Shark Swims In With A Message

Three different nights, I have dreamed of sharks.  I realized that they had a message for me, and that I needed to “dive in” and figure out what it is that Shark wants to say.

Sharks are by nature, loners.  They swim by themselves and only congregate when drawn by the smell of blood.  If Shark is in a frenzy, it will kill other sharks without consciousness.

 

 

Picture of a bull shark – the type of shark that appeared in my dreams.

 

Shark’s message covers several things.  

• Spend time alone and you will not become anxious or irritable.  Spend a lot of time with others that you have no respect for, and you will want to “bite off someone’s head”.
• Be aware that you are growing ever more sensitive to smells (Sharks smell one drop of blood in an ocean of water), and to vibrations and changes in vibrations. Sharks are able to determine where fish are by the vibration they send through the water when the fish is swimming.
• Shark is not able to float in water, and therefore shares this knowledge by telling us that we cannot float through life – we must keep moving or we will get run over, or drown. it is very simple.
• Water is often equated to the depths of emotion.  Shark can swim to great depths, and can also swim quite close to shore.  With Shark’s guidance, we can navigate the deepest, darkest emotions, and look at them dispassionately. 

May you enjoy “swimming with the sharks” in your dreams tonight.

Blessings, 

Judy

Red Tailed Hawk’s Guidance

Picture of red tailed hawk from Wikipedia.com 

If you have been following my blog posts, you will know that I consider Hawk to be a spirit animal that can bring many messages.  Indeed, there are many types of hawks.  Today’s post is about Red Tailed Hawk

The Red-Tailed Hawk is a member of the genus Buteo, a group of medium-sized raptors with robust bodies and broad wings. Members of this genus are known as buzzards in Europe, but hawks in North America (Wikipedia)

Today, Red Hawk sat in the trees along Parkland.  She is ever watchful – looking for mice and gophers – watching the activities in the park with a proprietary eye.  She sits so high up.  She never gets involved with the people or the animals that move through the park.  She is unlike the crows and the magpies who sit in the lowest branches of the tree and squawk at the dogs, and try to drop things on the people.  

This is Red Hawk’s Guidance:  Be the observer. Stand back from the drama, from the emotions, and from the action-reaction pattern.  Step in to take what you need and then step back.  Engaging in dialogue with those caught up in their own stories is simply about creating a bigger story. Stand back and take responsibility for your own actions; do not lay responsibility for your actions at the feet of another.  Hunting to feed one’s self is a necessity.  Hunting to spite others is an act against Oneness.  Let Great Spirit guide your steps.  Let the influences of your spirit guides take you to the places where growth occurs.

Blessings,

Judy

Archangel Michael’s Message

 Most beloveds! I AM Archangel Michael.  I joyously greet you as you move through this time of change and self realization.  So many of you are being called to look deep inside yourself to see those events in your life that you have labelled as “wrongs done to you”.  You are being called to see them in a new light – the same light or perspective that we have of you – as though you were all players on a big movie screen.  You know that when you watch a movie, only part of the action is visible at one time.  Now, you are seeing the whole picture around the event that is in question.  You see that perhaps there was no wrong intended.  You see that you took it upon yourself to create the wrong and live by that moment.  You have created a world that is false.

All of you have done this over and over in your lives.  You have created this world so that you could learn lessons that would help your spiritual growth and so that you would understand the ranges of emotion, and the depth of cleansing that the I AM presence offers to each of you upon your return to infinity.  Each soul has a chance to move to that place of unconditional love for those that seek to harm the vessel (human body).  There is no place like it (Earth).  

So, instead of looking out ward to those around you for validation of who you are, look inward.  Look past all the abuse that you have placed upon yourself, and see yourself for the pure, bright, white light that you are.  See the magnificence of your journey, even though there were those who tried to stop you and send you home early.  Know that you have been honoured by your soul group, by your angels, and by those beings that watch your journey.  Healing is something that is best done from the inside, and not from the outside.  Nature – the beasts, birds, fish, and reptiles, do not have someone come and sit over them to heal them.  They find a safe place to heal themselves, or, they perish.  In that perishing, they are then reborn to take the lesson again to understand that choice makes a difference.

So too for each of you is choice an important lesson.  Choose to  heal, or not.  Choose to love, or not.  Choose to be generous, or not.  Choose to be grateful, or not.  It is your choices, and not what others do to you that makes the difference.  Peace is found inside your heart, not outside.  Those that have peaceful hearts may be in a noisy football stadium and be at peace.  This life that you are in is a “how to expand awareness” lesson on a grand scale.  Do be grateful.  Do not close yourself to the beauty and abundance around you.  Each of you deserve the best.

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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

Elephants Never Forget

I received a beautiful email from my friend, Leslie.  It confirms so many of the traits that I have written about animals over the last several years.  Check out the story, and see if you view animals in the same way.

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Elephants never forget

SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS MUCH GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE. THE ELEPHANT'S JOURNEY TO PAY RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW? Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whisperer, bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003.  On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died. He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons and numerous elephants.  Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs.  Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.  A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House. Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence 's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way.  Walking slowly - for days - Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house.  So, how after Anthony’s death, did the reserve’s elephants — grazing miles away in distant parts of the park — know?  “A good man died suddenly,” says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., “and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost ‘funereal’ procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man’s home.”  “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart’s stops, and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.”  Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years! But yet they knew where they were going.  The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything. Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back .....

Blessings,

Judy

Pelican Offers Advice

As we walked along the path by the river, we were surprised to see a lonely looking Pelican floating along the water, occasionally sticking its head below the water and then pulling it up again. 

My friend recently lost her husband to a long battle with cancer.  She was enjoying the walk and we were having a lively conversation.  Suddenly, the Pelican squawked, and stared right at her.  It began a lively combination of swimming, and sticking its head under water, and shaking water off, and then starting the combination all over.   We were surprised yet again, by this unusual behaviour.

Elizabeth asked me what I thought the bird was doing.  My reply was that the Pelican was giving her a message about life.  Here is my interpretation of the message.

• Pick up the pace of what you are doing.  It is okay to be gentle for a while, however, you do need to get on with things.
• When you feel an emotion, dive into it, and find out where it takes you.  Remember that an emotion is symptomatic of something else going on.
• Hiding from the world view by burying your head will not change things.  Meet things head on.
• When you have explored something, shake it off, and move on to the next thing.
• Moving with the water’s flow is easier than swimming upstream. 

Blessings,

Judy

Great Blue Heron - A Spirit Animal

Today, as we drove down the highway, a great blue heron appeared and was flying into the north east.

               Great Blue Heron flying over the water – source unknown.

What struck me as curious was how far she seemed to be from any water. I also wondered why she was flying in such gale force winds.  I pondered the message that Heron was bringing to me.

Heron is about grounding and wading through one’s emotions.  She is also about standing one’s ground, and not being influenced by others.  As you might guess, most encounters with Heron are on the ground, usually when she is standing in the water.  To encounter her in the air is indeed a gift!

I asked for her message, and received immediate feedback in a knowing and clear thoughts from her.  First, being alone, she is showing that regardless of the difficulty, sometimes one is best traveling alone.  Wizards, leaders, and wisdom keepers often travel the lone path.  Flying in the difficult wind, she shows that even slow progress is still progress and should not be seen as a defeat, but as the wonderful affirmation of Spirit that it is.  Heron is flying above the Earth to show that one does not have to be embroiled in all the negative things happening on the Earth; one can fly above it, and observe it from a distance.  In this way, one has a larger perspective so that the story becomes more distant, and the perfection of movement, of aligning of parts of the Earth, is seen in its beauty.

Further, Heron said, “ Flying into the north east is the direction one goes when it is time to share your knowledge with the world.  However, you must find the means to do that in a way that feels comfortable to you…. not to others.  The Wizard only shares what needs to be shared at the time that it needs to be shared, and not before.  Be confident in your guidance, and move in the flow.”

Many blessings,

Judy

Spirit Talks About Catharsis

 

Catharsis is about being able to release pain – emotional pain – by watching someone else’s pain, and being able to recognize the pain and feel it in you, and then release it in yourself.  Many of us do this by crying at movies or even at commercials on TV.  The process, for some people, is quite embarrassing, that is, to be crying at a movie. 

However, Great Spirit and our Angels and Guides reassure us that this is a healing mechanism that humans have so that we do not overload on emotions that we store inside our bodies.  From the time that we are born, it is in our nature to laugh, cry, be sad, celebrate, and all the other emotions that exist.  If we cannot feel great sadness, then there is a good chance that we will not be able to feel great happiness.

Feeling emotional release based on someone else’s experience, real or performed in a movie, is a great confirmation that we are all connected; that there is Oneness.  What I mean is that if we were all separate, we would not feel that tug of pain in a nerve around our heart, or, we would not feel the fear in our solar plexus when we watch that scary movie.  Emotion is an energy that radiates outward until it is absorbed by “something”. Often that something is another being.

The nick name for emotional movies is “tear jerker”.  Literally, the nick name describes the process of the movie pulling the tears that have been locked away, out into the open.  Some spiritual teachers believe that a good tear jerker is as good as a meditation in helping a person release pent up emotion.  In either case, during the movie or during meditation, the person is so absorbed that they are completely in the present moment, and, in the present moment, there is no pain, so the body releases it as tears.

What a beautiful process!  Catharsis!

Blessings,

Judy

Magpie Drops In

Magpie dropped to the path ahead of us (the dogs and me), and began to chatter.  Slowly, the chattering took form in my mind.  Here are some of the thoughts.

• Spend time in the present for this is where your power comes from.  In the present, you will be open to all that is available from the Oneness.
• Magpie does not dwell on the past; we remember the lessons.  One lesson is that a man with a long stick that smokes (gun) will hurt or end us.  Remember the lessons and let go of the emotion, the scene and all the blame!
• Walk more.  Even though we fly, we walk on the ground because it does ground us.  Humans do not walk enough.
• Play more.  Magpies enjoy each other and other animals.  We play.  We see you compete, we do not see you play.

I contemplated what Magpie was saying and realized that I can do better in being in the present.  I worked to stay in the moment as I wrote this blog.  I realized that my mind is like a herd of cats, different thoughts wanting to go different places.  I had to consciously work back to the moment.  When I did that, I felt more energy.  I am grateful to Magpie.

Blessings,

Judy

Trout Splashes Around

Picture from Wikipedia

I am fortunate because I live close to a provincial park and close to the Bow River.  The Bow is world wide known as a great place to catch trout.   The other day, I was out walking with a friend and we watched for trout in the shallows.  We did not see any.  Later, when I was doing my meditation, the following came up.

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Rainbow trout swims into your life if you are feeling over run by emotions.  Right now, with all of the Earth energy moving around and realigning, we are feeling emotional and often slightly depressed.  

Trout tells us that life is good, and it is about swimming against the current to stay alive and keep the species going.  Trout goes on to say:

• Do something that allows you to come up into the sunlight every day.  Trout catches flies.
• Jumping loosens all of the tension in your body.  This is why you often see Trout jump at the end of the day.  When tension leaves your body, sleep happens more easily.
• When you are looking for food, find a place that you can find your food (prey), easily!  Trout will sink to the mud in water that is calmer, and wait for the current to carry food to Trout.  You do not need to hunt and make food gathering hard work that burns your energy.  Look at what you can do to make this process easier.
• Highs and lows are normal in life.  Everyone is looking for balance – the balance is to allow both, and not stay in one place or the other.  Two highs balance out two lows.  The warmth balances the coolness.  We all need both.

Many blessings,

Judy

Dealing With Another’s Anger

I have been writing in my journal for many years.  I often like to look back at what I have written to see what memories the writing sparks in me.  Sometimes, the writing is a story.  The article below comes from my last job in software and IT.

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Over the last couple of days, I have had to deal with other people’s anger – toward something else, at their partner, or towards me.  

In the cases of anger towards me, the individuals were telling me that I was impatient, and that they were reflecting or mirroring my anger towards them.  I thought that was interesting.  I had no feelings towards them.  I was simply doing the job and giving instructions for how something needed to be done.  In working with software, to change something, all steps must be precise and in order.  when I pointed out that they were not following the steps in order, one individual was angry that I was criticizing him.  

I asked my angels what was going on.  My angels replied that the individuals had created their own reality of the situation.  When I did my stuff that needed to be done, the reality changed for them, and that made them angrier because the people did not feel in control of the situation.  While I had not taken control, I had changed the dynamics of the energy.  The individuals took their self loathing out on me.

The angels went on to say that the anger is borne out of fear, and that the fear is very unique to each person so it is often not possible to guess what fear is inciting the anger.  The angels were chuckling about the use of the phrase “mirroring”.  They said that there has been so much taught and written about mirroring in the “new age” communities that people are using the mirroring as an excuse to distance themselves from their own emotions.  By saying that it is the other person’s fault that they are angry, the individuals are abdicating responsibility for their emotions.   And, the angels said, there are a lot of angry people in the world right now.  And many are blaming others for their anger. 

I asked what I could do.  The first thing, said the angels, is not to take it on – the anger, that is.  Angry people want everyone to be angry, and they want the drama from the situation.  The angels advised me to be calm, and to work through what I needed to get done.  If it is impossible to get the work done, then the advice was to leave the situation for the time being, and come back to it at a later time.  

The hard part of this situation of anger is wanting to react with anger.  The easiest way for me to handle this was simply to back out of the situation because they had invited me in, and, it seemed that they were not ready for me.

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Have you had situations like this?  What have you done?

Many blessings,

Judy

Overcoming Helplessness

Picture of clouds lifting from Microsoft Clip Art…

 

 

I had a question from a reader asking how one can overcome helplessness.  It was not clear if the helplessness was for the person or for a friend.  Keep in mind that often helplessness is a learned behaviour . It is learned from parents who tell you that you cannot do anything and therefore do everything for you.  And it can come from an injury or illness where others must do everything for you because you are helpless at the time.  Then, being helpless feels comfortable because one is used to it.  Helplessness becomes a way of life.

Some of the tools that I use in coaching folks on how to move beyond helplessness, comes from a book Helplessness by Martin E. P. Seligman.  If you feel helpless or you have someone that you see as helpless or powerless in your life, try this, and read the book.

“Helplessness, then, can be recognized by: 

1. Lack of motivation, listlessness. 
2. Cognitive breakdown between actions and outcomes - inability to link actions to the consequences they bring about - also manifests as blaming others or external factors for your situation, condition, and outcomes. 
3. Negative emotions: boredom, anxiety, frustration, anger, hopelessness, depression (sometimes suicidal).

Apply this procedure to cure helplessness: 

1. Recognize your helplessness, lack of motivation, listlessness. 
2. Recognize that as a baby and subsequently you've had many experiences where you were unable to control consequences or outcomes. 
3. Recognize your negative emotions: boredom, anxiety, frustration, anger, hopelessness, depression. Acknowledge them to yourself, for example, by saying, "I recognize that I feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed." 
4. Consciously and deliberately choose to experience any or all of these emotions. Make a cognitive link between that choice and what you experience, for example, by saying to yourself, "I consciously decide to feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed. Therefore I feel helpless, hopeless, and depressed." 
5. Perform a simple action such as washing the dishes or combing your hair. Observe the consequences or outcome. Form a cognitive link between your action and its outcome. (Examples below.) 
6. Divide a sheet of paper into three columns. In the second column list both positive and negative outcomes you've experienced during the past 24 hours, including emotions. In the first column write down your corresponding actions or inactions that preceded those outcomes. In the third column write down the causal or cognitive links between actions/inactions and outcomes. Consider only your own actions and inactions. (How to express the causal or cognitive link is explained below.) 
7. Don't blame others or external factors for anything.
8. Pat yourself on the back for all the positive consequences you did produce.” 

from Helplessness by Martin E. P. Seligman

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

Working Within the Chaos

 

Astrologers tell us that we have just entered a time of chaos, as Mercury moves into retrograde.  Although it is nice to have someone confirm that the energy is chaotic, we all are aware of the energies that move from high to low, and then across the board, pulling emotions, and causing euphoria and despair.

Our Ancestors left us stories of times of chaos, and how these times turned people angry.  These were the dark times, when people turned against one another simply for spite and to show some sort of power.  It was a time when innocents were hurt.

We are heading into a time like this again – and we have felt it coming.  We see the storms in the skies causing rain and snow in unusual amounts and in unusual places.  In other places, unusual heat and drought is occurring.  

Archangels and Ascended Masters speak for Great Spirit and tell us to find a port that we can weather out the storm.  If you need to be in the chaos, call on an Archangel or Ascended Master to help you move through it, and to protect you.

The Earth changes in the forms of earthquakes and whirlpools and large, open cracks in the earth tell us that the very base of our life is also going through changes.  

The task that we have at this time is to work within the chaos to create havens of peace.  This means a place where you feel safe and protected, and where you will allow others to come and be protected.  IT is a time to remember to work at NOT arguing with people – simply do what you must.

Many blessings,

Judy

Moose Is An Ancient Four Legged One

 

Moose in the snow from a set of winter pictures of Jasper, Alberta

As we approach Christmas, notice that in many yards in Calgary, and I am sure elsewhere, there are stunning light displays of a moose.  Some are large while others are small.  Since moose often comes to the city and hangs out along the river in Fish Creek Park.  Moose seems to represent the wildness and ruggedness of the West.  Here is a bit about this huge animal.

Moose are one of the more ancient four legged ones. In Alberta, we see them in the foothills, in wooded areas, and sometimes even along the rivers in the city. Moose was named from the Algonquin word “Moz” which roughly means stick or twig eater. Moose are totally herbivores and may eat up to 112 pounds of food per day in the summertime as the winter time is almost a time of fasting for them. Their great size – averaging six and a half feet at the shoulder, and one thousand pounds – makes sustenance a full time occupation. Their colouring allows them to blend into the bush, grass and water that are their habitat. Moose runs at about twenty-eight miles per hour, and swims quite rapidly as well. Even with its huge antlers which may weigh seventy-five pounds, the bull moose will move silently through the forest, and will appear invisible as well. When we do see Moose, it is so powerful a presence, one cannot help but feel a sense of the majestic force of Nature.

Our Ancestors have many legends surrounding Moose. Some are that those born with Moose’s shape – long legs and arms – will have Moose’s ability to connect with the higher realms. Moose’s gifts – presence and invisibility are also the message to those Moose appears to. Moose says to go and do what ever your journey is without drawing attention to yourself. If Moose has antlers, the message is to open up the crown chakra and connect to the universal consciousness and connect with the Heavens and Mother Earth and understand that balance is required. Moose reminds you that you do have great wisdom and that the wisdom is to be shared discretely; and that one should not be troubled by the garbled advice from those around them.

Moose’s habitat in summer is water. Here, Moose pulls up the tenderest shoots of marine plants, and feasts on the water lily, a brilliant yellow flower. This is a reminder that one must constantly plunge the depths of emotion to find the true moments of love and swallow them whole to incorporate them into one’s being, for love is the one true thing. All other emotion must be examined, and blessed and released to prevent this density from holding one back from growing into their full power.

Blessings,

Judy

Cedar Waxwing

  

  Cedar Waxwing – picture from www.phase.com

As the leaves float off the trees, flocks of birds hit our yard to pull berries and seeds off the trees.  The last of these flocks this year are the Cedar Waxwings.

Over the past two weeks, when my dog and I walk in the woods, one or two cedar waxwings fly along with us and sing a song of trills and whistles.  Since they are trying very hard to get my attention, I spent some time finding out about the bird.

First, the birds are migratory, and arrive in Calgary in the early spring, any time in March.  They come in flocks of hundreds, and several flocks visit our back yard, and sit on our mountain ash, eating berries.  Cedar Waxwing’s diet is pretty much always fruit and berries (it loves the sweetness of life) except at breeding time, when it will eat insects as well.  In fact, the berries that it eats may affect the coloring of the feathers, making the light red/orange a much more vibrant red, and changing the yellow color to a more orangey-red hue.  

Second, while their favorite habitat is woodland with access to lots of berries, the Waxwing loves to be near open, running water, such as a stream, creek, or river.  Waxwing needs lots of water to help process its sugar rich diet.  

Third, Waxwings mate in early summer, coming together as a pair only for the season.  They make their vows as a couple by passing flower petals or some food back and forth.  They may have two nests through the summer as the eggs hatch within two weeks, and the young leave the nest after eighteen days.  Both parents feed the young.

Waxwing teaches lessons around going beyond the physical demands of the body (food and shelter needs found in the base chakra) and speaks to the joy of belonging, for they belong in flocks and pairs (which is what the second and third chakras, orange and yellow in color are about), and Waxwing sings of the sweetness of life.  Its love of running water is about letting all emotions run off your body.  Feel them to the utmost and then let them go.  It is stuck emotions that cause pain and illness, for many people.  Waxwing’s mask is a reminder that sometimes all that other see is the mask that they perceive.  And, for many of us, our truth is hidden, even from ourselves.  

Wishing you days of light and laughter.

Many blessings,

Judy

Cow To the Rescue! - Spirit Animal

Picture from an email, origin not known.

Normally one thinks of a mother cow protecting her baby, her calf, and this seems pretty normal.  Cows are one of the most protective parent animals in the animal kingdom.

The other night I had a dream.  In the dream, I was running from four men who were chasing me because they believed that I had stolen money from them.  In the dream, i had stumbled across a drug deal gone bad in a rural area.  Because I happened to be the closest to the scene, the “bad guys” assumed that I was the guilty party.  They did not even ask; they just started yelling at me, firing a gun over my head, and running.  When someone does that to you, the instinct is to run and get away at all costs.

I slipped through the fence, and into a cow pasture.  I was running towards the small river about a quarter of  a mile away.  The cows did not seem to notice me.  Then the bad guys climbed through the fence.  As one, all the cows swung and looked at them.  There was this huge bellowing moooo sound, and all the cows rushed at the bad guys.  The cows stomped on them, butted them, trampled them, and basically took them out of commission.  I was so dumbfounded that I stood with my mouth open.  The cows all came over and sniffed me, and licked me to make sure that I was all right.  And, then they went back to grazing.   I went and looked at the bad guys.  They looked quite dead.  I then looked at the cows, all quiet and grazing.   I would have never guessed that there was that kind of power in cows to protect a human.  I started to grin.

I woke up sort of laughing and shaking my head.  I wondered what the dream was telling me.  Here are some of the teachings:

• Know that you are always taken care of.
• Know that help will come from unexpected places.
• All beings are related and feel your emotions.
• Protect the children

I now think of cows even more fondly than before,  I am glad I had such an uplifting dream.  May you have wonderful dreams, too!

Many blessings,

Judy

Get a Grip!

Picture of person roping a heart from http://eruke.files.wordpress.com

I had a moment of clarity this morning as I walked the trail in the park with my dog.  My mind was racing with all the things that I had to do, and I was thinking about a client.  I began to imagine her getting ill and me feeling sad.  I noticed that my emotions were going into a tailspin, and my thoughts were getting increasingly dark.  I heard a voice say, “Get a grip!”

Everything stopped!  I felt peace and calmness around me.  I realized that getting a grip was not just getting a grip on one’s emotional state, it is also about getting a grip on one’s thoughts.  It is about getting a grip on going out into the future where things may happen and are unlikely to happen the way that we imagine them.

I had let myself run away with thoughts and emotions that had no basis in the present moment.  “Get a grip” means to come back to reality, and to the present.  It means still your thoughts, and still your mind. It means, take back your power!

Our thoughts, mind, and emotions sometimes seem like they are beyond our control.  To prove the point, here is a little exercise.  Try to stop your mind from thinking.  Now, read the phrase, “The Sounds of ……”.  Try it again.  Read this phrase, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's …”.  Our minds simply want to complete the phrase.

You see, our mind, which thinks all the time, really wants to be helpful.  Unfortunately, our mind has had little discipline to keep it working on positive, happy thoughts, so it simply turns to the the wave of information that it has the most on.  Most of the information that we take in from media is unhappy news or bad news.  So, our minds and thoughts automatically generate bad news scenarios.

The bad news scenario is what happened to me this morning.  Now, when I start the bad news thoughts, I say to myself, “Get a grip!”  It works!  You can change your thoughts.

Many blessings,

Judy

Pelican as a Spirit Messenger

"Pelican flock on the Bow River".    Copyright 2022 Judith Hirst

Calgary is unusual in that we do not have a large lake close to us and yet, every spring, a flock of pelicans (about forty of them) fly here at the beginning of May and stay until fall.  The flock is usually at the Bow River near where I live early morning or into the evening.

Pelicans are dedicated fishermen, and seem to have an unerring sense of where the fish are and how long they will be in that area.  When the fish have moved on, the pelican group will rise into the air in a flurry of white, and soar up the river (or down, as the case may be) looking for the next pocket of fish.

For several days now, I have been seeing the pelican on my walks or when I am driving to go shopping.  I have learned that this means Great Spirit has a message for me via the pelican.  Pelican is a Spirit Animal that is acting as a messenger.  Some days I think a phone call would be much simpler!  However, now that my attention is focused, Great Spirit knows that I will look for the guidance.  

At first, the message is not clear.  Black and white - all about mystery and magic.  Got that!  The black tips are on the wings - that is about flying into mystery and accepting the magic that appears in life.  As the pelican flies upwards, the black wing tips ground it even though it goes ever higher as depicted by the white representing the white lotus flower and the eighth chakra.  Part of the message then is to get in touch with my higher self, and sooner than later.  

The pelican has orange legs and an orange bill.  The legs are in the water which represents emotion.  The orange colour relates to the sacral chakra - the chakra of creativity and manifestation, relationships, and control.  Some of the issues that I often see connected with this chakra are about control, money, sexual issues, power, guilt and blame, and the duality of grace and joy along with fear and anger.  I remembered that black and white is also about duality. 

The thought that popped up was that I needed to wade into the emotions that I have been holding in my sacral around anger that I have around all the folks that are relinquishing their dogs, cats, and other animals to Calgary Humane and to SPCA.  I know that many are sacrificing because they can no longer afford them because of high cost of utilities here, the high gas prices, and the increasing property tax and insurance amounts.  The cost of food has risen ridiculously in the last year.  I am frustrated with our local and provincial government as well as the Federal government for raising gasoline taxes, not increasing pensions to seniors at the rate of inflation, paying out extraordinary amounts to countries outside of Canada without dealing with the high cost of housing and the increasing homelessness…. I am sure you can add to my list.  I am also frustrated because my writing and creating teachable modules of the work that I do is going so slowly.

The other part of the message was that  I needed to let go of "controlling so tightly" what the modules would look like.  I needed to let Spirit (the white is spirit) wade in and help me.  The orange bill indicates that I (we) will receive abundance, and like the pelican, I will always know where to look for it because I have that creative ability. 

When I finished translating the message, I felt pretty humble.  A phone call would not have been half as effective!

May Great Spirit fly a message your way,

Many Blessings,

Judy    

Swan Energy

It seems that every Monday, when I walk my dog with my friends, we see a flock of twelve swans fly over us.  First, that the swans stay here in the winter is remarkable.  Second, the energy of their flight washes over us and even the dogs get excited.

What is the message that these beautiful birds are bringing to us? The most important message is that you need to acknowledge the true beauty of self and to awaken that inner power of self.  Other aspects are:

• Honour your emotions and the emotions of others
• Work to stay in balance 
• Be in Nature as much as possible
• Honour the ancient and the rituals
• Look to new adventures and new spirituality
• Look at the swan as a totem for the mystic and the dreamer

Many blessings

Judy