one third off for the first people who sign up, so the price for you will be £60 for each one hour call, a saving of £180 over the series of six. You can pay in advance or as you go, before each session. Most people like to meet on Zoom at intervals of 2-4 weeks, so the process takes 3-6 months. It is entirely up to you, I can be very flexible to suit what works for you.

Here are the details - if you visit soon, there is also a one-session trial special here. This process can change your life if you choose, why not give it a try? If not now, then when?

"The Powerful Voice of the Quiet Ones"
Recently I have received several orders for this little book - available as a signed copy or as an ebook, both direct from my website here (or click on the photo below). It is such a joy to write a personal message and send the book off around the world. Here is a recent comment from a reader:

"It is a powerful and beautiful book to read! The Quiet One isn't as quiet as I thought. The story made me think, wonder, look at myself in different way, laugh, very sad, and so much more. Beautiful experience and I can't wait for the new book. Thank you."

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

Find 'Dare to Blossom Life Coaching' on Facebook, @daretoblossom on Twitter

July 2020 - Finding my place, looking back five years

Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter 

Reflections: Finding my place, looking back five years
From my archives: July 2015
Reflections in June 2020 on finding my place
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

Reflections: Finding my place, looking back five years

Here is the 'newsletter title' poem for July. In 2007, when I began, I did one newsletter for June and July, so it begins with the same phrase as the piece I shared in June. And ends that way as I have reversed back through the phrases again as I did last month.

July over the years
Seeing with new eyes
Every day, smile five times for no good reason
From ‘life coaching’ to ‘coaching for connection’
Treats
Listening
Authentic voices
Keeping the flame alive
Listening
Blossom, fruit, and seed
Finding my place
The balance of black and white
Curiosity
Flow
Adventure
………………..
Adventure
Flow
Curiosity
The balance of black and white
Finding my place
Blossom, fruit, and seed
Listening
Keeping the flame alive
Authentic voices
Listening
Treats
From ‘life coaching’ to ‘coaching for connection’
Every day, smile five times for no good reason
Seeing with new eyes
 
From my archives: July 2015

Finding my Place

It is hard to believe that it is just one month since I ended my full time employment and returned to being self-employed. I would always say I loved my role with Outset Cornwall because every day was different. And it was, different people, different places, variety of activities. However there was always a structure, a plan. I could look in my diary and tell you where i would be months in advance.

And now everything is different. I am free to choose, to decide my own structure. People often talk about someone's whole identity being tied up in their job, or at least their career, and the ending of that being a huge blow. I feel I am fortunate in that Dare to Blossom has existed since 2003, and I had been doing what I do for many years before that. So I have some continuity there, it feels like a return, a coming home, rather than a loss.

However, there has still been a big adjustment to make, a redrawing of my life. And an intention to do things differently this time, to honour and nourish my own needs as well as those of others; to give myself space and time; to notice when I start slipping into guilt and fear. One of those needs is of course the need to generate some income, bring in some money. Like many of the people I have coached over the years, I too have that issue of asking for money for what I do, of valuing my own contribution.

So, the last few weeks, after the much-needed rest, have been a gradual exploration of exactly what that contribution is - not just of course what I can offer, but also if people want and need it enough to be able to offer the payment I need to continue doing what I do. And it is not just about money, I would like the pricing and exchange, whether of money or services, to be right for the person and for me; for there to be a way of establishing a meeting point where those things can all work together.

In the course of doing research for this I have been out and about over the last couple of weeks attending 'networking' events of various sorts. It has been an interesting experience: when I worked part-time I used to do quite a lot of this for Dare to Blossom; then with Outset just a little, always with my 'Outset' hat on. I was proud to represent a programme that I believed in and could demonstrate helped people achieve lasting change for themselves.

Returning to these sort of events, often reconnecting with people I know in other organisations or in their businesses, has been an interesting experience. At times I have felt totally out of place, even (or perhaps particularly) where I have met ex-colleagues and previous contacts.

How do we define our place in the world? We probably all have overlapping 'places' with corresponding ways of being that we operate in each of those. I have just stopped writing to draw myself a doodle-picture of overlapping circles. It is a little like the 'Wheel of Life' exercise, but a bit different as I have tried to highlight where all of those circles or places overlap. I am in the centre and right at the core of me is the overlap of the circle for each 'place'.

I am sure there is a fully developed psychological model of all this which I could look up and download all sorts of details and beautifully prepared diagrams. And I am sure that in reality each circle probably overlaps more or less, rather than equally, leading to many more possible combinations and interpretations. However, I am going to leave all that for another time - and for you to follow up if you would like to. For now, I am going to ask my faithful Inner Critic to close her eyes while I share with you my in-the-moment, wonkyily-drawn, top-of-my-head - or should that be from-the-heart? - picture.



In the Wheel of Life it is possible to have a lot more spokes than I could draw circles here, so under 'Spiritual' I am including everything that nourishes me and my creative life: reading, writing, meditating, singing, dancing, gardening, walking - a long list

The red dot in the middle could be a heart: that is the 'place' where I would like to spend most of my time. The heart of who I am, what I do, what I stand for. The place where I am in the flow, in alignment. Where everything is balanced wherever I am in my world.

I intended to write more, but now that feels a good stopping point. Maybe I will share more of my own journey home to myself, of rediscovering my place, my centred heart, another time.

For you: to reflect in your journal or meditations:
- where are you right now?
- where do you feel 'at home', in your true place?
- how can you find your way to bring those two into closer alignment?
- explore however works for you: meditation, flow-writing, vision board collage, doodling with circles and labels.

I will end by sharing a photo of one of my favourite physical places, taken sitting on the rocks at Trevone Bay enjoying the glorious view.



Reflections in June 2020 on finding my place

Sometimes, reading my words from the past is a very strange and intriguing process. Some parts are very familiar, and there I can often see now how they led to what was to come - for example, in the piece above from five years ago, there is a glimmer of what was to become the Compass Rose in my 'wonkily-drawn' diagram. Just a glimmer - in the centre point, coming home to myself there, where all the circles overlap.

I found my inner critic piping up again, reading those words from five years ago, suggesting I edit or improve them..... and I am resisting that, except to take out a link to my website which is no longer valid. Five years on, I have found 'my place' - for now at least. In terms of 'what I do' that may change and evolve over time, and yet I feel truly grounded and balanced now, in the words of the Compass Rose poem, in my heart, in me centre point, in Peace.

Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

"Your Powerful Voice" Global Online Six Week Circle - begins on 6th July



You may have seen the 'Special Bulletin' I sent out during June, This new programme is now open for booking, and I am pleased to say that four places are already taken. There is still room for you if you would like to join us. Full details of the programme, which begins on 6th July, are here. it is a six week programme, in a private Facebook group and with weekly Zoom gatherings, on Tuesdays at 2.30 pm UK time.

So, if you are at all intrigued, join me for a second Taster Circle (free) on Thursday 2nd June at 2.30 pm UK time. Contact me here, or via Facebook to register and receive the Zoom link.

In September I am planning to restart the truly 'deep and slow' exploration with the Compass Rose, with one month for each place, each point, so we may dive in with even more time.

Workshops The next Dare to Blossom Workshop, originally planned to be held at the Blue Lotus at Scorrier, is once again a virtual gathering on Zoom videoconferencing, this Saturday 4th July, from 10 for around an hour and a half, and will be on the theme of "Power: South, Connect with Source". Booking details are here

One to one Coaching: "Your Powerful Voice" Coaching Programme

Maybe groups are not for you? Maybe you don't wish to be on Facebook? Or you would like to dive deeper into this work for yourself? I offer one to one sessions on Zoom and I have recently developed a new six session programme, around the theme of "Your Powerful Voice". We will follow the same flow as in the group work, around the points of the Compass Rose, beginning and ending in your centre point, in Peace.

There is a special offer of one third off for the first people who sign up, so the price for you will be £60 for each one hour call, a saving of £180 over the series of six. You can pay in advance or as you go, before each session. Most people like to meet on Zoom at intervals of 2-4 weeks, so the process takes 3-6 months. It is entirely up to you, I can be very flexible to suit what works for you.

Here are the details - I have yet to finish work on the web page so there is no PayPal link just yet. Just contact me to discuss if it is for you and to find out more.
 

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary