May 2018 Laughter

Reflections: Laughter

My first reflection is to simplify this newsletter, for this month at least. So for May, there is just this article. Plus a link at the bottom to find out more about workshops etc and to meet up (in person or online) for a cuppa and a chat.

In order to help you find your way around I have recorded a short video which you will find on my YouTube channel. You will probably laugh at me as I sneezed energetically in the middle. Maybe I will record a new version but not today.

If you prefer the other format with all the information in detail within the newsletter do let me know, and any other feedback and suggestions are always very welcome. Just reply to this email and I will be delighted to hear from you.

I know that many of you who read this prefer not to be on Facebook, for those who are, you can always link up through that medium also and you will find a lively community developing in the 'Dare to Blossom into Joy' group where I share a card of the day and some photos.

And so, back to Laughter - such a big part of my life, and my work.

What is your first response to the word?

To the colour?

What else is there?

And, what else?

In every coaching call, every workshop, in the online circles I host - the delicious moments are when we all dissolve into laughter. My attention was drawn by my little laughing Buddha  - I have always loved that he has a cat on his shoulder as well as his traveling pack.



My cats always help me to smile if I am feeling low - and sometimes fall about laughing at their antics. I don't have any  real action photos to show you - I am usually too busy laughing and enjoying the moment, and if I do think of it then they are moving too fast. However, as most of us love a cat photo, here is one of Evie looking very cheeky to make you smile today. (Even if you are allergic to cats maybe you will enjoy the picture?)



Laughter is such a basic human response, maybe a necessity in life. It gets us breathing more deeply, moving our muscles, creating a 'feel-good' factor for us. 

For you, for your journal, meditations or artwork, start with the prompts mentioned above, and repeated here for you:

What is your first response to the word?

To the colour?

What else is there?

And, what else?

What makes you really laugh out loud?
How long since you have done that?
(If the answer is a long time how about watching some favourite comedy programmes or films, or some of the 'laughing babies' videos on-line - I challenge anyone not to laugh with those.)
What does 'laughter' mean for you?
Do you have memories that spring to mind? If so, are they happy memories? And if they are not, what can you do now to shift and heal that discomfort?

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This picture of big seas at Constantine Bay was taken a week or so ago, in April. It was a glorious day after a winter that has felt wet, dark and very cold this year. It is still unseasonably cold - and today as I write, very windy. And, I am so lucky to be able to walk in places like this at any time of the year.



This month I have decided not to include any 'Notices' about my services and events. If you are inspired to find out more why not take a look at my website? Then you might like to suggest a time to meet for a cuppa and a chat, in person if you are in Cornwall, or on Zoom video-conferencing, to get to know each other a little. Here is the link to the video tour mentioned above in case you would like to see that now.

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

April 2018 Purpose

April 2018

 Reflections: Purpose
One-to-one Coaching
Events and workshops

Reflections: Purpose

This was the theme of the last workshop here in Cornwall, and we will be exploring 'Purpose' in the April Dare to Blossom into Joy Mastermind group, just about to begin on April 2nd (more about that below, and there is still time to join us if you wish).

So, 'Purpose', what does that word, that concept mean to you?

What is your first response to the word?

To the colour?

What else is there?

And, what else?

For me, as I continue to work with more and more people, in different ways, my view of 'purpose' seems to fluctuate. At times it seems very clear. At others it seems almost as if it is still there, over there in the distance, but maybe a sea fog has blown in - as it does here on the coast on a sunny summer's day - and is obscuring that view for a while.

Those times are when I feel I need to stay connected. To continue the metaphor, to feel the ground beneath my feet, knowing that I am still on the path, even when I cannot see the destination.

And what happens when I lose even that, lose contact with the path? What if I do not know my purpose? Or, what if that purpose changes? I have experienced all of these circumstances, numerous times over the years.

What I would say now, and what I wish I could have told my younger self, is that ..... it is all OK. The searching, the feeling lost, is all part of a human existence. What I have learned to do now is to return to my breath. To simply breathe deeply. For that truly is a purpose in itself: simply to breathe, to be here, now, in this physical body.

Knowing that the way is always there - multiple ways, perhaps, many choices. Knowing that the sun is always there - that the light will return as the earth turns and night becomes day. As the clouds clear and the sun shines. I also recognise, and have experienced myself, the depth of the seemingly impenetrable blackness that seems to have no end, no possible chink to let the light in, no hope of coming home to myself.

If that is where you are, or where you find yourself at any time (as you probably won't be reading this if you are there right now) - please ask for help, from professionals and from those around you. My work is not in therapy or counseling: I have enough professional training and experience to know where the boundaries lie, when the person I am talking to needs a different type of support than I can offer. 

Hmmm.... interesting where my musings on 'Purpose' have taken me this morning. And that is just it, the prompt of a single word, on a coloured background, can take the thoughts off on different paths. When I am working with people one to one or in groups with the Dare to Blossom Power Flower - and we reach the 'Purpose' petal to unfurl, as we will be during April - then we have plenty of opportunity to reflect in different ways, on different days. Each of our reflections will be unique, and each will have nuggets of gold within to be harvested.

So, if I draw a card for 'Purpose' - what else is there? When I did this for myself, out on the cliffs near Trevone, here is what I received: Aspiration. My first response is to smile: having just written about breathing, the Latin root of this word 'Aspire' is to do with breathing.

And there is the the other dictionary definition of the word: 'the hope or ambition of achieving something'. Or maybe something else is arising for you? There are no right or wrong answers, simply different views at different times.



For you, for your journal, meditations or artwork:

What does Purpose mean for you?
Can you see clearly?
Or do you need to return to your breath and wait for the fog to clear?
What tools can you use to enjoy exploring what might be coming next on the path?

One-to-one Coaching
There are lots of opportunities listed below to join groups, in person and on-line, or to visit Cornwall on a Quest Experience Day.

The simplest way to access your own inner wisdom is through your own reflections and meditation. If you would like a companion at your side for a while, then I can offer one-to-one sessions on video conferencing.

Here is an unsolicited testimonial from someone I worked with very recently:

"Hello Mary,
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. I am amazed how impactful and insightful just half an hour with you can be – which I wasn’t expecting, but loved. All our sessions have been an incredibly positive experience; setting me up on the right tracks to move forward again. Thank you for helping me to find that the clarity and balance again."

Jocelyn shared these two images to illustrate how she experienced this:

 


Events and workshops

The April 'Stepping into Your Power' Mastermind group, is about to open, on Monday 2nd April. There are just three spaces left, so if you are called to join us now - be quick and contact me to find out if this is for you. Before anyone joins the group I offer you a complimentary consultation so you can ask any questions you may have, and we can get to know each other a little.



The next workshop here in Cornwall, on 12th May, is on the theme of 'Passion - Expanding'. We will focus on the expansion that passion brings. Using that power, that motivation, that joyful feeling to expand without effort, without struggle. To simply open and expand as the flower does as it blossoms.



Stepping into Your Power one day workshop in Devizes: 16th June

This is a new location, hosted in a private house in an easily accessible location with good public transport and road links. The full details and booking link are here. We will share a day of exploring as we unfurl each petal of the Power Flower, in a relaxed and supportive environment with plenty of laughter.

Time: 10.00 to 16.00
Price: £65 per person, including refreshments and lunch.




Booking is open now for your Dare to Blossom Quest Experience. Will you choose a specific focus? Maybe Peace, Purpose, Passion, Power or Progress, or maybe a theme personal to you. The first step is a complimentary consultation, then once you book there is another hour call to start the process - though in reality, that begins as soon as you make that commitment to yourself, as Sheryl describes so eloquently in her video reflections.



When would you like to come to the magical land of Cornwall? Maybe you would like to plan a very special visit around your Quest Experience? I can help with suggestions for places to visit and to stay. Maybe you are coming anyway on a family holiday and will be able to negotiate with them to take a day out just for you? Maybe, like me, you live here and will simply need to find a convenient date. 
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As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments.

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

March 2018 Growth

Reflections: Growth
Events, workshops, and your individual Dare to Blossom Quest Experience

Reflections: Growth

This month I have left writing this until the very last minute, so, although I should get this out on 28th February, by the time you read this it may already be March. Here in the UK, even in normally mild Cornwall, we are just entering a very cold spell. This often happens in March, though not for a few years now. Some years back it was below freezing for about ten days. The fountain in our pond, which we left on to aerate the water for the fish, created an amazing ice sculpture as the water gushing from the top froze around it and a frozen cascade grew and grew. It must have been a while ago as it was before I had a digital camera, so I have no photos at hand to show you.

The subject for these reflections - growth - will, I hope, be a chance to reflect on green shoots, rather than ice accumulating. It is also the theme for the last week of the 'Peace' Mastermind group (in the Stepping into Your Power programme) that has been running through the month of February. This has been the first of five in-depth months as we journey through the year together. In April we unfurl the 'Purpose' petal together.

The chance for you to apply to join the Mastermind group will be opening soon, just as soon, in fact, as I can get the information ready. February has been a wonderfully busy month, culminating in a trip to Surrey to exhibit at the Holistic and Mystic Show at Dorking. I was also invited to be a speaker on the talks programme there, and I was delighted to share a little of the Dare to Blossom story with those who joined me, along with offering each person their own Rediscovery Card to take away with them. For those of you not able to visit, here is the interview I did for their blog.

I was lucky enough to be taken to some scenic spots - we had lunch in the village of Forest Row, I loved this building - it was actually a pizza restaurant, but I think I managed to get a shot without any signs to distract you from the beautiful architecture.



So, back to 'Growth'. In spite of the occasional cold spell, I love this time of year. The first signs of spring are well-evident now: my miniature daffodils in the pots outside my office in the garden are in full bloom, the first starry white flowers of blackthorn are out in the hedgerows, and the blush of swelling buds is misting the trees with a touch of colour.

For me, it feels as if nature is pausing to take a deep breath, maybe even welcoming the pause of the cold setting back the pace of growth just a little. And once this has passed, then the buds will burst and the green leaves appear; more and more flowers will blossom, the birds will be nesting and spring will truly be here.



In personal terms, where is growth taking place for you? It may not be showing itself yet. Maybe you are experiencing 'growing pains' as you work through a process of change. Or perhaps, the time is not quite right yet - like those buds pausing in the cold weather and suspending their opening until the temperature rises again.

For you, for your journal, meditations or artwork:

What does growth mean for you?
Do you feel that your are frozen into inaction just now?
Where is the potential for you in this pause?
When the thaw comes, how will you choose to grow and blossom?

Events, workshops, and your individual Dare to Blossom Quest Experience

The next workshop here in Cornwall, on 17th March, is on the theme of 'Purpose - Reaching'. What do you want to achieve, what is your gift to share with the world?



While I am preparing the details for the April 'Stepping into Your Power' Mastermind group, here is the general information. Before anyone joins the group I offer you a complimentary consultation so you can ask any questions you may have, and we can get to know each other a little.



Booking is open now for your Dare to Blossom Quest Experience. Will you choose a specific focus? Maybe Peace, Purpose, Passion, Power or Progress, or maybe a theme personal to you. The first step is a complimentary consultation, then once you book there is another hour call to start the process - though in reality, that begins as soon as you make that commitment to yourself, as Sheryl describes so eloquently in her video reflections.



When would you like to come to the magical land of Cornwall? Maybe you would like to plan a very special visit around your Quest Experience? I can help with suggestions for places to visit and to stay. Maybe you are coming anyway on a family holiday and will be able to negotiate with them to take a day out just for you? Maybe, like me, you live here and will simply need to find a convenient date. 
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As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments.

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

February 2018 Peace

Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter

Reflections: Peace
Events, workshops, and your individual Dare to Blossom Quest Experience

Reflections: Peace

Today, as I write a week before you will receive this,  I was able to get out for a walk for the first time for a while. The weather has been - well, what you would expect in a Cornish winter - wet, drizzly, windy, with hardly any sunshine.  Today the forecast was at least dry, and I wanted some time out in nature to reflect, to begin this piece for you.

I chose the title 'Peace' as it fits with where I am in my cycle of the year. Last Saturday was the first workshop of the six planned for this year at the Blue Lotus Therapy Centre. A beautiful morning spent together exploring Peace. Ending with an unexpected and delightful singsong!

So, a walk to reflect, on this very windy beach, at Constantine Bay, near Padstow and St Merryn, here on the Atlantic coast. This was far from a peaceful experience - the big ocean waves were crashing and the wind was blowing, and it was wonderful. Full of the energy of nature - and that is one place I find my peace, whatever the conditions are at the time.



So different from the same beach, also on a winter's day:



Both days helped me connect with my inner peace, in different ways. And so did being in the workshop, even though I was responsible for making the experience a good one for everyone else, there was peace for me there too.

For you, for your journal, meditations or artwork:

What does peace mean for you?
Where do you find it?
How can you connect with your inner peace in the midst of noise and bustle and busyness?

Events, workshops, and your individual Dare to Blossom Quest Experience

You will find details of all the events by clicking here or on the flower image below, all are on the theme of 'Stepping into Your Power'. All will be looking at Peace, the centre of the Dare to Blossom Power Flower.

Here is a comment made on Facebook after the last workshop, in reply to someone who said they had an amazing time:

"It was indeed amazing, wonderful, inspirational, beautiful, supportive, relaxing and energising. Oh, great fun in good company too. Thank you everyone for sharing, trusting and adding to it and Mary for enabling it to happen. See you in two months. Let the Magic continue."

In the Mastermind Circle beginning on 5th February you can join us from anywhere in the world. Booking at the introductory price closes on 1st February. I am sending this newsletter early to give you a day or so to consider if you would like to join us.

In London, we will spend a whole day, beginning with grounding in Peace and then unfurling each of the petals through the day.

And, if you decide to join me here, on the beaches and cliffs of north Cornwall on your own Dare to Blossom Quest - I will be your guide and companion while you explore your Peace within and all those other aspects: Purpose, Passion, Power, Progress - and returning back to peace.

Finally, the next workshop here in Cornwall, on 17th March, is building on Peace and expanding into the theme of 'Purpose - Reaching'. What do you want to achieve, what is your gift to share with the world?

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As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments.

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

January 2018 Simply Reflections

Happy New Year - may 2018 be an amazing year for you. 

Reflections: Simply Reflections
2018 Dare to Blossom Mastermind programme: Stepping into Your Power
Workshops in London and Cornwall
New Year wishes to you

Reflections: Simply Reflections

Usually, the 'Reflections' piece here has a title, a subject, a theme. This time it is simply.... reflections.

One of the suggested 'words for the year' with the My Word Goddess Reading that I receive from Amy Palko each year is 'Orientation'. I have been trying that on for size and it hasn't quite felt the perfect fit.

Then my mind went to 'Flow' and someone in a group I belong to, where we were discussing our words, said this: ""Mary, I have this picture of you swimming in a vast ocean with goggles on and a compass in your hand trying to orient yourself to land." and then asked me if I felt adrift.

My reply was, not so much adrift as sitting with the feeling that things are about to become crystal clear next year, and maybe in unexpected ways. So, that is where I am just now. And, then I was drawn to look back on the ten years of writing these newsletters - I began in March 2007.

So, my first ever reflections for a New Year were in January 2008. Reading again I see a snapshot of my life then, linking in with my memories of that time. What was happening then? In my business I had workshops planned for 2008 in Cornwall, Covent Garden in London, and in York.

I did not know that the following year I was to be made redundant from the part time job at a local college I had been in for six, nearly seven years. But, that was all in the future when I wrote these words:

Reflections: Endings, continuations and new beginnings

Reflecting on the end of 2007 and the New Year about to start is a time to pause, take stock, and look forward to the coming twelve months.

I have just worked through the ‘New Inspiration’ sheet I sent to you all with Christmas wishes.  It is an interesting experience reflecting on a whole year, such a lot has happened.  Some things have changed considerably over that time, some not at all.  Some are still significant, some I can hardly remember why they seemed such a ‘big thing’ at the time.

I don’t feel it is just ‘hindsight’ – in other words being able to see what I could have done differently after an event.  I think it is also about perspective, about being able to take a different view, perhaps a number of views, by looking back at something instead of forwards.  By metaphorically walking all round it, considering various angles and viewpoints, I am able to see things differently.

Overall, for me, it has been an immensely satisfying and fulfilling year.  I have met many wonderful people, in person and via online networking sites.  I have almost finished my latest book (‘Dare to Blossom: Coaching and Creativity) and it will be available very soon.  I have two workshops coming up in February (and more planned later in 2008).

For you:
As well as using the ‘New Inspiration’ worksheet, you might like to reflect and write about these questions:

What has ended over the last year?
Have I recognised and marked these endings?  (There may be a celebration, or a memorial ceremony that would feel appropriate to mark them.)  Are they happy or sad?  Is there anything that should have ended but is dragging on?  Should it be ‘laid to rest’?

What began afresh this year?
Where have/are these new beginnings taking me?  Are they continuing into 2008?  Do I want them to continue?

What new beginnings to you want to make happen for yourself?  What actions can you take to achieve this?

So, you may like to sit with these questions, with your journal or in meditation. I have checked that I still have the "New Inspirations" worksheet - if you would like a copy please contact me and I will send it over to you.

My personal thoughts now are that I am in the perfect place to begin a new 'trip around the sun', a new cycle, a new turn of the spiral of my life. I have some plans, dates for workshops and events, as you will see below. And, I love that I have lots of space for the new to arrive without me placing too many expections just now on what that 'new' might look like.

As some of you may know, I am, as I was in 2007, working on a book. It is not as far advanced as that title was - and that is fine too. I know it will emerge and evolve as the year continues on, as the seasons turn, as my work takes me to new places and ideas.

2018 Dare to Blossom Mastermind Circle programme



What does this bring for you? The thought of stepping into your power? All this last twelve months I have been exploring the concept of 'power'. Seeing where I, and others, resist the thought of the sort of power that controls, dominates, has 'power over' others. I have spoken to so many people, men as well as women, who feel strongly in their hearts that there is another way. A way of bringing forward gentle power, maybe a feminine power to balance the masculine within each of us.

You may like to watch this TED Talk where a man, Justin Baldoni, gives his perspective on this. This reminds me to mention that men are welcome in my groups as well as women - I know a number of men who would fit in perfectly to our circles, whether in person or online. As Justin Baldoni says in his TED talk, we need to get everyone involved, men and women, in order for society to change.

During 2017 the workshops and groups I have led have explored the unfurling of this power, using the format of the 'Dare to Blossom Power Flower' with which many of you are familiar. Now it is time for me, and for you if you care to join me, to step firmly into our power.



In November, four people joined me to work through a trial run of a Dare to Blossom Mastermind Circle. The five of us worked together on weekly prompts and topics, shared in a private Facebook group and met once a week for a live meeting on Zoom video-conferencing. As it was a small group, I was able to take part in the same way as everyone else, as well as holding a quiet safe space for everyone to be heard and witnessed, and to hear themselves think.

The others present will be sharing some thoughts when the festive season is over and they have had time to reflect. In the mean time I think I can speak for all of us when I  say that none of us had imagined how powerful the Circle would be. Usiing my tried and tested processes, working with the Rediscovery Cards and the Magic Carpet Ride Guided Visualisations, brought forth inspiration, insights, new ideas, realisations. Each person was supported by the others in the group in a non-judgemental, peaceful way. And the laughter was often full-bellied and boisterous; the occasional tears were healing and honoured by us all.

We followed the ups and downs of each other's lives and the most common comment at the end of the month was 'I don't want this to end!' And it hasn't, we are meeting again for a reuniion call soon, and maybe some of those people wll join one or more of the new Circles in 2018. Each will be different, with a mix of people, backgrounds and locations. (In November we circled the globe with three of us at different spots in the UK, one in the USA, and one in Australia.)

The groups will be kept small as I know that is how the trust is built and the strength of the group lies in that firm grounding. If you are a Point of Focus Membership subscriber, you will be eligible for a 10% discount, make sure you contact me as soon as possible to secure your place.

There is an outline of the whole programme, which begins in February on the website under 'Workshops and Events.' Along with full details of the February Circle 'Peace'. We are following the flow that has worked so well through the year in 2017 in the workshops at the Blue Lotus at Scorrier, (see below for the 2018 proramme there), using the unfurling of the Dare to Blossom Power Flower.

As you will see on the website, there are two free Zoom video-conferencing calls scheduled for you to experience a little of the process for yourself and to ask any questions you may have before deciding if the Mastermind programme is for you. You do not need to be on Facebook to attend these, nor to take part in the Mastermind Circles - though you would miss much of the interaction that takes place there. If you would like to discuss with me in private, just book a complimentary twenty minute consultation. If you don't like on line groups you may find that one to one coaching suits you, all those details are here on the Rediscovery Coaching pages.

Workshops

Stepping into Your Power 2018 Programme Scorrier Cornwall The first workshop is on 20th January, at the usual time 10-1, with a big discount (one third reduction) for 'frequent flyers' who would like to book the year-long programme of six.

London 24th February Stepping into Your Power Following on the success of the event last August, another full day to dive in and explore together in a small group.

I am still looking out for other venues in Cornwall and Devon, so if you know anywhere or would like to host a workshop in your home or invite me to speak to a group you are involved with, please do get in touch.

New Year wishes to you

Finally, thank you so much to each of you reading this, I am so grateful for your support, often over many years. If you feel you no longer wish to receive these emails, please feel free to unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the page, although I would be sad to see you go, you won't offend me - I know very well the need to 'declutter' my in-box at regular intervals.

I hope this won't be the case though, and that we'll be in touch throughout the new year ahead. Who knows where the year wiill take us? Maybe I will meet more of you in person, that is such a joy when itis possible. Coffee, cake and conversation; walk and talk - is always such a deep pleasure. Each of you feels like an old friend even though we may not yet have met in person.

Here is a photo I took a while ago at the Eden Project here in Cornwall, with love and gratitude from me to you - oh, and a Happy New Year too.



As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments.

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

December 2017 Questions

Welcome to the Dare to Blossom Newsletter

This is coming to you a little later than usual - for a very good reason. The 29th November was the launch of Susie Mackie's book Women of Spirit. I am proud to be one of the contributors to what is not simply a book full of moving and inspiring stories, but the start of a movement. More details below.

December! Still time to buy Dare to Blossom Rediscovery Cards - a perfect gift that will be enjoyed every day of the year. If you feel time is running away with you - why not ask me to gift wrap them, include a personal greeting from you, and send them direct? Just ask me when ordering (please make sure it is before the last posting date wherever you wish them to travel in the world.)

Reflections: Questions
Events: summary and links
What else is there?
Women of Spirit launch event
My Silver Tent Radio Show

Reflections: Questions

As we move into December, I intended to have  a full programme of offerings for you. As I write this piece now, on 27th November, some are already in place, and at the same time others are still floating out there somewhere in the creative soup. Not ready to be pinned down just yet. 'More questions than answers' as the saying goes.

What is out there in the distance? Beyond that cloud obscuring part of the blue sky and the landscape beyond?



I do not yet know. And so, what can I share now, today? What is ready to be told? What else is there that needs to be given more time? Time to germinate; to grow a strong root system; to produce green shoots that will withstand the buffeting of the weather in the outside world; and to produce buds, flower and form fruit.

Maybe in the same way that it is possible to change the conditions so that seeds germinate more quickly, here are some projects I can speed up. But only to a certain degree, once I reach that point I find that once again I am faced with questions. Questions I cannot yet see the answers for clearly. Sometimes the natural order, whether for seeds or for our own creative projects, just cannot be hurried. Certain things need to slot into place before others can come clearly into focus.
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For you, to reflect upon in your journal, your meditations, your art work:
- What does this word - "questions" bring for you? What questions arise?
- Reflecting on 'questions about questions' has proved a challenge for me - instead of using words, maybe you'd like to try doodling, drawing, painting, using collage work instead?
- Or putting on your favourite music and dancing.
- Or getting outdoors and walking, running, swimming - whatever works best for you to access your creative mind and allow the questions time to germinate.

Events: Summary and links

Stepping into Your Power 2018 Programme Scorrier Cornwall The first workshop, is on 20th January, usual time 10-1, with a big discount for 'frequent flyers' who would like to book the year-long programme of six.

London 24th February Stepping into Your Power Following on the success of the event in August, another full day to dive in and explore together in a small group.

What else is there?
These are events already planned - over the next few weeks I will have more to share once the answers to those questions become clear.

Some of you have shared with me a deep and powerful experience in the first Dare to Blossom Point of Focus Mastermind Group during November - I can only speak for myself just now but as we draw that to a close it has been far more, far more in every way than I could possibly have envisaged.

This beautiful candle-holder - there was one on each table in The Mexican where my husband and I enjoyed a meal recently - this image illustrates how I feel at the end of this group. (Not that it will end, we are connected in our circle as long as we wish to be).



Once we have all had time to reflect and I have drawn everything I have learned into a coherent plan, then the 2018 programme will be announced. At present I see that beginning in February, and I may well be in touch before Christmas with news for those of you who like to plan ahead. If you would like to be among the first to receive an invitation to consider joining us in what may be called the Dare to Blossom Power Circle during 2018, contact me here to join the priority list.

Another trial of deep significance for me was the Dare to Blossom Quest Day that Sheryl Andrews chose to book on 4 November. Cornwall in the autumn at her wild and wonderful best.



I am so grateful for the chance to really experience for myself how powerful the Power Flower process is when someone works through it, literally stepping into their power as we step through the ancient and dramatic landscape of this special place.

A note here: No apologies for the repeated use of that word 'Power'. Feminine power, gentle power, power of community - all these ways of looking at a word that for so long, for many of us, has had connotations of fear, control, domination - this has brought me so many conversations this year. With men as well as women. People who care deeply about the future for us all, for our children and grandchildren and all living things we share this earth with - all these people are joining in moving into a different way of being.

So, to return to the magical day that Sheryl and I shared. The wind was strong and we had to keep the cards from flying away as Sheryl drew them for each point on the flower as we moved location during the day.

 

Sheryl has offered to share some reflections with us in the next newsletter, thank you in advance and for the whole experience. I am very grateful also to Mark who took the photographs and held the space so perfectly for the magic to happen during the day.



So, if you are feeling you'd like to join me here in north Cornwall for a Dare to Blossom Quest Day in 2018, look out for future announcements, or contact me direct  

Women of Spirit launch event

So, what can I say about such an amazing event? The launch took place at Barton Court, at Colwall, near Malvern. (A stunning wedding and celebration venue if you are looking for one). A group of people gathered, first to support those speaking to practice their words; and to make lunch and share; to prepare for the guests arriving in the evening. All flowed beautifully - many hands achieving what needed to be done.

As we gathered later, in our party outfits, welcoming people as they arrived, hugging old friends and new; joining in conversations and then listening to the so powerful stories - my overwhelming feeling was of the power of community. Most of us had only met on-line before then, if at all. The feeling of each of us using our experiences to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and to help others know they are not alone in whatever it is they are going through - that is the power that can make the world a better place. To borrow Susie's words - we are all like pebbles in a pool: we set the ripples in motion through our actions and who knows where they will reach. Click on the link to buy the book from Amazon UK, or use your favourite bookseller (my preference is for Abe Books).



You may notice that this book is Volume One - if you would like to be included in future volumes, link up with the Women of Spirit website or Facebook group. 

My Silver Tent Radio Show

The Silver Tent is a conscious, creative and collaborative community supportig women over fifty. In just over twelve months the Facebook community has gown to 3422 members (by the time you read this there will be more) - and already extraordinary things are happening. In a breath-takingly short time we have between us created a calendar for 2018 and set up Silver Tent Radio - you can find a wide selection of shows here.

As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments. 

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary

November 2017: Settling

Reflections: Settling

When being prompted for a title for this newsletter for November the word 'Settling' came to mind, I am not sure why - and that is what I will explore in a moment through some flow writing.

First, I went to the dictionary, as I often do - and I find it is a fascinating word, with many meanings. Some of these are: to agree, to make comfortable, to live, to move lower, to pay, to become quiet and calm. One of the suggested origins of the word is "Old English setlan ‘to seat, place’, from settle."

The suggestion I tuned into is "to relax into a comfortable position....." This feels perfect for today, and for the act of writing this to you. Not to see it as simply an item on my to-do list, or a chore - but rather a relaxation. A settling in as if in a comfortable chair, sitting opposite you - my dear friend. Opening a conversation - and many of you do write back to me with your thoughts and comments and I so treasure those exchanges.

'Settling' also chimes, for me, with this time of year - tonight, 28th October, here in the UK, British Summer Time ends, and we return to GMT, Greenwich Mean Time. Signaling the beginning of darker evenings and mornings, cooler weather, a drawing inwards.

Last Saturday a group of women shared a beautiful day, the Mellow October Workshop - a one-day retreat that Melanie and I collaborated on together. On the day it was anything but mellow outside, with a severe gale raging, the trees thrashing around, heavy showers passing by and lashing down with rain. Every so often the clouds cleared and we saw a glimpse of sunshine.



Inside we were warm and cosy, tucked up - settled into a safe cocoon together. We are planning more events in the future, it was a joy to work together in this way. Here are some photos of the day:

Here are the cards laid out and the fire lit before everyone arrived....


Part way through...


Wonderfully messy creative play....


My corner of our 'altar' laid out around the carpet, at the end....


During the day we shared meditations, healing circles, conversation, insights, laughter and a few tears. Plus the delicious lunch that Melanie prepared for us - not to mention the lemon drizzle cake.



Such a beautiful way to spend a day, thank you so much to everyone who joined us.
-----------------------------
So, settling - what does this word bring for you?

For you, to reflect upon in your journal, your meditations, your art work:
- What are you settling for?
- What would you like to settle into?
- Do you need to 'settle up' with someone? With yourself?
- How would you like to settle into a comfortable position?
- What is 'comfortable' for you?

Events: Summary and links
There is a lot in my calendar this month, and I am aware that giving full details of a big list of events is not helpful for everyone.

So, this month I will simply list each event and link them to my website, or to an external page if that is relevant (as in my talk on 6th November). I will be interested to hear whether you prefer this format, do let me know please. If you would like to know more and would like to talk, just book a twenty-minute complimentary consultation call through my calendar here, and we can chat over a cuppa, wherever you are in the world. As always, my one-to-one coaching programmes are available at any time.

November Online Mastermind Circle: Point Of Focus - Our relationship with money - from lack to abundance. From 1st November for four weeks. A trial circle for an in-depth exploration of many other aspects of daring to blossom during 2018.
"What's age got to do with it? Insights from a lifetime in business": 6th November 12-2, free event, talk for the Plymouth Women in Business group.
8th November, Holsworthy : Dare to Blossom, stepping into your power, an introduction, 10-2.30 - a full programme will run in 2018 if there is interest here.
18 November Scorrier, Cornwall: A Magic Carpet Ride, Unleash Your Power Within. Progress - Harvesting, 10-1, the last event of the year in our series.
Stepping into Your Power 2018 Programme Scorrier Cornwall: The first workshop, is on 20th January, usual time 10-1, with a big discount for 'frequent flyers' who would like to book the year-long programme of six.
London 24th February Stepping into your power: following on the success of the event in August.


As always, please feel free to comment below with your thoughts and comments. 

If you would like to own a set of Dare to Blossom Rediscovery cards to explore their power for yourself please visit the dedicated page.

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

Until next time,

with love,
Mary