all images and stories are the property of Catherine Beerda-Basso and are not to be used without given permission...thank you

Wednesday 30 October 2013

We Gather...

This past weekend I had the immense pleasure
of taking a little pilgrimage to 
the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon, USA


I was there to gather
with Pixie Campbell
and some other beautiful beings...


to gather is to...
:to bring together into a group
: to choose and collect
: to get or take  from different people or places and bring them together



I have been gathering
in one form or another
for as long as I can remember
it has always been an
important part of my life
...unintentionally...
And now
in this life of 
 awakenedness
 intention
authenticity
and living fully in/for Spirit
Gathering has become an important part
of my spiritual practice

*It feeds my Soul*



I come to circle to nourish my being
to sup at the table of Life giving bread
and to drink of the Life giving waters
It is a  place to 
strengthen and quench
to renew and refresh
to love and be loved.


Here in circle
I am challenged and encouraged
Veils are lifted
and Connections deepened
It is a Sacred Space
The Holy of Holies
The Mystic Hall
*
It is different from the place I was brought up in
but it is my place to be
A place where I can bring my Jesus, my Mary
and all that is dear to me
A place of non-judgment
where boundaries are broken
and all who want to be there
are welcome
a place where diversity rules
and God is seen in everything.
*
And then there is that special joy that comes
when you meet a sister/teacher/friend for the first time 
face to face
after connecting for over 4 years
in this medium of Blog World

yup I was pretty thrilled..such a geek lol


The weekend now feels like a blur
and yet each of those women
who gathered there that day
are now a part of my being
we shared something sacred
and that will remain with us
till our dying day...
I feel so very blessed
as I continue to 
marinate, unpackage, and soul journey
all that transpired.
*
On my way back
I stopped in Seattle and
ended my pilgrimage
with a beautiful lunch


and an even more
beautiful friend...
an afternoon of even more soul time
with the lovely Kelly of Umber Dove


The Harvest has been a time
of great Bounty
I feel so very blessed
and bow deep with Gratitude
my cup runneth over
and my heart bursts.
*

What has been in your harvest basket my lovelies?

Love and Light

*check out my 2014 Animal Medicine Calendar here*

Thursday 24 October 2013

We choose how we live...


 Last week Friday I was driving over the bridge
heading to my girlfriend, Claire's place,
to do her hair.
She lives just blocks from my dear sister-friend
Angela
the one who is walking with cancer.
I had hoped to pop over to her place after
I was done with Claire's hair
but she was off to an appointment
one of many she attends these days...
This appointment was special.
This appointment would determine if 
the chemo treatments where doing anything
to shrink the tumour that had taken up 
residence in her colon...
causing her to get a colostomy bag in the spring.


So that morning
as I crossed over the bridge
Angela was on my mind and
I reminded myself that I would
send her a text
as soon as I arrived at Claire's.
It was then  I went to my Spirit for guidance and the words I should write...
and as I came over the crest of the bridge
high about the river in the morning fog
I heard these words
"Catherine,
you do not get to choose how you die
but you get to choose how you live."
Tears
Tears reflecting the knowing of the truth
the sacred truth in those words
Tears as I thought of my Angela and her husband getting ready to go to this telling appointment
Tears in the AWE of her spirit, her conviction, her willingness to believe that all will be as it is meant to be and no matter what the out come, all will be ok.
Tears because of the beauty and the fragility of life
Tears because we are so held, so loved, so cared for
we only need ask and believe.


the following is taken from Angela's blog
about said appointment:

It has been a very long day and an even longer evening.  I attended an informative session tonight on Cancer and Diet (specifically the Gerson Diet) and although a fruitful one, my head is exploding with new information and the task of doing more research.  I am very tired which always makes me emotional but also because the implication of what I “could” have heard today and what I heard instead, is only hitting me now. 
I was blessed with good news regarding the CT Scan results.  The Cancer has not spread!
There is no measurable tumour remaining visible in my colon (this was the rascal that started it all).  Unfortunately, even though it may have shrunk, it left behind a heck of a mess. But even the mess seems to have some positive results.  The multiple masses on the lining of my abdominal cavity have decreased significantly in size and the metastasis on my liver and right sacral bone (which is the large triangular bone at the base of the lower spine) have decreased in size as well.  The accumulation of fluid that was in my abdominal cavity has also resolved itself. 
The chemo has been exhausting and a struggle, but at least I know now that it is working.  The juicing, the diet change, the exercise are also key to this success.  What I need to do is incorporate additional holistic herbs and healing to help keep the good cells healthier and keep me strong.  I will be scheduled for another CT Scan in 10 weeks and we will see again how much progress is made.
Thank you for your love and prayers and your unending support and positive motivation... I KNOW that I could not have gotten this far without them. 
A very special friend told me “We don’t get to choose how we die.  But we do get to choose how we live.”  I made my choice, I am doing it now and I am ever so grateful and thankful.  I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.
Angela xox
(Sat. Oct. 19) 

We don't get to choose how we die...
But we get to choose how we live

My dear friend is such a reflection of that reality
6 months ago the doctors told her
to say goodbye to her kids
today
who knows
but the truth is
she is alive and living
and my lovelies
that is the happy ending.
*

The other scenario is not so bright
my "mom"
is not coping so well
she has already given up
Yes, she is going through the motions of life
but she is not living
When I suggest looking into the diet the Angela is on
she shrinks up her nose
and does not hear me any more.
She has long been residing in the anger stage
and there is no sign of her leaving...
not without a swift kick in the butt
Am I the one to give her that kick?
It's hard to say
All I know is that right now
I am so sad
and broken inside
because she has given up
on herself
her life
and essentially
those who love her.


This is just me unfolding these pieces of my life
right now 
beauty and pain
as we walk hand in hand in...


This coming weekend,
hold on to holiness of these words my lovelies...

We do not get to choose how we die
But we so get to choose how we live

tomorrow I head down to P0rtland to gather
with Pixie Campbell and some other sisters of SouLodge 
for me,  THATS living well : )


Live well my lovelies
Live well

Love and Light

*check out my 2014 Animal Medicine Calendar here*
 

2014 Animal Medicine Calendar....

It's Here!
my 2014 Animal Medicine Calendar:



Each page features a new animal

along with a brief summary of the medicine it carries.

Spiritual guidance

as we walk through the different seasons





I feel,
as with all of creation,
animals carry a message to share with us.
This message is one of healing
thus I see it as medicine.
Animals also reveal to us
reflections about ourselves
and The Source from which we came.

I have learned to trust their appearance in my life
more and more 
as my spiritual journey matures
with experience and life teachings. 
*
Here are some of  the others creatures
featured along with Bear and Gorilla
in this years calendar:

 OWL

ELK

HAWK

HORSE

DEER

BUTTERFLY

COYOTE

DUCK

CHICKADEE

HERON

EAGLE

These calendars are for sale

by pay pal or money order.

They are 8.5x11 in size

and all images are my own.

$35 for orders with in North American

$35 + shipping costs for anywhere else in the world.

Please, leave a comment if one of these

belongs to you.

~Love and Light~




Monday 21 October 2013

Music Monday...


Love and Light
my Lovelies

You are Loved
more than you could ever know
 
xo

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Just a few things....




 This is my favourite time of year
I wish it were longer
but the rains soon will be coming
so I take it in the best I can
breathing in the deep, rich smell of the earth
taking in the fire colours of the leaves
feeling the cool breathe of impending winter
on my skin
as the sun warms my bones
in a far more gentle manner 
then he does
in Summer...
this is my season.


 So it seemed this would be the right season
to come out of the closet
and host my first public art show
(one of the projects that has kept me busy)


I will be hosting it at my girlfriends yoga studio
A beautifully, perfect venue for my imagery
I am excited to be sharing my art
along with being slightly over whelmed...

 With all this "coming out"
 a new photography web site
is being constructed 
well...
it's old
and I have not updated it for over 6 months;
things need to be freshened up!
*
This weekend I am singing with 24 other women
and a beautiful, talented, heart moving friend of mine.
She is my sister of the wood,
She is debuting her second CD
to the world,


and I am lucky enough to play a little part
in this evening.
We will being singing back up for Cathy on 3 of her
new songs...
I know it will be a very special evening.

*
I am excited to share a new calendar for 2014...


"Animal Medicine"


Each page features a new animal
along with a brief summary of the medicine it carries.
Spiritual guidance
as we walk through the different seasons



Elk
Duck
Owl
Bear
Gorilla
Heron
Coyote
Deer
Hawk
Eagle
Chickadee
Horse
and
Dog
all have something to share
with us
for 2014.

These calendars are for sale
by pay pal or money order.
They are 8.5x11 in size
and all images are my own.
$30 for orders with in North American
$30 + shipping costs for anywhere else in the world.
Please, leave a comment if one of these
belongs to you.
*
Tonight I am going to a
Gratitude and Blessings Circle
which I am looking forward to attending
amidst all the hustle and bustle 
of my life right now...
something to keep me grounded
and remind me of what
Is.
*

So thats just a few things
that are going on with me...
funny that there is so much
and yet, as I shared in my last post,
I am being pulled
into stillness within.
My sense is once this season is over
and obligations and commitments
 have been carried out
my Winter along with the New Year
will be very different
from what I have known...

What is going on with you
my lovelies?

Love and Light