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

Crab Motion

 

Sometimes, in my meditation, I have the most unusual interactions with animals.  This post is about Crab and comes from a meditation journal from several years ago.

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Crabs typically walk sideways (a behaviour which gives us the word crabwise). This is because of the articulation of the legs which makes a sidelong gait more efficient. – Wikipedia

Crab also moves forward and backward.  Crab says that motion, regardless of the direction, is still motion.  Motion carries you as you work through your purpose.  Purpose is simply taking action, doing what you know you need to do without the prompting or without following other’s expectations.  

When you are in motion, you are searching.  Although you may believe that you know the destination, along the way, the destination may change.  Thus, you are ever watching for the signs that move you along.  

Crab is always looking for food and for safety.  She tells you that along the journey that you are taking, life will be better if you remember to care for yourself, as part of safety, and that eating the foods that suit your body will also ensure your safety and health.  Specialists and doctors all have different ideas of what the best foods are.  You can tell what foods best serve you by simply holding them to your heart and hearing/feeling/knowing or seeing that the food suits you, or not.

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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

Domestic Sheep (Spirit Animals)

We often overlook the value of having animals around us that we are very familiar with.  Sometimes we treat these animals with a certain contempt (familiarity breeds contempt) without realizing that we are doing so.

Picture of Sheep from the Picasa Public sample album – with thanks!

I think that often we treat sheep, cattle, chickens and pigs like that. They are so humbly in service to humans, that we miss the strength and the pride of what they do because of how silently they do support us.

We all know that sheep are used for many products that we also take for granted – wool, mutton, lamb meat, milk/cheese, and hide/leather.  Legends say that Sheep volunteered to be in service to mankind from the beginning of man’s time on Earth.  They did this because they were peaceful, loving, well grounded (close to the Earth) animals. At that time, all the Beings and Angels that looked after the Earth thought that all that loving would rub off on humans.  In many of the pictures of Jesus, one sees him with Sheep or holding Sheep or walking with Sheep.  Again, legends say that Jesus recognized the beauty and service role of Sheep.

Mankind, however, did not acknowledge Sheep as a leader in service.  Instead, man has denigrated Sheep, and has made up all sorts of sayings about them – implying that they are either stupid or boring, or both! 

• Count sheep before you go to sleep.
• Don’t be a sheep and follow
• Black sheep
• Make sheep’s eyes
• Don’t leave the wolf to guard the sheep
• Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Sheep, however, even though known for its peacefulness, was used by our Ancestors as an early alarm  system.  Because sheep are so sensitive to noise and to negative energy, they could determine, by the vibrations in the ground, when large groups of people were approaching a castle or keep.  Their frightened bleats and bunching together for safety, alerted the watchmen that trouble was coming.  

People make fun of the way Sheep move together.  What Sheep is showing is the fascinating ability of herd think, or mind link, something that people simply have not developed.  The herd mind link allows the Sheep to move at a moment’s notice to safety.  They do not stop and say, “Why? Or, why that way? Or, are you sure we really should?”  And, my personal favourite, “What gives you the right to tell me what to do?”

May you be as loved as the Sheep by Great Spirit!

Many blessings,

Judy

Connecting with Meerkat

 Meerkat picture from www.irishviews.com

Is the third time the charm?  I am about to find out as I try again to connect with Meerkat to receive her message.

Meerkat pops up beside me and snuggles in.  She seems to be more comfortable with me than vice versa.  I find her quite comforting.  She sighs, and then begins to speak.

“We are so much like you humans and yet you know very little about us.  I find that rather disturbing.  We have many of your traits – politics, breeding practices, pup and elder care, and survival tactics.  We originally came up from the depths of the Earth.  We are some of the life forms that went underground when there were difficulties in the air and ground, difficulties that have re-emerged.  We have learned to burrow underground and to build safe nests deep enough to avoid having to be poisoned by the air. 

As the food above us died, we moved downward in search of food that we could eat.  We found that others had also moved downward.  We became hunter and prey.  We learned the value of cooperation.  We learned to be respectful of our resources and therefore to adjust our numbers to the food that could support us.  

We watch you now and wonder why you fight against the obvious laws of nature.  We wonder why you are destroying that which gives you life.  There is nothing that you can produce with all of your machines that is as wonderful as what She Who Feeds Us All can provide.  

We have black masks because our eyes are still sensitive to the light.  We find the blackness dulls the glare of the Sun. It seems however, that humans find our mask fearful.  We are part of the issue of fear or darkness that humans have to deal with.  We are therefore, part of your path – just as you are part of our path.  The easiest strategy to cope with fear is to meet it head on, much as we do.  We wish you well.

Blessings,

Judy

About Dying Slowly

I was listening to a friend of a friend talk about how awful and sad their life was.  She did not have one good thing to say about her life or life in general.  It seemed to me that she was dying very slowly.  Then, this poem popped up for me.  I think the poem says it all.

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YOU START DYING SLOWLY!

You start dying slowly ;
if you do not travel,
if you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly :
When you kill your self-esteem,
When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly ;
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly :
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly :
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain
If you do not go after a dream
If you do not allow yourself
At least once in your lifetime
To run away from sensible advice
Don't let yourself die slowly
Do not forget to be happy!
~ Pablo Neruda♡
Chilean poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971

Many blessings,

Judy

Black Squirrel - A Spirit Animal

  Black squirrel picture from Wikipedia..

After several inches of snow last night, I expected the yard to be very quiet.  Instead, I saw a miniature snow squall erupt from the mountain ash tree.  Three black squirrels were chasing one another through the tree, around the tree, and then back up the tree.  This lasted for about five minutes, and then all three of them shook off the snow, and climbed up on the bird feeder to forage out some sunflower seeds.

Squirrel and her companions sat on the bird feeder and munched, and glanced at the house, as though wondering whether I would put out more food.  Squirrel has never been shy about letting me know when more is needed.  I then realized that Squirrel’s lesson today is about trust!  Just as she trusts that there will be food in the yard, she tells me to trust that Great Spirit will provide for me.  Just as Squirrel feels comfortable and safe in my yard, Squirrel tells me to feel safe and comfortable in Great Spirit’s yard – Mother Earth.  The message that was coming through, loud and clear, was that I was not trusting enough, and in being somewhat reluctant to trust, I was limiting myself to all the treats that might be handed to me or left out for me.

As soon as I muddled through all of those thoughts, Squirrel chattered happily to the other two squirrels and they bounded down the pole, across the yard, and up the fence to disappear to a neighbouring yard.   I realized that I had received a very great gift.  I am grateful!

 I would love to hear your squirrel story! You can send it in the comments or email me at lightstationwisdom@gmail.com.

Blessings,

Judy

The Spiritual Bully

When someone constantly badgers us with their ideas about what they are hearing and need to  tell us, whether they have our permission or not, I call the person a “spiritual bully”.  This means that they believe they have some divine right to tell you what ever they think about you and what you are doing, even if it is only their opinion, and typically, they get angry at you if you don’t take their advice.

One of the first laws of the universe is “harm no one (none)”.  This means that you do not violate a person’s physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual space, without permission.  To do so is to set out to intentionally harm them.  This happens so often with teachers and mentors with their students or followers.  It happens when someone feels that they are more powerful than someone else, and that power is used to force the “someone else” to take on tasks that they might not otherwise do.

Some ideas for coping with spiritual bullies are:

• Set boundaries to take back your power.   “Boundaries are not walls, they are safety markers to keep you safe.  You have a right to protect yourself when someone comes into your space uninvited.”
• Stand in your power and show your confidence by saying “no, I can’t do that right now.”  This means that you need to feel good about yourself and your abilities.  
• Make plans to avoid the bullying relationship.  You cannot change other people; however, you can change the environment.  You can choose to be in a healthy, safe environment.

Blessings,

Judy

Bear Comfort - Bear Is a Spirit Animal

  

Picture from notesfromthebartender.wordpress.com 

We give babies a teddy bear for comfort.  And, baby snuggles up to the teddy bear, and even cries if the bear is not present.  What is it that gives us comfort in this “bear” image?  Why are we not frightened, instead, of this representation of a large, fierce animal?

Well, Bear looks big and cuddly.  Bear is chubby and that says comfort and safety.  Bear hibernates through the winter so Bear is about sleeping through the tough times.  Bear eats honey so Bear is about sweetness.  Bear is a fisherman.  We all identify with the fisherman. Bear’s ears are just so darn cute!  And, Bear eats berries and grubs and roots and shoots.  All of these characteristics simply support the idea that Bear is not that scary.

When Bear comes to us as a power animal, do not be lulled into thinking that Bear is simply “of the Earth”.  The Greeks and Romans revered Bear so much that they named a constellation of stars after her. A different version of the story says that Zeus was so angry at the mother bear and her cub that he threw them up into the night sky to forever roam around the North Star.   

from www.nmm.ac.uk

So why does Bear come to us in times when we need comfort?  Well, when we need comfort, we are feeling weak or insecure.  Bear is a universal symbol of big and of power.  At our weakest, we need to be reminded that we have all the power that we require within us.  Bear, who hibernates, and who sleeps easily, reminds us to go in and reflect on what we do know and to honour our strengths.  Bear is about teaching the cub (often each of us) how to be a “big bear”.

I wish you a wonderful bear encounter.

Many Blessings,

Judy

Affirmation to Turn Thinking Around

 

Elbow River Boat Launch Turn Out in Elbow Falls Recreation Area July 2023 - J Hirst

All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. Out of this situation only good will come. I am safe. - Louise Hay 

We all have days where we feel that everything is going wrong.  It is on these days that we can create more problems for ourselves simply by reinforcing our very bad mood.  The challenge always is - how do we change this feeling of doom and gloom around?

There are several different ways to change your mood.  Method one is to think of happy things and to think about funny situations that have occurred in your life.  You can think about a place that it happened or you can think about the person or people that it happened with.  I usually think about a person that I have had an adventure with that resulted in some funny stories.

Method two is to take a few minutes to meditate and go to your happy place and meditate yourself calm knowing that nothing is permanent, and all will change.

Method three is to use Louise Hay’s affirmation or mantra, and repeat it to yourself until you feel your body shift.  The first part - All is well - tells you that nothing is forever and that whatever is happening to you is a blip on life.  Every thing is working out for my highest good - tells you that although you cannot see it, the outcome from this situation will surprise you and the results will be very helpful to you.  The last part - I am safe - has the most significance because when we move into an unhappy thinking place, we tend to feel not safe.  So we become defensive to anyone who approaches us, and that often makes a bad situation worse.  We need to remember that we are safe.  

Many blessings,

Judy

Fox Play

 

Source of picture – unknown

Fox is now seen in towns and cities.  She has decided that since man is moving into her territory, she will use man’s space as a hunting ground.  She now births her pups in the wooded parks, and keeps them safe during their growing time.

Fox says:

• Fox knows how to adapt quickly to new environments. Humans, it seems, want to keep everything the same.  I say to you that change is now here and it will be rapid.  Look at the changing Nature around you.  Figure out how to adapt and enjoy the change.  Fighting against it will cause you to be ill.
• Going into another’s area or territory will give you a new perspective on life.  Simply sitting in your chair, in your territory, and criticizing what others do is not useful.  Go! Explore! And perhaps you will learn compassion along the way.  
• My pups are most precious and I will do anything to keep them safe. I teach them to read the land, and to listen to the animals.  I teach them to know what is good food and bad food.  I teach them to dig and to build a den.  I watch and listen to how your pups are treated.  You stick them in territories with fences around them and unnatural play things.  They do not know how to be in the woods or the grasslands.  They do not know how to fend for themselves and to be aware.  Are your children not precious to you?

Many blessings,

Judy

Giraffe Gives a “Heads Up”

Several nights ago, I had a dream where Giraffe came in to speak to me.

First, the image that I had was of me standing on a path outside a very tall fence.  I was not sure where I was.  Then as I looked around, I realized that I must be in a type of zoo or animal compound. Where in the world it was, I am not sure.  Then I heard, “Heads up!”

I knew that I needed to look up.  Standing so that their legs were almost like part of the fence, were three giraffes.  Two were quite tall, and one was shorter by several feet.  They grinned down at me.  Then one leaned over the fence and putting his face right against mine, sniffed me.  He popped his head back up, and said, “She smells okay.”  

  Giraffe picture from i.telegraph.co.uk 

I was a bit taken aback.  I think I always smell good except when I have finished a hard work-out.  His mate popped her head over, and kissed the top of my head.  I felt tingles.  I looked up and asked what I was doing here.  Madame Giraffe said, “We called you because you don’t write about us very often, and yet you love us, and send us great thoughts and blessings.  You worry about how we are making out in the wild, and what we will do when the big changes come.”

She was right – I do worry about Giraffes and Elephants, and all kinds of animals.  I did not realize that they were picking up on that energy.

Madame Giraffe went on to say that people need to pay more attention to the giraffe.  They make great guides.  They see things from quite high up, and see patterns in the way people move and the way energies move.  If Giraffe is invited in as a Spirit Animal, it will tell you when there are good energies around you and where to walk/drive to avoid negative energy patterns.  Giraffe moves without getting caught up in the drama of petty things.  Giraffe would like to see each of us avoid drama, and move more in an isolated fashion as does Giraffe.  

Giraffe’s energy is constantly cleansed by the trees where Giraffe spends much time grazing at the tree tops.  Her advice is to find a tree and sit in it, and enjoy the cleansing effect of the tree’s leaves vacuuming all the unhealthy energy from around you.  

According to Giraffe, most people have a short sightedness when it comes to seeing around them.  Giraffe asks you to try to see higher and farther, to see beyond the limits of your mortal eyes.  If you have trouble doing this, ask Giraffe for assistance. 

Giraffes says to stop trying to minimize life.  She says, “Stick your neck out once in a while.”  Life is not about being completely safe – it is about experiencing life and taking chances and growing.  

May you have great giraffe experiences!

Many blessings,

Judy

Living in Balance

 

One of the hardest things about living is that with all the good and enjoying life, every once in a while, we come face to face with death.  Death of a loved one, other family member, or friend.  For all the living that we did with them, now the time has come where life is no longer.

Most of us push back at the unfairness and bad timing that we feel when a person close to us dies.  We have to make arrangements to go to the funeral.  We may have to make travel arrangements.  We may have to leave our home which is our safe place or sanctuary.

Death seems disruptive and blows up the balance that we have been living in.  Yet Death is part of Nature.  It brings peace to those moving on.  If the person was ill and suffering before death, then Death brings some peace to the family.  

This week is about changes and with Death comes many changes.  May you all find ways to deal with the imbalance.

Blessings,

Judy

Hippopotamus Has Rules - Spirit Animal

 

Picture from junglephotos.com 

Hippopotamus lives a very  peaceful life.  That is because she has a set of guidelines or rules, to govern her life.  She encourages us to adapt her rules because they have kept the hippopotamus alive for sixty thousand years, and these rules have allowed her to evolve.

1. Pick your environment, and know it well.  Our environment is a gift from our cousins, the Whale family.  This allows us to be in mostly a freshwater marine environment. We are always watchful about who or what enters our territory, and we defend our area vehemently.  You, who harass us, call us vicious.  Perhaps when you invade someone else’s country, you would call their reaction vicious as well.
2. Water is necessary for life.  It is how we live.  Water protects us from predators, from sunburn, from dehydration, from fear of drowning or flooding, and from famine.  All that we need comes from water.  We share our water with other animals as long as they are not invasive.
3. We eat greens – all kinds, but mostly grass.  We have one food that is particularly good for us and we stick to it.  Too much variety in the diet leads to discomfort, which is stressful, and which causes aggressive behaviour. It may be that you need to eat less variety and more of the healthy greens like we do.
4. We band together to keep one another safe.  Yet, we do not form close attachments because there is no need.  Therefore, there is little drama in the pod.  We each do our own thing, together.  Perhaps you get too caught up on one another’s lives, which is why your life does not seem peaceful.
5. Our life is peaceful.  We have oneness in our pod.  We move together.  We have little to fight about.  Life is good.

Many Blessings,

Judy

Another Loving Kindness Version

Picture taken by Judy Hirst during 2023 winter with snow deeper than usual for beginning of March.

As we wait for winter to end, sometimes, we suffer from the blahs.

I have a solution for the blahs that also qualifies under “love” and is guaranteed to make you feel fine. Anyone that has studied with me knows that I believe in the power of meditation – not only “the sit in silence and let your mind be blank” meditation; I believe in active meditation. 

Active meditation means that you need to be part of the meditation and not have the meditation “happen” to you. Over the years, I have taught variations of the “LOVING KINDNESS” meditation. I have recently learned this one and wish to share it with you. 

Say it out loud when sitting in meditation. Say it out loud as a walking meditation, even when you walk your dog. My dog loves it! Say it at night before you go to bed. 

May I be free from inner and outer harm and danger. May I be safe and protected. May I be free of mental suffering or distress. May I be happy. 

May I be free of physical pain and suffering. May I be healthy and strong. May I be able to live in this world happily, peacefully, joyfully, with ease!

This is actually the first step in the “loving kindness” meditation. However, it is a beautiful, empowering, feel good message that lets you feel fine.

Don’t give up if you do not feel a shift in the first several days. Keep trying.  This mantra works well to relax you and to help you fall asleep when sleeping seems difficult.

Many blessings 

Judy

Email - lightstationwisdom@gmail.com