Once upon a time, there was a young dragon. She was not yet very brave. Did you know that when a dragon is scared their colours fade and they become slightly transparent? That is why the silhouette of the dragon in my painting looks a little faint.
Dare to Blossom Blog
February 2022 - Essence
Reflections: Essence
The Dare to Blossom Rediscovery Cards No 2
'Be Powerfully You - Shine Your Light' six week programme
'Coaching for Coaches' and 'Coaching for Creatives'
Dare to Blossom Monthly Circles on Zoom - a choice of day and time
Recommendations - Brigid's Grove and Womancraft Publishing
Reflections: Essence
This is one of the words in the new Dare to Blossom Rediscovery Cards No 2 Deck. (click on the image to find out more). There are fifty new words, and a number of new colours, people are already telling me there is a vibrant energy about these cards.
What is your first response? To the word? To the colour? What else is there? And, what else?
The card looks particularly bright in this first photo, taken out on the headland near Trevone, on a rare sunny day in January, and one when the wind had dropped. The light, the camera, and the screen it is viewed on all change how the cards appear. Not to mention that we probably all see, or perceive, colours differently. (if the image below appears sideways - my apologies, I have no idea why that is - it looks fine when I am editing here, but arrives sideways in the email version - most curious!)
January 2022 - Flow and Shine
Reflections: Flow and Shine
Pre-orders open: the Dare to Blossom Rediscovery Cards No 2
'Coaching for Coaches' and 'Coaching for Creatives'
Dare to Blossom Monthly Circles on Zoom
January 2022 - "Grace and Flow" three weeks to step gently into the New Year
Reflections: Flow and Shine
Do you choose a word of the year? Last year I decided on two - Vision and Sanctuary. For 2022, two again - Flow and Shine. If you read this newsletter last month, you may remember I wrote about 'Grace and Flow' there, and that is part of the title of the first programme this year (see more below).
For me, as I reflect now on Flow, and Shine, each describe ways I would like to be during 2022. Ways that may help me to face whatever is coming for me in the year ahead. However much we human beings like to make plans and look forward, I have had that experience of everything changing in an instant. The change is usually something that is not under my control. It may be something I may judge to be 'negative' - an illness, a death, an accident. Or something I see as 'positive' - a chance meeting, an offer of work. And yet the outcomes of those things, the gifts they bring, can often be completely unexpected.
For example, my experience of cancer, which began 28 years ago in May, was a huge shock at the time, and yet looking back, in many ways my life changed for the better afterwards.
'Go with the flow' can seem an easy option, even like giving up, yet for me it is often the hardest. Do I continue fighting against the current, the flow of the river taking me downstream? How do I know that 'upstream' is where I want to be, need to be? A coaching client once had an insight related to this when she drew the 'Surrender' card. She chose to see that as surrender to the flow, and she described how she was often so focused on her plans for her business, that even as she was allowing the flow to take her, she was paddling hard to go even faster, looking far ahead to the ultimate destination. She saw how, if she surrendered to the flow, allowed the current to carry her at the speed of the river, then she had time to look around her on either side, and she could choose to pull into the bank, on the left or right, for a while.
December 2021: Step gently into 2022
Reflections: Step gently into 2022
The Story Continues: Episode 7 of "Doris the not-very-brave dragon"
'Coaching for Coaches' and 'Coaching for Creatives'
Dare to Blossom Monthly Circles on Zoom
January 2022 - "Grace and Flow" three weeks to step gently into the New Year
Reflections: Step gently into 2022
Do you enjoy challenging yourself with New Year resolutions and targets? For me, those things can be counter-productive. I find gently stepping in, at a time that feels right for me, is more fruitful. Often my first thought after the Christmas season is to rest, to 'coorie in' as my friends in Scotland say. Snuggle up in the warm with a good book.
And, wrap up well and go out for a bracing walk. After the joy, fum, excitement; the sadness, stress, disappointments of the festive season, the general over-stimulation in all sorts of ways - early January, for me, is best stepped into gently, with grace and ease.
And then, then the flow can begin to revitalise and inspire. Simply allowing what is arising to bubble up and be seen. There is more below about the short programme I am offering for three weeks in January if you would like to enjoy stepping in with grace and flow in a Circle with companions by your side.
If you are in a part of the world where your Christmas, and New Year, are in the middle of summer, how does this resonate for you? I would love to hear your thoughts if you would like to reply to this email.
November 2021 - Welcome In Change
Welcome In Change
The Story Continues: Episode 6 of "Doris the not-very-brave dragon"
'Coaching for Coaches' and 'Coaching for Creatives'
Dare to Blossom Monthly Circles on Zoom
Welcome In Change
If you read the October newsletter, you may have seen that I announced that the programme beginning on 1st November would be "Weaving Shadow and Light". For me, this felt an appropriate time to offer a new version of this previously very popular six week flow, as here in the UK we would be entering into the darkest months, and elsewhere in the world, the brightest.
At the first taster session I offered, just one person of several interested was able to attend. As she had taken the time to be there, I hosted a circle for the two of us. As it turned out, I am so grateful for those circumstances as I was able to take part myself as she is familiar with the process.
During the drawing of cards for each of us, and an oracle card from one of the decks in my collection, I received inspiration to completely change the theme for November into December. The words I wrote in my journal are "Welcome in the new - an exploration of change'. And yet, when I came to set up the web page for this new offering, I found I was writing "Welcome In Change", followed by some thoughts on creating the new.
Here are some of those words:
"Welcome In Change" will be an exploration of how we can welcome in the new that arrives in our lives whether we are ready for it or not, whether we want it or not.
I notice in my own feelings the paradox of 'this, and...' - where I both wish for things to be different and resist change when it comes. Human beings are of course full of these paradoxes. One of my challenges, maybe yours too, has been learning to navigate change. Helping myself feel brave when I want to run away and hide. Sometimes advising consideration, even caution when I may be ready to dive head first into something without first metaphorically checking if the water is deep enough.
As we approach the end of another year of extraordinary events in all our lives, encompassing the individual flows for each of us - will you join me in this small group to explore how we can welcome in change - and create the new that we wish to see in our world?
Later, I found myself deliberating upon if it could be "Welcoming Change" - which is easier to say. But no, it needs to be "Welcome In Change", a more active, deliberate feeling. Since then, I have found that this new idea has resonated with a number of people: three spaces of the eight available are already booked, and there is still another taster circle to come.
October 2021 - The Story Continues
The Story Continues: Doris the not-very-brave dragon
October short programme: 'Daring to Blossom: if not now, then when?'
'Coaching for Coaches' and 'Coaching for Creatives'
Dare to Blossom Monthly Circles on Zoom
November six week programme: 'Weaving Shadow and Light'
The Story Continues: Doris the not-very-brave dragon
Thank you to everyone who responded to the first part of the story. I have since shared more on Facebook - and have set up a private group where people can find all the episodes without needing to search for them. I know many of you prefer to read my news here - so the next few episodes will folllow.
Episode 3
As Doris flew into the green, she was still thinking about the creature. She had never met anyone who was waiting, apparently happily, to ‘dissolve’. Mmmm, how interesting, she thought to herself.
All of a sudden, she realised she hadn’t been paying attention to where she was heading. Now she saw that the green colour had changed, it was deeper, still with some green, and also purple. Oh no, I hope I am not going back into the dark cave, she thought to herself. She remembered she had resolved to pretend to be brave, and so she looked around again. She saw radiating shapes, petals maybe? Signposts showing her different directions?
Oh gosh, that is what they are, that means I must choose. So far Doris had simply been flying along following her nose, even when she was started by the creature with the legs. Now she was being asked to make a decision. She decided to stop right in the centre of the purple petals, or compass points, whatever they were. She found quite a nice perch and rested there for a while, catching her breath, and looking around. Each direction was different, in colour in shape, in feel – oh, and in sound!
September 2021 - a story begins
Doris the not-very-brave dragon
A book review: 'She of the Sea' by Lucy Pearce
Dare to Blossom Monthly Circles on Zoom
September six week programme: 'Being Powerfully Yourself'
Doris the not-very-brave dragon
Recently, on a whim, I began a story, prompted by one of my recent paintings.
I shared it on Facebook and received such lovely responses that I decided to write a second instalment. I will share both of those parts here and then perhaps when the rest of the story emerges, more in future newsletters.
(If the fonts and text sizes keep changing, please forgive me, this has been happening a lot when writing these newsletters lately and I have yet to work out how to fix that issue.)
