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

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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"

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

Happy Thanksgiving Canada - October 14 2024

 

Here is a lovely prayer to use for Thanksgiving if you are looking for something new to share with family or friends.

The Canticle of the Creatures

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, honor and blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong;
no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.
We praise You, Lord, for all Your creatures,
especially for Brother Sun, who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor,
of You Most High, he bears your likeness.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars,
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.
We praise You, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air,
fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Water,
so useful, humble, precious and pure.
We praise You, Lord, for Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night.
He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Earth,
who sustains us
with her fruits, colored flowers, and herbs.
We praise You, Lord, for those who pardon,
for love of You bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
by You Most High, they will be crowned.
We praise You, Lord, for Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in their sins!
Blessed are those that She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
We praise and bless You, Lord, and give You thanks,
and serve You in all humility.

Written by St. Francis of Assisi

Blessings,

Judy

Stag Speaks To Me

 

As I was walking through the start to the woods, my dog and I were startled by a very large white tailed stag (deer) jumping out of the brush and grass, and bounding past us.  My dog couldn’t even bark!  It seemed like the deer jumped out of a hole in the sky!

When he was safely past us, he stopped and looked at us.  His eyes were very large and dark, and to me, seemed so full of wisdom.  

I heard him speak in my head.

“Child, I greet you.  You need not be afraid.  These things I must tell you.  You and others, must set boundaries of what is your territory.  You must be able to define and protect it.  It is a time for gathering up family.  Find those that you trust, and keep them close.  Those that stand alone will have the hardest time adjusting to all that is new.  Learn how to jump from thing to thing, while keeping the thoughts of what has been very alive.  And, look to what is ahead.  Jumping from one problem to another is not a solution.  All things are corrected where they began, not down the road.”

And then he bounded away.

Blessings,

Judy

Lightning strikes a Tree

“Lightning is good.  When Lightning strikes a tree, people say that tree has been blessed and they go to gather that wood for special purposes.”  -  Apache Tradition

Last week, lightning hit a tree on Poplar Island, an island in the Bow River, and part of Fish Creek Park.  The tree burned for a long time, for it was a large tree, and had lived a long time.

I began to think about the tree.  One of my thoughts was that the Elementals had decided that this tree was special, and that it should not suffer the fate of being chewed down by beavers, and then becoming part of the next beaver dam.  

Instead, the Elementals decided that this tree would be transformed from tree to charcoal.  It then becomes a wonderful instrument of cleaning and healing for all the animals that ingest it.  As it washes into the river, it becomes a natural filter.

It seems to me that this is how humans may transform – with one flash of great light they become less than they were before and then so much more.

I wish you a flash of inspiration!

Blessings,

Judy

On Being Mean

Quote is from OliviaLucieBlake.com

“The moment we begin tolerating meanness, in ourselves and others, we are using our authorial power in the service of wrongdoing. We have both the capacity and the obligation to do better.” – Martha Beck

I saw this quote today, and it rang through me.  I believe that we have all been treated meanly at times, and through that process, we have learned to be mean.  Some of us may have had parents who treated us meanly either as a means of “toughening us up”, or, because they resented us and what being a parent means.  Look at this word and how many meanings it has in this paragraph.  No wonder we are confused about how to act!

The Old English definition of “mean” is common, as in the mean or center between very poor and very rich, or very uneducated and very educated.  This explanation, for me, is fitting.  When we act “meanly”, we are acting in a selfish, unkind, malicious, cruel, spiteful way.

Well, I am sure that you have heard it all before.  I don’t MEAN anything by this post.

Blessings,

Judy