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

Lady Bug

As the days get warmer, once again, we notice Lady Bugs coming out of no where, to bless our house.  They move to the windows where I pick them up and drop them on my plants.   They keep the leaves clean and shiny for me.  What I am coming to understand is that the Lady Bug is about being grounded and protection.  Her message always seems to be about:

• having no fear in starting over
• trusting that what ever quest you are on will receive assistance
• knowing that you will always end up with abundance

I hope this message speaks to you.

Blessings,

Judy

Fox In The Forest

The following information comes from one of my journals from 2016.  It describes an experience that I had when I was out with my dogs.

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

I drove up into the Kananaskis area, just south of Canmore.  There was a lot more snow than what we had around home.  From the corner of my vision, I saw a dark shape.  I pulled over and stopped the vehicle.

Fox was coming out of the trees.  She moved with purpose.  I saw the beauty of her coat.  She stopped and turned to me.  I thought she might smell the dogs.  I swear that she grinned.  She barked three, sharp barks.  And then she moved on.

The barks represented:

• trust your senses
• stick to your purpose or goal
• rely on your own cleverness – no one else has your experience in your life

Blessings,

Judy

River Otter - Another Spirit Animal

 North America River Otter – picture from Wikipedia… 

 

Last night, in my dream, several river otters were transformed from carefree, playful creatures into an ankle length fur coat.  I could only see the back of the coat, and every once in a while, it seemed that an eye would open on the back of the coat and look at me.  I woke up this morning with this image in my head.  Years ago, when I worked for Hudson Bay Northern Stores, we would get in shipments of cured furs, including otter.  The pelts were very soft and warm.  Most often, the pelts would be made into coats or jackets.  I wondered why I was getting this sequence of events.  Then I realized that I needed to talk about spirit animals today, and Otter was telling me that I should write about her.

Otter was born with a great curiosity, and will investigate anything that strikes her fancy.  She brings a message that we should indulge our curiosity about all things, and take no ones word for anything. Otter also looks at things from land, the surface of the water and from beneath the water.  Perspective may change, depending on the angle one views life from… so do not limit your self to one view point.  Explore many.  

We hear the words “go with the flow” and do not really know what that means because humans are constantly trying to control everything around them.  Otter drifts on the water, and follows the current, truly moving as one with the environment.  When in this state, it is easy to relax, and enjoy life.  The message is that we humans should not take life so seriously.  

Otter’s ability to be on land or deep in the water – it will hold its breath for up to four minutes – is a message about learning to get in touch with one’s deepest emotions.  It gives the example of going deep in the water to get food and this tells us that delving deep into our emotions to free up pain is food for our soul.  

Family has deep meaning for Otter who takes care of her offspring for as a two years.  Additionally, Otters love company and live in social groups.  Conservationists have found Otter to be very gentle and trusting.  She will come up on the bank to visit.  Her openness teaches us that we too need to be more trusting, and to embrace new adventures with enthusiasm.  

I wish you “Otter” filled days!

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

Listening To Your Body

 Ballerina from Microsoft Clipart

Each of us is unique - in our height, weight, colouring, and in what we enjoy doing.  We do the things that speak to us, as the ballerina in the picture does.  Not many of us can be dancers because we do not have the body or the desire to to dance in the fashion of ballet.  However, sometimes our bodies cry out just to dance for joy, or to sing because we are happy and love life!  How often do you suppress these joys?  How often do you dishonour your body?  It is a living organism that will survive without our working mind, as science has proven.

As I move further into the journey of spirituality and the path of the Shaman,  I find it easier and easier to listen and really hear my body.  I was looking for a way to explain this to my clients when I came across this quote from OSHO.  I believe this is more eloquent than any phrasing I may use.

"Your body has its own wisdom — it carries the wisdom of the centuries in its cells.

Your body is feeling hungry and you are on a fast, because your religion says that this day you have to fast — and your body is feeling hungry. You don’t trust your organism, you trust a dead scripture, because in some book somebody has written that this day you have to go on a fast, so you go on a fast.

Listen to your body. Yes, there are days when the body says, “Go on a fast!” — then go. But there is no need to listen to the scriptures. The man who wrote that scripture has not written it with you in his mind, not at all. He could not have conceived of you. You were not present to him, he was not writing about you. It is as if you fall ill and you go to a dead doctor’s house and look into his prescriptions, and find a prescription and start following the prescription. That prescription was made for somebody else, for some other disease, in some other situation.

Remember to trust your own organism. When you feel that the body is saying don’t eat, stop immediately. When the body is saying eat, then don’t bother whether the scriptures say to fast or not. If your body says eat three times a day, perfectly good. If it says eat one time a day, perfectly good."  ~~Osho~~

What Osho says is that our body, with all the past knowledge it carries, is both our Ancestor and our self in one.  We need to listen to the wisdom or our Ancestors.

In loving kindness,

Judy

White Tiger on Responsibility - Spirit Animal

White Tiger has been watching me struggle with all that I “think” that I must do and how the weight is starting to wear me down.  She came in to speak with me today.

 

“I watch you humans move through life and I marvel at your ability to involve yourselves in your cubs and in others lives.  What a waste of your abilities!  What do I mean?  When our cubs are grown, we let them go.  We teach them what they need to know for survival.  And, we trust that they will survive.  We do not go after them all the time to see that they are surviving.  If we meet, we touch noses, and move on.  

Those of you that do not have children seem to take on the care of other people’s cubs.  And, you seem to take on the responsibility for all you come in contact with.  Know that each person has their own path, and that you do no good by taking over their responsibilities.  It is not in Nature to do this action.  It is Nature’s way to let everything be.  Humans interfere all the time.  

My kind almost disappeared.  We were ready to leave, to do the next thing in our natural progression of being.  Humans have intervened to keep our kind alive.  We are chained to the Earth by what humans have done.  The pride that humans seem to have about knowing what is best all the time is one that needs to change.”

Many blessings,

Judy

A Personal Creed

 

A quiet place for reflection in Fish Creek Park - by Judy Hirst

 

When one thinks of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, one thinks of valour, and of a creed of goodness or honour.  It will not surprise you to find that "Creed" means a "set of beliefs or guiding principles" (from the merriam-webster.com online dictionary).  

History admires knights or anyone who seems to hold fast to principles of integrity and truth.  Why?  Because today, we no longer work with truth and integrity as part of our every day lives in business.  A popular sales tool is called "bait and switch".  The goal is to get the buyer interested in a mythological set of goods, and then actually sell the buyer something quite different.  Where is the integrity in that?  Corporations sell based on making money and producing revenue for shareholders. Shoddy workmanship, falsified lists of ingredients or list of parts, and mislabelled packages are all part of the "game" to improve the bottom line.  

With such examples in our every day lives, it almost seems impossible for an individual to avoid replicating the examples from the workplace.  Buddhists have the five precepts that they live by: 

• Abstain from destroying life 
• Abstain from stealing 
• Abstain from sexual misconduct 
• Abstain from lies 
• Abstain from intoxicating drinks 

These five precepts are actually their creed for their way of life - a way of life that has been around since the first day of Buddha.  Many people find these precepts difficult to understand.  

Shaman suggest that each of us create our own creed or way of life.  Therefore, when we violate our creed, we immediately "feel" the breach of trust with our self, and we react to repair the damage. 

Here are some ideas for a personal creed.  

I will be good to my body. 

I will be truthful to myself and others.

I will treat all living things with respect.

I will honour the rights of all human beings to be the individuals they are with their own Sacred Points of View.

I will embrace my faith, and I will trust the Creator's divine guidance.

I will see all experiences in my life as ways to grow with lessons to learn.

I will strive to be my personal best without comparing my path to others.   (Suggestions from DANCING THE DREAM by Jamie Sams)

Being good to your body means the right foods should be consumed!  Picture from Microsoft Clip Art....

 

 

When each of these ideas is examined, one says, "Why wouldn't I follow these beliefs?"  The interesting answer is that often, in order to work at a job each day, one cannot have many of these beliefs because the beliefs at work conflict with the beliefs of the person.  

When one sits in Meditation and asks how to resolve the incongruity of the work place and the person, Angels may answer and simply tell the person to leave their job.  To work at something that does not treat humans with respect is not healing or loving.  When we have a creed of honour, we crave the feeling of Oneness with all things -much like the Shaman of old were seen to be filled with peace and a spirit that directly linked to the Heavens.

The creed that our ancestors lived with was about being in balance, recognizing Nature/Mother Earth as the provider of all food and water and air - simply, the provider of everything.  Corporations with all of their material goods, do not provide everything that we need. Perhaps it is time for all of us to develop a creed.

What will your creed be?

Blessings,

Judy

Chickadees Bring Joy

Picture of chickadee sitting on Judy’s hand – picture by Judy Hirst.

A while ago, I walked into Burnsmeade Woods with my dog, and right at the start of the path into the woods, we were greeted with cries of “chika-dee-dee-dee! Dee-de-dee. Dee-dee.” 

It sounded like “Welcome! Hi Judy!” I was surrounded by twenty little friends, all joyfully singing and saying, “We missed you!” What was really fun was that while I was getting out their treat of black seeds, they sat on my arm and sang, to me, my dog, to the world in general.  One little chickadee flew up on a high up branch, and sang as loud as he could—with words that sounded like, “she’s here, she’s here”.  Within two minutes, three nut hatches and two downy woodpeckers came to join the party.  The noise was glorious – much like any cocktail party sounds!

As the chickadees lined up on my arm for their turn at the seeds, I felt so humble in the presence of such great trust.  I felt so at peace and at one with each of them.  Passersby commented that they could not believe that all these birds would be around me and on me with a dog present.   My explanation – we have been friends now, my dog and the birds and I, for about three years now.  
Several of the chickadees stopped before they took their seeds, and looked at me, and sent me a message.  The message was – we love you and appreciate you – even without the seeds.  You are our friend.  I was profoundly moved!  The message made me think that we often do not appreciate ourselves, our families or our friends, or even the beauty around us. 

Chickadees gift was the reminder to be even more aware and present than ever before.
Have a beautiful day.

Many blessings,

Judy

About Taking Things Too Personally

 

Do you know someone at work or in your family and group of friends that sees every comment or opinion as a criticism and a challenge to them?   I see some clients that do not know how to deal with other people's opinions.  They see it as criticism or being put down.  These folks have never learned to separate the concepts of feedback, coaching, criticism, and negative comments.  Everything is taken personally.  They over react. They are antagonistic. It makes them difficult to deal with and difficult to have as an employee or as a client, and even as a friend. They are so out of balance.

Who Are They?  As a generalization, this trait is dominant in people who are only children or youngest children.  Perhaps it is because they didn't have to share and get along with others, and therefore did not develop a "thicker skin" along the way. There seems to be an edge of anger to them in every situation.  And yes, there are exceptions.  Remember, this is a generalization.  

Is Change Possible?  It takes a lot of time, kindness, trust, and willingness to change to alter the behavior.  Most often, the person must work with a psychologist or other counsellor.  Once the change is made, the individual seems to go on to achieve remarkable goals and to grow in abundance.  

What If They Don’t Change?  If the change is not made, the person gets stuck in a rut where they see the world as against them.  The person may slide into depression and eventually become very depressed.  Some slide into drugs or alcohol, or both.  The spiral of behaviour is self destructive.

Many blessings,

Judy   

Contact me at lightstationwisdom@gmail.com

What Makes You Tremble?

 

       A violent hail storm in July of 2021 with lots of thunder, lightning, and wind. Picture by J. Hirst

            

I had a conversation with some friends about what makes a person tremble, and in particular, what made each of us in the group tremble.

The words that first came up were:

• cold 
• fear
• anger
• grief
• excitement
• exhaustion
• a hard run (which to me seems like exhaustion but which my friends agreed was different)
• awe

We moved on to the physical things that make us tremble like:

• earthquakes
• thunderstorms
• storms
• hurricanes
• typhoons

And then we moved to the intrinsic things that make us tremble.

• the sound of certain music that raises you outside yourself
• seeing an animal being born
• seeing the majesty of the sky at certain times of the year
• something deeply spiritual 
• sudden kindness from a stranger
• the trust of a baby – human or animal

We had so much fun with this.  What I needed to remember was that each of these items seemed to be a force of Nature interacting with us.

What would you add to this list?

Blessings,

Judy

Spirit Animal - Deer Finds You

                                            

                                                         Picture from an email.

When I first moved to Calgary twenty years ago, there was an abundance of Deer in our neighbour hood in the late evening and into the night.  There were herds of twenty or so Deer in Fish Creek Park.  The many Deer could come into the residential area, up to houses and sleep on lawns.  The message that the Deer brought to the home was about gentleness and trust.  It was about knowing your neighbours and friends and relying on them to help keep one safe.  People left fallen cherries and apples on the ground for the deer to eat.  There was a comfortable sharing of space.  Now, with the increase in population and the growing use of the park, the Deer have retreated to an island which is supposed to be off-limits to humans.  The Deer come out at night and seldom stray into the residential areas.

Remember that when Deer appears to you:

• Deer is reminding you to be gentle with yourself.
• If the Deer has antlers (a buck), the message is to look for a higher purpose or a higher good.
• If the Deer is young, perhaps it is time to start something new… a new study, a new hobby, a new phase of work.
• If several Deer appear, perhaps it is time to make time to be with friends and family and plan a group activity.

Blessings

Judy

About Placing Trust

 

I recently watched the first “Avatar” movie as part of my preparation for watching the sequel - Avatar II. As I watched, it made me think about “trust”.  There are so many examples of trust and trust that is broken that one wonders how to trust anyone.

The Archangels tell us that we often put our trust in people that only wish to use and abuse us.  We need to find people that we can really trust – or people who can really say, "I see you" – the famous line from the movie, "Avatar". 

Often, people draw us in because they have an agenda that they think we can help them fulfill.  A relationship based on an agenda is a false friendship, and one that will let you down.

Today, check in and see where you place your trust.

Blessings,

Judy

How To Understand the “Fool” Card - Card 0 In The Tarot Deck

Image from the Osho Zen Transformation Tarot

 When people come to me to learn how to read the Tarot cards, I tell them that they must find a deck or two that feel right to them.  If they do not already have a sense of a deck, I usually start them out on two of my favourite decks - either the Universal Tarot by Maxwell Miller or the Zen Transformational Tarot by Osho.  Although the Zen deck reflects a Buddhist path, the journey depicted in the cards is true of most people's lives.

The first card in any Tarot deck is "The Fool".  I love this card because it is a happy card.  It speaks of innocence and joy!  Who of us does not want to achieve a state of joy that provides harmony in all that we do?

The first step in understanding any card is to look at the picture , at the central figure or item, and then look at all the supporting pictures or symbols as we move out from the central picture.  In this card, the picture of a young man or woman - possibly in their late teens or early twenties - is looking expectantly into the sky, and offering a charming bouquet of flowers to whomever they seem to see.  The uncomfortable part of this figure, for us, is that the person is dressed unusually colourful and is stepping off a cliff into space.  We say that this person is not acting normally and must be a fool to do something so dangerous.  

The opposite interpretation is probably more accurate and begins the message of this card.  The person stepping off the cliff does so with absolute trust, and shows their trust to the heavens - what we would call The Universe, Great Spirit, or Mother/Father God - by offering a gift, and showing no hesitation in taking this BIG step.  We may even feel some jealousy that someone is able to take that big a risk without any fear.  Fear is so pervasive in our lives that we believe all people should feel fear.

As we move out to examine the rest of the picture, it becomes clear that even if the Fool falls from the cliff, the river below will cushion the fall and carry the person on a great adventure.  The clouds lie below the person and give the impression of big, pillowy cushions that will soften any fall or journey the person may take.  Indeed, the individual will step off into LOVE and experience the ONENESS of all.  This card shows how we may depend on NATURE to carry us just as the ANGELS carry us. 

Osho says: "A fool is one who goes on trusting; a fool is one who goes on trusting against all his experience. You deceive him, and he trusts you; and you deceive him again, and he trusts you; and you deceive him again, and he trusts you. Then you will say that he is a fool, he does not learn. His trust is tremendous; his trust is so pure that nobody can corrupt it……………In the beginning it is going to be very difficult. The world will start taking advantage of you...let them. They are poor fellows. Even if you are cheated and deceived and robbed, let it happen, because that which is really yours cannot be robbed from you, that which is really yours nobody can steal from you." Osho Dang Dang Doko Dang Chapter 2

If this card turns up in a reading, the querent is being asked to return to their natural state and to trust their instinct.  It is about knowing that the message from The Universe is true, and that any action taken is fully supported by the ONENESS of all things.  You may ANGER some by your actions, however, this card is about TRUST.

May your journey be an adventure unhindered by your family and friends.  And may they stand by you as you travel.

Blessings,

Judy