Keeping a Warm, Loving Feeling

 

In many ways, Nature reflects how we are feeling.  When we feel dismal, the sky is grey and cloudy.  When we feel very emotional, rain may very well be falling outside.  When we are filled with warm, loving thoughts, then often, the sun shines and life is beautiful!

How does this work?  Well, part of it is that we all create our own reality.  And part of the occurrence is that others are often feeling the way that we do.  You might say that we all create our own reality together.

The challenge becomes how to continue to feel warm and loving when others do not feel that way.  How do we stay Buddha-like?  One of the easiest ways to stay in that space of harmony is to be in the present moment - to leave the past behind, and to not think or worry about tomorrow, or next week.   Do not listen to the "what if..." statements that start to grow in your mind.  Send them away, and continue on, thinking of the warmth and brightness and lightness.  It works!

Blessings.

Judy

Smudging and Sage

 

Poster comes from an email from a friend.  Origin unknown.

I have been asked many times - when is the right time to burn sage?  One of my friends sent me an email with the above poster in it it called “When To Burn Sage”.

The poster lists the following events as a reason to burn sage:

• When you have been arguing
• When someone in your home is sick
• When visitors leave
• When you buy second hand items
• When the vibe feels icky
• When you have been depressed
• When you are grieving a loss
• During the Full Moon
• When anxiety strikes
• When you have had a nightmare
• While doing chores
• Before meditation/spells
• To clear crystals and spiritual tools
• When you move into a new home

These are all wonderful reasons to burn sage and to smudge.  I have a few more reasons to add.  Smudge yourself with sage when these events occur:

• When you are preparing for a ceremony
• Before you start a healing session
• When you  have been to a hospital or nursing home or visiting an ill friend
• When you have had a trying day at work
• When you feel a cold or flu hitting you
• When you injure yourself

You can also smudge your dog or cat, especially if they are not feeling well.  

Sage is a very common smudging/clearing tool.  You can also use juniper branches, sweet grass, lavender, or any combination of the smudging tools.  I have some lovely sage and juniper smudge sticks.  Another favourite smudge is palo santo, a smudge stick from a tree native to Ecuador and Peru.

My rule of thumb is - if you feel like smudging, go ahead and smudge.  You will feel better.

Many blessings,

Judy

Listening To The Guidance

  

One of my teachers said to our group that when we pray, we are talking to God (or the Universe or Great Spirit, or whatever you want to call the Energy that you talk to. And, when we meditate, God talks to us.  I find that my guidance comes through meditation, through Nature, through random messages from different people, or, from very specific words that seem to just show up.  However, there have been times where the Angels or Guides had to go through different people to get to me because I was not listening.  Sometimes, we get so caught up in doing that we forget to listen.

Quite a while ago, I was caught up in my own little drama of work and getting things done, and, I was not listening or meditating or really doing much spiritually.  One day I got a phone call from a lady.  She identified herself and then told me that I did not know her.  However, my Guides were not able to get through to me with a message so they asked her to deliver it.  The message was that it was time for me to pick up the book that my friend Ruth gave me about a year earlier.  I was to read the book, cover to cover, and then act on it.  The message included a notice that I really needed to start meditating for at least 15 minutes a day. 

I was stunned!  This lady could not know about my friend Ruth, or the book, and that I hadn’t read it.  I thanked the caller, went and found the book, and read it.  The reading of the book and practising what it said set me on a new path of spiritual work.  I am grateful for that day.

Blessings.

Judy