Catherine Beerda-Basso

Reflections 

Unhatched

4/19/2022

 
Picture
Just before Spring, my husband opened up our chickadee bird house to clean it out from last summer We have learned that we need to do this if we want them to return to nest in the new year.
The same family might nest up to three times in one season and then leave for the winter.
This year when we opened up the house, this was what we found.
6 unhatched eggs.
I hesitate to use the word abandoned, because there is so much human attachment to that word that I do not witness in the wild world of nature.
6 unhatched eggs.
The chickadees left no note as to why these eggs were left
Just a tidy nest, with signs of the places they had foraged to create a comfy home for them and their little ones.
Perhaps the height of our hot summer was too much for them and they needed to go into the mountain forest for cooler weather.
Perhaps they ‘over shot’ as it was their third clutch.
Perhaps there was too much activity in the back yard.
perhaps...perhaps...perhaps
We, of course, can speculate and yet, in all our speculation, we will never know what caused the family to leave when they did. What I do know is that what they left behind offered us a precious gift of discovery.
It is not everyday that one gets to see these precious tiny eggs so closely,
to hold them
study the markings
feel the strength within the fragility
experience the abundance
even in the death

I keep finding that the precious gifts of this life, are often found in death of some kind
It is not easy, but it somehow causes the precious to be even sweeter
These Dark Nights of The Soul offer me a place to cherish the precious little offerings that sprinkle the paths that I find myself walking
kind words
simple connections
rays of light
sprinkles of rain
warmth of the sun
lingering morning frost
smiles on faces
touch
stories
music
good food
good company
moments
breath
life connections

I don’t know what’s ahead and that’s ok
I don’t need to know
I don’t want to know
I do know, that for now,
there is enough light for each step I take
as precious gifts sparkle in the sun
and illuminate under the moon
so here, I remain.


0 Comments

Winter Woman

2/16/2022

 
Picture

“When winter comes to a woman’s soul, she withdraws into her inner self, her deepest spaces.
She refuses all connection, refutes all arguments that she should engage in the world.
She may say she is resting, but she is more than resting: She is creating a new universe within herself, examining and breaking old patterns, destroying what should not be revived, feeding in secret what needs to thrive.
Winter women are those who bring into the next cycle what should be saved.
They are the deep conservators of knowledge and power.
Not for nothing did ancient peoples honour the grandmother.
In her calm deliberateness, she winters over our truth, she freezes out false-heartedness.
Look into her eyes, this winter woman.
In their gray spaciousness you can see the future.

Look out of your own winter eyes… You too can see the future.”
~ Patricia Monaghan

This is where I am.
'Feeding in secret what needs to thrive.'
Sitting around the fires of The Ancestors, listening intently to them speak
as I stir the cauldron of collateral beauty and kindness.
Here,
I am quiet and still.
As one must be if one wants to listen.
I want to listen.
I want to hear what has been already experienced.
I want to re-member that my challenge and our crisis is not the first
to have come to pass.
So, I listen.
And what I hear is words and stories that bring me to COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY as a place of being in listening, learning and healing.
COMMUNITY in which diversity is needed, wanted and welcomed.
COMMUNITY where reliability is law.
COMMUNITY where we are not required to agree but invited to honour.
COMMUNITY as the back bone of humanity.
So I listen.
And as I listen, I tend.
And as I tend, I expand.
And as I expand, I root in, 
and I stand firmly in place.
The winds blow, the rains fall, the storms rage.
And I remain rooted in,
sitting around the fires of The Ancestors, listening intently to them speak 
as I stir the cauldron,
as I examine and break down old patterns,
as I destroy what should not be revived.
as I feed in secret what needs to thrive.
Here I remain.
Winter Woman.

0 Comments

February

2/3/2022

 
Picture
February

the medicine:

*Elk – protect the herd, honour eldership/elderhood, teach the young, watch over the compromised, lead with integrity
*The North/The time of Winter – finding wisdom in challenge, embracing the earth in our bones, sitting at the fires of the ancestors to listen, learn and heal
*Imbolc – The slow, yet promising return of The Light. A time of emergence, birth, intention, celebration.
*The Dark Moon – The time to set prayers, ignite intentions, dream
*Brigid The Saint/The Goddess – New Beginnings, awaking’s, birth
*Chinese New Year – The Year of The Tiger – prosperity, courage, strength

Springs Beginnings
Winters Thaw
And perhaps
in this place
Love will be invite and will be allowed to Rise
Love shown in troubled times is the most precious of all
It is easy to love when there isn't
tragedy
hurt
strife
challenge
Bone Love happens when it is hard
Love built with the sturdy, rock solid commitment Flourishes
Love when it hurts creates Fortitude
Love forged in a time of Challenge lives Forever
It takes great courage to stand
in this kind of Love
May we all have such courage
May new life begin
May seeds be planted
May patience rise
May roots be strong
May flames burn bright
May compassion be our guide
May renewal and rebirth come forth
May grace be given
May we always know the ones who stand with and for us
May we know when to let things lie
May we know when to unearth the bones
May we have courage to live this human life
May vulnerability become our trusted companion
May it be so
May it be so
May it be so
aho
aha
amen
may it be so

image: Teaching the Young * Elk Medicine
2015 collected by me
0 Comments

magick

11/15/2021

 
Picture
​The magick is emerging
It births within the stillness
of our Be-ing
even when it's hard
To Be
It has always been there
and it now calls
to be given
it's rightful place
The paths have been cleared
The battles have been fought
The blood has been spilled
The tears have been shed
In the world of Magick... The World of Spirit
there is The Law of Nature...
a natural law that moves between life and death
honouring both...
Here there is always a price that is meant to be paid
This is not for punishment or shame
This is in order to hold balance
To honour the life *death *life cycle
It is our call to remember this
so that when the price has been paid
-we move on-
-we evolve-
-we transform-
We must realize when it is time to stop paying...
so we can then
enter into ourselves
Holy and Wholly
encompassing all that we were meant to do here
all that we were meant to be
in this place of fog and mystery I remain
🍁🖤🦉🍂
📷 Crow in The Fog
collected by me 2020
0 Comments

Begin Again

11/1/2021

 
Picture
Here I sit, way past my bedtime on the dark night after Samhain and Hallows Eve.​
Last night was filled with happy children and relieved parents as the sky was clear and the only thing that filled the night was the banging and lights of the abundant fireworks that rang late into the dark.
Today it was All Saints Day, The Celtic or Witches New year and tomorrow is The Day of The Dead. It’s a dark season, but not in a scary kind of way. More in a release, allowing and death-to-what-is-complete kind of way.
Today was the perfect day to complete this new website, as I follow the Celtic/Witches New Year in my work. It wasn’t a conscious thing, it just sort of happened and made sense. It seems a good time to begin again after the days of honouring death. I so admire the Southern countries for how they honour their dead on these days. Tonight, a sister-friend of mine shared numerous images from several years ago when her and her family were in Mexico for The Day of The Dead. A sea of photos, tokens and colourful flowers held in painted tin cans, filled every image. These places are not afraid to honour their dead and it resonates with me.
Back to this new website. It’s complete. I must be honest and say it did not turn out exactly how I had envisioned, but it will do. I have no time to rebuild it as I started school last week and my world is quite upside down right now. I am in the throws of finding a new rhythm and I don’t mind saying I am feeling a little overwhelmed.  And sometimes, most times I have found my expectations to be not what is needed. it is a humbling practice.
What am I going to school for? I am going back to obtain an Addictions Counsellor Certification. This will help with the recovery work that I do and enhance my session work. I am already learning so much about the system. I feel like a spy, getting a view from the inside out. Even in the overwhelm of change I know I am exactly where I need to be.
So back to the new website! One of the biggest things I am excited about is that there is a sign up, on the bottom of the first page, for my newsletter. I am excited to streamline my audience and perhaps get new followers as well. I would be pleased if you would consider staying with me; but if our time has come to an end I thank you for entertaining my email all these years. I truly appreciate it.
Nothing stays the same, and that is good. Things must die so other life can take root. Going back to school is part of that change for me. I am do not all that is ahead of me, and nor should I. In the meantime, I will still hold the circle that I am committed to.
​As long as the women gather, I will hold the space. That has always been my promise. 

 
I feel inspired to write more but my bed is calling, and my eyes are tired.
Thank you for reading my words, thank you for being here with me.
I look forward to seeing you soon, one way or another.
Blessed Be dear lovelies.
I pray all good things for you on this dark night.
Love Light and Shadow
Catherine

0 Comments
Forward>>

    Reflections

    Here you will find my process in writings.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021

    RSS Feed

all website photos collected by Catherine Beerda-Basso & Kim Hexter


  • Introduction
  • The Healing Room
  • Offerings
  • Apothecary
  • Self Reflections
  • Contact & Credentials
  • Introduction
  • The Healing Room
  • Offerings
  • Apothecary
  • Self Reflections
  • Contact & Credentials