An Invitation to reflect
Happy New Year! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and that 2016 has gotten off to a good start for you. January is the month I always feel like hibernating. After all the excitement (and exhaustion!) of Christmas, it's lovely to spend evenings in snuggled up making plans and envisioning what I want more of in the year ahead and what it's time to let go of. It's that time of year when many of us naturally feel like pulling back into ourselves to enjoy quiet time alone listening to the whisperings of our soul's longings and desires. Ideas and opportunities can be explored and mulled over as we gently begin the process of challenging ourselves to move out of comfort zones and begin the process of trying new ways of being over the coming months. With this in mind I created a new workshop 'Authentic Woman - A Day of Self-Appreciation' and am inviting seven women to join me on this inspiring journey. It will be a juicy day of diving deep into ourselves re-invigorating our gifts & talents, reflecting on learnings from the year gone by and envisioning future adventures and goals. The workshop costs €90 and will take place in the OSCAILT Centre on Pembroke Road, Dublin 4 from 10.30-4.30 on Saturday 30th January. For bookings email shirleygraham.net@gmail.com. If you feel you need a day to both reflect and explore new possibilities for the year ahead click HERE or on the picture below for more information.
Inspiring Woman 2016 - An Invitation
I am excited to announce that the first Inspiring Woman Programme of 2016 begins on Sunday 14th February in The Dublin Holistic Centre, South William Street, Dublin 2. The programme consists of three full-day workshops, a one-to-one mentoring session, weekly inspirational emails, and a buddy system to keep participants connected and inspired over the course of the two months. All creativity tools are included in the cost as are tasty treats! Reference notes and self-study suggestions are included (but not compulsory) as each participant is encouraged to take the programme at her own pace. The programme is gently and encouragingly facilitated in a framework of self-compassion and non-judgment with the aim of exploring how we can step into our authenticity and courage and become more inspired and inspirational in any aspect of our lives. For more information click on the link HERE or go to https://www.facebook.com/inspiringwomanprogramme/. For bookings or to check out suitability email shirleygraham.net@gmail.com. I would like to leave you with this beautiful poem which I recently reconnected with by Oriah Mountain Dreamer I thought I would share it here for us to ponder and be inspired by for the year ahead.
The Invitation
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!” It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Wishing you many blessings, bucket loads of success and a joyous year ahead. Shirley x
