Panda’s Guide To Companionship

This picture reminds me that Panda has much to say about companionship.

• Always ask before you hug someone to make sure they are prepared for the closeness.
• If you get hot, change sides.
• You learn more in a group than you do by yourself.
• Do not restrict yourself to just one friend; have many friends.
• Sometimes your friends want your company, sometimes they do not.  It is all perfect.

Blessings,

Judy

Spirit Says “Play Well!”

The word of the day is “PLAY”.  Play with friends.  Play an instrument.  Jump, walk, bike, run, jog, or play with the dog.   Let yourself go and be relaxed.  You are now off duty.  In playing, you learn about yourself.  It is time to do more learning.

Things to ask yourself:

• When is the last time you laughed out loud?
• When is the last time that your body felt totally relaxed and refreshed from sleep?
• When did you simply go and have fun with your family or friends WITHOUT an agenda?
• When did you last do something for you?

Blessings,

Judy

What Is Your Hot Button?

We all have personal sensitivities—“hot buttons”—that are evoked in close relationships. Mindfulness practice helps us to identify them and disengage from our habitual reactions, so that we can reconnect with our partners. We can mindfully address recurring problems with a simple four-step technique: (1) Feel the emotional pain of disconnection, (2) Accept that the pain is a natural and healthy sign of disconnection, and the need to make a change, (3) Compassionately explore the personal issues or beliefs being evoked within yourself, (4) Trust that a skillful response will arise at the right moment.  – Christopher Germer, "Getting Along"

I read this quote and realized how appropriate it is for these times when we are all on a short fuse and anxious about what will happen.  I wondered how many people are finding that the hot buttons that they thought were dealt with are now popping up in the most odd places, and anger is being triggered.  Or perhaps it is not anger, it is simply the huge reaction (emotional) that you have to something.  Triggers are all about learning – around self, family, and beliefs. 

What beliefs do you carry that are not helping you?  What values are out dated?  What people are no longer going to be part of your life because you need to move on? 

These questions are ones that we see pop up everyday.  How are you handling them?

Blessings,

Judy

Blue Monkey, A Spirit Animal

Blue Monkey picture is from Wikipedia.

Blue Monkey came into my meditation this morning, to introduce herself. 

I asked her why she had dropped by.  She said that humans needed to pay attention to what is happening to the Blue Monkey species.  Their habitat is shifting due to weather and to man made environment changes.  Their range is shrinking in some areas and expanding in other areas.  It is causing the Blue Monkey to shift locals and to learn new ways of being in different environments.  Blue Monkey has had to learn to adapt to new foods, and to doing more work for their food.  They have less play time than before.  Part of their socialization comes from play, and learning what the boundaries are for one another.  She said that she thought I would want to know.  I thanked her, and away she went.

I knew nothing about Blue Monkeys, so looked them up.  They roam in central and Eastern Africa.  They are tree top dwellers who prefer moist, water rich areas to live.  Their primary food is fruit and leaves.  They like pine trees and bamboo trees. (from Wikipedia).

Many blessings,

Judy

Horse on Community

Sometimes, when I meditate, animals will come through what looks like a huge gate or arch way.  It seems that this is a way that the Universe opens the door for me to learn.

In this meditation, several horses came through the arch way to chat with me.  

Some unusual things were happening with them.  The two horses spoke with one voice.  Their movements were almost identical.  The pictures that they shared with me were similar, and not exact.  I asked them why there was this discrepancy in their movement and pictures.  They laughed!  They said that they were each unique and had no reason to copy the other.  They said that they were community so shared thoughts and lessons, and what they knew, for the good of the herd.

I had a short conversation with them.  I learned much!

• Although there is a leader determined by strength and ability to fight, Horse is basically not political.
• Every horse in the herd has its place.  To lose a member of the herd is to disrupt the community and throw it out of balance.  Mostly – we as humans do not feel this loss.
• The herd is healing to its members.  The community gives the individual strength to overcome.  
• The Oneness helps the herd to see what must be healed or mended.  Oneness strengthens, and does not divide.
• All herd members but the premier stallion takes turns guarding the foals.  This is again to protect the herd and its growth.  This is a wonderful design in Nature to ensure that the young survive.  The adult horses do not attack and abuse the young.  
• The healthy members protect the weaker members and they especially the elderly horses.  The elderly horses carry the memories of the herd and share them freely.  They are the historians.  
• Horses believe in karma – that if they do not follow the “Horse” code, that they will return in the same circumstances until they do understand and follow the horse code.

Blessings,

Judy

Pacing Yourself

The life lesson that I am having difficulty learning is how to pace myself both to get things done and to give time required for healing my tendons in my leg.  You see, I want to do everything on my list immediately so that it is done.  This need to get things done has been an undoing for my healing process because I do “things” too quickly and too forcefully.  I put strain on my body.

I am learning that you can still do everything if you do them slowly and easily, and allow for short breaks between tasks.  Even dog walking had to change so that my pace is slower and my strides shorter.  The doc put a limit on the distance that I can walk at one time. 

Change about pace is a challenge.  Relearning what the balance is to provide both exercise and healing is quite eye-opening.  Our bodies are self healing. In my case, I was interfering with my healing. 

Blessings,

Judy
 

The Attitude of Hope

“Hope is not a question of personal philosophy. In the face of uncertainty, operating from a stance of hope is a strategic and practical response. It is a way of approaching the world. As environmental writer Professor David Orr said of it, “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”” ~~ Paul Gilding

The Angels say that HOPE is what keeps people moving forward.  They see it all the time.  When people are in dire circumstances, it is hope that allows these people to persevere and to get out of tough situations.

Hope, say the Angels, is not a gene.  You are not born with it.  It is something that you learn, or find.  It is strength of spirit.  Some say it is strength of will.  It might even be an attitude.   As Angels do not have will – they do not need it – and they do not require hope, Angels find the evolution of  mankind’s hope to be one of the most interesting emotions that developed over time.

Although many writers over time have attributed hope to religious faith, the Angels say that there is not any correlation between religion and hope.  Individuals who have never heard of many of the religions will exhibit hope.  And, add the Angels, they are starting to see hope in many animals.  

Hope is anticipation that the current situation will change and will be better for the person who is feeling hope.  The Angels agree that “when there is a will, there is a way!”  It seems that a strong call to action is another trait of people that feel hope.  The Angels have wondered if it is the movement or action that inspires hope.  Or, is it that hope causes action?  They are not really all that clear on which comes first.

What are your thoughts?

Many Blessings,

Judy

Happy vs Unhappy

From the site - https://jessicadimas.com/spiritual-quotes/

I was reading an article about a First Nations village in Northern Alberta that had to be evacuated because the fire was coming so quickly.  Many had dogs in their families.  The evacuation team said that after the people were settled safely, they would come back for the dogs.  Before the helicopters got back, another village was under evacuation order and the helicopters never got back.  Three people stayed to look after the sixty dogs hoping that the fire would not wipe them all out.  Five days later, the people were allowed to return.  All rushed to find their dogs and according to the eye witnesses, many cried tears of joy.

It made me think about happy people.  Happy people are filled with love and joy and have an abundance of both to share with others.  I know because I am lucky enough to have several very happy friends.  They are always working on little projects and learning new things.  I have never heard them blame anyone else or any circumstance for their place in life.

Many blessings,

Judy
 

Does Karma Take Too Long?

 

I saw this poster, and thought,

“That is the problem we have today, everyone would rather fight than try to work things out.  I think that it is a product of impatience, and ego, and training.  We have learned through history that the one with the bigger stick seems to win.  So, that is what we focus on – winning.  Winning is really a form of losing when the solution only solves the problem for one person or group.  If you win, you have failed, as a leader, because not everyone is happy.  While I agree that there are some folks that you will probably never satisfy, the majority are happy and look for solutions to what keeps them from doing their job, or from living their life in peace and with ease.”

Perhaps I am wrong in my thoughts. Perhaps this poster has it right.  Perhaps we should defend ourselves, and do what is in our power to prevail over others with our own thoughts and values.  

What are your thoughts?

Blessings

Judy

Angels Say That There Is Beauty In Every Day!

 

It is not very often that a day is really awful.  

Here is a start to your list.

1. Smile. 
2. Connect with nature. 
3. Surround yourself with positive people in person or online. 
4. Do something you’ve always enjoyed. 
5. Do something you’ve never done before but have always wanted to try. 
6. Learn something new. 
7. Smell something that makes you happy: a mandarin, your lover’s perfume, chocolate, you decide. 
8. Reward yourself for your good habits. 
9. Eat something that makes you happy, but not too much if it’s fattening. 
10. Spend time with a good friend. 
11. Touch something that makes you happy: a cat, velvet, the bark of a tree? Take time to notice. 
12. Don’t worry now, worry later. 
13. Say, or sing, something that makes you happy. 
14. Challenge yourself, I dare you. 
15. Look at something that makes you happy. 
16. Stop procrastinating, do something. 
17. Take a small step towards your goal. 
18. Congratulate yourself. 
19. Tell someone you love them. 
20. Do a good deed.

Now – you can finish it.  If you need help, check out the rest of the list at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/101-ways-to-feel-happy-on-a-daily-basis.html.

Many Blessings This Day,

Judy