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

“I Am A Rock “ Says Spirit

I had an epiphany the other day when I was thinking about Great Spirit, God, Source, The ONE, whatever name you wish to put on Spirit.  

I was day dreaming.  In my day dream, I saw pictures of Sedona and the great rocks there.   The one to the left is called ‘Spirit Rock’.  I have seen it.  I felt pleasure and comfort when I saw it.  

For years, I have had dreams about Uluru Ayers Rock.  I dreamt of it before I actually knew what it was. That is the second picture in this group.  It is in Australia, and, it is old.  This rock has been the destination of many a pilgrimage.

And, the last picture in the group is of Stone Mountain, outside of Atlanta, Georgia.  I was there in 2001, and my husband and I climbed the long way up, and down, and it truly was the experience of a lifetime!  

My epiphany was that many of us associate “God” with a rock.  Or, perhaps I should say that we associate spiritual places with rocks.  And, when I had this thought, I heard, “I am a rock”.  

I then heard, “And, I am everything else as well!”

What is interesting to me is that all of us resonate with the idea of God being a Rock.  In fact, if you Google Spirit Rock, you will see that it comes up millions of times, all over the world.

The comforting thing for me when I saw this was “I guess Great Spirit  really is omnipotent.  She/he can be in many places at once.  And, it has been in many places for a long time.

  The idea of the “rock” is quite spectacular in its own way because the rock is so big, majestic, and so everlasting.  If I was a being that was trying to establish communication with a species that seemed to have difficulty communicating, I too would try to communicate through symbolic, living things like a rock.  

It now makes more sense to me as to why monks established monasteries on big mountains (rocks) to be closer to Source.  It also gave those people below them something to look up to and to communicate with, and to view as an intermediary to Creator.

 

We all got into trouble by using intermediaries because most intermediaries had their own agenda which seems to include power, riches, etc.   Being able to do one’s own communicating with the One Source has a big advantage in avoiding the politics and expense of using someone else.   

I wonder if all rocks carry great power, or if there are new rocks appearing.  

I look at the world wide fascination with crystals, or as some people call them, “rocks”, and I have to believe that Spirit is moving through “I am a rock” through crystals, as well.

I like that idea. 

Blessings,

Judy

Dream of a Winged Horse Guide

  

I could not sleep last night, and tossed and turned.  As I finally drifted off into that zone of haziness, I heard a noise.  I looked around and I was standing in a field and a very large, white, winged horse was standing there, pawing at the ground.  She said, “Come fly with me.”  

I wondered how I would sit on her back.  As it turns out, I did not need to worry. I grabbed her mane, and she lifted us both off the ground, and then, magically, I was on her back, behind her magnificent wings. The air felt cool around me, but I felt warm.  It felt like we flew for a long time, and then we landed in a large garden, behind what looked like a Labradorite castle.  My traveling companion shifted me to the ground, and walked over to an alcove, and said, “I have brought the one requested.”

My first thought that something really weird was going on.  And my second thought was that this would make a great story.  I wondered what would happen next.

A very tall woman wearing some hat that looked like a wizard’s hat, wrapped with veils, stood up and walked towards me.  She said, “I have a story to tell you about who you really are.”

“Darina who brought you here, has been guarding you all of your life, and has kept you out of trouble.  Now, we need you to understand.”

At this point, I thought things were quite surreal.  As The Lady, for that seemed to be her name, kept talking, I could not hold the thoughts.  The great horse, Darina, came over and nudged me, and I woke up.

Upon waking, I realized that since I was in that dreamy, hazy state, and now, that about five hours had passed.  And, I could not recall anything that the tall lady had said except the very beginning of the conversation.  The dream felt real.  I felt like I had been riding.  And, I was very tired.

When I am totally rested, I will call the horse and see if we can go back to this place.  I think it will be a great adventure!

Many blessings,

Judy

A Dream Of Turkeys

My dream last night was so very strange.  I dreamed of riding in a car with a big man.  He took me to a farm yard, and told me that the turkeys that I could see were dehydrated, and that they had been in a great fire.  If they did not get water, they would die.  He asked me if I could water them, and I replied yes.

I jumped out of the car while he drove off to get more help.  I found a pail of water in the yard, covered with white feathers.  About 1/4 of mile away, I could see a small lake.  I wondered why the turkeys did not go to the lake.  I checked the water in the pail, and it was clear. I started pushing turkeys to the pail, and soaking their beaks.  Some finally began to drink.  I ran to a shed to get more pails.  I had to look hard for pails that were not cracked.  

As I came back to the turkeys, I saw one turkey fly up on the pail, and tip it over.  The water soaked into the ground.  I carried two pails of water – one for each end of the flock – and shoved turkeys to the pails, and soaked their beaks.  I heard a noise from the other side of the flock, where a bunch of turkeys were trying to drink, and saw one bigger turkey trying to chase the others away from the pail.  He finally flew up on the edge of the pail, and of course, tipped it, and all the water flowed away.  

I carried water until I thought my arms would fall off.  Some turkeys got water, however, they tipped the pails, fought over the pails, and generally wasted more water than they drank.  Some of the turkeys did not get water, and they were falling on the ground, dying.  I was upset!  I finally was so tired I took one of the empty pails, and turned it over and sat and cried.

The man in the car came back, with some help, but it seemed too late.  He patted my shoulder and told me that I had done a good job.  He and the others would burn the dead turkeys and give the turkeys that could drink, some more water.  

At that point, I woke up.  I knew the dream was telling me  a story.  The story felt like a parable about people.  This dream will stay with me a long time!

Many blessings,

Judy

A Dream Called “Round Up The Dragons”

I love dragons and I have often seen them in dreams and visions.  Recently, however, I had a strange dream about dragons that made me sad. I would like to share it with you, and get your input into the imagery.

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Image of dragon from www.freedragonpictures.com

 

The dream began with me walking out of a building because I could hear a noise.  I walked out on the road, and then I could see a huge truck, carrying four large dragons, like the one above, chained in the truck.  The dragons were crying.  They had been captured by subterfuge; the dragons coming to share information, and the men capturing them so they would not.  I felt sick.  I walked away, wondering what I could do for them.  I went to the kitchen, to get some tea.  

As I leaned over to get the tea kettle, four small dragons, about the size of cats with wings, ran out from under a table. They had gotten loose.  The colours were red, blue, gold, and silver.  They came running at my legs and I thought they might bite me.  However, they simply bumped them and then began running around, and playing.  When they came back at me, my dog Sage, (who has been gone for quite some time), appeared at my side, and woofed them away, and then grinned up at me, and licked my hand.  I then I woke up.

The dream is staying with me, so I feel there is something important in it that perhaps I am missing.

If you have any thoughts, please share them.

Blessings,

Judy

Badger Away!

 

This is post is a copy of what I wrote in my journal after a trip into the mountains in Kananaskis Country several years ago.  

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As we drove home from the mountains Thursday, we saw a wide variety of animals and birds.  I was surprised to see a big badger run away from us, and across the road and into the grass. 

Badgers are typically dawn and dusk beings as they are very much a loner type animal.  This badger, however, was on a mission, and ran across a busy two lane highway.  The irony of me writing this story is that one of the characteristics of badger in all the legends is that Badger is the Keeper of Stories.  Before the written word was so prominent, all traditions handed down their history by story telling.  In each family was one member who could recite the family lineage right back to the oldest memories.  We lost our tradition of story telling in the 1700’s with the growth of the Industrial Revolution and its need for written instructions to keep the spread of machines growing.

Back to Badger!  Badger is an underground dweller.  It reminds us to stay grounded.  She also reminds us to dig deeper into the issues that are occurring in our lives because the surface problem is not at the root – the root is generally always hidden beneath the layers – of dirt, or of stories, or of self deception.

Badger likes to be by herself because she is very strong and self confident.  Her questions are:

• Are you lacking confidence in something?
• Are you seeing only the surface of a story?  Do you need to dig deeper?
• Are you using your stories to cause harm?  Are someone else’s stories causing you harm?
• Do you need to tell a story to teach something?
• Does your story need to be told so that you can let go of it?

May Badger come to you in your dreams and give you a way to get to your roots!

Many blessings,

Judy

A Dream About Aquarium Fish

This post is from a dream that I wrote up in my journal back many years ago.  I find the old dreams interesting and I look for repeating archetypes and themes in my dreams.  

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This picture comes from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Home_aquarium.jpg  (My aquarium does not look nearly this good, nor is it this big!)

The other night, in my dreams, a big aquarium popped up, out of no where, and both my fish swam to the side of the tank and looked at me.  They then made everything go dark, and little by little, cleared the blackness so that the tank, and the water, and the scene were filled with clear light.

When I woke up, I knew that the fish wanted me to clean the tank. As I carried out the task, I thought how interesting it was that I was spending an hour cleaning out the tank, and the castle and rocks and filter.  It was very much like sifting through my emotional body, and pulling out the gunk that was sitting in there. 

Fish have been a symbol of spirituality and abundance going back to the time of cave drawings.  Fish, like us, come in a variety of colours with a huge range of dispositions.  The most beautiful are sometimes the most deadly.  Scientists agree that all life originated in the oceans/seas/rivers.  Therefore, water on our planet is like a big womb.  And, yes, we all require it to live.  We need to breath air, and assimilate the oxygen in the water.  Fish, then, are symbolic of the fruits of the womb, of motherhood.  They inspire creativity and bring good luck, as the Chinese believe.  

Water is always transforming – it evaporates, becomes mist, may fall as rain, and then returns to the Earth to rise up again as water.  Fish, then, represent change.  If they are coming into your life, perhaps they are saying, like they did to me, “It is time to clean up your act and get your house in order for the new things that are coming.”

Blessings,

Judy

A Poem about Life

I seem to be doing new things daily, a change from where I was a year ago.  I wondered why I was moving forward, doing all these new things.  Then, I read this poem and I realized that I was being given a great chance to be in service, for you see, I am one!

 

Just One
Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

Many blessings,

Judy

Happy Easter Sunday- March 31 2024 - And Rabbit

Easter always makes me think of bunnies.. and spring…and it makes me happy.  In our area in Calgary, we only see Rabbit from time to time because we also have Bobcat.

Thinking about bunnies and rabbits makes me think about the “magic” of Rabbit.  No, I don’t think of Easter eggs.  I do think of how powerful Rabbit is in the spiritual world.

When Rabbit hops in and out of your daily life, and leaps about in your dreams, then you know that something “big” is happening!

Rabbit has often been a symbol of fertility, abundance, and beginnings.  Now, Rabbit is showing up all over the place in urban areas, and being seen by people that would not normally notice her.  They talk about Rabbit nibbling on their grass in the back alleys, about Rabbit and her friends jumping around and not seemingly that afraid of cats and dogs.  Mostly, they talk about how excited they feel to see Rabbit.  

Rabbit, like her mythological counterpart, The Easter Bunny, is bringing that sense of joy and wonderment.  She makes people feel excited and helps them back off the “fear” factor that many feel right now.  She is helping us grow at a soul level by “leaps and bounds”.

Happy Easter!

Judy

Camel is a Spirit Animal

 

                                                 Picture of Camel from Snap-shot.com 

 

When we talk about going into the desert, the first animal that springs to mind is the Camel. The desert means that the climate is hot and dry, and perhaps with out food or water for several days. How is it that Camel survived her fifty million years without going the way of extinction? Why do the Bedouins call her “Allah’s Gift”?

Camel has some physical properties that human kind would love to have. She is able to eat anything – even thorns. Excess food is stored in the humps as fat, and, as she requires water, she metabolizes the fat into water. The longest Camel has been known to go without water is two months. Her dry dung gives the Bedouins their fuel for fires. Her milk and meat and hair provide food and clothing. She carries great burdens for the nomadic tribes, and even provides entertainment in the form of camel racing. She is truly a gift!

Many spiritual leaders – prophets and shaman – pilgrimage in the desert because it is believed to be a magical place that can shift out of time to different worlds and dimensions. Camel then, is one who can walk between worlds, or walk out of time. Some believe that she can go so long without water because she slips between dimensions and never changes.

Camel’s great, large, two toed feet keep her firmly grounded on the top of the sand and in contact with Mother Earth. She “hears” from the Earth where water is available. Her colour is great camouflage for blending into the shifting dunes, or even into the dry mountain tops where she may make her home. The white shading, sometimes on the muzzle and above the feet indicate that Camel is enlightened.

When Camel looks at you directly in dream time or in the physical, know that she is telling you that a journey is in store. The journey may be physical travel as well as a quest or pilgrimage of the spiritual kind. Know too that Camel, who travels out of the ordinary, is preparing you for a time where you leave behind all that you know. The constant is the great Unknown. Camel says – do not fear. Great Spirit always provides, and if called upon, Camel will show you how bountiful Great Spirit is in the unknown times.

May you carry all that you need with you, and may you travel lightly!

Blessings,

Judy

River Otter - Another Spirit Animal

 North America River Otter – picture from Wikipedia… 

 

Last night, in my dream, several river otters were transformed from carefree, playful creatures into an ankle length fur coat.  I could only see the back of the coat, and every once in a while, it seemed that an eye would open on the back of the coat and look at me.  I woke up this morning with this image in my head.  Years ago, when I worked for Hudson Bay Northern Stores, we would get in shipments of cured furs, including otter.  The pelts were very soft and warm.  Most often, the pelts would be made into coats or jackets.  I wondered why I was getting this sequence of events.  Then I realized that I needed to talk about spirit animals today, and Otter was telling me that I should write about her.

Otter was born with a great curiosity, and will investigate anything that strikes her fancy.  She brings a message that we should indulge our curiosity about all things, and take no ones word for anything. Otter also looks at things from land, the surface of the water and from beneath the water.  Perspective may change, depending on the angle one views life from… so do not limit your self to one view point.  Explore many.  

We hear the words “go with the flow” and do not really know what that means because humans are constantly trying to control everything around them.  Otter drifts on the water, and follows the current, truly moving as one with the environment.  When in this state, it is easy to relax, and enjoy life.  The message is that we humans should not take life so seriously.  

Otter’s ability to be on land or deep in the water – it will hold its breath for up to four minutes – is a message about learning to get in touch with one’s deepest emotions.  It gives the example of going deep in the water to get food and this tells us that delving deep into our emotions to free up pain is food for our soul.  

Family has deep meaning for Otter who takes care of her offspring for as a two years.  Additionally, Otters love company and live in social groups.  Conservationists have found Otter to be very gentle and trusting.  She will come up on the bank to visit.  Her openness teaches us that we too need to be more trusting, and to embrace new adventures with enthusiasm.  

I wish you “Otter” filled days!

Blessings,

Judy

My Dream of Eagles and Horses

I dreamt that I was walking the dogs when we heard a racket to the left of us as the sun was rising.  There were five eagles sitting in one tree along the river. As we watched, the eagles lifted off the perch, one by one.  Later as we walked, we saw several horses playing in a field.  It was a wonderful dream that felt like love and freedom.  It felt like I was in harmony with the Earth and the animals.  I wanted to stay there.

When I woke up, all I could see in my mind were "eagles and horses".  Later, as I was looking for some information to send to a friend, I found a link to John Denver singing "Eagles and Horses". See the words later in this post.

I am not sure why this is important.  Perhaps it is because the eagle and the horse represent freedom - freedom of movement, of thought, of infinite possibilities.  Whatever the reason, I invite you to enjoy the two links to movies about "Eagles and Horses" and lose yourself in the mystery.

Pictures from Microsoft Clip Art...

The Song - EAGLES AND HORSES

Horses are creatures who worship the earth 
As they gallop on feet of ivory 
Constrained by the wonder of dying and birth 
The horses still run, they are free 

My body is merely the shell of my soul 
But the flesh must be given its due 
Like a pony that carries its rider back home 
Like an old friend that's tried and been true 

I had a vision of eagles and horses 
High on a ridge in a race with the wind 
Going higher and higher and faster and faster 
On eagles and horses I'm flying again 

Eagles inhabit the heavenly heights 
They know neither limit nor bound 
They're the guardian angels of darkness and light 
They see all and hear every sound 

My spirit will never be broken or caught 
For the soul is a free-flowing thing 
Like an eagle that needs neither comfort nor thought 
To rise up on glorious wings 

I had a vision of eagles and horses 
High on a ridge in a race with the wind 
Going higher and higher and faster and faster 
On eagles and horses Im flying again 

My body is merely the shell of my soul 
But the flesh must be given its due 
Like a pony that carries its master back home 
Like an old that's tried and been true 

My spirit will never be broken or caught 
For the soul is a free-flowing thing 
Like an eagle that needs neither comfort nor thought 
To rise up on glorious wings 

I had a vision of eagles and horses 
High on a ridge in a race with the wind 
Going higher and higher and faster and faster 
On eagles and horses Im flying again 

Words and music by john denver and joe henry

Many blessings,

Judy

Moose Dreams

Moose has been walking through my dreams recently.  He did not stop to speak, simply walked through the area, stopped and looked at me, and moved on.  I wondered why he seemed so distant.

Because I could not get a good sense of the meaning of the dream, I thumbed through my dream book.  Moose, it seems, often represents the whirlwind and the dynamic evolution of the Universe.  Moose may also show change and evolution as indicated by the unpredictable and totally spontaneous way that a Moose will act.

Moose, then, is showing me, by showing up in my dreams, that there is a big change or evolution going on in all that I know, and that in my dreams, I will be able to walk farther, and touch more distant places in the stars.

I like that!

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

Coyote Healer In My Dream

As I was reading some of my old writings, I was struck by how often I have realtime or dream time interactions with Coyotes.  In this dream, the interaction is very positive.  My dog Magic has been gone several years now.  The dream that preceded this one was a situation where I was in a battle of good and evil. 

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In my dream, I was on my knees.  I had been hurt, and was bleeding from two wounds, one to my left shoulder and one to my right thigh.  I hurt.  I was wondering if it was worth continuing trying to live.  I knew that I was bleeding out.  My head dropped forward, and I thought that I would soon die.  

And then I heard a yip of some sort.  I tried to see what was coming, but I could not.  I thought that I could not feel this tired without sleeping.  As I started to lean forward, I leaned into something very soft.  I looked up and saw a large, grey coyote in front of me.  He whined.  He leaned into me.  

I wrapped my fingers around his fur and I felt comfort – like when I was little and could hug my teddy bear.  I felt his fur absorb the blood that I was loosing.  I began to feel better.  I felt my strength return and I rocked back on my heals.  

As I started to say thank-you, he whined and licked my cheek, and then trotted off into the bushes.  I could just barely see him amongst the grey branches.  It seemed that he stopped to watch me, to see what would happen next. 

The next scene in the dream was that my dog, Magic, came running up to me, growling in the back of his throat as though he was giving me heck for getting out of his sight.  He dropped down in front of me, panting.  He sniffed the air.  And then he looked directly at the Coyote.  He barked once with what sounded like “Thanks”.  And then he nudged my hand, and got up, as though saying “ It is time to go home.”  I struggled to my feet, and wrapped my hands in the fur in Magic’s neck.  

The next thing I knew was that I was awake, and Magic was lying at the foot of the bed, pressed up against me.  And, I felt tired.

Many blessings,

Judy

Dolphin Dream Visit - A Spirit Animal

Picture comes from an email so the source is not known

My dream time is always very active.  From time to time, Dolphin comes in to teach me or show me a different way to do things.  This blog is about Dolphins for all those folks that dream about Dolphin.

Dolphins have been called the “Ambassadors of the Oceans” because they are so friendly and love to play around ships, boats, and even swimmers.  They more truly should be called the Messengers Of the Oceans” because when Dolphin shows up, she comes to lead a ship through treacherous waters, or help out a sailor, or do some healing work.

When Dolphin shows up in dream time, then these may be some of the messages that she brings.

• You have had your head down, working, for a long time.  You are in danger of drowning.  It is time to come up for air, and see what the world looks like above the surface.
• The Sun penetrates only several feet into the water.  Sunlight does not go through the walls of buildings.  You know this.  Yet, you do not spend time outside.  Are you feeling poorly?  Could it be that your Vitamin D (sunshine vitamin) is low?  Check in with your Doctor and you will find that it is much lower than you think.  
• It is time for a deep dive into the world of your child hood.  Face all the emotional issues from that time before your next big family event, and you will see that your family no longer has a hold on you.  Get some help with this.  Dolphins know how to work together to raise young, hunt food, and keep the pod safe.
• Jump for joy!  Oh, you don’t feel joyful?  Isn’t it time that you discovered WHY it is that you do not feel joyful?  Spend time thinking about what makes you joyful, and what doesn’t.  Get your jump back.

Many Blessings,

Judy

Ostrich - A Spirit Animal

This wonderful picture of a giraffe and an ostrich having a chat, came in a slide show in an email. I don't know who to give photo credit to, however, Bravo! for a great picture.

Ostrich walks the Mother Earth because it cannot fly. It therefore, must gather all of its wisdom from the Earth. By walking all the time, Ostrich is totally grounded even though its neck, which is about truth and spiritual truth, is very long and reaches to the Heavens to bring down Divine information, just as Giraffe does. Ostrich has very large eyes and tends to appear dreamy and unfocused, often fooling those who would steal up on it kill it for its skin and feathers. Ostrich will either flee on its incredibly long, speedy legs, or will turn and fight with death dealing kicks. The very young birds or injured birds camouflage by lying flat on the ground and burying their heads in the sand.

If Ostrich appears to you, it brings messages such as: 

-check to see if you are grounded, and if not, walk the Earth with bare feet, if possible.

-are you too dreamy with your thoughts and eyes sky ward instead of paying attention to what is around you on the Earth?

-is it time to be a little less visible? Have you been attracting those energies that do not agree with you?

-do you need to take a look at those around you to determine if they are true friends? Perhaps it is time to “kick” some of them out of your space.

-is it time to work on your clairvoyance so that you truly “see” what is really going on around you?

Ostrich feathers have long been considered a valuable possession. The feathers are used by the Egyptian Goddesses, especially the Goddess Maat, to symbolize truth and justice. If Ostrich is appearing to you now, perhaps it is time to take a look at any injustices you are feeling around you. Are you the cause or the recipient of injustice? Perhaps it is time to let truth prevail.

May you see each moment clearly!

Blessings,

Judy

Daily Necessities

A Statue of the Buddha in Tawang Gompa, India  From Wikipedia

 

 

 

I enjoy the teachings of Buddha and all of the various advices from Buddhist teachers.... the following daily advice is something that "zinged" through me and made me feel like I had discovered a hunk of gold in a cold stream.  

Tips & pointers for building a spiritual life from scratch 

Pray 
Meditate 
Be aware/Stay awake 
Bow 
Practise yoga 
Feel 
Chant and sing 
Breathe and smile 
Relax/Enjoy/Laugh/Play 
Create/Envision 
Let Go/Forgive/Accept 
Walk/Exercise/Move 
Work/Serve/Contribute 
Listen/Learn/Enquire 
Consider/Reflect 
Cultivate oneself/Enhance competencies 
Cultivate contentment 
Cultivate flexibility 
Cultivate friendship and collaboration 
Lighten up 
Celebrate and appreciate 
Dream 
Give thanks 
Evolve 
Love 
Share/Give/Receive 
Walk softly/Live gently 
Expand/Radiate/Dissolve 
Simplify 
Surrender/Trust 
Be born anew 
~~~~~from Awakening The Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das

Feel the peace and enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,

Judy

How Fast Do You Get Up After Being Kicked Down?

Sometimes it seems like life doesn’t treat us very well.  And, we all have stories where it seems like everything was against us, and yet we pulled ourselves up by the socks and we kept going.

I do some speaking from time to time, and I am always looking for good stories to tell.  One of my friends sent me this story.  It is so good, I thought that I would share it with you.  

Blessings,

Judy

Get Up

Bringing a giraffe into the world is a tall order. A baby giraffe falls 10 feet from its mother's womb and usually lands on its back. Within seconds it rolls over and tucks its legs under its body. From this position it considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last vestiges of the birthing fluid from its eyes and ears. Then the mother giraffe rudely introduces its offspring to the reality of life. 

In his book, "A View from the Zoo", Gary Richmond describes how a newborn giraffe learns its first lesson.  The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself

 Picture from National Geographic: Kids

directly over her calf. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She swings her long, pendulous leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels. 

When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts. Finally, the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs. 

Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd, where there is safety. Lions, hyenas, leopards, and wild hunting dogs all enjoy young giraffes, and they'd get it too, if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it. 

The late Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying greatness, writing novelized biographies of such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. 

Stone was once asked if he had found a thread that runs through the lives of all these exceptional people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a vision or dream of something that should be accomplished and they go to work. 

"They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified, and for years they get nowhere. But every time they're knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they've accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do." 

- Craig B. LarsonIllustrations for Preaching & Teaching from Leadership Journal

Blessings,

Judy

Zebra Talks About Black and White

Zebra pops in and out of my dreams from time to time.  And then, she will show up on an advertisement, or on a book, or in an email.  Zebra is a spirit messenger for me.  The other day, she came into a dream to talk about “things”.  And, we ended up talking about black and white.  

In our world, humans call things black and white if they are opposites and seem very obviously defined.  

Zebra calls their black and white the total effect of light.  She says that they are creatures of Light, and beloved of the Angels.  She went on to say that the black and white effect gives Zebra the ability to cross easily between dimensions.  And, Zebra can hide in the dimensions and this dimension by blending their black and white colour.  

Zebra invites you to ask her to come to you in meditation so that you can see the effects of the black and white colours in different worlds.  She will gladly let you travel with her.

Even the youngest Zebra has the same black and white colouring.  Often, small animals have different colouring then the parents.  From the beginning, young Zebra is able to walk through dimensions and time and space.

 

Blessings,

Judy