​I can see winter leaving all around me
I feel the shift in the air
I see the change in the earth
New life begins to break through the soil
Reaching for the light
Birth and Re-Birth
It is happening before my eyes
And I welcome it
Celebrate it
Am grateful for it
And with in me
Something else is happening
Winter still remains
Transmutation is still in progress
I sense there is a thaw
A winter break up, that is taking place
And I slowly begin to stir, from my place by the fires of my ancestors

​I still see the frost
I still smell the snow
And I feel the thaw
I feel the stirrings and that causes a part of me to want to jump up and get going, as I have done so many time before
I want to change the image of me in the snow…Winter Woman and yet I am unable to do so.
I am not who I was before
I am not the woman I once was, nor should I be
I have been many women on this journey of life
Many girls, many humans, many versions of mySelf
Elderhood has taken me to new realms, new understandings (which is not understanding) and other worlds that words of our language cannot be threaded to.
This pilgrimage has been like no other
If I did not know what it is I know,
I might think I was breaking down...

​Instead I find mySelf breaking open
So, the fire remains close as I breathe in the breath of spring
She is there with me
Along side the winter of my soul she is there
I plant seeds and she holds them and those that are ready she brings to life
I see them
Pushing up through the snow
I feel them rooting deeply into the warming soil
I continue to surrender and trust
I continue to stay present and believe
I continue to listen, learn and heal
Here I remain

MARCH
Dearest Mother Earth....
Thank you
for all it is you do
for all it is you are
for all it is you give.
You inspire me to be a better mother
a better woman
to go beyond the surface
and dig deep
You offer me a place to grow
a place to put my roots
and to anchor my heart
You hold my grief
when it is just too big to bear
and you dance with me
when my joy over flows
You offer me wisdom freely
seeking nothing in return
You are the one
that holds the Great Magic
Written on your crust
are the stories of old
Creator spoke you
from the Heart of Love
and All Things Beautiful
Your flow, my flow
Your fire, is my fire
Your rain, my rain
Your soil, is my soil
You teach me
You humble me
You are a reflection
of my heart
my being
my true center
You are my friend
My confidant
You never turn me away
whether I come with a song
in my step
or fall to my knees
and soak your soil with my tears
You are there
Every Sunrise
Every Storm
Every Rainbow
Every Sunset
Honours You
Forgive us when we don't tend to you
In the Good ways
when we take more than we need
when we do not trust there is enough
Forgive us when we are careless
of the resources you provide
Forgive us when we don't remember
to honour our ebb and flow
within natures rhythm
Forgive us
our sometimes reckless ways
Forgive us when we foolishly forget
that YOU are HOME
and WE the tenders of what you have given
A deep Sacred bow
Arms stretched up and open
All in gratitude for you...
Love Light and Shadow
Catherine


image collected by me 2022
I was on an early morning walk and was fortunate and blessed to see a mother and her 3 otter pups on the waters edge, feeding and playing.