all images and stories are the property of Catherine Beerda-Basso and are not to be used without given permission...thank you
Showing posts with label storytelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storytelling. Show all posts

Thursday, 21 January 2016

If you want to find me...



 I have been writing...



for what seems like endless hours
moving into endless days
and I am feeling
 especially vulnerable 
along side feeling
a fiery strength of conviction, 
as I  write my heart
lay it down
open and exposed



 that you might find me
that you might see me
that you might know me


so strong am I
so willing
so steady and firm


so fragile am I
so unsure
so timid 
and in this place 


I can be found 
in the mystery of the morning 
when the break of day comes over the land
when the first breath of morning
exhales
and life again begins...

Love and Light and Shadows

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

A Love Story...



There once was a girl
with hair that danced like fire
and eyes are dark as coal
She was born into the depth of despair
in a place and time
where her mother was forced to leave her
forbidden to take her home...



For in the mothers house
there breathed a curse
One that held the women of that blood line
in darkness.
They had been cut off from their true selves
from their sacred gifts
from their divine callings
and they had forgotten
who they  were.
And over time frustration and anger
had taken the place
of what was
and the child's grandmother
 was the angriest of them all.
She would not allow
her daughter to bring this child
one born our of wed-lock
into their home
and she turned away from the child
and held her daughter at bay
until the day the child was born
and left
and forgotten.



But the mother of the child
did not forget
She remembered
hoping one day
this child would return
and break the curse
that lay upon her family.
*
The child was taken in by another family
one in which the woman of the house
was barren
and longed for children
So the child became the last of 4
and began her life
far away from where she came.
*

The child was as vibrant as her hair
and as wild
she challenged the tidy life of her parents
often stoking the anger
that burned inside her father
fro his own tormented past.
It was not long before the child
realized she had a companion...
one of a darker nature.
At first she found comfort in this darkness
but soon
as she grew
the darkness grew from friend to foe
and seemed to have a hold on her
taking her into the depths of despair
just like those before her
To the outside world
she looked happy
but inside 
raged a war
In adolescence the war  at times
became so intense,
swirling with the burning anger
of her father
and it almost seemed to much
for her to take
and she longed for death.
She did not understand what or why
these things were happening to her
And yet
in the darkness of her hiding place
she would hear a voice
whispering to her
from a place she did not yet know...
"Don't give up
Don't give up
Don't give up."

So she would live to face another day.

As she grew into an adult
she accepted her companion
as the way it was
Feeling as if it was stitched to her being
she learned to live with it.
As a young adult
she ignored it
distract herself from it
self medicate and  
day-dreamed of something else.
But it remained
pulling her down 
any chance it could
and when she was alone
her mind would hurt
pulling her this way and that.
Torturing her very soul
And she wondered when would it end
and she wondered how.
*

And then that day came
when death brought to her new life
and she began to awaken
For indeed she had not been dead
as she had thought
She had only been asleep.
And as she awoke
to the world around her
she began to heal
she began to light seek
and by doing so
she gained strength
and knowledge
and wisdom
So much so
she began to not only be a light chaser
she also to on the role of shadow stalker
stalking her own shadows
finding our their secrets
and learning their language.
And every year that past
she felt her self
coming back to her true essence
One with out curses of the past
One that did not cling to old habits
old ways of dealing
One that was free
from all that had been with her
the curse of her blood line
and burn of her fathers anger
the confusion of a warrior mind.
And soon
without her even realizing
the despair was gone
the darkness lifted.
And it was then she realized
that indeed
it had been her who had clung to the darkness
it had been her who had clung to the despair
for it had been all she had known
and it seemed safe
in it familiarity...
And as this unfolding was happening
she had a dream
in which she was visited by an ancient
of her blood line
This woman
her great great great grandmother
told her of how this line had been broken and cursed
how the woman of her past had been shamed
from their gifts
how they had forgotten
and by doing so
had replaced all that was good
with a longing
and emptiness
bringing in the darkness of despair.
She went on to show the child
that she had been the one to break the curse
to set them all free.
That though she had suffered
it was not for naught
there had been purpose
there had been reason.
She took the girls hands,
now a woman
holding them and caressing them
telling her, her lifes purpose
showing her the gifts she held
infusing her with the power of her ancestors
and all those who stood with her.
Never could she have imagined
the possibility of such freedom
and yet
her heart knew
all this to be true.
*

The child,
now a woman,
did eventually seek out her birth mother
to let her know
of the freedom
to let her know
all was well
to let her know
she loved her and was not angry
And the birth mother wept
at such news
and let the freedom wash over her
as best she could
for her heart had been broken
and scared so deeply.
But to see her daughter
with the hair of flames
and eyes black as coal
set a part of her free 
unlocked a piece of her 
that she had hidden away.
*

No curse is too strong for Love to over come
For it was Love that had whispered to the girl
in the darkness
It was Love that gave her just enough light
for the step she was on
It was Love that held her and guided her
when she was lost and confused
I was Love the coaxed her
to keep searching for the birth mother
It was Love that carried them both
It was Love
Divine Love's Kiss
that awoke her spirit
and brought her back
to the land of the living
The Land of the Living Free. 
*


Love and Light



 



Tuesday, 10 April 2012

from within...



I've found my way 
by paying attention
my ear to the earth
my eyes to the sky
watching those around me




I've taken on things about others
as my own
only to discover my own self
thru their threads
I've copied
I've mimicked
I've adored
I've been in awe

Through every soul
I journeyed closer to me



Little did I know
they were reflecting
what was already
inside my own self
my own being
*
and by being
I became




by Catherine Beerda-Basso
copyright 2012



Saturday, 31 March 2012

A Fairy Tale Life...part three...Even the Great Eagle struggles in the Wind






The Queen was distraught
her son was in darkness
and there seemed nothing she could do
but let him go
allow him to fight his fight
allow him to turn to himself
to find his way out
through his own Power of Love
she needed to find a way
to do this 
completely
fully
*


being a Woman of The Spirit
The Queen knew
that in order to access The Great Love
one had do go deep within oneself
to unlock the place
in which It lives
she knew this was her test
of Faith
she knew she had to get out of the Prince's way
that he could take his journey inward
so the very next day
 she did what all those of Faith do
she went to her Church
her Sacred Place of Worship




her Sacred Place was not a place made by mans hands
no 
hers was a place made by The Spirit itself 
hers was a place of Life
a place she went to daily
for her time in Spirit was a daily practice
an hour to hour practice
moment to moment





with Puppy Prince at her side
 to her Sacred Place she went
she looked to the wind
she looked to sky
she looked to the mountain tops
and saw power and strength
she drew comfort from the birds 
the heron


the hawk


the creatures that don't question Spirit
but trust
she ran as she poured out her heart
all her worries
all her fears
she poured out her Mother Grief
and gave it to Love
and Divinity came
as it does to someone with Faith
no matter how beaten
how small
and Love began to transform 
her Mother Grief




The Queen looked up and saw one of her
 faithful companions
Eagle
the Winds of Change were strong that morning
and The Queen watched as Eagle 
clung to his branch to stay in place
so strange was his posture 
that she had not recognized him at first
she then watched 
as he flew to that which he was stalking
his flight was slow and cumbersome
but his will was strong
and his mate needed food
she watched as he pushed through the wind
landed upon his morning nourishment
and then struggle against the Wind
as he made his way back to his nest
back to his mate


and it was then Spirit spoke
"Even the Great Eagle struggles in the Wind"
yes
thought the Queen
even the Great Eagle struggles...
the best thing she could do for her Prince
was acknowledge her own truths
be true to her own emotions
take those emotions
and hand them over to Love
to transform
over and over
and over again
until Fear turned to Hope
Worry turned to Trust
and Faith could soar...
on the wings of the Great Eagle




she had to let go
let go so all her allies
all her angels
all the powers of Love
could do what They were meant to do
let go
let go
let go
and trust 
they whispered to her
as they held her mother heart gently
and the safety of Loves timeless Wisdom


back to the castle she went
with renewed Hope
renewed Trust
renewed Faith
the Powers of Heaven had poured into her
all that she needed
and in Great Love she walked out the rest 
of this journey
she took the Love that was given her
and in turn
poured it out to the Prince
she reminded him of his own Hope
she assured him of his own Trust
she guided him to his own Faith


her and the King let him know
that if he must go then that is what he must do
it was not what they wanted
as he did not belong to The Shadow
as he believed
but this was something he had to discover
for himself...
The Prince struggled and fought
as The Shadows grip loosened
*
when the older Prince told the young Prince
of his plan to leave
the younger Princes heart was broken
but with tears streaming down his face
he told the older Prince
that if that is what made him happy
then he would be happy too
the words were so pure and
The Queen watched as the young Princes
unconditional Love floated on those words
she watch the soft warm glow of Love
leave the young Princes heart 
and wrap itself around the older Princes being
The Shadow was no match for such Love
and its consumption of the Prince
was growing weak


The Prince could feel The Love
he could feel The Truth
his family had stepped back
allowing him to see them
and in turn 
allowing him to see himself
he knew who he was
he did not understand everything about himself
but he knew the man he wanted to be
he had known this from the moment The Queen
had brought him into this world
his life was his
this family was his
and he did not want to leave...




"I do not want to go,"
the Prince said
his raw heart exposed
and with those words
Shadow subsided
and was no longer in control


The Prince sunk down to the floor
exhaustion over took him
the battle had been short
but fierce
and had taken him into the depths of himself


he whispered to The Queen
"I know this has all happened for a reason...
I just know it"
The Queens heart soared
so proud of her Prince was she
such Wise Words he had spoken
a huge step had been made
and deep shift within
for the Prince
for them all
*


The Shadow does not leave completely
as it lives in all of us
what it longs for is for us to manage it
not for it to manage us
for it is filled with fear and unrest
it knows this
the Queen knew this too
and she had spoken to Shadow
while in her Sacred Place
 she had asked it to not take the Prince
 for if that were to happen
it would not serve anyone
including The Shadow
with the Prince taken
The Shadow would have no where to go
The Shadow needed to Prince to survive
to be safe
to be loved
yes
even The Shadow is in need of Love
*
the Prince was safe
he had learned of his own strength
his own will
his own truth
he had learned about Love
the power it has
and that power is his
and ours 
for the taking




this chapter of the Fairy Tale
now comes to an end
my readers
I am sorry for any worry this bestowed upon you
though it took days to tell it
this all transpired within a 36 hour period
this is life
the beautiful rocky moments of life
but as you see
good reader
Love never waivers
and 
even The Great Eagle struggles in the Wind




The End


Love and Light