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

Tuesday 29 April 2014

Mud...and The Return...of Life


The Return


 
Some day, if you are lucky,
You'll return from a thunderous journey
trailing snake scales, wing fragments
and the musk of Earth and Moon.



 Eyes will examine you for signs
of damage, or change
and you too will wonder
if your skin shows traces

of fur, or leaves,
if thrushes have built a nest
of your hair, if Andromeda 

burns from your eyes.





Do not be surprised by prickly questions
from those who barely inhabit
their own fleeting lives, who barely taste
their own possibility, who barely dream.




If your hands are empty, treasureless,
if your toes have not grown claws
if your obedient voice has not
become a wild cry, a howl,

you will reassure them.



We warned you,
they might declare, 

there is nothing else,
no point, no meaning, no mystery at all,
just this frantic waiting to die.



And yet, they tremble, mute,
afraid you've returned without sweet
elixir for unspeakable thirst, without
a fluent dance or holy language

to teach them, without a compass

bearing to a forgotten border where
no one crosses without weeping
for the terrible beauty of galaxies

and granite and bone. 



They tremble,
hoping your lips hold a secret,
that the song your body now sings
will redeem them, 






yet they fear
your secret is

dangerous, 
 shattering,
 



and once it flies from your astonished mouth, 
they, like you, 
must disintegrate
before unfolding 

tremulous wings


-Geneen Marie Haugen




I wish I had written those words
they resonate so deep within my bones
I remember the day I first read them
a number of years back
they felt like they were written just for me



but truly I hope they touch deeply all who read them 
waking the soul within
to venture past what you know
to grasp what you have not touched before
 and stand in a place
unfamiliar



this month I gave to myself
truly the best gift I have given
I indulged my self
in spiritual quests
and heart expanding ventures
it was a fruitful month




I lived in the intent
of my spirit
listening closely
to God
in all the forms
that God Is
and I was 
blessed





The mud of life can be cold
and seem cruel
but nothing is without purpose
nothing without reason



I am bursting forth with expression
Creativity has taken her place 
with in the walls of my being
and I can only explain this vast shift happening
because I showed up
because I grasp on to what was waiting
I listened 
I believed
I trusted



that even in the thick of the mud
of life
the sun would still shine...



and
it
did
and 
it
continues
to
do
so


I was once a lost soul
tortured by my past
lost in my today
and disconnected from my tomorrow
I once walked the dark damp halls of depression
feeling less then
unwanted
damaged



I smiled
and tried
really tried to grasp on to the joy
any joy I could
all the while
no one could see
the storm that raged inside



Those days are but a memory
My life is my own
a gift from the heavens
a gift from the earth
a gift from a God so mysterious
that even the name God
is not enough

I am whole
I am complete
I am on the journey of a life time
and it is full of mad goodness
and beautiful pain
and I am loving
every breathe
every moment
every thing



Puhpowee.

The mysterious force that builds in the dark, rising to press up from the soil, up from the mud, up from the earth in a sudden surge of emergence, ascension. 


This is where I dwell this year
in the mysterious mud of new beginnings
the birthing place of new life
and all things sacred...

lovelies
I hope to see you there

Love and Light




these images were captured by my dear sister-friend Debbie 
who I talked into taking them for me
I really wanted to mark this time in a grand sort of way
with great intension
I have to say it is the first time in my life
when I have totally be able to recognize myself in the pictures
For one who is usually on the other side
of the lens
this was a true gift
thx Deb xo

Shanti
Shanti
Shanti



Sunday 20 April 2014

Vision Quest...

 my heart has been opened wider
  past pains released 
and the light brought in deep
in this new awakened-ness
my heart tells me to seek the answers
of who I am
 to ask what is my name
and to find out
what is my purpose
here and now
in this new place of awarness
in this new place of healing and wholeness
who am I....
 

me and my trusted companion heading out in the early morn


the simple beauty of Mother Earth's Spring
burst all around 
speaking of 
new life
new beginnings
new seasons 
the old has past away
the new has come
so it is within me...







the gift of sacrifice lay before me
right as I started my quest
it was the feathers I first saw
then I saw him
laying to the side
a fresh kill from the night before
a life given for another
his sacrifice spoke deeply to me


 he spoke to me about the 
life, death, life cycle 
we all live in
he spoke to me about death 
that leads to new life.
 he spoke to me about sacrifice 
and letting go 
he showed me that by allowing 
these things to happen, 
by going through the grief and pain 
of sacrifice 
I can and will reap 
the beautiful treasures that lay waiting beyond.....


his feathers
and his one whole wing
I salvaged
singing prayers as I harvested his gifts
giving gratitude
for such a powerful encounter
right at the start of my quest
I felt the love and guidance
from The Creator
the Divine message given
I was moved to tears 

I took his remains 
and buried them off to the side
of the trail
marking it with a branch
"find your way home winged friend
find your way home"

his final resting place
....and on we traveled










fallen soldiers

this stinky guy specifically asked to be photographed







every living thing has a message to bring
robin, humming bird, eagle and bumble bee
whispering stories and messages to me

taking some time to write things down
at the right time
at the right place
marked by eagle flying over head
I stopped to be
to sit
to sink into the life
that was moving all around me
to listen to the earth
to listen to the sky
to hear the words
the divine words
from God
my heart longed to hear...





the answers come
the words wrapped in love
and sweet divinity
songs on the wind
words on the dirt
clear and pure



there is a beautiful vulnerability 
in this place
a vulnerability that gives me strength
I feel exposed and naked in truth
divine truth
which fills me up
makes me whole


I feel my bones strong and sure
warm blood courses through my veins
blood that is alive and healthy
tingling with the knowledge given



my feet are sure
my eyes are sharp
I know which path is mine...
and I take it
I know it
I embrace it


I am a Healer
I use many different mediums
given to me from Mother Earth
to bring Divine healing 
to myself and others
I go where I am guided
I say what I am given
I act as I am shown
*
My hearts desire is 
that ALL will feel
the Divine Love of The Creator 
The Source of all things
who loves us more then can be
humanly understood...
I pray
that all will recognize 
the touch
the voice
and
the gifts given
by this Love
and that all will come to see
their own beautiful divinity
within.


I am
Medicine Woman...
I have come to bring healing
to those who seek it.

Love and Light