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

The Golden Light That You Sometimes See

The conversation below comes from my journal.  I was teaching a class on being aware of spiritual beings or spiritual presence.  One of the students asked me about seeing a golden light or very shiny light around some people or animals or objects, and wondering what that meant. When I was in meditation, I asked the question, and the answer below is what I received from the Angels.

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Dearest Ones!  We come to answer the question, “What is that golden light that seems to shine from time to time on people, or animals, or simply in the corner of the room?  What does it mean?”

This golden light is the Christ Consciousness light.  It tells you that whatever is going  on is happening with intent for the highest good.  

The term today is “Christ Consciousness”, however, in other belief systems, the light may be called something else.  

If you see the light, you are blessed!

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Blessings,

Judy

Tea Time

‘Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.’ ~Thich Nhat Hanh

This wonderful quote reminded me that I often drink my tea on the run.  Tea, food, friends, and family, are some of the things and people that we need to take more time with.   

Blessings,

Judy

Mountain Goats in a Dream

Last night, in my dream, there were two mountain goats standing in the snow, watching me.  I asked them what was going on, and they replied that they were waiting to see what will happen next.  They indicated that there are many people who drift up to the mountains on their dream time, it seems, looking for answers.  Most people are quite disappointed when they find only mountain goats.

Mountain Goat says that their wisdom is not appreciated by humans – humans look for the easy road and the fast fix.  Being in the mountains is about being cautious and a risk taker at the same time.  Travelling in the mountains is about finding the easiest and safest route, which means that sometimes you may have to jump from cliff to cliff or jump over a crevice.  Easy is not without its challenges. 

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

Angels Talk About the Time to be in Service

                                                           Picture from unknown source

 Dearest Beloveds… this is the time to be in service!  It is the time to help yourself, your family, and all the people that you know, to move beyond that place of fear.  Fear takes you back to the place of density.  Density takes you into a place of judgement, placing blame, resentment, and control.

When you are in service, that is, doing something kind for others with or without their knowledge, then life is good.  You are in a vibration that does not see or feel the fear.  Instead, you see the stories and how the stories were all created by another human.  The stories do not exist, otherwise.

If you are feeling that you are getting that “down” feeling, we suggest walking in Nature, and watching how Nature carries on, even with all the stories and fear that are around it.  Nature ignores.  Nature can do this because it is part of the Oneness.  To be part of this feeling or experience, simply go into meditation and let go of all you know.  The Oneness is a calmness where you have infinite wisdom available to you. 

If it feels right, try asking for help to walk apart from the fear.  And, you can ask for help to feel forgiveness for your self, for others, and to feel compassion for those who do not have the guidance to be without fear, and the needs of food, clothing, shelter, safety, and security.  

Your Earth Ancestors, long ago, were in that place of fear and need.  They found by working with Nature, and being fully in tune with it, they could satisfy all those needs and be at one with everything.  They saw themselves as caretakers.  We ask you to see your self as a caretaker for what is around you.  How can you do things to be more in harmony with all?

We, the Archangels of Understanding, wish you love.

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Blessings,

Judy

The Message About Family and Percy Jackson

I finished reading the five book set of “Percy Jackson and The Olympians” by Rick Riordan, and I was left with some questions.  Now, I loved these books.  They were, however, written for children.  There was so much in the books, I wondered why the message had been targeted to that age group.  Whenever I have questions like this, I ask my Angels.  Here is what they said…

“ Dearest beloved!  You are familiar with the phrase, “History repeats itself!” and with that idea, Rick Riordan was given information from Earth’s history – your ancestral history – to use to shape into ideas that youth would understand today.  There are several messages in this work:

• Love is better than anger.  
• Anger and grudges held over time become very destructive.  
• When one does something out of anger and fear, it will rebound on them. 
• Families who turn against one another will destroy the family. 
• Family violence may turn outward and involve many people, and may eventually escalate into a war.

How many wars were started by family feuds?  Sometimes it is the responsibility of the children to heal the wounds of the parents.”

I see the wisdom in teaching the children those things that have been difficult to teach adults.  Perhaps if enough children read these books, that will change.

Blessings,

Judy

Garter Snake Tells Us to be Grounded

 

This picture is from www.reptilerange.com, and is not the snake that I saw.

I was walking in Fish Creek park and enjoying the trees and the breeze, when my dog stopped.  His ears went up and he backed up.  Before us on the path was a coiled Garter Snake.  He had not seen one before and was very wary.  Where I grew up, garter snakes were common and did a great job of keeping the mice and rat population under control.  This guy, coiled up on the path, obviously wanted to talk.  Here is the condensed version of the message.

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The Garter Snake (GS) inhabits Fish Creek park and the surrounding park areas that angle off the rivers.  It works to be invisible so that it does not frighten people, and so that Hawk or Crow does not find it, and eat it.

GS lives close to the ground, and that, it says, helps it to stay grounded and in the now moment.  GS is known for its gentleness, and for the affection and attachment it may form with some people or some animals.

GS recommends following these guidelines for grounding.

• Pick a warm spot to ground in.  Cold makes you slow down and makes grounding more difficult.
• Make sure that the spot you pick is safe.  Perhaps travel around the area that you will be using and sprinkle musk, like we do, and keep out other animals.  Or, you may  create sacred space in your own way.
• Get comfortable in your space.  Close your eyes.  Coil inward.  Let your energy drop down into the ground. 
• Plan to bask for at least fifteen minutes in the warmth and grounding.  You will feel so refreshed!

May you be grounded each day!

Blessings,

Judy

Swallow is a Spirit Animal

 

A popular tattoo for both men and women is the image of a swallow.  Some like the stylized version which is more symbolic.  Here is a design that I like.

I began to wonder why Swallow was such a popular choice for tattoos, and why so many people say “Swallow” when you ask them to name a bird.

Some of the reasons that Swallow has such a following are:

1. Our  Norse ancestors tell the story that the Swallow flew around Jesus’ head, and sang songs to distract him from his suffering.
2. British and German ancestors say that if Swallow nests on your house, all within will have good luck.  Additionally, the house is protected from disasters such as fires, heavy wind, and hail and snow.
3. North American First Nations legends tell how Swallow tricked the Sun, and was able to steal fire from the Sun, and bring fire to The People so the people would be warm in winter.
4. Farmers believe that the time that Swallow arrives back from migration will indicate the type of year that farmers will have.  Late arrival means a short and cooler summer.  Early arrival means a long, warm summer which means a good growing season.
5. Farmers also believe that a high flying Swallow meant good weather, and Swallow flying low, close to the ground, indicated cooler, rainy weather.  (Note that because Swallow is an insect eater, it probably tells more about the behaviour of the insects and weather.)

Most gardeners love Swallow and build or buy big Swallow Houses for the Swallows to live in while they are in the north.  The benefit is that Swallow eats so many insects, including mosquitoes.

Swallow has played a role in our belief systems because of the various legends told about it.  If Swallow is hanging out around you, it is a good thing, and she will bring you blessings.

Many blessings,

Judy

Why Get Upset?

 

Replace Anger with Tolerance  -  The sixth chapter of the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is considered to be a special magical precept from Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, for replacing anger with tolerance. The essence is: Why get upset if you can do something about something? And if you can't do anything about it, then why get upset?  -Robert Thurman, “Rising to the Challenge: Cool Heroism”

I see many people work themselves into a mass of anger over a situation which they may have not created, and which they cannot control.  I realize that often the anger is about the injustice of a situation, or, I should say, the perceived injustice in the situation.

Often too, the anger is about not tolerating anything that seems to be a compromise.  In this case, the ego is so strong that everything must be either the person’s way, or they erupt in anger.

If we avoid getting upset, often we can see a different way to resolve our feelings because we can see a solution for the situation.  It is hard to think outside the box if we are sitting in the box and stewing about it.

If you want to read more about anger and being upset, check these blog posts.

https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2024/04/dealing-with-anothers-anger.html

https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2023/06/resentment-is-frozen-anger.html

https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2023/09/anger-is-irritating.html

https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2023/04/release-past-grudges-and-anger.html

https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2024/03/overcoming-helplessness.html

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Blessings and peace,

Judy

A Dream Of Turkeys

My dream last night was so very strange.  I dreamed of riding in a car with a big man.  He took me to a farm yard, and told me that the turkeys that I could see were dehydrated, and that they had been in a great fire.  If they did not get water, they would die.  He asked me if I could water them, and I replied yes.

I jumped out of the car while he drove off to get more help.  I found a pail of water in the yard, covered with white feathers.  About 1/4 of mile away, I could see a small lake.  I wondered why the turkeys did not go to the lake.  I checked the water in the pail, and it was clear. I started pushing turkeys to the pail, and soaking their beaks.  Some finally began to drink.  I ran to a shed to get more pails.  I had to look hard for pails that were not cracked.  

As I came back to the turkeys, I saw one turkey fly up on the pail, and tip it over.  The water soaked into the ground.  I carried two pails of water – one for each end of the flock – and shoved turkeys to the pails, and soaked their beaks.  I heard a noise from the other side of the flock, where a bunch of turkeys were trying to drink, and saw one bigger turkey trying to chase the others away from the pail.  He finally flew up on the edge of the pail, and of course, tipped it, and all the water flowed away.  

I carried water until I thought my arms would fall off.  Some turkeys got water, however, they tipped the pails, fought over the pails, and generally wasted more water than they drank.  Some of the turkeys did not get water, and they were falling on the ground, dying.  I was upset!  I finally was so tired I took one of the empty pails, and turned it over and sat and cried.

The man in the car came back, with some help, but it seemed too late.  He patted my shoulder and told me that I had done a good job.  He and the others would burn the dead turkeys and give the turkeys that could drink, some more water.  

At that point, I woke up.  I knew the dream was telling me  a story.  The story felt like a parable about people.  This dream will stay with me a long time!

Many blessings,

Judy

Spirit Talks About Living Off The Land

This is a channel that happened late last year that I recorded but did not feel that it was the correct time to share it.  Here is what Spirit said…. 

“I realize that I was not clear when I said that people on Planet Earth should be living off the land.  

Let me explain what I meant.  The idea in my mind was that by living off the land that the people would look after the land and help it replenish.  I did not foresee that people would take out iron ore and forge steel to use to dig out the Earth, and to cover the Earth with tall buildings and super highways.  I did not see that people would want precious gems to grind for colour and for decorations.  I envisioned that people would use goods that the Earth pushed to the surface; not that people would aggressively dig down for these things.

I pictured that all beings would live in the harmony of their cycles.  I was surprised when humans hunted animals for their fur, almost to extinction.  And, my beloved whales are almost decimated by the addiction to hunting them for oil.  Again, Whales already sacrifice and wash up on shore to be harvested.  There was no need to hunt them.

Living off the land was to be a way of life to use that which is freely given – as things appeared to you, they were used.  Somehow, this idea has gotten off track.  It seems time to change it all back.

I will be making some big changes.  Even those people that think they can control all that is will be in for change.  

There are some fundamental truths:

• All things must be done with permission from others, and silence is not consent.
• All young are to be kept safe from harm.  Note that doing drug experiments on children, food experiments on children, and audio-visual experiments are part of the concept of “harm”, especially if done without parental knowledge and consent.
• Abundance – having enough food and water – is the way that Earth was set up.  Sharing is the key to this. 

Living off the land means taking care of it.  Will you find a way to do this in your own way?”

Many blessings,

Judy 

Confucius Speaks — About Good People

“Good people live wisely and improve customs.” is the meaning that Confucius attributes to the 53rd meaning of the I Ching or Book of Change 

 

 

Picture of the 53rd cast of the I-Ching

The translation of this cast (shown below) comes from a translation by Wilhelm, both in English and French.

On the mountain, a tree: The image of DEVELOPMENT. 
Thus the superior man abides in dignity and virtue, 
In order to improve the mores. 

The tree on the mountain is visible from afar, and its development influences the landscape of the entire region. It does not shoot up like a swamp plant; its growth proceeds gradually. Thus also the work of influencing people can be only gradual. No sudden influence or awakening is of lasting effect. Progress must be quite gradual, and in order to obtain such progress in public opinion and in the mores of the people, it is necessary for the personality to acquire influence and weight. This comes about through careful and constant work on one's own moral development. 

I saw this cast of the I-Ching, and immediately realized that this is actually the journey of our lives. It takes well into our adult hood before we develop the credibility to have others look to us for answers, or for leadership.  The Mayans believed one was not truly a Master or a true teacher until the person reached 52 years of age.

The irony of this, is, that while many of us believe in the wisdom that comes from age, we have created “Masters” programs in our Universities and Business Schools that purport to give a twenty-two to twenty-six year old the same knowledge one has at fifty-two.  Does it work?  In most cases, no!  The other sad fact about this hypocrisy is that the twenty-something wants to earn the same as the fifty something, and feels it is “due” to them because they have the education. 

Blessings,

Judy

I Can Not Meditate - A Buddhist Teaching

This is a story that we had to read about the common problems that come up for people new to meditation, and sometimes for those who have had to break their meditation practice for some reason.  

Perhaps you will find some wisdom that you, too, will be able to use.

  Picture of Elbow Falls in the Elbow Recreation Area - by J Hirst June 2024

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Beginners with meditation often get the feeling that they can't meditate; "I meditate for a week now, and still see no change", "I can't control my mind", "My mind is only getting crazier, I cannot get rid of my problems and thoughts". 
To briefly comment on these in order: 

Meditation requires patience - a few sessions will not undo a lifetime of opposite habits of excitement and confusion. 

None of us can control our mind unless we train ourselves to do it - have you ever seen anyone playing the violin nicely without practice? 

If it seems that our mind is getting worse, it usually means we just see our 'madness' better than before - the first step towards success! 

 

A story by Master Shen-Yen (from Ch'an Newsletter July 1982):

"The purpose of cultivation is not to seek anything, but to discover the faults in our character and behavior. By opening ourselves to self-investigation, we hope to find out where our problems lie, and if, after searching within ourselves, we can see these faults and problems, this in itself is the fruit of the practice. 

A woman on the last retreat said that the more she tries to get away from her faults, the stronger they seem to become. And the more she thinks about it, and wonders why she can't get rid of them, the more she gets disgusted with herself. She said, "Probably I just don't have the ability to practice meditation. A good practitioner is able to throw out their problems while practicing, and I'm not." At that time, I was standing up, and the light above cast a shadow of my body on the wall. I asked: "When I am standing still, is the shadow moving?" She said, "No." Then I walked slowly away, and the shadow followed me along. I walked quickly and the shadow kept pace with me. No matter how I tried, I could not get rid of it. Only if you turn the light out, or make your body disappear, will your shadow go away. 

Just like the shadow, our problems stick to our "self." Wherever there is a self, there must also be problems. But if you were to say, then, "I want to throw away my 'self'," that "I" who wants to get rid of the self indicates that the self is still there. This would amount to the self trying to throw away the self, which is impossible to accomplish. It would be just like trying to get rid of the shadow if your body is still there. If there is a subject, there is definitely an object. This being the case, is cultivation of any use? Of course it is, since we cultivate to discover our problems. Recognizing your problems shows you have made progress. Desiring to rid yourself of these problems may he a good sign, but actually that is not how we should approach it. The method of practice does not consist in throwing them out, but rather in decreasing the sense of self until it becomes so light that the problems will naturally disappear."

Many blessings,

Judy 

Contemplating the Wild

                                               Picture of stream running in spring at the park

When you look at pictures of parks, forests, and wild rivers and streams, it seems that these wonderful places are getting quite beat up by the numbers of people using them, especially places close to highly populated areas like cities.  

When I say “beat up”, I am talking about the garbage left behind, the beaten down grass and bushes where people are walking even though the big sign says, “Area under conservation.  Please do not leave the path.”  It seems that many people have no respect for the wild - the grasses, trees, animals, birds, etc.  

It seems to me that people have forgotten how to walk softly on the Earth. People leave large footprints including garbage, trampled spots, and angry animals.  

Walk softly upon the earth.

May its beauty forever surround you,

its wonders forever astound you.

May its wisdom delight you,

its music invite you

to dance and to play and to sing.

May you love and be loved by all that you meet;

may you know and practice compassion.

Rejoice in the earth and in all of creation.

Rejoice in life.

a parting blessing - alfred v. fedak - 2008

Written in memory of a departed friend. 

Choral anthem published by Selah Publishing Company, Pittsburgh, PA.

Many blessings,

Judy
 

Keep Shining

 

                                            Picture from e-buddhism.com

Have you noticed that some people just seem to think that it is their right to judge and convict others for attitudes, actions, or beliefs that do not align with the one that is judging beliefs?

I am amazed when I watch videos of different animal species like a cat and a bear, becoming friends for years.  An amazing video showed the friendship between a sea lion and a dog.  I am sure that you have seen other videos like the friendship between a bear, a tiger, and a lion.  The animals are all different and still accept the other animal with all of its personality and actions.

Why do people react so differently to others?  Yes, there are exceptions where two different individuals will become friends but those seem to be less frequent.  

I believe that when we shine our light, our goodness, our kindness, and our personality, that we intimidate others.  The others make up judgements, sometimes lies, and spread rumours about us to make themselves feel bigger/better.

By continuing to be ourselves and ignoring the issues that the other people have, we become our best selves.  Our light shines.

Many blessings,

Judy 

Hawk Wants You To Listen

I received a great story by email, from Andy, about his experience with Hawk.  He and I have emailed, and he has given me permission to share what he wrote.  Here is his story.

I was riding my motorcycle on a Alberta highway when I spotted a hawk flying on a collision course to me and at the last moment, it pulled up and away from me.  Ii know they have great eye sight so I know it must of seen me and heard me. Ii think the message was to pay more attention to my path be it my life path or the actual path I was ridding or both. Or, maybe there was some other meaning. I made my trip home and put the bike away and went out on my front porch. I heard a commotion happening in the trees when a small hawk type bird flew out with a small bird in its talons. Two parent robin birds were trying to attack it to let go of their young. This was quite a sight! But, I don't know the message in this.  -Andy

Since each of us is unique, and since we all have unique experiences with animals, Andy’s message will be tailored for him, and where he is in his life.

Some of the thoughts that come up are:

• Be clear of the path you are choosing.
• Beware of the items/people that you may collide with as you stay on the current path.
• Chase what you need to have in your life.
• Do not allow others the power to take away things from you that you love.

Hawk is working hard to communicate with Andy.  Watch to see how animals try to communicate with you.

Blessings,

Judy

Don’t Hide Away!

So many people have been talking to me about all the pressure that they are feeling in their head and in their bodies. It feels flu-like, and is not the flu.  They do not want to be out and about, they simply want to be at home, often in bed, because they are so very tired.

The Angels say that this is a common reaction to the pressure that the Earth is feeling as the plates shift.  What the Earth feels, we can often mirror if we feel connected to the Earth.  When we want to hide away, The Angels tell us to call them in and ask them to take away the pressured feeling, and the headaches, if that is what we feel.  The Angels are more than happy to stand between us and the energies that are body finds to difficult to assimilate.  

You can sit in meditation and ask the Archangels or Guardian Angels to keep your space protected, and then to come into the space and shift the pressure to a level that does not affect your body.  This may not work the first couple of times that you try it.  So, you need to persist, and to do this meditation several times.

Blessings,

Judy

What Do YOU Believe?

  

A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes.  James Feibleman

I was contemplating the mystery of faith in my meditation, and did not reach any conclusions.  Then, I saw this quote, and it was like a telescope coming into focus for me.  The reason that we are going through such interesting times are that we are in the process of creating a new myth – Christianity At Work; Judaism at work; Muslim at work, etc. – and that while many people are done with all of these, and are ready to move on, enough people are still trying to make them real that the myth is still  being created.  The Greeks must have felt like this when the people were still hanging on to the Oracle of Delphi.

Many blessings,

Judy

Faulty Logic

Moving right along onto things that I don’t understand, I come to the whole “faulty logic” thing.  Why has this got me thinking?  Well, I have a list!  Here are two things on it:

-people who think that having a driver’s license makes them a good driver

-buying “healthy” yogurt which has 28 g of sugar in it, and no fat, and almost no protein 

As you might guess, I was just at the market to get some groceries, and these things popped up for me.    I asked my Angels why these things bugged me.  The response was that faulty logic is a disruptive energy that will assault the light. They said I was bugged because I wanted to correct the logic, and knew that I could not interfere.  The Angels talked about the need to let go of things in my mind (not unlike the Buddhists who say to let go of attachment).

The Angels continued that mankind has many belief systems that are built on faulty logic, and that the belief systems keep humans locked in to a darker energy then they could be in if they simply went with the flow, and left behind all other people’s ideas, thoughts, and marketing. 

That explanation made sense to me.  I am letting go.  The process is slower than I expected.  There must be some very deep roots there.

Blessings,

Judy