Mindfulness of Breathing

 

The poster says:  Just breathe…….

Mindfulness of breathing is a practice of learning to harmonize your attention with what is, in this moment. Short, long, deep, shallow are all fine breaths. Trust your body; it knows what is needed.   - Christina Feldman, "Meditation Q&A"

Last fall, ten of our friends came for a combined equinox and full moon celebration.  The theme was Humor and Humility.  The discussion ranged from community gatherings, sporting events, to discussions about current events and the energies that we are experiencing.  Throughout the evening, the common thread was breath.  Sometimes, to keep going, one just needs to breathe. 

Blessings, 

Judy

The Angels Say That We Are Temporary In This World

 

We are all products of what has come before – whether it is directly from our families, or from our tribes and villages, or even from our race.  This is evident as we look around the world at the events of war and terrorism.  The battles are not new ones; they are the same ones that have been fought for thousands of years.

I was in meditation and asked my guides why that was; why there was such animosity.  The Ancestors came in response to my question.  They showed me the pictures of injustices between two families, and the lining up of the friends and family on either side, and how anger sowed the seeds of jealousy, judgment, greed, animosity, and all the emotions that divide people.   They showed me how the parents fanned the seeds in the children, forcing the children to carry the legacy of the generations before them.  Children and their chance to explore something new, to become something different, were disregarded.  Children became the tool of the generations before them.  

The Ancestors went on to say that it did not matter because the body is temporary, and that many of the Beings could not come to stay in such dense energies and therefore, many lives were quite short.  Beings come in and get out.  The situation is perfect, and let it happen.  

These words made me feel like there was a greater plan around me.  Then a friend sent me this Invocation.  I share it with you so that you may use it and find peace. 

Invocation of Forgiveness

Today, I call on the powers of forgiveness,
the hope that heals & wipes away resentment,
I am ready to forgive & heal old wounds.
I forgive you for the past, making way for friendship &
to forgive all who have hurt me in the past, deliberately
or by accident. I am ready to forgive myself for errors
made & things I have done in the past that I regret.
Healing replaces resentment, peace replaces anger
as forgiveness grows inside me, my heart lightens.
filling me with a sense of wellbeing & acceptance,
I embrace forgiveness, the great healer of hearts.

Blessings,

Judy

Buddha’s Thoughts

At least once a week, I get an email or a phone call from a client that gives me pause to think about “why is that person acting or reacting like that?” I usually have a lot of wonderment around the question, and usually, within a day or two, I get a story or explanation for the behaviour. 

This morning I had a chat with a friend who was telling me that he/she would be fasting for the next ten days to help raise her/his vibration. And further, she/he would be avoiding all sweet things. 

I have learned that each person must do what seems right or best for him or her. However, the thought that sticks with me in all that I do is the vow of MODERATION that all those who take Munay-Ki must agree to. Moderation means that one is balanced in all things. Extreme fasting, or denying oneself, or forcing self to do things that are not for the highest good of the body temple are not in accordance with the Munay-Ki Vow. 

As I was reviewing my lesson in Buddhism, the following teaching story came up, and I received confirmation from Great Spirit that I was on the path of understanding that we need to be balanced in all things. Here is the story.

The Holy Man Who Tried To Be Too Holy (Extremism)

Once upon a time, the Enlightenment Being lived in a world where most religions were very similar. They taught that the way to remove suffering from the mind was to make the body suffer instead. As strange as it seems, most people thought that the holiest of the holy were the ones who tortured their bodies the most! Since everyone seemed to agree with this, the Bodhisatta decided to find out for himself if it was true.

He stopped living as an ordinary everyday person and became a holy man according to the custom of the times. This meant that he gave up everything, even his clothes. He went naked, with his body covered only by dust and dirt.

So he wouldn't be spoiled by the taste of good food, he forced himself to eat only filthy things - dirt, ashes, urine and cow dung.

So he could concentrate without being interrupted by anyone, he went to live in the most dangerous part of the forest. If he did see a human being, he ran away like a timid deer.

In the wintertime he spent his days under the trees and his nights out in the open. So in the daytime he was soaked by the cold water dripping from the icicles hanging from the tree branches. And at night he was covered by the falling snow. In this way, in winter, he made his body suffer the most extreme cold in both day and night.

In the summertime he spent his days out in the open and his nights under the trees. So in the daytime he was burned by the most severe rays of the sun. And at night he was blocked from the few cooling breezes of the open air. In this way, in summer, he made his body suffer the most extreme heat in both day and night.

This was how he struggled, trying to bring peace to his mind. He was so determined that he lived his entire life in this way.

Then, just as he was about to die, he saw a vision of himself reborn in a hell world. The vision struck him like lightning, and instantly he knew that all the ways he had tortured his body were completely useless! They had not brought him peace of mind. Lo and behold, as he gave up his false beliefs and held on to the truth, he died and was reborn in a heaven world!

May you find this helpful in all that you do today, and all days!

Blessings,

Judy

A New Time For Being Human

 

It is not enough to be able to drop your body
as easily as a bathrobe, take flight like the eagle,
enter the hollow hills, talk with angels, and
dance among the stars.

We must make the return.

We must live in this world and be gardens
for the dreams that want to take root in it.
~ Robert Moss, Dreaming True ~

The winter has dragged on, and on.  And, it feels like it is birthing something new for us.  It feels like we are moving from a time of density to a time of lightness, on all levels – the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

I know that I am changing.  I can feel it in my body and my head.  I feel the expansion in my heart.  An expansion that tells me to look at the other parts of the story when I am upset at something that I judge to be an injustice or a hurt or a problem.  And, my body relaxes.  

I love this quote from Robert Moss’s work.  He says that as much as we’d like to be elsewhere, we must be here – present and contributing – to this life.  It is what we make it.

Many blessings,

Judy

Know Where You Come From And Where You Go

On top of recovering from medical emergency, I have been sharing my life with a cold for the last four days, and a bit, and, sometimes, it seems that the cold has a better life than I do. It grows strong, barks loudly, and emits heat.  Then, that passes, and it seems like I have the best life. 

Then I read this quote by  Soko Morinaga Roshi, a Buddhist teacher, and I realized that I was experiencing the continuous process of life and death in my experience of the cold. 

 

Our lives appear to be unbroken blocks of seventy or eighty continuous years, but, actually,...when you maintain the straightforward frankness of your own mind as it comes to life each instant, even without effort, even without training, you are beautifully born each instant. You die with each instant, and go on to be born again, instant by instant.
~Soko Morinaga Roshi~

I am now believing that Cold is my friend, who is working to keep me from doing too much – taking on too many tasks.  I do what I need to and I spend a lot of time sitting and reading and watching movies because if I get too active, I begin to cough, and to congest.  When I sit quietly, then the light can move through my body and do the work that the light needs to do to work on changing me.

Blessings,

Judy

Caring For Your Body

Now that Christmas Day is over, and many of us have had at least two big meals, new messages are coming to me about body care.

The message that has been coming through in meditation and in dream time is that I need to take care of my body…. and this message is for each of us…. we need to take care of our bodies so that we can stay active and be witness to the changes that are happening on the planet at this time.

I keep hearing the message to exercise.  It speaks that each of us are different and that we need to each find an exercise that works for us.  For me, it is medium effort yoga and lots of walking in nature.

I also keep hearing the message to eat more healthy by making better choices.  I have been getting strong signals from my angels when I make an unhealthy choice of food.  For example, if I choose to eat white bread, I eat a little, and then I get a headache.  White bread converts to sugar too quickly in my body.  If I choose French fries over carrot sticks, I get a pain in my neck.  If I choose an apple over a cookie, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling.  Why the pain and fuzzies?  I have asked my Angels to help me choose better food and to help me stay disciplined. 

As I make the changes, I notice that the energetic changes on the planet do not seem to hit me quite as hard.  When I am making poorer choices around food, I have trouble sleeping between midnight and three o’clock AM.

I am working at taking care of my body.  I hope that you take of yours, too!

Many blessings,

Judy

Listening To Your Body

 Ballerina from Microsoft Clipart

Each of us is unique - in our height, weight, colouring, and in what we enjoy doing.  We do the things that speak to us, as the ballerina in the picture does.  Not many of us can be dancers because we do not have the body or the desire to to dance in the fashion of ballet.  However, sometimes our bodies cry out just to dance for joy, or to sing because we are happy and love life!  How often do you suppress these joys?  How often do you dishonour your body?  It is a living organism that will survive without our working mind, as science has proven.

As I move further into the journey of spirituality and the path of the Shaman,  I find it easier and easier to listen and really hear my body.  I was looking for a way to explain this to my clients when I came across this quote from OSHO.  I believe this is more eloquent than any phrasing I may use.

"Your body has its own wisdom — it carries the wisdom of the centuries in its cells.

Your body is feeling hungry and you are on a fast, because your religion says that this day you have to fast — and your body is feeling hungry. You don’t trust your organism, you trust a dead scripture, because in some book somebody has written that this day you have to go on a fast, so you go on a fast.

Listen to your body. Yes, there are days when the body says, “Go on a fast!” — then go. But there is no need to listen to the scriptures. The man who wrote that scripture has not written it with you in his mind, not at all. He could not have conceived of you. You were not present to him, he was not writing about you. It is as if you fall ill and you go to a dead doctor’s house and look into his prescriptions, and find a prescription and start following the prescription. That prescription was made for somebody else, for some other disease, in some other situation.

Remember to trust your own organism. When you feel that the body is saying don’t eat, stop immediately. When the body is saying eat, then don’t bother whether the scriptures say to fast or not. If your body says eat three times a day, perfectly good. If it says eat one time a day, perfectly good."  ~~Osho~~

What Osho says is that our body, with all the past knowledge it carries, is both our Ancestor and our self in one.  We need to listen to the wisdom or our Ancestors.

In loving kindness,

Judy

Relaxing by Stressing

Meditation picture from www.ehow.com

 

 

 

One of the things that I have learned about meditation is – there are many more ways to meditate than one could practice in this lifetime.  I quite enjoy the Buddhist meditations.  Here is one that I thought would be a good one for these times that seem to be creating a lot of stress for people.

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

RELAXING BY STRESSING 

A very effective method to relax the body by stressing all the muscles, holding that 5 to 10 seconds, and then releasing the tension.

1.  Sit or lie in a relaxed way.  
2.  Put an extremely tense expression on the face, straining as many face muscles as possible. (If you practise Yoga, then you might use the Lion’s Pose here.)

3. Take a deep breath and forcefully hold it. (Use a count of three to start with, and then, as you practice, increase the count for holding the breath to ten.)  
4. Now slowly release the breath and the tension of all the face muscles, feel as if you breathe out all stress.  
5.  Inhale deeply again and stress all neck and shoulder muscles, and then let go. (If you feel slightly dizzy, simply keep breathing until the feeling passes.)  
6. Inhale, make fists and stress the arms, and then let go.  
7.  Inhale, stress chest, belly and back and then let go. 

8.  Inhale, stress buttocks, legs and feet and then let go.  
9.  If you still feel tension at some places, just stay relaxed. Don't hold the breath now and slowly breath out, and release all the tension while breathing out. 

Now, sit in this moment of relaxation, and ask your body to enjoy the feeling, and to remember the feeling, so that your body can recall it at will. Note that this will take some practice.  

Let me know how this meditation worked for you! 

Blessings,

Judy

Curing a Cold

    Picture of a cold comes from www.medicinenet.com  

In Calgary, during the fall, people quite often have colds because the weather is so changeable, they may not dress correctly for the fluctuations, and it is so easy to catch a cold from someone else.  

This thought raced through my brain as I drove home from the grocery store after having been sneezed and coughed on by at least six people.  Sometimes a sneeze comes out so fast you simply do not have time to get your arm up to block it.

So, when I got home, I did some research in one of my favourite books – The Five-Elements Wellness Plan A Chinese System for Perfect Health by Barbara Temelie.  

I found the discussion of the cold on page 146, and what she said made sense to me. She talks about the effect of cold or “a cold” on the body as closing the pores.  To release the cold, the pores must be open, and the person must be sweating.  The Chinese Ancestors recommend ginger tea and hot alcohol such as hot spicy wine for a head cold. A rice dish with leeks and onions and hot spices will open up the lungs to strengthen the body’s natural immunity.  

Although I am not much on spicy wine, I love ginger tea.  And, this morning, I woke up with a head cold. I drank lots of ginger tea, took Vitamin C and D, and ate soup with rice and leeks and onions.  By tonight, I am feeling much better. I hope that the cold will be completely gone by tomorrow.  

If you try this, let me know how it works! 

Blessings,

Judy

Harvest and Zucchini Muffin Recipe

 

As we move into FALL, many of us with gardens in our back yards, or where ever, are looking at food preparation.  Our Ancestors canned fruit, vegetables, and even chicken, beef, and ham.  

We have come to rely on large factories to do our canning for us.  We get additives in “store bought” food that we would not add on our own.  

Good food feeds our body and our soul.  Clean food keeps us young. Canning is good to support our Free Will.

This year seems to be a bumper year for zucchini.  Everyone in our neighbourhood has loads of zucchini and everyone has recipes to share.

Zucchini Muffins

  

• 3 cups all purpose flour (I use gluten free flour and add Xanthum Gum) 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 tsp baking soda 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• ½ tsp nutmeg (optional) 
• ½ tsp salt 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1 cup vegetable/canola oil 
• ½ cup milk 
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice 
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 cups shredded zucchini, thawed if frozen 
• Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips and/or ½ cup chopped walnuts and/or pineapple or banana

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with baking spray. 
2. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 
3. In separate large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk, lemon juice, vanilla and zucchini. 
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir just until completely combined (it's best to do this by hand to avoid over-mixing, which results in tough muffins). 
5. Fold in chocolate chips and/or walnuts if using. 
6. Divide batter over 12 muffin cups - they will be full! Bake for 22-26 minutes, until tops are golden and toothpick comes out clean from centers. Let sit in pan 3-5 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely. 
7. Best served fresh, or freeze extras, well wrapped or in an airtight container, and thaw or reheat as needed.

Blessings,

Judy

Bee Healing - Spirit Animal

Have you ever had a cold like this?  The cold started in my body. Not only did  it slow me down but it actually put me flat on my back quite a few days. I know that a cold is a sign that you are  clearing something on all three levels of body, mind and  spirit. However, when my throat became quite sore, I was  mostly concerned with the physical. Nothing seemed to  either clear or soothe my throat. Then I remembered that  when I was little, Mom used to give me a spoonful of  honey when I had a sore throat. So, I tried that solution,  and “Presto” after several spoonfuls of honey, my throat  started to clear up.

When I was growing up, my only concern about a bee was  whether it was near me, and whether it would sting me. When I started studying Egyptian Magick, I discovered that the lowly bee (in my mind) was really an exalted friend and provider for the ancient Egyptian culture. In fact, the nobility were buried with most of their possessions, slaves, and large urns of honey. When the archaeologists have excavated these tombs, and opened the honey, it had crystallized but was without mould or spoilage. I thought this was pretty amazing. The article went on to talk about how the honey was used for healing. 

My interest in the bee was renewed when my husband Roger explained that he always has wanted to be a bee-keeper. I decided that I needed to investigate this little insect. As I started the research, I found that the oldest bee is believed to be 100 million years old. (That’s relatively young compared to the shark which is believed to be 450 million years old.) 

Through it has changed somewhat over the years, the bee still produces a nourishing, healing honey that is pretty much unrivalled as food and healer. The antiseptic properties of honey make it a natural healer for wounds by protecting the wound from infection and decreasing the swelling. As I experienced  through my cold, honey destroys mucus from the cold virus. Honey is also recommended for treating indigestion and heart or high blood pressure ailments. 

A few facts that I learned in my quest are:

• that bees do indeed create honey that is healing. 
• Bees are so sensitive to environmental toxins that they die  
  and do not carry the poison to the hive. Therefore, the honey is without toxins. 
• Honey in the bath water is relaxing and is recommended to relieve insomnia. 
• Although it is high in calories, athletes use it as a  
  quick “pick-me-up”. 
• Honey produced in one’s local area is a prescribed remedy for hay fever. 

Don’t take my word for all these remedies. I suggest that you buy some honey and try “bee healing” on yourself and family. Honey really does take the “sting” out of a wound. Oh yes, and “bee” happy.

Many blessings,

Judy

Creativity and Beauty

 

The pictures above come from a gallery in Black Diamond Alberta. Pictures by J Hirst.

When most of see old wood on the ground, we think of firewood.  When the artist who created the sculptures above sees old wood, and in this case, petrified wood, he sees an animal or bird.  The gift of getting a vision to create “something” is a fantastic gift.  We may not all be able to see the sculpture or the painting in a setting, but we may “see” something else.  We might see a story, or a way to heal, or an invention.  Everyone has creativity and the wonder of it is that we create beauty.

I believe that when we are given a gift, such as the ability to create art, we are bound to share it.  If we do not share, then the ability withers and our soul shrinks a bit.  We all need to do that “thing” that sings to us in our body, mind, and soul.

Blessings

Judy

Hello Healing - A Healing Mantra

 

 

Picture from www.myspace.com/melvynleejones/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 One of the most common asks that I get is “how do I heal myself of a woundor soreness to differentparts of my body?”  It is a great question!  The following healing process is one that I use immediately after I hurt myself. Some examples are falling on the ice and hurting a knee or elbow or wrist.  Another example is running and straining a calf or thigh muscle.  I am sure that you can think of many examples where you need “instant” healing.  And, yes, it does work on long term ailments.  However, the process takes days and months of repeating the mantra.

 Here is the mantra that works wonders.          

 Say:  Hello, Healing

Say hello: Dear soul, mind, and body of my (insert what needs healing, leg, hand, heart, etc)
Give love: I love you
Make an affirmation: You have the memory of how to heal yourself, and you have the power to heal yourself
Give an order: Do a very good job!
Express gratitude and courtesy: Thank you! I love you.

Repeat every day. It can be applied to everything, self, groups, relationships, irrespective of distances.

This comes from "Soul Mind Body Medicine", Dr. Zhi Gang Sha

Note that Dr. Sha says that the sequence in the hello must be 'soul, mind, body' and that other sequences are not effective.  That may have been true at the time of writing.  However, I have experimented with the order, and just used soul and mind, and the effective release of what ever ailment has been quite miraculous.

Happy healing…

And, many blessings,

Judy

Self Needs Care!

                             

                            Picture comes from an email, therefore source is not known.

I have been quite busy with healing from surgery and with some family stuff.  The Angels have been telling me that I need to make sure that as well as taking care of others and other things, that I must take care of myself.  They say that I need more rest and more fun.  I am planning some fun things!  

As always, when I need something to spur me to action, a nifty article comes my way. Here is a fantastic meditation or mantra on self care from Louise Hay.

I love my body. 
My body is perfect for me at this time. My body weight is also perfect. I am exactly where I choose to be. I am beautiful, and every day I become more attractive. This concept used to be very hard for me to accept, yet things are changing now that I am treating myself as if I were someone who was deeply loved. I’m learning to reward myself with healthy little treats and pleasures now and again. Little acts of love nurture me, doing things that I really like, such as quiet time, a walk in nature, a hot soothing bath, or anything that really gives me pleasure. I enjoy caring for myself. I believe it is okay to like myself and to be my own best friend. I know my body is filled with star light and that I sparkle and glow everywhere I go.

-----Excerpt taken from Meditations to Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Many blessings on your journey today.

Judy