As I have often said in my blogs, the animals show us the way!
Hug your friends today.
Tomorrow, you may not have the chance.
A friend of ours left the Earth while out watering her plants.
One day a phone call, the next day a funeral.
It feels like this passing is something that is almost communal.
So many people are leaving right now to work with us from the other side.
I hope my friend, will come back to me, and be my light and guide.
Blessings,
Judy
This picture reminds me that Panda has much to say about companionship.
Blessings,
Judy
Check out the amazing ways to celebrate Valentine's Day, even if you are single, or, by yourself for Valentine's Day. This wondeful posting was on www.Gogratitude.org.
#1: Hug a Tree
Appreciate Nature. Go hiking. Surround yourself in
the great outdoors. Soak up the beautiful energies
of Mother Earth. She has a heartbeat. Tune into it.
Express your Love and Gratitude for all the blessings
the Earth bestows you.
Then listen. Who knows? She may have a message for you.
#2: Sit Under the Stars and Appreciate the Cosmos
We live in a vast Universe. Contemplating the Infinite
need not make us feel small.
With love in our hearts, we remember our Connection
to All-That-Is. And recognize we are THAT too, the
realization of which fills our soul with the WONDER of
the Mystery.
#3: Express Appreciation to Your Beloveds
Expand the traditional sense of Valentine's Day Love
to include all your Beloveds. Your kindred. Your soul-
mates. Your friends. Your family. Your children. Your
parents. Your animal companions.
Make it a point to consider what you most appreciate
from those closest to you. Then make sure to express it.
Face to face. Or call them up. Or email them. Or text them.
Or write them a note.
#4: Hug Your Self
Love your Self. Appreciate your Self. Feel deep compassion
for your Self. This is probably the most important thing any
of us could do on Valentine's day and every other day.
For it is only as we Love, accept and honor ourselves -
ego shadows and all - that we can truly love and uplift others.
I love this. I love that we need to do self care, and that we can show our appreciation to ourselves. It is time!
Blessings,
Judy
The poster reads, “From this day on, when I look back on the past, I will smile and say to myself “I never thought I could do it…but I did… I overcame all the people who tried to bring me down.”
My friend Vivian sent this poster to me. It made me think of all the times that people have said to me, “It can’t be done.” When I moved to Calgary for work, my friends said that I would not like living there. They said that I would not have friends. They also said that I would not succeed.
When I mediated and checked with Spirit, I heard the words “do what you need to do to allow yourself freedom to choose. I moved. I prospered. I have lots of friends. I have succeeded!
When people believe that they are defeated, I feel sad! There is nothing better than achieving a goal for self.
Blessings,
Judy
One of my friends and i were having a fascinating conversation about the different styles that people have – styles for getting tasks accomplished in a group, or for getting people to gather behind a belief or value, or even for entering a room. And then, coincidently, one of my friends sent the wonderful quote above. (I love how the Universe works to give you confirmation of the ideas that pop up in your life!)
The Angels say that we all come into this world to experience different styles, and to understand different things. We all have uniqueness that expresses through our posture, our speech, and through how we do things.
The Angels flashed me back to the StarTalker Quest class that I taught in the past, when we were all making Prayersticks. At the end, each of our Prayersticks did look a lot like us. That is to say, our unique style carried in to how we decorated our Prayerstick.
The last thought from the Angels was, “The idea of uniqueness is that humans are all experiencing something different because humans are all the same and want to have adventures.” And then they laughed!
Blessings,
Judy
Ever since I can remember, I grew up with the idea that Canada was special to our family and to many other families around us.
Canada Day was a cause for celebration and for a feeling of pride.
I hope that we can return to that feeling very soon.
Side by Side and step by step
Our fathers were marching along
They were building a road to the future
With a spade and a smile and a song.
Out of the wildness and out of the sand
Grew the land that we live in today.
Though the job to be done has barely begun,
There is one thing I'm proud to say:
My country is my cathedral
The northern sky its dome
They all call it Canada
But I call it home
The mountains, the lakes and valleys
Are friends that I have known
They all call it Canada
But I call it home
From the Atlantic to the Pacific
From the pole to the U.S.A.
We're on united brotherhood
And united we will stay
The people across the border
And far across the foam
They all call it Canada
But I call it home
~ Author Unknown
Blessings,
Judy
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:
- Lack of motivation, listlessness.
- 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.
- Negative emotions: boredom, anxiety, frustration, anger, hopelessness, depression (sometimes suicidal).
Apply this procedure to cure helplessness:
- Recognize your helplessness, lack of motivation, listlessness.
- Recognize that as a baby and subsequently you've had many experiences where you were unable to control consequences or outcomes.
- 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."
- 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."
- 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.)
- 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.)
- Don't blame others or external factors for anything.
- Pat yourself on the back for all the positive consequences you did produce.”
GOOD BYE, 2023!
I hope that you get to party with family or with friends. I hope that you celebrate all the good things that happened this year. I hope that you bless the things that did not go according to plan and set them behind you.
I think that we celebrate the ending of each year because we believe the next year will be so much better! We all hope to find new ways of doing things, lots of abundance, lots of love from new relationships and from existing friends and family.
I wish you a happy New Year’s Eve!
Blessings,
Judy
Boxing Day means that Christmas is over and one must prepare for the New Year. Boxing Day is also the day of amazing sales in retail stores and online. The tradition of giving staff the day off the day after Christmas as well as giving them boxes of food and boxes of gifts (usually items that the household no longer requires) has been lost. It is no longer a day of sharing with others - it is a day of accumulating stuff!
Some folks have traditions for Boxing Day such as seeing friends or relatives and eating up the left overs from Christmas Day. Others use the day to go skiing or skating. Some go hiking and if in the mountains, snowshoeing.
Some of us take the day to rest and enjoy reading or watching a movie.
Whatever you choose to do, have a wonderful Boxing Day.
Blessings,
Judy
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
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
I was having a discussion about life and particularly, the way life is now playing out with a long time friend. She said to me, what if our soul wants us to die now. The thought took me so by surprise that I was speechless! She asked me if I was okay. I said that I was, but that the idea of our soul wanting us to die, ultimately so that we can move on to other things, simply got my mind churning away on new ideas.
I remembered the poem, “Invictus”, and I wondered whether indeed we were the captains of our own souls. My thought is that once we reach a high level of vibration, then our earthly soul merges with our higher self, and it doesn’t really matter.
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
It is worth reading this poem several times. There are some big ideas in it that are good for focusing your meditation.
Many blessings,
Judy
Super glue picture from http://www.fnal.gov
Have you found that sometimes, the same thought plays over and over in your head? Have you experienced the reliving of a memory that was painful and thought for the one thousandth time, I’d like to make that person pay? Do you have a story that runs continuously in your mind and that you tell your friends over and over? Welcome to the world of sticky thoughts, that is, thoughts that are glued to your mind.
The problem with these thoughts is that they create barriers to you doing a lot of other things with your brain power and with your life. These thoughts take up your time and energy, drag you down, and create inertia. In some, it creates a great tiredness that prevents them from doing anything to improve their life, other than to say, “Someday!”.
If your thoughts are super glued and you cannot seem to shrug them off, then remember this – we are not thoughts! Thoughts are not true! To achieve peace and relief from anxiety and fear, we must learn to still our thoughts. Osho has a great technique to still your thoughts – a releasing of the super glue.
Meditation – Touch Your Eyes – by OSHO
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May you release the glue that holds your thoughts in place and may you move to another level of being!
Many blessings,
Judy
I wish Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the United States! This has been a difficult year for many, and my hope for the next year is:
I wish you all abundance this Thanksgiving Day.
Many blessings,
Judy
November is the turning point of the season that brings us winter, even though winter really starts at the Winter Solstice in December. We already have a goodly amount of snow in Alberta, in different places.
November signals a time of slowing down, of gatherings like Fall Suppers and Thanksgiving in the United States. It is when many summer and fall activities shut down.
November is a time of remembering…of wars fought, of loved ones who left this year, of warm summer days on the deck or beach with family and friends.
November is a time for being grateful that the year has been good. Or, in some cases, it has been challenging and we have learned from the challenges.
November is when most of us start Christmas shopping to get the presents to send away, and to prepare for Christmas Day which is now 55 days away.
When we hit November, we comment on how fast the year has passed and wonder what happened to make everything seem to move so quickly.
Many blessings,
Judy
We were talking about what makes people join groups and volunteer. Her experience over the years is that people are happy to volunteer and help with an event when the end goal helps a lot of people and when the event is fun to participate in. She says that she has been very lucky to have strong volunteers that are generous with their time and that have great ideas and throw their whole effort into being part of the event.
Recently, however, some of her staunch volunteers have had to pull back because of ill health or simply ageing and not able to do the level of energy that is required. She has taken on new volunteers. Some of these volunteers, she says, are simply unhappy all the time. They find fault with the event. They find fault with new ideas. They say that they are happy to help and yet they do not want to put a lot of effort into their volunteer-ship. They complain about the timing of the event, the length of time it runs, about the customers that come (and spend a LOT of money), and about the venue. She says that these folk are simply unhappy with life and want to take their unhappiness out on her and the others that love the event. She finally suggested that they may not want to volunteer at the event since it did not meet their standards. Then these folk were incensed that she suggest that they were not good enough to help out!
Our discussion was around how she could meet the requirements of these six volunteers. My thought was that you cannot make unhappy people happy because happiness is not a validation that comes from outside of people - it comes from the inside - from the enjoyment and self satisfaction of life in general and doing things that makes the person feel happy inside. It is a losing battle to try to please an unhappy person. My suggestion was to give each of them a very limited role that did not touch on too many other people because an unhappy person will work to make everyone unhappy.
My friend reworked a schedule around that idea and parsed them out so that none of the six worked at the same time or in the same group. She met with them individually and walked though what was expected for their short volunteer time. She said it worked to minimize the problems. She expects to have another successful event.
Many blessings,
Judy
Today, I was reflecting about an old friend who died from cancer twenty-one years ago. Marion and I had many adventures in the fifteen years that we were friends. She was the kindest person and always ready to help out, to invite you over for a meal, and ready to go shopping or to a hockey game at a moment’s notice. She loved to walk and talk and we spent many mornings walking before we had to head off to work.
Marion had a kindness about her that I have not seen in many people. I feel that she was the best example of an earth angel that I have met. I am so glad that I had a chance to be friends with her.
Many blessings,
Judy
My friend Theresa sent me these wonderful pictures taken by a lady in Harrisburg. These pictures make me think of the movie, “Love Actually”, because, as the movie says at the beginning, love is all around.
These two adorable friends show that everyone needs someone. A young buck, for this fellow is just getting his horns, is usually isolated by others of his kind. The cat is just as loving as can be and even grooms the big guy, so he looks presentable for the day.
The two animals are angels for each other, and truly show what love is all about… total unconditional acceptance of the other being.
May all your friends and all your family accept you unconditionally this year!
Many blessings,
Judy
