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*

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

of the Medicine Wheel.

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~

Music Monday...

Love and Light

my Lovelies

You are Loved

more than you could ever know

 

xo

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 

my old one...

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,

Cathy AJ Hardy

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

of the Medicine Wheel.

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