Welcome to Dare to Blossom with Mary

- venturing into the new ....

Well, I am diving in here - or maybe not quite that, more like putting a toe very tentatively in the water and hoping it is warm and welcoming (I am most definitely not a cold water swimming type of person).

My intention is to experiment here, possibly as an alternative to my monthly newsletter on an email service. But not yet, I will be keeping that running for a while.

I could choose to set this all up first with lots of plans, yet just now, in the early days of 2025, I feel a gentle approach works for me. My two words for this year are Ease, and Rest. So they are reminding me to enjoy this exploration, to open into creative flow, and not to make it another ‘must do’ - rather a gentle invitation to have fun.

Here are those two cards in the centre of my ‘wheel of the year’ drawn from my own Dare to Blossom Rediscovery Cards. If you are not familiar with these, you can find a link here on my website.

If you are happy to be my companion I will be so delighted, thank you.

My thought is to publish occasional posts such as this one - maybe with a reflection each month as I turn over another card - the one for January is Harmony

The principle behind these cards is to use them as prompts to rediscover your own inner wisdom, rather than relying on books or interpretations from others to tell you what they mean.

I use a simple series of questions:

What is your first response to the word?

To the colour?

What else is there?

And, what else?

I encourage you to notice your own first responses before reading anyone else’s comments. Maybe write in your journal, or record on your phone. Or simply remember the word and metaphorically keep it with you as you go about your day.

As well as the Dare to Blossom Original Rediscovery Cards, and the No 2 Rediscovery deck, which I have used to create the spread above, during 2024 I created two new decks. The first was Time for You - again a simple word, and a colour, this time with the intention of prompting ideas for creative play. Whether for a moment, an hour, or even a day out - they could offer you a means to reconnect with your childlike self who loves to wander, doodle, explore. (All those are words in this deck, along with 47 more.)

Here is the Explore card, the ph

oto taken on a summer’s day at one of my favourite spots along the coast of North Cornwall near my home.

The fourth deck ‘arrived’ very unexpectedly, and is quite different. The Wisdom of Wild Cornwall cards have a new picture on the reverse (rather than the ‘Dare to Blossom Passionflower’) - this beach scene.

You may notice this is almost the same view as in the background of the Explore card, except I was walking along the beach, paddling as I enjoyed the view of the Quies and Trevose Head.

The Wisdom of Wild Cornwall deck is all about just that: the words are all aspects of the land of Cornwall that I love so much - even though I was not born here, I have spent all but a very few years of my life becoming more and more firmly rooted.

The fifty cards are birds, plants, animals, aspects of the landscape and the atmosphere all around me.

Each set has a simple leaflet supplied with them to encourage you to notice your own responses before researching more about the word or other people’s interpretations.

Back in 2012 when I published the Original deck, people began asking me for a guide of some sort. For the reasons described above I was reluctant for a long time. Eventually I complied a ‘Companion Guide’, which included the questions above,plus a very short piece with a definition and maybe the derivation of the word.

On the reverse of each of those pages I included some comments with permission from the Facebook group ‘Dare to Blossom into Joy’ where I share a word each day. The comments show there is no right or wrong response, simply your thoughts on that day, which may well be different next time you see the card.

(All four decks are only available direct from me, see this link if you are interested - the Companion Guide for the Original cards is there too, or available from online booksellers.)

The Wisdom of Wild Cornwall cards have a character all of their own. Using them with people in Zoom gatherings, in a dedicated Facebook group, and in my own daily practice, I have found they somehow take me outwards into the world, and prompt self-reflection inwards at the same time, in a way that is hard to describe.

And so - I am considering writing a Companion for these cards too. Just now I see the entry for each card having some information about the word - especially if it is a creature not found everywhere, or called by a different name. For example, what we here in the UK call ladybirds, are ladybugs in the USA.

In addition I will include some background on why I chose that word from a very long list I compiled before choosing the final fifty (in fact I have nearly enough words for a second deck but that is for a future project). And what that word means to me, in physical, emotional and spiritual terms. I may or may not, include some of the traditional interpretations - those can be looked up for if you wish. I would love people to meditate and/or journal on what each aspect of Wild Cornwall means to them.

And, even though people may never be able to visit Cornwall for themselves - although I have been lucky enough to meet many of my online community and show them my favourite walks - these cards encourage a deeper connection with the natural world around us wherever you live.

I hope to build a community here, in a more private space than Facebook - and of course you are very welcome to join me there also, people tell me they find my groups to be quiet and supportive places.

Thank you for reading and following or subscribing. Especially if you choose a paid subscription that will help to support me as I develop this further.

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