mediumship

A Final Farewell

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A Note from Betty:

Dear friends, it is time for both Grandmother Cottonwood and I to pursue new adventures in life, so this will be our final blog post. Since the tree herself was cut down last June, I feel that her spirit is finally ready to move on.

It has been a great honor to translate the communications of GCW into words and pictures. We’ve worked in partnership to bring you over 500 posts since 2015. And now, we say a loving goodbye.

Please enjoy GCW’s offerings from our archives. Thank you for your kind attention and support throughout the past five years. Dear readers, you have been much appreciated!

Remember Grandmother Cottonwood when you need to feel grounded, when you desire inspiration, when you find yourself off balance or living in your head, or when you want to connect with the spirits of nature.

GCW in winter

We leave you with a final practice to help you live connected to the Earth, centered in your body, and aligned with spirit

Visualize your energetic roots anchoring you to the Earth, drawing in vital Earth energy. Visualize your awareness centered in the trunk of your body, your heart and belly. And finally, see and feel your energetic branches reaching to divine light, pulling in life giving nourishment and inspiration from the heavens.

(If you have children or grandchildren, they will love this visualization!)

Balance Between Body and Spirit

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Our spirits expansive and unlimited, somehow end up coming to Earth in physical form with limitations, boundaries, and physical rules governing material existence.

As a tree spirit inhabiting the physical world, I was limited during my life by the depth of my roots, the height and weight and reach of my limbs, the nourishment available in the soil, the quality and quantity of available light each day, the length and duration of the seasons, the surrounding trees and their roots and branches, the rainfall and weather conditions in this place.

My spirit took a chance with physical life and took root many decades ago. My life was a magnificent work of art! Life was all I knew. And life was beautiful. My spirit could not be separated from my physical body.

GCW Winter

Your basic human survival needs dictate the conditions of your life. You must have water, food, shelter, touch, nurturing from others as a child, exercise, a group to belong to… The deep longings of spirit will also inform and shape your life in profound ways.

Gravity holds your body to the Earth even as your spirit longs to soar sometimes and wants to be free, unencumbered by the confines and needs of the body.

Even if you are not aware of your spirit, behind the scenes it sets the agenda for your life and helps to guide you toward your highest good. It is the quiet voice telling you “there is more to life…” Pay attention!

This is the challenge of life on Earth for humans – creating a healthy balance between body and spirit

Live honoring all you are~ Body and spirit

Life’s end

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As my physical remains crumble into dust and become food for the Earth, for the insects and worms, I enrich and feed the soil that once fed me. The decay of my physical being nourishes the soil that sustained my long and prosperous life. The rains, snows, ice, the freezes and thaws have begun to break down what is left of me.

Grandmother Cottonwood’s stump

My spirit, the energy that supported my physical being continues, as bright, as strong as ever. Now the “I” that was focused and centered in the once living tree experiences an immense freedom, an expansion, a lightness, a joy in knowing my oneness with all that is.

Gone are the days of knowing the baking heat and withering drought, chill winter winds, eroding washes of driving rain, the threat of lightening and high winds.

I loved my life in the form of a magnificent cottonwood tree in spite of harsh weather, boring insects, men with bucket trucks and chainsaws. I lived a beautiful life, connected intimately with the web of all-that- is.

My spirit endures!

And now from my new perspective, my spirit observes the manifestations, the ebb and flow, the dance of life on earth with deep gratitude and great love for all beings.

I have a new viewpoint on the web of life, or the web of spirit, if you like. For in my new reality I know without doubt that all things are one.

Life’s beginning

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I am filled with gratitude for the long and beautiful life I lived under the sky, rooted to the Earth in this place.

I remember the first burst of life within me. I felt the swelling of my tiny fluff encased seed, resting in the mud, taking on moisture and warmth many decades ago.

Cottonwood seeds

My embryonic roots slowly unrolling as has been the pattern for all those who came before me for the entire history of this Earth. My roots obeying the ancient call to life, pushing my seed open, surprisingly strong, beginning to grasp the soil to reach downward as if pulled by a magnetic force, to draw in nourishment, and sustain my life, to hold me here.

Now my tightly folded seed leaves, pale from their time in the dark enclosed seed space soak in the first particle of sunlight through the crack in the seed casing. They reach out as though starved for light and unfold and harden and reach upward and multiply under the sun’s life giving love, with nourishment and moisture from my roots.

This is how my life began, dear ones. The ancient will to live and survive and thrive on this planet was encoded in my seed as it is in all living beings – those that move freely about and those rooted to the Earth.

Grandmother Cottonwood, winter

What love, what gratitude I feel for the magnificent web that connect us all in the never ending dance of life on this planet.

Ask for Help

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Dear reader, this post is from the archives of AskGCW.

Dear friends, I feel a great heaviness in this world right now.

I can feel the vibrations of your tension, the tightening of your shoulders and throat, the churning in your gut, the stress, the weight of worry many are feeling right now in this time of uncertainty.

For those who are worried, frightened – lean against me and those of my kind, the extended family of trees. Enter into our friendly energy, rest your weight on us, we will support and calm you, help you know what is real and solid and true.

Grandmother Cottonwood

Tune yourselves to our quiet and subtle frequency. Listen with your whole body and heart, your wise self.

We will help you know you are not alone, that life goes on, that you are safe in this moment.

Know this. All trees and the collective spirits of nature – animal and plant, insect, reptile, amphibian, all angelic beings, your human ancestors who have crossed to the light, all spirits or land air and sea, of heaven and Earth, of the Universe are with you always.

Male Cardinal in winter

Please call on us for advice, kindness, companionship, spiritual nourishment, comfort. You are not alone. You are surrounded by love.

Tune into our quiet and loving voices to steady and calm your anxious minds.

Trees and Patience

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Dear reader, this post is from the archives of AskGCW.

As trees, we must practice patience. We begin humbly, as a tiny fragile looking seed finding a home in the soil where conditions for life and future growth exist- moisture, light air soil, warmth… the sense of home and belonging.

Silver Maple seeds

Here our first roots unroll toward earths’ magnetic pull. Our precious seed leaves burst out and open, stretching to the light. This is our home for life, this patch of soil and sun.

We are settled here. We are content and patient in the place chance has chosen for us. We live lives of endurance, growing slowly year by year adding height and girth, our bark expanding and thickening.

Hackberry bark

We practice patience as our new green branches turn woody in months gaining in strength and size over the years. We stand tall according to our nature, we soak in light, pull in nutrients and moisture from the soil, feeding ourselves, providing homes for birds and insects, wildlife, tiny mammals, mosses, lichen. We do this for decade upon decade.

For generations, for lifetimes we thrive and survive.

You might consider us to be miracles! From fragile seedlings to magnificent mature trees, we have a strong will to live and endure, to take up the space we need, to soak in our share of sunshine and pull in the sustenance we need from the Earth.

We patiently endure droughts, torrential rains, lightening, storms, extreme cold and wilting heat. Year after year we patiently adapt to the conditions of our environment. Sometimes these conditions cause stress and then we benefit from your care concern and attention.

Trees and storm clouds

We are the calm green backdrop to your lives, providers of cooling shade, beautifying your neighborhoods and landscapes, holding the soil, clearing the air, sheltering your farms towns and and cities, greening your cemeteries, ranging over mountains and ringing lakes.

We lovingly watch your children grow from infants to adults, we witness with affection the growth and development of your grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We can show you what patience is.

It is Time!

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You who are alive at this moment in time, those who are called to live here upon this Earth – You are needed now more than ever to be at the top of your game, to keep yourself clear of emotional clutter and baggage, to be clear and open channels for spirit for the specific gifts and talents you bring to this place and time, the home your spirit has chosen for you.

All who can, this is the time to stand tall in the light of the divine. This is the time to root deeply to our home, the Earth.

Grandmother Cottonwood

This is the time to hold your ground, maintain your light, keep yourselves attuned to the frequencies of life. This is the time to know your truth and live by it.

This is the time to love and cherish every breath, every beat of your heart. This is the time to access the power deep within yourself. This is the time to open to those beloved people in your life and love them with your whole heart, leaving judgment behind.

This life of the spirit is a mystery. There is no beginning, no end. While your spirit inhabits your body, there is only the river of now in which you have the power to act.

Grandmother Cottonwood

It is time to surrender to spirit’s plan for you, to cease any dithering and get to work!

It is time to dedicate yourself to the flow of inspiration and energy that is drawn through your being and create our world anew.

Houseplants II

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Dear humans, do you need a focus for your caring energy? Try a houseplant or two… We are living beings you can grow to love and enjoy.

Get to know us, speak to us with kindness and encouragement, meet our simple needs and we will bless you with all that is in our power.

We have been given the honor to share your space and your life. For this we thank you. We have so much more to give than meets the eye. We can communicate through touch, through telepathy, through intuition, thorough energy.

We can sense your moods and intentions. We know at a fundamental level the beat and energy of your heart. We are affected by negative news media, by loud and harsh noises, by violence nearby, by the energies of anger and fear. We are sentient beings, more sensitive more aware than you think.

We respond well to kind voices, the energy of love, an atmosphere of peace. We mirror you. If we are wilted, dried up, yellowed, leggy, or vigorous, strong, brightly colored, or blooming look into your own life and see how the same may be true for you.

Are your roots shallow or deep? Are they rotten from over watering? Is the soil in your container depleted or nourishing and supportive of life? Are you blooming? Going to seed? In this way we act as a metaphor for your self awareness.

We cannot speak your human languages. If you take the time and gather the patience you can tune into our way of communicating. Quiet your minds, use your fingertips. Listen to your intuition and trust the messages you receive from us. In this way you expand your experience of what is possible and form deeper connections with nature.

When you bring a plant into your home, you imbue your life with the sweet green energy of nature

The Houseplants Speak

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We bless your home! You provide a controlled atmosphere and temperature, consistent lighting. You water and fertilize us when needed. You protect us from storms freezes and extreme heat, you take pleasure in our color and form our blooming growth habits.

We soften the sharp edges of your home and life.

We are far from passive ornaments to be watered and dusted once a year. We cleanse the air you breathe we convert sunlight to beauty. We provide pools of peace and calm in your homes. We bring the zen of nature indoors.

Please do not take us for granted. Let us coexist in partnership with you.

We may seem silent and still. As companions we’re not as exciting as puppies or kittens, but we communicate, we exchange energy and signals with others of our kind, with you too, if you quiet your mind and learn to hear our language.

We communicate via telepathy. You can tune into our frequencies and enter our world. Let us show you how to help us thrive. We can communicate to you our needs for water light and air. We can communicate peace and calm.

We thrive when you speak to us and think of us with kindness. The energy and feeling behind your words matter. We soak in your love, your caring. We are damaged by harsh words in our environment, mean feelings and the vibrations of violence. We are sensitive to you and your energy, you cannot pretend with us.

We are friends who demand little, who give much. Let us coexist in beautiful partnership.

Heart centered

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I invite you, whatever your story, whatever your fears and worries to journey inward to your heart. Your heart, seat of your wise self or if you like, your soul.

Knower of the truth, interpreter of all threads of information coming in from your surroundings, perceiver of others people’s energy and intentions, sorter of who and what to allow into your life, who and what to distance yourself from.

Your heart is so much wiser than your logical ego mind gives it credit for. Quietly running the show, if you allow it, with discernment, non- judgment, knowing, wise guidance.

Late afternoon silver lining

Listen to your heart. Sing to it. If you are anxious, hum it into calm.

Follow the heart’s advice. Feel what it is feeling and know that what your heart tells you is vital information if you wish to live an awakened life.

Heart centered means trusting what you feel in your heart, allowing and noticing anger, fear, frustrations, just as you allow playfulness joy and contentment into your awareness. When you block any of these vital emotions, you are blocking your heart.

Heart centered means seeing others through the lens of your higher self, seeing beyond the surface to their hearts.

Heart centered living is not all sweetness and light, for that would be living a lie, erasing and blocking much of your human experience. Letting the wisdom and truth of your heart requires no apology or explanation to anyone!

When the truth of the heart is known, it moves us to act with wisdom, to feel with clarity, to live from our true and wise center.