September 2020 - Rest

 

September 2020

 
Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter 

Reflections: Rest
From my archives: September titles poem
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom: 7/9 new six week programme, and 12/9 a stand-alone workshop, all on Zoom

Reflections: Rest

How interesting. I intended to write about fresh starts this month, about how September feels like a time for that, a stepping into the new...and it will be for many of us. Some will be entering the new academic year, one quite unlike any other for those studying or supporting their family in doing so. September is also a time when, here in Cornwall, it feels as if everyone, everything, breathes a sigh of relief as the weight of people visiting reduces a little.

I have often thought I have heard the land, the earth herself, breathe more easily. I am not sure how it will be this year, if there will still be many more holiday makers here than usual as people choose not to go overseas.

Always, I hope to feel full of energy and enthusiasm as this time begins. The period between summer and the preparations for Christmas, when people may have time to reflect, to think about what they wish to plan for their future. Instead, I find within me (and maybe for you?) a deep exhaustion.



(I have chosen this photo, taken some years ago now in the Chalice Well Gardens in Glastonbury, as the perfect image to inspire me to rest. To imagine sitting here, gently rocking, looking out over the gardens.)

We have all been carrying so much 'weight': physically, emotionally. We have been coping with extraordinary times. I have often written about 'rest' before. And I know how little I allow myself to do that, to truly rest, recharge, revitalise my body and soul. 

As well as the global pandemic, and everything else happening in the world around us, we all have the other 'stuff' of life going on: celebrations of marriages and births; the grief of death - and the celebration of that person's life. 

In addition, many of us are struggling financially through the effects of the measures to try and control the pandemic, with fear of the future underlying all that as well.

And yet, and yet - the human spirit is so resilient, so amazing at rising above the pain and struggle; so wonderfully adaptable. For me, I find rest and rejuvenation in my walks on the cliffs and in my connection with nature wherever I find it, not least in my garden, which is full of a bounteous harvest at this time of year.

Yesterday I had another wonderful connection with the fulmars on the cliffs, as I watched them swooping and soaring in the wind. This time there was a very special encounter: One came very close and connected directly with me, eye to eye. The message was the same as always: "Go with the flow: use the uplift." Here is a link to a short video. (The photo below you may have seen before, it is from another occasion as I was busy enjoying the moment this time.)



Reflecting on that message now: "Go with the flow" could be seen as being inactive, letting go. Not necessarily a bad thing when I need to rest, and at the same time I feel I need something to help me begin to find energy as we move into the 'fresh start' time of September. Then "Use the uplift" provides exactly what I need: the fulmar is not being lazy, simply minimising exertion, maximising the results. To mix metaphors, maybe it is time for me to stop trying to struggle upstream against the flow of the river, but rather to enjoy the energy, the power of the water as it carries me down stream towards the new.
 

For you: for your flow-writing in your journal, your meditation, your doodles, your song, your dance:

• Are you feeling the need for rest right now?
• What would feel most deliciously refreshing for you to do?
• Write about "Go with the flow" and 'Use the uplift". What emerges for you?
• Choose one of the titles from the poem below for some flow-writing with no expectation of the outcome or destination.

From my archives: September titles poem

Here is my 'past titles poem' for this month, 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. 

Mud flats – and the incoming tide
Change
Changes
The changes of age
Ode to true friends
Reflection and renewal
Reflections
The light within - becoming our own teachers
Distilling
Reap your harvest
A quest, and an invitation to join me
Fresh beginnings
Deep and slow
 
Deep and slow
Fresh beginnings
A quest, and an invitation to join me
Reap your harvest
Distilling
The light within – becoming our own teachers
Reflections
Reflection and renewal
Ode to true friends
The changes of age
Changes
Change
Mud flats – and the incoming tide

Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

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

There is still time to join us in this next turn around the Compass Rose, and the exploration of "Your Powerful Voice".  The full details are here. We share in a private Facebook group and with weekly Zoom gatherings, on Thursdays 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. You can choose to pay in two instalments if that helps you with cash flow.

If you would like a chat on Zoom first to be sure this is right for you, simply use the contact form here. 

If the timing is not right for you, the next circle will run from late October to early December. The Zoom gatherings will be on a different day and time, to be decided in consultation with those who are interested. Or, you may prefer the Online Workshop, a stand-alone event with no need to interact with Facebook, see more below.

Online Workshop 12th September: Your Powerful Voice, an exploration

Join us for a special event on Saturday 12th September, from the comfort of your home, via Zoom.

Many people have taken part in the online programmes over four or six weeks, but for others this is not possible, so this standalone circle offers you an opportunity to experience the magic for yourself.

I will offer you the tried and tested processes: drawing Dare to Blossom cards for each of us, and leading us on a guided visualisation, a Magic Carpet Ride. You may find your magic carpet, or you may not. You may take off on a journey, or you may not. You may return with messages, insights for your business or your career, you may simply returned refreshed after a rest. Everything that happens is simply perfect for that moment. 

The 'magic' truly happens in the gaps between the structure, the container, I provide for our circle. It may come through a card drawn for someone else; or in the words used in a description of a magic carpet ride; or later, after we have parted ways. There is always a nugget, or several, for each person who comes along.

Details:

When: Saturday 12th September, 10.00 am UK time for one and a half to two hours.

Where: on Zoom video-conferencing.

How much: £22.00. Book using the PayPal link on the website here, or contact me to arrange payment by bank transfer.

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.

Here are the details - if you visit soon, there is also a one-session trial special here. At any time, you can book a twenty minute complimentary consultation. Contact me here.

This process can change your life if you choose, why not give it a try? If not now, then when?

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

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

June 2020: Seeing with new eyes

Reflections: Seeing with new eyes
From my archives: June 2007
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

Reflections: Seeing with new eyes

Seeing with new eyes - that was the title of the reflections in my first ever newsletter, back in 2007. I began writing a piece that I thought would be for this newsletter a few days ago, in my journal. It was about the pandemic and how I was feeling about the 'magic and madness' of these times. Then I left it a while and kept on seeing more and more personal responses: all genuine and authentic (well, as far as I can tell anyway); all of value. All adding to the onslaught of words being written, and the cacophony of opinions expressed through the media.

So, I took a step back. I decided to 'start close in' in the words of the poem by David Whyte (that link is his general website, this one takes you to the poem on his Facebook page). This morning, when I opened my emails, the first I saw was from my friend Leslie Waugh, with her latest thoughts, with the first line 'start close to home' - such synchronicity, thank you Leslie, and for introducing me to another David Whyte poem Just beyond yourself. I hope this link will take you to Leslie's blog.

Next, I decided to look at my past thoughts for June each year, right back to 2007 (I began these monthly musings in March that year). Some are only available in my personal archives from that year, all since 2011 are on my blogspot page here, and since 2015, here on my website.

I discovered that the titles for the month of June over the years, seen one after the other, look a little like a poem, or maybe a list of writing prompts:

Seeing with new eyes
Procrastination
Watching water
Rest
Asking for help
Listening
Keeping the flame alive
Strong and True
Blossom, Fruit and Seed
Endings and Beginnings
Midsummer Magic
Rest
Procrastination or Stepping Up
Subject, unknown

What are your first thoughts when you read that list?



I notice a repetition of themes, to do with rest and with procrastination...... and I am reminded of how often those would come up in my conversations with my coach. Now, procrastination is not quite so much of an issue for me. As I have settled into my own routine of being in my business, of daring to blossom, full time, there is more space. I realise as I write that, it probably was more a lack of time rather than my own procrastination, that caused me to feel I wasn't keeping up with all I wanted to do, although hardly surprising when I was working in a demanding job. And no wonder I felt a lack of energy,and that a need for rest that was another common topic.

A good reminder to me, again, to start close in, to listen to the messages from my body - the need for rest, for water, for food, for different foods sometimes. For quiet times. For time to reflect.

To illustrate this piece - realising I had not included any photos, I chose the one above of the koi carp in the big pool at the Japanese Garden in St Mawgan, here in Cornwall. Some of you will have seen it before. I will leave you to explore what you see without any explanation from me. (Just ask if you would like to know more about the picture.)

Returning to 'Seeing with new eyes': that was a reflection on how travel enables us to do that, especially on our return from a journey to familiar places. (I will include that piece below for you). Today it feels the other way around: after being almost completely confined to home, we are just now being able to get out a little further into what was a familiar world. I am so lucky to live in the country, and that my home is nestled within the acres of a farm. The only thing that has changed visibly right here is that there are no summer visitors coming to stay in the holiday accommodation that is part of our landlords' business.

Even when I go out shopping, I don't go into a town centre and so I don't see all the closed shops, cafes and restaurants. Of course things have changed: the safety procedures at the local Post Office, which is very small so we all queue outside, a good 3 metres apart usually, and chat with the person in front or behind us. And at the small local branch of Tesco I visit, where people are, mostly, pretty good about observing the one-way system, and the distance markers on the floor.

Ah, I pause here - seeing I am being drawn into writing about the effects of the pandemic. Something I hesitate to offer any thoughts on when I am so aware of my good fortune, and of how much others are suffering, and sacrificing throughout this time.

All of us are surely seeing with new eyes - often in very good ways, such as how much appreciation is now shown for all essential workers, particularly of those risking their own lives daily to care for those who are ill. And, those who are also taking risks, in keeping essential services running. Not least the people who serve me in the Post Office and in Tesco.

So, I return to my list/poem of past titles for June. Now the one that stands out is the one from last year, which I would have written at about this time, the end of May: "Subject: Unknown". I wrote then: "We may think we are in control, but 'life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans' (John Lennon) And yet, somehow we learn to navigate the uncertainty, the unknown."

Yes, we are learning, somehow, to navigate the unknown terrain of these strange times, and some wonderful new ways of being together: collaborating, helping others, creating the new - are all coming about because of this big wake up call to the world.

Since I began writing this piece for you, I have been prompted, gently by Amy Palko (who has a wonderful offering on Patreon), to read that list, that poem aloud in a group on Zoom. It has such a powerful effect for me, and maybe for others so I intend to explore that more. I am also inspired to make it a regular practice, each month, to look at all those titles of my reflections in a similar way, and see what emerges for me - and offer that list to you as a prompt for your writing.

For you, suggestions for your journal reflections or meditations:

• What are you now seeing with new eyes?
• Choose one of the titles in my list and flow write, doodle, paint, collage - whatever feels delicious and fun..
• What emerges? What else is there?

Finally, I decided to reverse the order of the titles, they now begin with 2019 and end in 2007, you may like to read them both aloud to yourself and hear, and feel the difference.

Subject, unknown
Procrastination or Stepping Up
Rest
Midsummer Magic
Endings and Beginnings
Blossom, Fruit and Seed
Strong and True
Keeping the flame alive
Listening
Asking for help
Rest
Watching water
Procrastination
Seeing with new eyes
 

From my archives: June 2007

Seeing with new eyes
I have recently returned from ten days holiday travelling around Ireland.  The usual quote is ‘travel broadens the mind’ – I am sure it does.  I also think that how it does this is by enabling us to see with new eyes.  It was only after beginning to write this that I was flicking through a book of quotes and saw this one that I was not consciously aware of having read before:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” (Marcel Proust)

This is exactly the thought that I was beginning to articulate above.  This article is written in two parts in the moments of observing and reflecting, while I was in Ireland, and on my return home.

In Ireland
I feel that I am seeing myself afresh as well as everything around me.  Much is in a way similar to my home in Cornwall, in other respects very different.

Food – lots of different variations on the soda bread recipe, wonderful local carrots.  Currency – euros instead of pounds.  Voices – a range of Irish accents. I begin to distinguish the range from the local very strong but soft accent to the slightly harsher and very quickly spoken voice of the Dubliners, and including the Gaelic still spoken in this area.  Sometimes the accent is so strong that it sounds like a different language to my ears even when it is English that is being spoken.  Fuel - the peat cuttings and stacks of peat ‘bricks’ beside the roads, alongside the intriguing shapes of ‘bog oak’ dug out from the peat.  There are even peat-burning power stations.

We are self-catering and have little interaction with other people, except in shops and along the way.  The people are very friendly and seem to like the ‘Celtic’ connection, when we say we come from Cornwall.  I have a conversation through the car window with a man holding the ‘stop/go’ board at some road works.  He tells me about the high death rate on Irish roads – ‘down to the speed, it is’.  There are shrines at the top of every pass to Mother Mary, to give thanks for safe arrival and to pray for the journey onwards?

I feel suspended in time, in a bubble, mostly doing and observing, not thinking much.  Partly because I am in company with my husband all the time, and he is active person, always wanting to be doing something – fishing, surfing, netting for shrimps around the rocks.  We know that here we are the tourists, visitors, outsiders – and that helps me see myself with new eyes.


Iskeroon Sunset

The other side of the travel experience is seeing again that people are the same where ever you go in the world.  So I feel this duality, being different, the stranger, and being the same, a human being with the same range of feelings and emotions.

Later, in Cornwall
Seeing with new eyes has continued on my return home, everything is familiar but seen afresh having become accustomed to the sights and sounds of another place.  As we drive in our gate the garden is lush and green from all the rain that has been falling.  The house smells a little musty from being shut up.  Going out the next day, it is good to see people I recognise.  Sad to realise that people are less friendly to strangers here, I have become used to exchanging a cheery wave with people I pass on the road.  I decide to carry on waving anyway!

Being away has created a distance from my normal life.  For the first day back I am caught up in catching up with emails, bills, phone calls.  A session with my life coach that afternoon reminds me to take the opportunity to use the distance, the shift of perspective, to reorder my priorities and reaffirm my intentions.

Can you step back and see yourself and your surroundings with new eyes?  Do you feel you would like to re-examine your priorities?  Maybe things have changed within and/or around you, but you are still dancing to an old tune?  What would it feel like to find a new one?
 

Events and ways to Dare to Blossom
Now we are nearly into June, the new online group has gathered and we are exploring the Compass Rose in detail, one week at a time. I have returned to planning a trial group of the new 'Powerful Voice of the Quiet Ones' programme I have been developing. It is too soon to tell you more just yet, I am considering a start date at the beginning of July, and Zoom meetings in an afternoon slot, probably 2 pm, to suit those of you in the USA and Canada, as well as the UK and Europe. I know that wouldn't work for Australia and New Zealand and other points way ahead in time zones - if 'The Powerful Voice'  is something you feel particularly drawn to explore, please do get in touch. I will send out a 'special bulletin' email when the details are ready.

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, will probably be a virtual gathering on Zoom videoconferencing, as were the March and May events. It is scheduled for Saturday 4th July, and will be on the theme of "Power: South, Connect with Source". Booking will open soon, the basic details are here

One to one Coaching: Maybe groups are not for you? The heart of my work has always been to meet you where you are, and to be your companion as you explore your own way, as you rediscover your inner wisdom. As you  ground and balance in your centre point, in peace, before exploring the questions that brought you to connect. Simply contact me, either through the link or by replying to this email, to arrange a chat on Zoom, I call it a 'complimentary call', meaning there is no charge. What actually happens is we connect, and yes, we chat, and..... the outcome for you is that you will know a little more about how I work. You will know if that feels right for you just now. I will know if it feels right for me to be working with you (if I feel otherwise I will suggest other possibilities). At the very least you will go away with a golden nugget of some sort - I believe these exist in any, and every, interaction we have, sometimes hidden, sometimes immediately obvious.

All this is to say - please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to know more, I have various programmes on offer, with different prices attached, including a subscription service, 'Point of Focus' which begins at £10 a month. This is for a 'Listening' where I draw three cards for you and send you an illustrated pdf of the whispers I receive from your inner wisdom. Two other levels are on offer which are the most cost-effective way to access one to one coaching with me, for 30 minutes or 60 minutes per month. You may of course cancel your subscription at any time.

Whenever it is just perfect for someone to use my coaching services, we always find a way to make it work for you.
 

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

May 2020: Curiosity

Reflections: Curiosity
Book News: "Your Compass Rose Speaks – how to hear the voice of your inner guidance."
Events and ways to Dare to Blossom

Reflections: Curiosity

How are you? That question changes, doesn't it, once we are catapulted into this strange new situation. Now it feels as if we are all unsure of how we are day to day. Excuse me for presuming to speak for you, for all of us, I will return to my usual practice of simply writing from my own feelings. Yet there is a universal quality to the experience we are sharing right now. Even as we all respond differently, from day to day we are united in various ways.

The reason I asked "How are you?" is from concern for each of you who take the time to read this, time to connect. I also ask from a place of curiosity. Curiosity about those similarities we may find, and about the differences. One aspect I have noticed, and I find uncomfortable, is how judgemental I can become - of others, and of myself. Kindness is a good antidote to this, enabling me to soften those attitudes, those harsh judgements.

And so is curiosity. I wonder why I am feeling this way? I wonder why they are behaving like that? I watched a beautiful interview with Elizabeth Gilbert recently on coping with these times. One part that really struck me was when she spoke about 'passion' and about 'purpose', as being too challenging in this situation. As you know if you connect with my work or read these newsletters regularly, those words feature in one of the key components of my process now, The Compass Rose, along with power, progress and peace.



For me, I find that the way I see the Compass Rose, with each of those words rooted into the centre, Peace, where they, and we, are grounded and balanced - that both softens the challenge, and supports me in facing it. Elizabeth spoke about how she prefers to  explore 'curiosity', and this set me on this inquiry, this exploration today, as I sit in the spring sunshine in my garden.

How about if I bring curiosity into my own process, for myself, and with others? For me, there is an immediate sense of lightness, of release. "I wonder..." is a perfect starting point. It helps me quieten that judgemental voice within. It also brings a sense of possibility, of the magical. "What if...?"

Right now these questions are leading me to ask myself: I wonder how to celebrate the fifth anniversary of my very first online Midsummer Magic Carpet Ride Circle. What if I offer a special programme? And, what if we use curiosity to explore the Compass Rose? That was where I left my journal that day in the garden, sitting in the sunshine. More on that later in this newsletter.



Recently, curiosity led me to discover a new walk, new to me I mean. Quite close to my home. I have begun this walk from a different starting point before, one that involves a short drive, this time, after looking at the map, I found how to enter it in a different place and discovered this magical path, leading down to a stream in the valley, beside a house that used to be a mill at one time.

Then along the valley bottom, beside the little stream, up and over several styles to cross the field hedges, and into another patch of woodland, with steep slopes as the path led me back uphill a little, high above the stream. The woodland is ancient: willow, oak, sycamore, without the majestic tall beech trees I so love to see in my usual 'bluebell walks' each year in the woods near Respryn Bridge. Yet this was so precious, so close to home, something I had overlooked, forgotten about, for many years.

As I returned on my walk, up the hill, just past the mill I noticed this, nestled in the vegetation. I walked right past the first time - probably as I met a young woman there carrying a baby strapped on her front, so we had a short conversation, across a several metre distance.



Isn't it just magical? Someone took the trouble to find, or cut a round of wood, and to paint that beautiful representation of the stream winding down to the sea in the distance. (Historically there were a number of watermills down this valley, all making use of the water power). Then they placed it here to delight and intrigue passers-by like me.

For you, suggestions for your journal reflections or meditations:

• What are you curious about right now? Maybe write a list.
• Flow write about one of the 'curiosities' on your list.
• Read it back, underline any words that stand out to you, and choose one of those for another flow writing exercise (you can set a timer for these if you wish)
• Repeat for as long as you feel like playing.

Book News: "Your Compass Rose Speaks – how to hear the voice of your inner guidance."

Many of you may know that I have been thinking about this book, and working on it intermittently, for such a long time. Thinking back, I remember originally planning that it would be published for my birthday one year - I think that might even have been for my 65th which would have been in 2017.

So much has happened since then. Today I was reminded that it is two years since I attended a workshop in London with my friend Anna, run by Stewart Pearce. He wrote The Alchemy of Voice, a book I had read years earlier. My meditation poem Compass Rose Speaks grew out of his request for each of us to memorise a piece to be used during the workshop - I decided to write my own. I enjoyed the event and learned a lot, and yet the biggest gift of all has been that piece that has now become an integral part of the way I work - with others, and for myself.

Recently Womancraft Publishing brought forward a submission date for manuscripts and I was inspired to return to writing this book, which I had set aside last autumn before my trip to New Zealand, knowing somehow that patience was needed for other parts to slot into place before it could be completed. On my return, as you may know, I was inspired to publish the memoir part as a separate book The Powerful Voice of the Quiet Ones. So, seeing Lucy's request for submissions made me sit down and work on the draft very quickly and submit it to her.

I know she had many more submissions that she can publish, including two follow-ups from authors whose work she has already published (and I will be eagerly awaiting those) - so I was not surprised, even if a little disappointed, to receive a 'rejection letter' - a beautifully worded email. I am so grateful for the push this process has given me, and to Lucy for taking my work seriously enough to read it.

I will be returning to complete and self-publish that book very soon, and once it is approaching readiness I will open pre-orders as I did for the last book - I am so grateful to everyone, including many of you reading this, who were generous enough to trust me with your money in advance.

The book will take the reader through the  ‘Compass Rose Coaching’ practice that I have developed over a number of years. There are a series of ‘Steps’ with some reflections and suggestions from me on each. I am doing my best to draw a picture in words of what I see as a multi-dimensional experience, describing the landscape of the garden that we visit in the guided part of the visualisation in the live groups I run. There is a Travellers' Tales Circle - a chapter where you can drop in and read the stories of magic carpet rides experienced by people over the time I have been leading this practice. If any of you would like to share your own stories in that chapter I would be delighted to receive them, they can be published anonymously, or with your details and business links.

Events and ways to Dare to Blossom
I seem to have planned so much for May - something that often happens in this, my very favourite month of the year. Here in Cornwall everything is exuberantly bursting into blossom and leaf, with colour and greenery everywhere. My enthusiasm does the same.

In case all this seems hard to follow, here is a brief summary:
Three one-off Zoom Circles, all times UK:
Friday 1st May at 10.00 am
Saturday 9th May at 10.00 am
Monday 18th May at 7.30 pm.
The last is an introduction to the new programme that begins on Monday 25th May at 7.30 pm and runs for six weeks.More details on each of these is below. You are most welcome to come to one or all.

A May Day Magic Carpet Ride Usually May Day in Padstow, just a few miles from my home is a time of music, dance, drums, accordions, and lots of jollity - and crowds. Naturally it has been cancelled this year as these sort of gatherings are not allowed. Here is a taste of last year for you, that is the Red 'Oss, so for fairness here is one of the Blue 'Oss too (the recording of the singing is more clear in this one).  Here is a link to a Pathe News film from way back in 1932. I imagine there may still be some music in Padstow this year, I wonder if the people will sing from their windows as they do in Italy?

I have decided to offer a circle to celebrate the first day of May, this is a free event, with donations welcome if you find it valuable and are in a position to offer anything - and simply for fun. We will meet on Zoom at 10.00 am on Friday 1st May, and I expect the Circle with last for between one and one and a half hours. If you are on Facebook, you can book your place on the event page here. I know many of you who read this newsletter don't bother with social media so simply contact me, and I will send you the Zoom link.

Workshops The next Dare to Blossom Workshop planned at the Blue Lotus at Scorrier will probably be a virtual gathering on Zoom videoconferencing, as was the March event. It is scheduled for Saturday 9th May, and will be on the theme of "Passion: East, Potential Rising". The details are here, and you can book there, and pay by donation, or you can book a place by replying to this email, and decide on that amount after the event (and pay via direct transfer instead of PayPal if you prefer).
 

Curiosity & Celebration: A Midsummer Magic Carpet Ride

Following on the theme of 'curiosity' and a celebration of five years of Magic Carpet Rides. We begin on Monday 18th May, with a free taster Circle, and then meet for six weeks from 25th May. More details here, with booking opening soon.

The special spring offer on the Compass Rose Coaching Programme is still available. Six sessions, of either one hour or thirty minutes, on Zoom, at half price. Even if this feels out of reach just now, please do request a 'complimentary consultation' - also known as a chat on Zoom over a cuppa to get to know each other a little better.
 

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

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