Canada Goose Talks About Teams

 

Just this week, I watched a flock of geese congregate in the water.  It looked like they were having a meeting about when to leave to go south, and a discussion about whether they needed to start practice flights.  The geese reminded me of an encounter with geese about ten years ago.  So, I went and looked up what I had written back then.  Here is what I wrote….

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

As I walked along the Bow River, a very large Canada goose came out of the water and stood on the edge of the snow shelf and chatted with me.  He and his flock did not go south.  He had lots to say.

• We stay because the weather is changing.  What we know is the best place to stay, rather than going south.  People here are kind and feed us.  This life is good.
• We work as a team to make sure that the flock has food.  We observe that humans are often kinder to us, the feathered people, than to each other.  We appreciate the kindness.
• Our team work also is about keeping everyone healthy.  We fly, we walk, and we swim.  We say that you need to get more active or you will be having many problems in your joints.
• Our food is always natural, even alive, some might say when we eat raw little moving things in the water.   We observe that people need to eat more raw food.  The processed food is not healthy for you.
• We see that you are now looking at bigger homes.  See how we live?  We live close to the earth and to the water.  Not only does it sustain us, it keeps us in balance.  We are not as affected by the energy changes as the humans.  Try to walk the earth more closely.  Do not live in high rises and big houses off the ground.  Live in touch with the earth.

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

Blessings,

Judy

Wolf Memories

 

An interesting thing happens to humans when they hear a wolf howl; they respond.  Sometimes with fear and usually with an intense longing to be free.  In fact, humans like the sound of the wolf so much that the howls and yips are now incorporated in to much music.  

One of my friends believes that it is because we all have wolf memories.  He thinks that we have some wolf mixed into our genes.   His reasons are:

• Both humans and wolves are attracted to the full moon.
• According to legend, humans become more wolf-like at the full moon.
• Humans like to have wolves around, and dogs and wolf dogs are common pets.
• A wolf looks into your soul, and your soul recognizes the wolf.
• Wolves, although they live in wild places, are drawn to humans as much as humans are drawn to wolves.

What are your thoughts?

Blessings,

Judy

Rattlesnake Visits

Rattlesnake has been winding it’s way into my meditations over the last two weeks.  Rattlesnake is a very strong Spirit Guide.  She brings many gifts to increase your power and abilities.  Not only does she blend into her surroundings, she knows how to stay silent and to be still when danger is around.  Hawks, weasels, and other snakes are just some of the predators that love to include Rattlesnake in their diet.

I asked Rattlesnake about the gifts that she brings to working with a human.  She grinned.  She said that many humans reject working with her because they are frightened of her.  She is a tough teacher and guide.  Her gifts, she said, are:

• Agility and speed.  When Rattler shares these gifts with you, you will move more quickly than you could imagine. You will have a momentary awareness seconds ahead of time, about what the adversary will do, and you can counteract with Rattler’s speed.
• Power of the hunt.  Rattlesnake is a very good hunter, and the best hunter amongst the snake-kind.  She will help you find whatever it is you are looking for, whether it is food, information, or actual objects.   
• The ability to shed.  While this seems quite tame compared to her first two gifts, Rattler’s ability to shed her skin translates to you being able to shed all the things that do not serve you, and gives you the ability to shed ill health, injury, and other harm to your person.  Shedding is a powerful gift.

I thanked Rattler for coming in to see me.  She asked that if you are interested in talking to her, that you call her into your meditation, and that you chat.  Do not be surprised if she tests you.

Blessings,

Judy

Black Bear - Give Us Our Space!

Today, a Black Bear mother popped in to say that she had a few words to say about humans and their view of Black Bear.  She said that humans see the black bear as angry, confrontational and destructive.  She feels sad about this.

Her view is that humans interfere too much in the lives of Black Bear, especially when she is with her cubs.  She will do anything to protect her cubs from over zealous humans.  And, these humans call her angry and destructive.

Black Bear says, “Give us our space.  Honour our role in creation and in the maintenance of the wild.  Treat us with respect and we will not become angry that you are in our space.  Give us time to raise our young, and then we will disappear to the higher country.  We must be at lower levels to show our little ones how to hunt and feed the food that is not higher.  It is what it is.”

Blessings,

Judy

Letting Go

“You cannot understand life and its mysteries as long as you try to grasp it. Indeed, you cannot grasp it just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket. If you try to capture running water in a bucket, it is clear that you do not understand it and that you will always be disappointed, for in the bucket the water does not run. To "have" running water you must let go of it and let it run.”   Alan Watts from The Wisdom of Insecurity.

Over the last several months, I have been working on understanding the Buddhist concept of “attachment”, and at the same time, I have been working on understanding all the things that I am attached to. I am finding that attachment comes in many forms.  It does seem to be about being attached to things being a certain way.  If I can get to a point where I accept all things and allow them to be as they are without my ideas of how they should be, then I will be free of attachment.  I hope to get there by letting go of one attachment at a time.

As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery.  We have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace.  The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger and attachment, fear and suspicion, while love and compassion, a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness. 
~Dalai Lama

Many Blessings,

Judy 

Black Squirrel on Bounty

A while ago, I was driving my husband to his conference, and we saw a big, black squirrel. It was running across the road, and before it reached the other side, it stopped and looked at us intently, then hurried away, and up a tree.

Surprised by it’s actions, I thought about Squirrel, and all the various things that Squirrel is about.  I thought about the Proverb, “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes”.  And then, I wondered why a Squirrel would be blind.  The Squirrel that crossed the road was not blind.  It seemed to see exceptionally well.  A picture of a peanut, and then a chunk of bread crossed my vision.  Squirrel was connecting to me across the ethers.  I made my husband peanut butter on seed muffins for a snack later in the morning.

Now that we were on the same frequency, Squirrel sent me a series of rapid images that may be translated as a message.  She was saying that where we live is soon going to be filled with bounty.  This is a change from the historical, dry, arid conditions that Calgary has had.  With the rain, all things are growing lush, even gardens that looked to be drowned out at one point.  Squirrel says to get ready to deal with our bounty.  Find ways to use it and share it.  Squirrels have a history of hiding what they find, concerned only for their own well being.  She tells us that the only way humanity will continue is if we learn to share because most humans do not know how to forage like the squirrels forage. 

Blessings,

Judy

Human Kind

 

The picture says:   Human Kind.  Be Both.

"We’re not meant to be vehicles of destruction, but rather the very embodiment of love & light and compassion, manifest."

I recently had an experience where people were not very kind to me or to each other.  I wondered why they were like that.  Then, I met their manager.  He was not nice to any one.  When people say that influence comes from the top, “people” were very correct in this case.  

What makes someone be unkind to those around him (or her)?  Is it their home life?  Is it that they think acting mean makes them powerful?  Or, is it that they don’t like people in general?  What ever the reason, I like to think that most people are kind and that most people want to help others.

Blessings,

Judy

Elk Visits People

These pictures came from a friend who thought these pictures were from Canmore, Alberta.  It is not every day that one gets an elk in their front yard!  As I looked at the pictures, I realized that these elk were supporting a theme amongst the animals that I commented upon in other blogs. That theme is that the animals are no longer keeping their distance from man – they are coming into the man space, and making themselves comfortable.  Many believe that Elk are majestic. I call them spirit animals.

Our Ancestors believed that when the animals started acting atypical that great changes were upon them.  Generally, the changes were physical ones such as earthquakes, deviant weather, or both.  The animals would move out of the wilderness to be near to people and to have a sense of calmness.  As protectors of mankind, they also want to be near people to give them a warning if something big is going to happen.

Elk says, “Humankind puts order to their world – the trimmed lawns, the sculpted trees, and the abundance of flowers.  This is a contrast to the wildness of the forest that we live in.  We wonder why the grass is cut when so many of us need to eat much grass to keep our life force flowing.  We are grateful, too, that we no longer need to offer ourselves for food, as we did many lifetimes ago.  The Shaman would call to us to let us know that The People were hungry.  We responded.  Now, it is time for you to feed us.  This is the circle of life!

Blessings,

Judy

Fools Are Deaf To Wise Words

  Picture of Buddha from brandrea.files.wordpress.com

 

Sometimes it seems that people ask for advice, and, when they receive it, they get angry and ignore it.  Buddha explains this action very nicely in the following story.

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

                    New Homes for the Tree Spirits 

Once upon a time, as happens to all beings, the King of the Tree Spirits died. King Sakka, ruler of the Heaven of 33, appointed a new King of the Tree Spirits. As his first official act, the new king sent out a proclamation that every tree spirit should choose a tree to live in. Likewise it was stated that every tree was to be pleased with its resident spirit.

There just so happened to be a very wise tree spirit who was the leader of a large clan. He advised his clan members not to live in freestanding trees. Instead it would be safer to live in the forest trees near him. The wise tree spirits settled down in the forest trees with their leader.

But there were also some foolish and arrogant tree spirits. They said to each other, "Why should we live in this crowd? Let us go to the villages, towns and cities inhabited by human beings. Tree spirits who live there receive the best offerings. And they are even worshipped by the superstitious people living in those places. What a life we will have!"

So they went to the villages, towns and cities, and moved into the big freestanding trees, looked after by people. Then one day a big storm came up. The wind blew strong and hard. The big heavy trees with old stiff branches did not do well in the storm. Branches fell down, trunks broke in two, and some were even uprooted. But the trees in the forest, which were intertwined with each other, were able to bend and support each other in the mighty wind. They did not break or fall!

The tree spirits in the villages, towns and cities had their tree homes destroyed. They gathered up their children and returned to the forest. They, complained to the wise leader about their misfortune in the big lonely trees in the land of men. He said, "This is what happens to arrogant ones who ignore wise advice and go off by themselves."

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

Blessings,

Judy

Whale As A Guardian

The Whale and the diver! This beautiful picture comes from an email from a friend in Hawaii.

 

I have been reading about the Sirians (from the planet, Sirius) and their various flights to Earth.  One of the common themes is that the Sirians are water loving, and that they, perhaps, brought whales to planet Earth, to monitor the oceans and to keep an eye on the land.  

In the picture above, Whale definitely seems to put forward a fin of friendship, even after all the thousands of years of whaling, and using whale for everything from food to aphrodisiacs.  Why has the whale never turned on man?  Well, perhaps one or two have, yet the species as a whole, has not.

What if Whale really did come from another place?  What if Whale is far more intelligent than humans give her credit for?  What if her sonar sounds can be picked up by a space ship?  What kind of reports is she sending home? Why do the whales tolerate us?

Our Ancestors lived in a world where everything had meaning – had a spirit.  Many ancestors believed that Whale was a God. Perhaps that idea is not so far fetched because Gods generally come from the sky.  And, maybe whales did descend.  

What purpose do they serve?  I think that they are Guardians of the oceans.  I believe they are meant to stop man from destroying the bottom of the ocean with digging, and mining.  I believe that they are constantly cleaning the ocean water as best they can.  

What do you think?

Blessings,

Judy

Buddha Talks About "Wild Thoughts

 

Buddha Speaks - Wild Thoughts

"

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"

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

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

Kola Bears

       

Snuggling!  One of the greatest joys in life for all beings!  These two Kola Bears, spirit animals, tell us that touch is a much needed in the world.  Hugging, snuggling, keeping one safe, are all parts of this.  Kola also tells us that a big part of touching is trust.  Keeping one’s eyes closed while another watches over you is the greatest form of trust.

We humans, in the decades beyond 2010, have lost much trust in our selves, in our community, and certainly in our leaders.  We are in a place where we need to find a safe place to learn to trust.  Kola shows us that being at the top of a tree, with no place else to go, gives you a space to learn to trust.

Perhaps we need to climb a mountain, or trek a long way from our safe environment to meet ourselves and others that we can trust.

Blessings,

Judy

Touch The Earth

Humans, and mothers especially, have a love-hate relationship with dirt.  Yet, dirt grows what we eat.  The minerals in it are part of us.  We need it!  Sometimes, the quickest way to ground absolutely is to touch the earth.  Sometimes, getting down in the mud brings a relief to a time filled with stress, grief, and worry.  

So, today, if you are having a difficult time with family, work, relationships with friends or lovers, go and find some dirt.  it will make you feel better. 

Blessings,

Judy

Precious Human Life

The poster says:  Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious Human life, I am not going to waste it.  I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.  I am going to have kind thoughts towards others.  I am not going to get angry or thin badly about others.  I am going to benefit others as much as I can. - Dalai Lama

“Every morning, recite this.” ~ Dalai Lama

The time before the full moon is usually difficult for most people.  The MOON pulls at you.  It brings out your dark side.  Yes, every month, Grandmother Moon reminds you that you are shades of dark and light.  This is the perfection of each of us.  

Blessings,

Judy

Gazelle on Speed

I sat down in our meditation room.  I set my intention to meet new friends and/or to gather new information.  I closed my eyes and let my mind drift to fogginess.

Quickly and silently, I was transported to a place of heat and dust.  I glanced around.  I was in a desert like place.  I wondered who had called me to this place.  I heard a noise – like galloping of small horses.

I looked around and saw the Gazelle and knew she was a Spirit Animal.  She called out as she ran past, “I called you here to show you what I know about speed.  I hear humans talk about speed as a state of elation.  Speed is a tool.  For all animals, the faster you move, the easier it is to avoid being someone else’s meal.  Or, conversely, the faster that you move, the easier it is to have food.

The humans who use speed are not using a tool that helps them to hunt or to avoid being hunted.  These humans on speed actually paralyze themselves and allow themselves to die.  It is amusing, to us wild things, that humans call speed a trip to the wild side when really it is a trip to paralysis.  The product that you use has an irony in the name for although it seems to speed things up in the body, really, it is simply speeding up things to a place of death.  We wild things think it should be called “Stop”.

We tell you that speed matters whether you are running, flying or swimming.  Think about what I have said the next time that you hear the word, “Speed”.

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.

----------------------

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

Generosity

Poster reads - We make a living by what we get, but we make  a life by what we give.

The practice of generosity is the practice of freedom, and it carries with it all the joy and pleasure that are associated with liberation. Indeed, there may be no greater sense of fulfillment in life than the simultaneous feelings of human interconnection and pure freedom that arise from an authentic act of selfless generosity.

- Dale S. Wright, “The Bodhisattva’s Gift” 

 

It is hard to imagine in our world filled with so much abundance, that we collectively seem to have trouble with generosity.  The other part of generosity that puzzles me is that so many people want to tell you a) that you should be generous, and b) how much you need to give in order to be generous.

The conflict for me is the judgement and control that seems to be in our society around generosity.  If generosity must come from the heart, how can someone set standards of giving, or pass judgement on those that they perceive do not give?  

The passage above caught my attention because it says “generosity is the practice of freedom”.  The words resonated deep within me.

Generosity is taking time to do something kind for someone else, without acknowledgement from anyone other than the receiver, and if it is anonymous, then without acknowledgement at all.  How wonderful is this gift to self!

Blessings,

Judy

Merry Christmas 2024

Many blessings on your house upon this Christmas Day!

This is a time of peace and of fellowship and cheer.

The best that we can do, or so the Angels say

Is to love one another more compassionately this year.

We look around at all the things we have and feel

That we’ve been wronged because it doesn’t measure up

To the things that we see and have great appeal 

To the need to consume and “fill ‘er on up”,

That the media created to get us to buy.

 

We humans are more than a consumable good.

We are marvellous and beautiful and kind.

We are laughing and joking and makers of food

That we share with our friends or anyone we find

Has need of some time to refresh and to heal.

We are the ones that see others and care

Whether they are cold or need a good meal.

That kind of need isn’t so rare

Now that the world is turning upside down.

 

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Blessings,

Judy

Ant On Work

I am always amazed at the Spirit Animals that find their way into my meditations.  They bring such wisdom and stories.  We are all connected.  Here is today’s lesson from the Spirit Animals.

Ant marched into my space in meditation.  He said that humans have no idea, really, of what work is.  He says that if daily, we walked every where we went, and travelled the miles that Ant needs to travel to provide food and stuffs for the nest, then we would work.  If humans carried everything they needed at home with them on their back, then we would work at the same rate that Ant does.  And, if we could hear the one Ant in the hive that was needing help, and if we paid attention, then we would be truly honourable in our work.

Ant’s words were indeed humbling.

Blessings,

Judy

Elementals Speak - Fir, Spruce, And Pine - The Christmas Trees

 It is soon time to begin looking at Christmas trees.  The Elementals shake with frustration when their beloved trees are mistakenly identified as pine, when they should be fir, or as spruce when they should be pine.  So, the Elementals asked me to give a brief lesson in how to tell the trees apart.  And, yes, they are all EVERGREENS, remember, however, that calling a tree an evergreen is like calling you a human instead of using your name.

A Guide To Recognizing Christmas Trees

 

Look for the number of needles that come out of the same spot on a twig. If a twig bears needles in groups of two, three, or five, you can safely call it a pine.

Pine Tree Branch

If the twig carries its needles singly, it’s a good bet you’ve got a fir or a spruce. If the needle has four sides and, thus, rolls easily between your fingers, it’s a spruce.

Spruce Tree Branch

Pull off a needle, and roll it between your fingers. If it feels flat and doesn’t roll easily, it’s a fir.

Fir Tree Branches

Note:  This information on the trees comes from www.finegardening.com.  I am grateful for their informative site.

Blessings,

Judy