About Mary
The fifth child of a local GP, I grew up with my four brothers in Gloucester, UK. My parents were members of the Order of the Cross, a fringe religion started in the 1930s whose main tenet was vegetarianism.
To be vegetarian in 1950s UK was to be considered a total crank. To be also immersed in a weird secret religion was deeply embarrassing. My book Meatless Steak and Angels, a work in progress, is the tale of how a curious child eventually rebelled against the restrictions, and was sent (by mistake) to a wildly liberal mixed boarding school, Frensham Heights, 'to sort me out'. It was the making of me. |
My learning journey
An enthusiastic learner, I have studied in many areas throughout my life: yoga with the British Wheel, acupuncture with JR Worsley at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Leamington Spa, and Guangzhou College of TCM in Guangdong, China; the enneagram with David Daniels and Helen Palmer in Palo Alto California; photography at Stroud College of Art; astrology and website design with Graham Boston, Cheltenham; tarot with international psychic Pete MacDonald; calligraphy with Pam Harmer, Nailsworth; and Freefall Writing with Barbara Turner Vesselago from Canada.
Nowadays my day starts with a struggle to learn Spanish and Italian with Duolingo www.duolingo.com before a simple yoga practice.
I have the deepest gratitude and respect for the wisdom and patience of my teachers and for their encouragement. My two children, and four grandchildren are currently my teachers.
Nowadays my day starts with a struggle to learn Spanish and Italian with Duolingo www.duolingo.com before a simple yoga practice.
I have the deepest gratitude and respect for the wisdom and patience of my teachers and for their encouragement. My two children, and four grandchildren are currently my teachers.
Finding a unique synthesis between personality and the body
My speciality for many years has been how personality impacts the body as well as the mind and spirit. This came about from a synthesis of my skills as yoga teacher, acupuncturist and enneagram consultant. My books, The Enneagram for the Spirit (how to understand your personality and that of others) and The Chakra Workout (balancing the chakras through yoga and meditation) teach how we can improve our physical, emotional and spiritual health with yoga and simple lifestyle changes. Using my knowledge of the five elements as used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years, and of ancient Indian philosophy, I guide you through possibilities to reach your true potential.
It's a revelation to most people to learn about their own personality type. The norm is to assume everyone thinks and reacts the same way as we do; yet we can improve our relationships and gain an understanding not only of ourselves but of all nine types through the enneagram (a system of personality typing believed to have evolved from the ancient Sufis). Through learning about the chakras (powerful energy centres aligned with the spine) we can develop our self-knowledge, insight and compassion. I first gained in-depth understanding of the chakras and their radiant colours through personal experience in Wales in 1975 and during my teacher training with the British Wheel of Yoga at Bisham Abbey in 1978: the learning continues.
I am now concentrating on my writing; however I still practice yoga and meditation daily and have an enduring respect for its benefits. My books were initially written to share these benefits and to empower people to practice independently, with depth, and to manage their own good health. I am delighted that they have become a popular teaching tool. My yoga students taught me how much we can influence our own health on all levels through this practice. Teaching the enneagram to people from different cultures, from Ireland to Iran, I found what I already knew from my Buddhist beliefs - there is communality worldwide. |
Pictishwoman
My illustrated blog (Pictishwoman) taps into my sense of humour, sharing insights and observations from my travels and from life. Some tell the story of how I sailed for 8 hours with my newly married nephew and his wife in a small boat through horrendous waves off the east coast of America. At great cost to my equilibrium and the contents of my stomach, I achieved my aim; getting to know my new niece and seeing the rarest whale on the planet.
I go on to compare life in New York to life here in the Cotswold valley I have made my home. My final quest was to visit some of the finest galleries in New York and see originals of my favourite artists Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe and Andrew Wyeth, and experience a curious incident with a man on the floor of the Guggenheim watching the most remarkable light installation by James Turrell.
Apologies for the neglect of my blog recently…one of the things I've had to sideline to finish my book. It will return, promise. Maybe I should write one about the challenges of writing a book?
I go on to compare life in New York to life here in the Cotswold valley I have made my home. My final quest was to visit some of the finest galleries in New York and see originals of my favourite artists Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe and Andrew Wyeth, and experience a curious incident with a man on the floor of the Guggenheim watching the most remarkable light installation by James Turrell.
Apologies for the neglect of my blog recently…one of the things I've had to sideline to finish my book. It will return, promise. Maybe I should write one about the challenges of writing a book?