Octopus

A while ago, I watched the beautiful Oscar winning movie, “My Octopus Teacher”.  It was a documentary but had everything in it - relationships, fear, overcoming obstacles, and sacrifice.

Picture of Octopus from Wikipedia

The Octopus has received a lot of attention over the last several decades.  The Beatles made the Octopus a legendary figure in their song “Octopus’s Garden”.  We often refer to our family as “the octopus that we can never escape”.  A new expression via Drew Barrymore is “I wish I were an octopus so I could hug ten people at a time!”  Octopus is part of our speech and our culture. 

Octopus is given its name, in part from its eight legs or tentacles.  As eight is the number of infinity, Octopus has a connection to the heavens and to Great Spirit, even though Octopus lives at the bottom of the ocean.  Their home is a small cave, or pile of rocks that it can fit into, along the sea floor. Here Octopus hides and waits for prey.  What makes this animal so unusual is that it has no bones in its body, so it is able to squeeze into small spaces.  One can say that Octopus is the ultimate example of flexibility.

When Octopus is spread out, its tentacles are like the spokes in a wheel, or like an eight point star. It represents nothing and everything.  The suction cups on their tentacles allow Octopus to grab on to and to hold tightly.  As Octopus has a short life span of one to five years, it seems that these suction cups may represent getting a hold on life.

What is your relationship to Octopus?

Blessings,

Judy

A Poem about Life

I seem to be doing new things daily, a change from where I was a year ago.  I wondered why I was moving forward, doing all these new things.  Then, I read this poem and I realized that I was being given a great chance to be in service, for you see, I am one!

 

Just One
Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it's up to you!

Many blessings,

Judy

Symbols and Images In Dreams and Meditation

The interesting thing that has been happening for me over the last ten years is that I am coming to understand that symbols have much more meaning and power than I was aware of, up to this moment.

When I am dreaming, I see symbols, sometimes as colourful as the one in the above picture.  Sometimes, instead of words, there are flashes of images (pictures) that tell a story.  To show you what I mean, take a look at the two pictures below.

The literal meaning of the two pictures together is “rock star”.  Now, for most of us, the image that pops to mind is one of the great rock stars like John Lennon, or Rod Stewart, or Bono, and so on.  What Spirit is saying with this set of images, in my vision, is that rocks are the predecessors of stars.  I don’t know if there is a scientific explanation.  Perhaps when planets explode, the rocks are flung out and eventually converge together to create something new.

Why is Spirit using symbols and pictures?  I think it is because my mind, like most of your minds, is keyed to have a meaning of a word.  When we hear the word, then our mind wants to take over and forces us in the direction of language, rather than in the direction of the message.  

When we see the symbols, then our memory can go back to different life times to pull up the story that we need to remember.   These stories give us a reference point for doing, or not doing, certain actions.  

What I know now is that I need to watch for the same symbols over and over.  One of my friends says that she gets lots of repetitions of the number 8 when she is on the easiest path.  Another friend says that she sees feathers when she is feeling blue, and then she knows that her angels are with her.  

My symbols are one thing becoming another.  I know this means that I am transforming. 

I think that all of us are.

Blessings,

Judy

One Person Makes a Difference!

I seem to be doing new things daily, a change from where I was a year ago.  I wondered why I was moving forward, doing all these new things.  Then, I read this poem and I realized that I was being given a great chance to be in service, for you see, I am one!

 

Just One

Author Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true,

One life can make a difference,

                                                            You see, it's up to you!

Many blessings,

Judy