Run The Dishwasher Twice

 

Sometimes, when you read the news or magazines, you have an “Eureka” moment. That happened to me earlier this week when I read the headline below.  Check out the article.  Remember, over time, links can change so this link may not work forever.

Woman shares her therapist's incredibly helpful mental health hack: 'Run the dishwasher twice'

https://apple.news/AOn5CzxmSQ5OCzvIXHlSq7w

Why was this a startling moment for me?  When I read the article, I realized that so many people are living by arbitrary rules imposed on us by others.  Our conditioning to these rules makes it almost impossible for us to over throw the rules.

In this example, a lady struggling with every day tasks was overwhelmed by having to basically wash her dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.  Her therapist’s solution was easy, wash the dishes twice!

I started thinking about some of the arbitrary rules that I have shattered in my life over time.  Many of you will have the same experience.  A rule may have worked at some point but it does not work now.  Let the rule go!

Blessings,

Judy

A Buddhist Parable On Gratitude

A while ago, I wrote a blog about being grateful called A Prayer for being Grateful.  You can read it here https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2024/10/a-prayer-for-being-grateful.html . Gratitude is an important part of my life.  This morning, while I was going through some teachings from Buddha, I found this parable.  It is quite long, and worth the read.

I would love to hear your feedback on this parable.

Thanks and blessings,

Judy

                                     A Parable on Gratitude

Once upon a time, King Brahmadatta of Benares had a son. He grew up to be a mean and cruel he-man - the type that's always trying to prove he's tougher than everyone else. He was a bully who constantly pushed people around and picked fights. Whenever he spoke to people it was with a stream of obscenities - right out of the gutter. And he was always quick to anger - just like a hissing snake that's just been stepped on. 

People inside and outside the palace ran from him as they would from a starving man-eating demon. They avoided him as they would a speck of dirt in the eye. Behind his back everyone called him the 'Evil Prince'. In short - he was not a nice man! 

One day the prince decided to go swimming. So he went down to the river with his servants and attendants. Suddenly it became almost as dark as night. A huge storm came up. Being so rough and tough, the prince was always trying to show he wasn't scared of anything. So he yelled at his servants, "Take me into the middle of the river and bathe me. Then bring me back to shore."

Following his orders, they took him out to midstream. Then they said, "Now is our chance! Whatever we do here, the king will never find out. So let's kill the Evil Prince. Into the flood you go, good-for-nothing!" With that they threw him into the stormy raging river. 

When they returned to the bank, the others asked where the prince was. They replied, "We don't know. As the rain came up, he must have swum faster than us and gone back to Benares."

When they returned to the palace, the king asked, "Where is my son?" They said, "We don't know, your majesty. When the storm came up, we thought he went back ahead of us." King Brahmadatta collected a search party and began looking for the prince. They searched carefully, all the way to the riverside, but couldn't find him. 

What had happened was this. In the darkness and wind and rain the prince had been swept down the flooding river. Luckily he was able to grab onto a floating dead tree trunk. Frantically he held on for dear life. As he was being swept along, the tough he-man was so afraid of drowning that he cried like a terrified helpless baby! 

It just so happened that, not long before, a very rich man had died in Benares. He had buried his treasure hoard in the riverbank, along the same stretch of river. His fortune amounted to 40 million gold coins. Because of his miserly craving for riches, he was reborn as a lowly snake, slithering on his belly while still guarding his treasure. 

At a nearby spot on the riverbank another rich miser had buried a treasure of 30 million gold coins. Likewise, due to his stingy clawing after wealth, he had been reborn as a water rat. He too remained to guard his buried treasure. 

Lo and behold. when the storm came up, both the snake and the water rat were flooded out of their holes and washed into the raging river. In fear of drowning, they both happened to grab onto the same dead log carrying the frightened wailing prince. The snake climbed up on one end and the water rat on the other. 

There also happened to be a tall cotton tree growing nearby. There was a young parrot roosting in it. When the storm-flooded river rose up, the cotton tree's roots were washed away and it fell into the water. When he tried to fly away, the wind and rain swept the little parrot onto the same dead log with the snake, the water rat and the Evil Prince. 

Now there were four on the log, floating towards a bend in the river. Nearby a holy man was living humbly in a little hut. He just happened to be the Bodhisatta - the Enlightenment Being. He had been born into a rich high class family in Kasi. When he had grown up, he had given up all his wealth and position, and had come to live by himself next to the river. 

It was the middle of the night when the holy man heard the cries of panic coming from the Evil Prince. He thought, "That sounds like a frightened human being. My loving-kindness will not let me ignore him. I must save him." 

He ran down to the river and shouted. "Don't be afraid! I will save you!" Then he jumped into the rushing torrent, grabbed the log, and used his great strength to pull it to shore. 

He helped the prince step safely onto the riverbank. Noticing the snake, water rat and parrot, he took them and the man to his cozy little hut. He started up his cooking fire. Thinking of the weakness of the animals, he gently warmed them by the fire. When they were warm and dry he set them aside. Then he let the prince warm himself. The holy man brought out some fruits and nuts. Again he fed the more helpless animals first, followed by the waiting prince. 

Not surprisingly this made the Evil Prince furious! He thought, "This stupid holy man doesn't care at all for me, a great royal prince. Instead he gives higher place to these three dumb animals!" Thinking this way, he built up a vengeful hatred against the gentle Bodhisatta. 

The next day the holy man dried the deadwood log in the sun. Then he chopped it up and burned it, to cook their food and keep them warm. In a few days the four who had been rescued by that same log were strong and healthy. 

The snake came to the holy man to say good-bye. He coiled his body on the ground, arched himself up, and bowed his head respectfully. He said, "Venerable one, you have done a great thing for me! I am grateful to you, and I am not a poor snake. In a certain place I have a buried treasure of 40 million gold coins. And I will gladly give it to you - for all life is priceless! Whenever you are in need of money, just come down to the riverbank and call out. "Snake! Snake!" 

The water rat, too, came to the holy man to say good-bye. He stood up on his hind legs and bowed his head respectfully. He said, "Venerable one, you have done a great thing for me! I am grateful to you, and I am not a poor water rat. In a certain place I have a buried treasure of 30 million gold coins. And I will gladly give it to you - for all life is priceless! Whenever you are in need of money, just come down to the riverbank and call out, "Rat! Rat!" 

Such grateful generosity from a snake and a water rat! A far cry from their previous stingy human lives!
Then came the parrot to say his good-bye to the holy man. He bowed his head respectfully and said, "Venerable one, you have done a great thing for me! I am grateful to you, but I possess no silver or gold. However, I am not a poor parrot. For if you are ever in need of the finest rice, just come down to the riverbank and call out. 'Parrot! Parrot!' Then I will gather together all my relatives from all the forests of the Himalayas and we will bring you many cart loads of the most precious scented red rice. For all life is priceless!" 

Finally the Evil Prince came to the holy man. Because his mind was filled with the poison of vengeance, he thought only about killing him if he ever saw him again. However, what he said was, "Venerable one, when I become king, please come to me and I will provide you with the Four Necessities." He returned to Benares and soon became the new king. 

In a while the holy man decided to see if the gratitude of these four was for real. First he went down to the riverbank and called out, "Snake! Snake!" At the sound of the first word, the snake came out of his home under the ground. He bowed respectfully and said, "Holy one, under this very spot are buried 40 million gold coins. Dig them up and take them with you!" "Very well," said the holy man, "When I am in need I will come again." 

Taking leave of the snake, he walked along the riverbank and called out,' "Rat! Rat!" The water rat appeared and all went just as it had with the snake. 

Next, he called out, "Parrot! Parrot!" The parrot flew down from his treetop home, bowed respectfully and said, "Holy one, do you need red rice? I will summon my relatives and we will bring you the best rice in all the Himalayas." The holy man replied, "Very well, when I am in need I will come again."
Finally he set out to see the king. He walked to the royal pleasure garden and slept there overnight. In the morning, in a very humble and dignified manner, he went to collect alms food in the city of Benares. 

On that same morning the ungrateful king, seated on a magnificently adorned royal elephant, was leading a vast procession around the city. When he saw the Enlightenment Being coming from a distance he thought, "Aha! This lazy homeless bum is coming to sponge off me. Before he can brag to everyone how much he did for me, I must have him beheaded!" 

Then he said to his servants, "This worthless beggar must be coming to ask for something. Don't let the goodfor-nothing get near me. Arrest him immediately, tie his hands behind his back, and whip him at every street corner. Take him out of the city to the execution block and cut off his head. Then raise up his body on a sharpened stake and leave it for all to see. So much for lazy beggars!" 

The king's men followed his cruel orders. They tied up the blameless Great Being like a common criminal. They whipped him mercilessly at every street corner on the way to the execution block. But no matter how hard they whipped him, cutting into his flesh, he remained dignified. After each whipping he simply announced, for all to hear: "This proves the old saying is still true - 'There's more reward in pulling deadwood from a river, than in helping an ungrateful man!'" 

Some of the bystanders began to wonder why he said only this at each street corner. They said to each other, "This poor man's pain must. be caused by an ungrateful man." So they asked him, "Oh holy man, have you done some service to an ungrateful man?" 

Then he told them the whole story. And in conclusion he said, "I rescued this king from a terrible flood, and in so doing I brought this pain upon myself I did not follow the saying of the wise of old, that's why I said what I said." 

Hearing this story, the people of Benares became enraged and said to each other, 'This good man saved the king's life. But he is so cruel that he has no gratitude in him at all. How could such a king possibly benefit us? He can only be dangerous to us. Let's get him!" 

Their rage turned the citizens of Benares into a mob. They pelted the king with arrows, knives, clubs and stones. He died while still sitting on the royal elephant. Then they threw the dead body of the one-time Evil Prince into a ditch by the side of the road. 

Afterwards they made the holy man their new king. He ruled Benares well. Then one day he decided to go see his old friends. So he rode in a large procession down to the riverbank. 

He called out, "Snake! Snake!" The snake came out, offered his respect and said, "My lord, if you wish it. You are welcome to my treasure." The king ordered his servants to dig up the 40 million gold coins.

He went to the water rat's home and called out, "Rat! Rat!" He too appeared, offered his respect and said, "My lord, if you wish it, you are welcome to my treasure." This time the king's servants dug up 30 million gold coins. 

Then the king called out "Parrot! Parrot!" The parrot flew to the king, bowed respectfully and said, "If you wish, my lord, I will collect the most excellent red rice for you." But the holy man king said, "Not now my friend. When rice is needed I will request it of you. Now let us all return to the city."

After they arrived at the royal palace in Benares, the king had the 70 million gold coins put under guard in a safe place. He had a golden bowl made for the grateful snake's new home. He had a maze made of the finest crystals for the generous rat to live in. And the kind parrot moved into a golden cage, with a gate he could latch and unlatch from the inside. 

Every day the king gave rice puffs and the sweetest bee's honey on golden plates to the snake and the parrot. And on another golden plate he gave the most aromatic scented rice to the water rat.

The king became famous for his generosity to the poor. He and his three animal friends lived together in perfect harmony for many years. When they died, they were all reborn as they deserved. 

******************

On Love

 

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Mother Teresa

One of the things that makes me the happiest in life, is when people come to our house and tell me that they love the feeling in our house; that they feel sad to leave our house.   I saw this quote from Mother Theresa and I believe that many people feel this way when they leave our house.

May you find people that feel this way in your life.

Blessings,

Judy

Ten Commandments From Bertrand Russell

 

The Poster says:

1. Do not Lie to yourself.

2. Do not lie to other people unless they are exercising tyranny.

3. When you think it is your duty to inflict pain, scrutinize your reasons closely.

4. When you desire power, examine yourself closely to see why you deserve it.

5. When you have power, use it to build up people, not to constrict them.

6. Do not attempt to live without vanity for this is impossible, but chose the right audience from which to seek admiration.

7. Do not think of yourself as a wholly contained unit.

8. Be reliable.

9. Be just.

10. Be good-natured.

***************************

I saw this poster and realized that it is quite close to the shamanic code.  After more scrutiny, I realized that it is close to many codes, including the code of the Knights of the Round Table.  I realize that it is not exact.  However, I find it interesting that several codes are so close.  I wonder then, why so many people feel the need to be bullies or tyrants.

What are your thoughts?

Blessings,

Judy

Welcome June 2025

Happy Duck Walking In The Rain 

June is the time of hot sun, growing, and enjoying.  Our Ancestors scheduled several celebrations that lead up to Summer Solstice, generally celebrated on June 20, 21, or 22, depending on where you are in the world.

One of the celebrations, held June 1st or 2nd, was a gratitude celebration that honoured the Goddess of Growing Things, and the Sun God for helping things grow.  The day and night was filled with fun, thanks, and love.  In fact, many couples married on this day.  And, now couples marry all through the month of June. 

Nature gets in the act because so many birds lay their eggs, and even hatch them during June because this gives the young a chance to grow to maturity before fall, and the cold, set in.  If the bird is migratory, then the young have time to prepare for the flight. 

This year, the Ancestors urge us to be more prepared for the fall and for the cold.  They say that the summer will be short, and that the cold will come early. In Calgary, we still have cold even though during the week the temperatures reached 28 degrees Celsius.  Perhaps it is time to stock up on staple goods, flashlights and batteries, or even candles and matches.  Set aside a store of water.  Being prepared is not just a Boy Scout motto.

Blessings,

Judy

Using Right Speech With Yourself

The Buddha saw that we are always engaged in relationships, starting with that most significant relationship: the one with ourselves. On the cushion we notice how we speak to ourselves—sometimes with compassion, sometimes with judgement or impatience. Our words are a powerful medium with which we can bring happiness or cause suffering.   - Allan Lokos, "Skillful Speech"

I was sitting at my laptop this morning, trying to send out emails to friends and family.  My email was acting strange, and stopping, not refreshing, or simply not sending out my outbound mail.  I started to get frustrated.  I started to watch myself talk to myself.  I saw that I was not upset with the email or with the computer.  I was upset with myself for not being able to FIX IT.  I realized that the words I was saying were unkind and not helpful.  I realized how unrealistic my actions were.  

Where did this come from?  Where did it send me?  I think that the words came from the shadow side of me that remembers the unkind things that people have said in the past – things about how I was unworthy, or stupid, or…..   Well, you get the picture.  I think that most of the time that words like that can send us down a dark current that moves us away from the light.  

I am now back on track.  This is a good day for you to get on track as well. 

Blessings, 

Judy

Buddha Talks About "Wild Thoughts

 

Buddha Speaks - Wild Thoughts

"

Your thoughts run around like a wild horse and your feelings jump about like a monkey in the forest. When the monkey and horse step back and reflect upon themselves, freedom from all discrimination is realized naturally. "--Dogen, "Instructions for the Tenzo"

*****************************

Have you ever had an encounter with someone, and then walked away and had all these wild thoughts running through your head?  Thoughts like:-“I would like that person to have a taste of what they dish out”; or “I would like to banish them to the Arctic!”; or, “I wish all their friends, if he has any, would turn away from him!”

These are thoughts that are wild and free and may be drawing from your past life memories.  They may even be associated with a past life with this person.  The thoughts do not make you a bad person.  They are human.  When thoughts like these come your way, bless them and thank them for the creative vision of what could happen, and then allow them to leave. 

What makes our character is the way that we handle our thoughts, emotions, and impulses.  When we can let them go, then we are moving on the path of blissfulness.

Blessings,

Judy

Love With Actions

This poster says:  Let us not love with words or speech….but with actions and truth.

Well, this poster says it all!  Of course, our Ancestors have always said that actions speak louder than words.  They also say that love is the way.  Strangely, those caught up in material growth and wealth never seem to find time for love.  And, by their actions, they show us just how empty they are.  

Love fills you up!  You do not need to eat, drink, or buy to fill the craving that emptiness brings.   Finding that love is not something that you need to go on a quest to find, although I will say that quests are fun.  No, the loving is right inside you.

Today is a good day to rummage around in your body and find the love.

Blessings,

Judy

Panda’s Guide To Companionship

This picture reminds me that Panda has much to say about companionship.

• Always ask before you hug someone to make sure they are prepared for the closeness.
• If you get hot, change sides.
• You learn more in a group than you do by yourself.
• Do not restrict yourself to just one friend; have many friends.
• Sometimes your friends want your company, sometimes they do not.  It is all perfect.

Blessings,

Judy

April 1 For Love and Fools

“Spring Palomino Colt” from Microsoft Clip Art    

                                                  This is what we call “April Fool’s Day”.  Yet, to our Ancestors, this was the day for “Love”.  Romans, Greeks, and Norse-Germanic traditions celebrated the goddesses of love, sexuality, orchards and growing things, and water.  

This day symbolically represented the day of planting. It was, therefore, necessary to have the Blessings of the Goddesses, for the second Universal Law is “all creation comes from the female”.  Women offered fires and incenses and wine to the Goddesses Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, and Hathor (Egyptian).  In return, the women wanted a blessing on love, family, birthing, and joy for the next part of their life.  In some cases, women might even court the man to let him know they were interested, and then drop him, so that he, in turn, would court her.  

It was this day that made fools out of lovers, and lovers out of strangers, for sometimes, the Goddess would sprinkle potions on the food and drink of the humans.  It was a day that nothing serious should happen except for the extolling of the virtues of one’s beloved.  

April is also the time of the pairing of birds (love birds is the nickname for this time of year), and the building of nests. Baby animals are either present or on their way.  This is the month of the “Budding Trees” Full Moon. Planting begins and is sometimes completed during the month.  

May your April bring newness to your life!

Blessings,

Judy

Polar Bear Pile Up

The Polar Bear popped into my dream time, and said that one of the reasons that I was not sleeping well was because I was not warm enough.  She said that I needed to pile on more covers.  She sent me a vision of how she keeps warm – she huddles with her cubs.  I must admit that I was skeptical.  However, I piled on another quilt – and – I slept soundly.

Blessings,

Judy

Hold Out Your Hand

The Simple Act of Attention

Empathy naturally leads to compassionate action. But simple inattention kills empathy, let alone compassion. So the first step in compassion is to notice the other's need. It all begins with the simple act of attention.

Daniel Goleman, “I Feel Your Brain”

When someone sees something wrong or someone who appears hurt, the common reaction is to ignore the situation or the person because people do not want to get involved.  This is the inattention that Daniel Goleman talks about.  

Our ancestors always reached out a helping hand to those around them.  It was the right thing to do.  It was the best way to survive.  That has changed to an attitude of self interest or selfishness. 

We are not surviving. 

Many blessings to you this day,

Judy

It is About Balance

The poster reads:

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; And for everything you gain, you lose something else.  It is about your outlook towards life.  You can either regret or rejoice.

************

Everything that we do is about balance.  You choose the pace of the balance in your life. No one else can choose the balance for you. Choose wisely! 

Blessings,

Judy

Living In The Past

I have many card decks.  Periodically, I pull a card for the day, or the week, or even for the month.  I pulled the card for today, Osho card #5, Clinging To the Past, for January 2025.

Below is the explanation for the card.  May you find some information int the explanation that helps you with something that you are facing.

**************************************

The Osho Card for today

These tenses--past, present and future--are not the tenses of time; they are tenses of the mind. That which is no longer before the mind becomes the past. That which is before the mind is the present. And that which is going to be before the mind is the future. Past is that which is no longer before you. Future is that which is not yet before you. And present is that which is before you and is slipping out of your sight. Soon it will be past.... If you don't cling to the past...because clinging to the past is absolute stupidity.  …..

The figure pictured in this card is so preoccupied with clutching her box of memories that she has turned her back on the sparkling champagne glass of blessings available here and now. Her nostalgia for the past really makes her a 'blockhead', and a beggar besides, as we can see from her patched and ragged clothes. She needn't be a beggar, of course--but she is not available to taste the pleasures that offer themselves in the present. It's time to face up to the fact that the past is gone, and any effort to repeat it is a sure way to stay stuck in old blueprints that you would have already outgrown if you hadn't been so busy clinging to what you have already been through. Take a deep breath, put the box down, tie it up in a pretty ribbon if you must, and bid it a fond and reverent farewell. Life is passing you by, and you're in danger of becoming an old fossil before your time!

--Osho The Great Zen Master Ta Hui Chapter 10

*******************************************

Blessings,

Judy 

Brilliance

 

THIS is the way the light should be – brilliant!  The light shines from each of you.  When others try to turn your light out, then shine even more brilliantly.  -- The Angels…

The last few days, there have been flashes of light in boardrooms, in plants and warehouses, and in department stores.  It is a sign that we are flashing brilliant!  Look inside.  See how you are changing.  Let it happen.

Blessings,

Judy

Merry Christmas 2024

Many blessings on your house upon this Christmas Day!

This is a time of peace and of fellowship and cheer.

The best that we can do, or so the Angels say

Is to love one another more compassionately this year.

We look around at all the things we have and feel

That we’ve been wronged because it doesn’t measure up

To the things that we see and have great appeal 

To the need to consume and “fill ‘er on up”,

That the media created to get us to buy.

 

We humans are more than a consumable good.

We are marvellous and beautiful and kind.

We are laughing and joking and makers of food

That we share with our friends or anyone we find

Has need of some time to refresh and to heal.

We are the ones that see others and care

Whether they are cold or need a good meal.

That kind of need isn’t so rare

Now that the world is turning upside down.

 

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Blessings,

Judy

The Long Road

On the weekend… I was shopping - groceries and running errands, and the traffic was so incredibly slow.  Folks were doing 30 and 40 on the freeway and it was plus 8.  I was musing and pulled out my journal from several years ago.  As you have seen from past posts that I do, I sometimes pull something out of an old journal to share with you.  Here is a reflection on driving the long road.

*****************

Tonight, the traffic was very slow for my 25 kilometer drive home.  It took me an hour!  This kind of traffic makes my tired and frustrated.

I asked why I had to endure this – a total waste of time.

The answer was – you do not have to endure.  Choose not to do the drive.  Or choose not to work out there.  Or choose a different way home.  

All the answers were about choice – we can choose the long road, or not.

************************

Blessings, 

Judy

Mountain Goats in a Dream

Last night, in my dream, there were two mountain goats standing in the snow, watching me.  I asked them what was going on, and they replied that they were waiting to see what will happen next.  They indicated that there are many people who drift up to the mountains on their dream time, it seems, looking for answers.  Most people are quite disappointed when they find only mountain goats.

Mountain Goat says that their wisdom is not appreciated by humans – humans look for the easy road and the fast fix.  Being in the mountains is about being cautious and a risk taker at the same time.  Travelling in the mountains is about finding the easiest and safest route, which means that sometimes you may have to jump from cliff to cliff or jump over a crevice.  Easy is not without its challenges. 

Blessings,

Judy

Winter Hare in a Dream

Picture from an email from a friend.

I had the strangest dream the other night.  I guess the dream happened because it is getting close to Christmas which is my favorite part of the year.  Here is the dream.

********************

Roger and I got home from my Christmas party about midnight.  The moon was shining brightly.  And there, sitting at the end of our driveway, just like one of our dogs, waiting for us, was a very large, white hare, or rabbit, as she is often called.

We drove up and stopped because she did not move.   She looked at us, and seemed to thump her back foot.  Suddenly, we were engulfed in this very warm feeling, a feeling of peace.  I saw a picture of a Christmas from about five years ago when all of my family was together, sitting a a huge long table for twenty-two people, laughing and eating, and of course, telling stories.  The picture faded.  I saw a tall white lady, who waved her arm, and disappeared.  I knew we were being taken care of.  

Roger said, “Did you feel that? The warmth and the magic?”

I said yes… and our rabbit hopped away.  

I woke up knowing that life is good.

*****************

Blessings,

Judy

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

*******************************

Blessings,

Judy