Spirit Asks, "Kindness Or Not?"

 

The poster says, Choose Kindness

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion."     -Dalai Lama

This is a time for being kind!  There are many changes happening on the Earth.  Great floods are reclaiming the lands that have once been stolen from the oceans.  People are isolated by governments.  Life is not political unless someone makes it so.  Life is about developing a system of cooperation that provides the best solution for the band, tribe, pack, or flock.  This means that the greatest good is the best solution; the agenda of the individual politicians only serves self and not the community.

Blessings to all,

Creator

Now is the time of community.  In community we show kindness to others.  We offer food, with kindness.  We heal others and instead of allowing ego to rise in us, we show humility.  We acknowledge that there are huge changes taking place that will forever change the landscape of the Earth and the pedigree of humans.  We see the abundance and know that it is meant for everyone, not just those with power or who can create fear in others.  We are changing.  And, we are grateful!

Thankfully,

The People

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Blessings,

Judy

Happy Thanksgiving on November 28 2024

To my friends and blog readers in the United States, “Happy Thanksgiving!”.  These are my wishes for you on this day.

On this special day, I wish to each of you, 

All the best of everything!

May each of you have much abundance in your life.

May each of you feel laughter and have fun.

May each of you connect with all your loved ones.

And, may each of you find the time to say a prayer 

for all those who do not have anything.

May Great Spirit smile upon each of you today.

Blessings,

Judy

Buddha Says Keep The Heart Pure

 

Not to commit evil, but to practice all good, and to keep the heart pure: This is the teaching of the Buddha.

“To keep the heart pure” means to try to keep the mind uncluttered. It does not mean that we are saintly. It means that we are reasonably aware, reasonably caring, open to ourselves and to others, and not influenced by hatred, greed, or delusion. – Martine Batchelor, "The Precepts: A Special Practice Section"

I read this passage the other day, and I was struck by the simplicity of living that this bit of wisdom crafts for us.  I wonder how this teaching, now nearly 5000 years old, could be replaced by a belief in Christianity and Muslim, which seem to cause great violence to other humans. 

I wondered how these faiths only in existence for about 2000 years, could arise.   As I was sitting in meditation, the simple answer came to me – they arose because the true teachings which supported the teachings of Buddha for different geographical regions, were pushed aside because of the individual’s need for power and to support their hatred and greed.  This thought was so powerful that I nearly fell off my meditation cushion.  And, it made me sad – very sad.

May we all find that place in ourselves to be kind and carrying, and beyond the passions of hatred, and greed.  May delusion be released as we shed our ego.

Blessings,

Judy

Elementals Speak - Fir, Spruce, And Pine - The Christmas Trees

 It is soon time to begin looking at Christmas trees.  The Elementals shake with frustration when their beloved trees are mistakenly identified as pine, when they should be fir, or as spruce when they should be pine.  So, the Elementals asked me to give a brief lesson in how to tell the trees apart.  And, yes, they are all EVERGREENS, remember, however, that calling a tree an evergreen is like calling you a human instead of using your name.

A Guide To Recognizing Christmas Trees

 

Look for the number of needles that come out of the same spot on a twig. If a twig bears needles in groups of two, three, or five, you can safely call it a pine.

Pine Tree Branch

If the twig carries its needles singly, it’s a good bet you’ve got a fir or a spruce. If the needle has four sides and, thus, rolls easily between your fingers, it’s a spruce.

Spruce Tree Branch

Pull off a needle, and roll it between your fingers. If it feels flat and doesn’t roll easily, it’s a fir.

Fir Tree Branches

Note:  This information on the trees comes from www.finegardening.com.  I am grateful for their informative site.

Blessings,

Judy

Coyote Plays

 

Coyote has many personas in many belief systems.  In North America, Coyote is seen as a trickster.  In other places, Coyote is the messenger from the gods.  Still others think that Coyote is a special guide that warns you when trouble is coming, and tells you to beware.

Coyote comes in today to tell everyone to play more.  Her observation is that humans are too serious and that humans miss all the possibilities to increase their productivity and creativity. 

Her message is that you do not need to play for a long period of time; you just need to play to relax your focus so that you can let go of the tunnel vision that plagues many people.

Coyote says that by looking at things with a fresh eye, you can tell whether you need to be in service to the situation, or to offer a prayer for the situation, or, even whether you should be doing some soul searching around the situation.  Nature creates events to allow us to grow.

Blessings,

Judy

Wild Rice Soup Recipe From Our Ancestors

A while ago, we had friends over for a pot luck gathering.  I made several things.  However one of the favourite “eats” was this wild rice soup.  Several people said that they would serve it for Christmas, if I would share the recipe.  Some of us plan our Christmas menu ahead of time, and like to test the results before the big day.  Here is the Wild Rice Soup recipe.

  

Wild Rice Soup 

8-10 Servings 

Wild rice was, for hundreds of years, one of the -main food sources for the Indians of Minnesota. It is a large reed-like grass and grows in three to four feet of water. This grass, with its long sweeping flower cluster on top, sometimes grows eight to ten feet tall.

Ingrediants

1/2 cup wild rice ( I used ¾ of a cup of wild rice)
1 pound bacon (I left out all the bacon and drippings and added 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil.)

3 tablespoons bacon drippings (Leave out for vegetarian soup)

1 cup finely chopped celery 
1 cup finely chopped onion 

¾ cup finely chopped red pepper
2 14¹/2-ounce cans (ready to serve) chicken broth (I used 7 cups of distilled water and a 2 vegetarian broth cubes)

2 white potatoes, cubed
2 10³/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 

Variations:

Add grated carrot, or green onions, or finely chopped leek, or finely chopped mushrooms.

Wash wild rice. Boil rice for 15 minutes and drain; set aside. If you use the bacon, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and discard all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings. Sauté celery, onion and green pepper or whatever veggies that you use either in the drippings, or in olive oil, until onion is transparent. Put in a large kettle and add rice, broth, mushrooms, soup and diced bacon. Cook on low heat for 1 to 3 hours.  (I find that 3 hours gives it the best flavour.)  Do not add salt.

Blessings,

Judy

Spirit Says “Play Well!”

The word of the day is “PLAY”.  Play with friends.  Play an instrument.  Jump, walk, bike, run, jog, or play with the dog.   Let yourself go and be relaxed.  You are now off duty.  In playing, you learn about yourself.  It is time to do more learning.

Things to ask yourself:

• When is the last time you laughed out loud?
• When is the last time that your body felt totally relaxed and refreshed from sleep?
• When did you simply go and have fun with your family or friends WITHOUT an agenda?
• When did you last do something for you?

Blessings,

Judy

Today’s Word - Responsibility

The Poster says:  Responsibility — No single drop of water thinks it is responsible for the flood. —Author Unknown

In this time, we all have work that we must do.  Creator is urging everyone to now take responsibility for their own lives.

• Be accountable to yourself.  The onus is on you for who you are and what you have created.
• Others are responsible for themselves.  Do not try to take away their journey by making decisions for them, or assuming responsibility.
• Remove yourself from victimhood.  You have choices in your life that you can make everyday, in every moment.  And, you can take responsibility for them.
• Make mistakes and acknowledge them as a learning experience that adds to your wisdom.

Blessings,

Judy

Staying In Balance

Sometimes, I get what I call “odd” messages when I am in meditation.  By odd, I mean that the information is not framed in my common images or understanding of things.  When the frame of reference is not common, I have to do a bit of research.  The theme of the information was balance.  I found this short lesson from Osho and had an “Ah ha” moment.

The Art of Staying in Balance

The most difficult thing, the almost impossible thing for the mind, is to remain in the middle, to remain balanced. And to move from one thing to its opposite is the easiest. To move from one polarity to another is the nature of the mind. 

It is difficult for the mind to come to the right diet, difficult for the mind to stay in the middle. It is just like a clock's pendulum. The pendulum goes to the right, then it moves to the left, then again to the right, and again to the left; the clock's working depends on this movement.

If the pendulum stays in the middle, the clock stops. And when the pendulum moves to the right, you think it is only going to the right, but at the same time it is gathering momentum to go to the left. The more it moves to the right, the more energy it gathers to move to the left, and vice versa.  - Osho

Many blessings,

Judy

A Message From White Tiger

 

White Tiger entered my space and announced that it was here to walk with me for a while.  I was startled.  A white animal usually means that something big, in a spiritual sort of way, is going to happen to you, and generally, it involves a confrontation of some kind.  This was not good news!

White Tiger said slowly and quietly, “There is nothing to fear.  Now, you need a teacher to walk with you.  I have asked to come to do this thing.  You and other humans are interesting to me.”

With that comment, White Tiger sent me some thoughts to share with others.

• Learn to really “see”.  So much of what you see is not true.  Learn to expand your mind and to try to see the things behind the picture.  Learn to see in the darkness.  You can you know – you have just been told that you cannot.
• Mark your territory.  This is about learning to create boundaries.  You need to set boundaries at home, at work, at play, with your family and with your friends.  Too many have forgotten that boundaries are about asking permission.  Many assume they have the right to do any number of things.
• Adapt your covering (clothes) to the places that you will travel.  There is a caution about drawing too much attention to yourself.

Many blessings,

Judy

Remembrance Day November 11 2024

This poster says:

For those who leave never to return.

For those who return but are never the same.

We remember.

Prairie Chicken In Snow - Spirit Animal

Yesterday, when I went out to my vehicle, there were three prairie chickens in the middle of the cove, pecking away at seeds.  They scurried away when I walked too close to them.  Then, today, when the I took my dog walking in the park, at the exit, there was a small flock of six prairie chickens.  This time, they flew away instead of scurrying, I think, because of my dog.

It is apparent to me, that Prairie Chicken has a message for me because it is appearing two days in a row, and the number of critters is multiplied by two.  This really illustrates how message totem animals work.  

“A Message Animal Totem usually is bringing you a self growth, spiritual message, or a cautionary warning. It is often a wake up call or slap in the face. It will usually be a very unusual experience making it very powerful at that time and very impartial. A Message Totem is a brief period of time, a day, a week, and occasionally as much as a couple of months but can be immediate for just a few hours.”

Now, it is up to me to figure out what the message is because the animals did not stay around to give the message to me directly.  Prairie Chickens, and many chickens and quail, and even grouse, are about community, about feeding or nourishment, and about protection – especially fleeing at the first sign of danger.  This means that chicken is also about being ultra aware of one’s surroundings.

The message that resonated for me as I meditated on Prairie Chicken and the chickens’ actions is:

• When the unknown approaches and it feels threatening, simply flee and then observe it from a distance.  Warriors are careful.
• Finding the best place to eat and creating the best food will keep your group very strong.  Nourishment is part of spirituality for the body must be kept healthy.
• Feeding people is a small sacrifice that shows that you are in service.

 Blessings,

Judy

Buddha Talks - Recognize the Ego Mind

I was looking at some of the speeches from different politicians in different parts of the world.  It made me think of this lesson from Buddha.

When we look for the mind, we can't find any shape, or color, or form. This mind that we identify as the self, which we could call ego-mind, controls everything we do. Yet it can't actually be found—which is somewhat spooky, as if a ghost were managing our home. The house seems to be empty, but all the housework has been done. The bed has been made, our shoes have been polished, the tea has been poured, and the breakfast has been cooked. The funny thing is that we never question this. We just assume that someone or something is there. But all this time, our life has been managed by a ghost, and it's time to put a stop to it. On one hand, ego-mind has served us—but it hasn't served us well.  – Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, "Searching for Self"

Blessings,

Judy 

Be A Happiness Engineer

The message from Creator and the Angels today, is about creating happiness for yourself.  Think of all the great monuments in the world, and that they were built by architects, engineers, and willing builders.  

Each day, you can be the architect of your day, and plan happiness.  Each day, you can be the engineer that makes happiness happen by looking at all the things that are in your life – the abundance, the home, the family, the friends, and even the dog, and seeing that everything, not just ONE thing, does contribute to happiness.  All of the components are the willing builders that work with you to build happiness, if you allow them to be part of your life.  This means that you do not control them, but, you can suggest to them all the things that build happiness.

Blessings,

Judy

Spirit Talks About Rhythm

 

Now is the time to celebrate.  Feel your heartbeat and the rhythm of life.  In movement and flow, everything has cycles and rhythms.  Feel and know your part of this rhythm through to the core of your being.  Get in touch with your inner self.

Do no let disharmony interrupt your rhythm and flow, bud dance your dance and sing your song with joy, and others will be infected with the delight of it.

– Treasures from Tikashi

As we move through the changes of time and space, find a place in your heart that is filled with joy.  Let this be one of your sanctuaries.  When you feel down or out, go to this place, to your reserve of joy, and let all things flow.

Blessings,

Judy

November 1 2024

November waltzes in on the heels of All Hallows‘ Eve or Halloween.  In Celtic and Nordic tradition, this was a time to celebrate the end of the harvest and to put some seeds and grain out at the shrine for those members of the family that have died. 

Picture of an ancestors’ shrine from www.pathofeire.org  

 

 

This leads to November 1 which is the traditional time of “Feast of the Dead”.  Although we tend to attribute this festival to the Mexican people, many other countries and belief systems honour their dead at this time.  

I love the tradition of the Huron people, in days gone by.  Whenever a large village shifted location, about every 10-15 years, the Huron celebrated a “Feast of the Dead”.  Since the ancestors could not be moved conveniently with the tribe, a special ceremony was held to offer the ancestors a final resting place and to give the ancestors peace. The bodies were removed from their temporary cave graves and buried in a deep pit lined with furs such as beaver and mink. The ceremony showed the reverence and gratitude that all Huron have for their dead. This grand ceremony was the final release of the souls, and the responsibility that the ancestors had to the tribe.  Those souls now released could walk the path up to the sky, to hunt with the Gods, and live a life of abundance.  

I also love the description that Marcelina at www.mysticalmind.comwrites of the preparing of the cemetery for “The Feast Of The Dead”. She writes:

The day before the feast, the younger people would have to tidy up the cemetery. The wooden crosses had to be straightened upright, faded, painted headstones had to be touched up, and the weeds needed to be pulled out. Dried leaves and twigs were placed in a pile to make into a bonfire. The whole surroundings must be swept with a broom to clear the spirits’ path who would be attending the feast. Some of the younger women had to plant flowers and herbs, and others needed to set up the altar on the round, flat rock in the cemetery which had been dedicated for this event. Pictures of the departed, fruits, flowers and candles were carefully placed around the altar while a big cross of Jesus Christ stood at the center.

Westerners, in the past, have a tendency to ignore their ancestors. That behaviour seems to be changing, and more people, even if they do not set up a shrine, are saying prayers for their ancestors.  And that, I think, is a good thing!

Blessings,

Judy