The edge is a wild place. It’s full of fertility and potential. It’s a place a dreaming and creating. It’s where ideas can grow. Learning at the edge is a soul expanding, life enriching place to be.
But the edge can be hard to navigate. Edge times are times of deep change, transition, uncertainty. But fortunately we have the gifts of turning to place, and ancient wisdom, ritual and creative practice to help ground and support us.
We have stories to keep us company too, and poems, and the creative process. And now we’ll have each other.
This is a community where we will get to explore and develop skills and creative practices for navigating our own wild edges, in these wild times. We will use the rhythms of the Celtic season to help guide us, and the practice of pauses and intention setting to be our anchor. There will be lots of poetry to keep our souls feed too.
Along the way, I will be offering my own reflections, taking you inside my creative process and sharing lessons from nearly 20 years of being a freelance writer and educator.
I’m here for the joy, the wonder and the connection. I’m here for the magic of what can happen on the page. I am here for the learning.
And, so here I am, just a woman and her dog, on the wild west edge of Ireland, inviting you to join her!
All artwork, illustration, design, photography and writing are my own. I hope you find The Wild Edge a nourishing, useful and inspiring place to be.
Clare (and Milly) x
What people are saying…
‘I find it very grounding and peaceful’
‘your offerings feel like an always shimmering light somewhere in the room’.
‘Your voice has a wonderful quality, it holds my attention and takes me into a place of creativity, and a feeling of opening up to new possibilities’
‘In supporting your work, I'm getting supported too”.
‘I love how you share your gifts to the world in a calm yet powerful way’.
‘I’m always delighted when your newsletter comes in. And as I continue to explore the shape my own work is to take you bring much hope and inspiration,
‘It is soothing to see your light in the inbox’.
‘Clare’s enriching collection of writing, poetry, photography, and art offers deep spiritual nourishment for fraught times. Clare uses the Celtic calendar to teach us to deepen our connection to the rhythms and beauty of nature and the ancient wisdom of ritual. Her reflections, writing prompts and poetry salons provide a much-needed salve for tired hearts and frayed attentions. - Laura Davis
An Introduction to your Host, Clare Mulvany
My name is Clare Mulvany, and it is my pleasure to be the chief host of this space.
I will give you the unofficial version of my story: I am still trying to figure it all out. I love so many things, sometimes I think my heart might break. But I have learned that a broken open heart is one of the most tender, fertile and powerful places on the planet. It’s here where hope resides, which also brings me to the work I do. Because I believe hope is an active thing. It is something we can cultivate. So too is love and compassion and the skills which can help us in times of flux and change.
By my writing desk, I pin the words of the wonderful Robin Wall Kimmerer from the final chapter of Braiding Sweetgrass. They are there to remind me why I do what I do.
The moral covenant of reciprocity calls us to honor our responsibilities for all we have been given, for all that we have taken. It’s our turn now, long overdue. Let us hold a giveaway for Mother Earth, spread our blankets out for her and pile them high with gifts of our own making. Imagine the books, the paintings, the poems, the clever machines, the compassionate acts, the transcendent ideas, the perfect tools. The fierce defense of all that has been given. Gifts of mind, hands, heart, voice, and vision all offered up on behalf of the earth. Whatever our gift, we are called to give it and to dance for the renewal of the world. In return for the privilege of breath.
The official bio:
Clare Mulvany is an educator, facilitator and author living in West Cork, Ireland. A graduate in International Education from Oxford University, she has been leading transformational learning programmes for over 20 years across the globe, weaving the strands of creative practice, service leadership and social justice. She is the author of ‘One Wild Life- A Journey to Discover People Who Change the World’, and her writing and documentary photography has appeared in places like On Being and The Irish Times.
A Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardee, she was a founding member of the leading education NGO, Suas (now Stand); a co-founder of the cultural agency, The Trailblazery, and is the founder of Thrive School. She is a guest lecturer and facilitator in University College Dublin’s Innovation Academy, Trinity College Dublin’s Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship programme , TUDublin, University College Cork, and The Law Society of Ireland.
A qualified coach and mentor (EMCC certified) Clare has supported hundreds of individuals and teams to bring their creative visions to life through values based and purpose driven leadership.
Clare is also a trained classical hatha yoga instructor, has hosted thousands of people in salons, writing workshops and creative retreats across the world.
Aside from everything else, the sea and her dog bring her infinite joy.
‘She brings a sense of zen to the chaotic’- The Irish Times
Where else you can find me:
Instagram: @onewildlife
Website: www.claremulvany.ie
Thrive School: www.thriveschool.ie
What the different tiers offer:
Free Membership
Monthly newsletter with audio recording.
The 5 minute pauses- regular (weekly-ish) short reflection pieces (poems/ prompts/ pauses) for personal reflection. Often with a seasonal twist.
Occasional bonus content.
Monthly Membership
This is where you begin to get the most out of The Wild Edge. It includes poetry salons, writing sanctuaries and seasonal practices, additional posts and the Library of Interesting Things. For just €1.53 per week (if taking out annual membership), you’ll receive…
Seasonal creative practices following the rhythms of the Celtic seasons. These will include a variety of writing, journaling, nature connection, meditations and other creative tools to support
Live poetry salon (on the second Sunday of every second month). Recording available for paid subscribes only. Poems are shared afterwards. (eg, Jan, March, May)- 6 per year.
Live writing sanctuary (on the second Sunday of every second month). (Feb, April, June)- 6 per year.
The Library of Interesting Things: A round up of reading, resources and learning tools.
Owl Hours. Creative practice for night owls. Write and create with me. (Night hours in Irish time!). If you are in a different time zone, you are more than welcome. Hours will be announced each month, and will vary according to the season.
‘The Buzz’- a space for celebrating creative wins within the community.
Bonus posts and access to archive.
Golden Membership: Special Salons & Sanctuaries/ & Pay it Forward
This is the ‘I’m all in’ offer, and will best value for regular attendance. All of the above plus…
8 live seasonal salons, following the Celtic wheel of the year with poetry, writing and seasonal ritual. Salons at Samhain, Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Bealtaine, Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox and Lunasa.
(Note that the special salons are regularly priced at €30, so if paying for individual tickets this would be €240 per year. I am offering this package at €180, which includes all the content in the previous memberships plus the salons.
Pay it forward: There is an option to put in amount at this level over €180. Any amount above €180 will be used to fund memberships for people who would otherwise not be able to afford it. Thank you!
When we need to Press Pause
This publication is a one woman show (me!), and one cute dog, (Milly), who isn’t great at writing, but is a fantastic companion and sometimes muse! Currently I do all the design, illustrations, writing and hosting myself. In time, if the resources allow, I hope to be able to get some support with this. So, you will understand that just like you, there will be times when I need a rest. There will also be times when I have a lot more to say, and other times when it will be a little quieter- just like the seasons. Before I take some rest breaks, I’ll make sure to have some creative content for you. Paid subscribers will have access to the growing archive for when that is.
Naturally, as a member, there may also be times when you need a break or engage from a distance. I will be offering different types of content with that in mind. Maybe you only want to come to the live sessions, maybe you are only here from the seasonal practices. Please do not feel the need to engage with everything. This should never feel like a burden or obligation. Take what nourishes and resources you, and the rest will be here for you when you need it.
A little housekeeping.
While I am happy to respond to comments on active posts and threads, please note that I am unable to enter into direct message or correspondence with members, nor give direct feedback on creative work. Private creative mentorship is available independently of The Wild Edge.
With gratitude
Thank you for being here. And I look forward to how this all unfolds.
Onwards, Inwards, Outwards
Clare x
x
