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

Autumnal Equinox 2024

 

Picture taken by Judy Hirst along the Bow River channel in Fish Creek Provincial Park

Autumn has arrived and today we are in balance between the dark and the light.  It is a beautiful feeling to have come through the spring and summer with lots of vegetables from the garden.  It is a time to celebrate with friends and family and ask for an easy winter to come.

A Prayer For Autumnal Equinox

Mother/Father God, Universe.

Please guide us through the next six months 

So that we walk through each day with grace and ease and

With harm to none.

Please bless the food to nourish us and to keep us strong,

Allowing no illness in our lives 

And giving us strength to help others - humans and animals.

As I wander to different places, please support me in spreading

Peace and Kindness to all.

Aho.

********

Blessings,

Judy

    

September 2024 and Autumnal Equinox Dates

September arrives and tells us that the summer has ended.  September tells us that we must finish our harvesting because in several weeks, we will hit the Fall Equinox or Autumnal Equinox and then the possibility of snow.

Fall Equinox in our area always signals that winter is right around the corner.  The day signals even shorter daylight and longer night.  It is the quarter turning of the Earth.  For many, it is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the harvest.  When so many live in the cities now, the celebration of the harvesting of good, nourishing, natural food is not practiced.  For city dwellers, it is like giving thanks to Superstore or other grocery chain.

We have lost much of the art of celebrating the passage of one season to another.  A passing season is a big event - much like a birthday.  It is a time of contemplation, wild celebration, and fantastic food all rolled into one day.  Even going outside and standing on a balcony or going to a park to give thanks to Nature and the beings that care for all things in Nature is a great way to celebrate Fall Equinox.

If you want to say words as part of your celebration, try these three lines:

We give thanks for the harvest.
We give thanks for abundance
We give thanks for the blessings in our lives through the year. 

Here are the autumnal Equinox Dates from 2024 to 2027.

Autumnal Equinox Dates

Year	Autumnal Equinox (Northern Hemisphere)	Autumnal Equinox (Southern Hemisphere)
2024	Sunday, September 22	Tuesday, March 19
2025	Monday, September 22	Thursday, March 20
2026	Tuesday, September 22	Friday, March 20
2027	Thursday, September 23	Saturday, March 20

Note: Dates listed above are based on Eastern Time (UTC-5). Due to time zones, the date of the equinox may differ by +/- one calendar day in your location.

-from the site almanac.com.

Many blessings,

Judyd

Let’s Talk About Spring Equinox 2024

Picture of Spring Equinox at Stonehenge is from The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk)

Spring Equinox in Alberta is Tue, Mar 19, 2024, 9:06 p.m. Mountain Time

So, what is the spring equinox? According to the website - the statesman.com, the equinox marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, but to be more specific, it's the day the sun's rays shine onto the equator while the Earth sits with its axis tilted neither toward nor away from the sun. This causes 12 hours of sunlight almost everywhere on Earth.

My husband and I plan each year to have a celebration of the Spring Equinox because it is the beginning of spring which leads to summer.  It is an amazing time of new energy arriving on the Earth.

Our celebration usually happens a couple of days ahead of The Equinox so that our group can plan how they want to absorb the energies of the day.   We have a group meditation focusing on “something” around the Equinox, several short meditations on relevant needs such as a particular healing or seeing that is required, and we have a sharing circle at the end.  We open and close with creating sacred space and then closing sacred space.  We clean up the space we have been using and then everyone proceeds to the dining room for a sumptuous pot luck dinner.

Some years our celebration varies.  If it is a lovely day, instead of being in the house by the fireplace, we will be in the back yard around the fire pit.

However you decide to spend Spring Equinox, enjoy the celebration of the renewal of life.

Many blessings,

Judy

Autumnal Equinox 2023

 Fall is not only the time of the celebration of harvest, it is a time of preparation for the winter – packing away food to be used through the fall until Winter Solstice, and deciding on what it is we want to keep (harvest) in ourselves, and what we want to discard (pulling out the weeds).

This is also the time that we prepare Mother Earth for her winter sleep.  Traditionally, farmers harvest their fields, and then bale the straw for animal use, or, plough it under.  At the same time, they are preparing for the next crop.

Here are two meditations to use for doing some self work at autumnal equinox.

Releasing a Habit

What are you doing to prepare for the winter?  For the next crop?  When you are sitting in meditation, why not release one bad habit that plagues you? These are the “weeds” of our lives.  Create sacred space by calling in the Angels to be with you and keep you safe while you do sacred work.  Simply sit quietly, and breath in and out on a three count cycle. When your breathing is regular and comfortable, say out loud:  “I freely give up my habit of ________ and I ask the Angels and Great Spirit (substitute the name that you are most comfortable using – God, Jehovah, etc.) take this habit, and take it to the Sun to be cleansed. I offer this request, without any qualifications or strings attached.”

Now, breath deeply and clearly, drawing in sunlight on the in breath, and releasing the habit on the out breath.  This process may take fifteen minutes, or longer. Do not rush it.  When you think you are clear, stop, and check in to see if you can feel the habit.  If you can, continue.  If not, then stop and give thanks.  Release sacred space.

Healing Mother Earth

When the Universe/Great Spirit does something good for us, then we need to reciprocate. This is called “The Law of Reciprocity”, and means that we balance the energy by doing something good ourselves.  In this meditation, you will need a candle, and a comfortable spot to meditate. Light the candle.  Then, create sacred space by calling in the Angels to be with you and keep you safe while you do sacred work.  Now sit in front of the candle, with the candle a comfortable distance from your eyes, and express to the Universe that you will be working on healing a part of Mother Earth.  Close your eyes, and think of the one place that you know of that bothers you because it may need so much healing.  It may be a park, a play ground, someone’s yard, a beach, a forest, or anything that you know of.  Now open your eyes, Stare at the flame, and hold the image of the place that needs healing.  Next, in your mind’s eye, start the process of cleaning up the site, and replacing it with grass or trees, or what ever it needs to make it healthy.  Stay with this process until the site is completely healthy looking.  Now, feel the energy that arises in you from working with the Universe to co-create this beautiful place.  Give thanks for this opportunity to work with Mother Earth.  Release sacred space.

Blessings,

Judy

Our Spring Equinox Gathering

 

The other day a Reader asked me what I do for Spring Equinox.  What a great question!

This year for Spring Equinox, we had a gathering of fourteen people, all friends that have been coming to our gatherings for years.  Since we did not have any gatherings through COVID, the day was so fun for our tribe to get together. 

After everyone exchanged hellos and hugs, and got tea or water, I hustled the group into the family room where we had a roaring fire going in the fireplace.  First item is to get everyone smudged and cleansed for the ceremony that we have.  Each person either brings a drum or rattle or takes one of our instruments.  As we wait for the smudging to finish, we begin drumming and rattling, clearing the energy in the room.

After the smudging, I open sacred space in the tradition of the Shaman of the Andes.  We open the four directions and above and below.  Then I give a brief overview of what we will cover during the session and advise who our Spirit Guide will be for the session.  In this session, it was Quan Yin. 

We do a quick around the circle introducing ourselves and why we are glad to be present today. Next, I sent around a jar filled with words. Each person drew out a word for this is the trait or issue that they will work on for the next three months.  For example, some of the words were - Forgiveness, Compassion, Leadership, etc.

 My husband then handed out crystals and provided a beautiful meditation on breathing into who we are. I led a meditation with Quan Yin as our guide that took us around the world.

We ended with a sharing circle where each person talked about what was on their mind.  Some talked about their meditation experience.  Some talked about what was going on for them at work or in encounters with different people.  Each experience was blessed.

The last part of the ceremony is that I closed sacred space.  Folks return the crystals and instruments and move to the dining room for refreshments and visiting.

The whole ceremony took place in one hour and ten minutes.  Remember, when we are in sacred space, time moves differently.

The energy in the house is incredibly fresh and gentle after a gathering.  Folks talk about feeling peace and calmness, and being happy.

A gathering does not need to be large.  We have done gatherings with four of us.  If you are feeling the urge to gather with like minded people, go for it!  The experience is always unique.  Each person grows with the experience.

Many blessings,

Judy

Spring Equinox March 20 2023

Nature and the calendar are not always in agreement.  Today, the calendar tells us that it is the Spring Equinox.  In the northern hemisphere, it tells us that the days will now be long and warm.  Most of the snow and cold are behind us. 

It tells us that the early flowers and herbs will be poking out their green shoots.  On the west coast, the spring bulbs will be growing and out in bloom.  

Nature announces spring by giving the birds a new, happier note to sing in the morning.  The robins arrive.  The rabbits do their athletic, complex mating dance.  All beings that hibernate come out of their dens.  

The world feels alive and vibrant. The world is healing, peaceful. Life feels tranquil.

Today, give thanks that we the seasons change and that the world keeps on spinning.  Give thanks for your family and friends and live this day fully.

Many blessings,

Judy

Using Meditation to Promote Healing

 

                                          Picture is by Judy Hirst, taken at a beach on Kawai in 2015

The other night, I could not sleep as my back was hurting from two hours of polishing the oak walls and shelves in our family room.  This winter, with some very cold days, was drying out the wood.  I lay in bed and contemplated life.  I felt a a pressure to meditate so I did. 

Many years ago I learned a process in BodyTalk (TM) that helped us create a very safe place in celestial space.  For me, the space that I created was a house that had a library, office, lovely living room/sitting area, a healing room and a gym area. I worked through the process to sink into the meditation and into calmness.

In my meditation, I found that I had new caretakers for my library.  Three beautiful white horses named Beauty, Hope, and Grace, looked after the library and kept the place clean and organized and acted as security.  When I asked if they had any wisdom  for me, the advice they gave was that I needed to eat a lot more green... lettuce, cabbage, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and include a lot of fruit.  They also said that I needed to walk and exercise to get stronger to carry the vibrations of change that are coming with the Equinox.

After visiting with the horses, I went to my healing room and lay on the bed of healing light, asking it to send healing waves into my back and shoulders.  I lay there for what seemed like a long time.  When I moved off the bed, I felt lighter.

It was time to come back.  I followed the process to come out of the meditation and came to awareness at 4:45am.  I wiggled my back.  It felt so good!  The aches were gone.  I drifted off to sleep.

Note:

You can find out more about the BodyTalk System at IBA Global Healing | Home (bodytalksystem.com).  Note that I am not promoting this site, I am simply providing it as a reference.  I do not benefit or profit from making this reference.

Many blessings,

Judy 

email me at lightstationwisdom@gmail.com

Welcome to March 2023

 

The season in the North is beginning to change from winter, with its snow and cold, to a milder, lighter time as March rolls in.  We equate March with the return of the sun and look forward to the equinox on March 20 this year.  We are anxious to smell the changes that come with the melting snow, and the rising rivers and rising sap in the trees.  

Note: In 2023, this is on March 20, at 21:24 UTC. For locations that are 10 hours or more behind UTC, it will take place on March 19. This is because of the time zone difference.

It is a time to start clearing and cleaning out those things that we no longer need/use/want.  It can be physical things or spiritual things.

It is a time for letting go.

Many blessings,

Judy