Why Am I Sad?

 

The question rises to the heavens – Why am I so sad?  Why is it that I feel like doing nothing?  Why does sadness dog me?

The answer from Spirit:

Everything in life must be in balance.  When you have what you call “good times”, then your energy ebbs up to a height.  To be in balance, it must come down – you call this sadness.  If you stayed in the middle, without emotion, you would not feel happy or sad.   This is the way of things.

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Remember that all things are part of life and life balances through ups and downs.  

Many Blessings,

Judy

On Being Happy - A Buddhist Story

 

 

  Picture of Buddha's first sermon - from Wikipedia

Clients come to see me for a variety of reasons.  Recently, however, clients come in and talk about how they feel, and they talk about how they are not happy.  The best teaching story about happiness that I have read comes from Buddhist teachings.  

Here is a story about happiness.

"Once I was staying with my mother in London. At the time she was the housekeeper for a very wealthy Canadian who lived in a luxury flat just off Hyde Park. They all went off for a while, and I had the flat to myself. There I was in London, living in this luxurious flat with two huge colour television sets and all the food I could possibly eat! I had enough money for whatever I wanted, lots of records, lots of everything. But I was so bored!  I told myself, "Please remember this. If you are ever tempted to think that physical comfort gives happiness, remember this." 

But then, another time I was staying in a cave, not my cave but another cave, which was very small. It was so small that you couldn't stand up in it, with a tiny box you could only just sit in, and that was the bed as well. It was full of fleas, so I was covered in flea bites. You had to go half a mile down a very steep track to bring up water. There was also almost no food at all, and it was hot. But I was in bliss. I was so happy. It was a very holy place, and the people there were wonderful. Although from a physical point of view the situation was difficult, so what! The mind was happy. I remember that whole place as being bathed in golden light. Do you see what I mean?"   from Ani Tenzin Palmo, from "Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism'

Each person reading this story will have a different take away, and that is a good thing.  What I hope that everybody understands from this story is that our happiness stems from how happy we are at the time we examine our happiness.

As the last line of the "Loving Kindness" Meditation says, "May you be happy!"

Many blessings,

Judy

Some Thoughts About Karma

 

A while ago, a reader asked me to write more about karma.  Here are some quotes about karma that come from Buddhism.

I started learning and practicing Buddhism several decades ago.  And, I am still learning as there are so many nuances to the Buddhism way of life.

The online Dictionary.com defines karma as:

kar·ma

NOUN

1. (in Hinduism and Buddhism) the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existence.

   
   

I translate this as meaning that how you manage yourself in your past lives will determine how you are treated and regarded in this lifetime.  Many think that karma is only about past evil deeds coming back to haunt them in this life.  However, past life kindnesses and closing of loops of bonds with people are also part of the clearing of karma.  More about this in a later post.

Some thoughts:

"I am the owner of my karma. 

I inherit my karma. I am born of my karma. I am related to my karma.  
I live supported by my karma. 

Whatever karma I create, whether good or evil, that I shall inherit."

The Buddha, Anguttara Nikaya V.57 - Upajjhatthana Sutta

Many blessings,

Judy 

Feverfew - A Healing Herb

 If you were out in the wild, and could not get to a doctor, would you know what plants could help you with various ailments?  Probably not!  If earthquakes or tornados or some other natural disaster cut you off from getting your regular medications, could you use a plant to substitute what you are missing?  Folks all over the world that are in places of natural disaster are facing some of these questions.  

Feverfew picture from www.migraine-facts.co.uk

 

 

 

  

 

We are so close to spring that one can almost smell it in the air!  Many folk are now planning their gardens and/or planting seeds into containers to be transplanted to the garden.  More and more folks are planting herbs not just for flavouring food, but also for use in healing.  There is an old saying that goes “For any malady that man doth know, God has caused a plant to grow!”  Essentially, for each known illness, there is a plant that holds a cure.

One plant that grows very well in North America is feverfew. It has some very specific uses.  Feverfew seems to help:

1.  headaches and migraines by reducing blood vessel spasms and by depressing the release of serotonin and prostaglandins which cause migraines.

2.  control the redness in irritated skin, due to inflammation.

3.  relieve stomach aches.

4.  treat menstrual cramping.

5.  reduce fever from colds, pneumonia, and flu.

www.plantcare.com

 

 

This sounds like a plant that we should all be growing.  I suggest that you add it to your flower bed or flower pot or garden this spring.

Remember that before you eat or drink any herb, you should check with your doctor to see if this plant is good for you and to see if it works with or against any medication that you are taking.  Some herbs counter the effects of medication so do be careful!

Many blessings,

Judy

Being Food Wise - Choosing Wisely

 Poster comes from an email from a friend  —- not sure where it originated

I grew up eating wholesome, natural food from our huge garden. Many of us grew up that way if we had parents that believed in being responsible for the food that we consumed. Gardening and weeding was a time to be with your thoughts or, to think of nothing and then it became a meditation.  Being with Nature brings balance and healing into one’s life.

Now, we are at a time in the world when we are hearing that European countries are banning GMO (genetically modified organism) seeds for grain and vegetables because of the harm that GMO may do to our bodies.  Many countries in Europe also ban some chemicals used for preservation.  And they ban some food colourings and oil additives.  

All of us need to be mindful of what we put in our mouths.  Fake, free, fast, and cheap are all adjectives that are used to sell us prepackaged food filled with preservatives.  Funny, though, the preservatives will not preserve us; rather, they break us down.

We can choose food that is healthy, healing, and wholesome.  Finding clean food and easy recipes for that food can make meal prep fun.  And the eating is even better!  Making food is time consuming, yes, so use that time as a form of meditation.  Use it for rest or for growth of your spiritual self as well as for your mental and physical growth.

Be healthy!

Many blessings,

Judy

What If You Died Tomorrow?

 

Three years ago, I was still working at my IT job.  Someone sent me the poster above.  It made me think.  What would I leave undone and be okay with, if I died?  I really did think about this.  I wondered how to balance my personal life and my business life. Like many of us, I spent a lot of time at work.  I was not in balance.  This made me think about all the things I want to do.  I made a list of things that I wanted to do.  My list wasn’t that long.  I didn’t call it my bucket list.  I called it my FUN List.  

• A cruise in Northern Europe - completed 
• Have a Vegas weekend with my sisters
• Learn to crochet - completed
• Spend time with my cousins in four different provinces - partially completed
• Walk 1000 miles in one year - completed over two years
• Walk with a wolf - completed
• Work with an elephant
• Cruise to  Alaska again
• Walk several times a week with my friends - in progress
• Go back to Stonehenge 

As you can see from the list above, I have completed some of fun things, and I still have events to complete.

Where are you in your journey to have FUN?

Many blessings,

Judy

Lightstationwisdom@gmail.com

Hawk Eyes - Spirit Animal

The Hawk flew over the car as I drove into the cove, and then landed on the top of the evergreen in the backyard.  I could hear the “kreeeyee, kreeeyee” noise.  It actually sounded like “Judy, Judy”.  So, I went to see what was up.  The Hawk was very quiet as she watched me move through the patio door.  My dog came out and stared, too.  

The intensity of her gaze made me look at her.  I felt the phrase from the movie, Avatar, come to mind.  “I see you.”  I felt like the emotions that I had been pushing down were able to rise up, and that, in that seeing, Hawk let them flow without judgement.  The intensity felt like it lasted a very  long time.  When I glanced at my watch it was only four or five minutes.  The process felt like a long meditation.

Hawk flapped twice and lifted off.  I could hear her cry, Kreeeye, Kreeeyee.  It sound like “Clearly, Clearly”.  I wondered if it meant that I was clear, or that I should now see clearly, or, even, that clearly, she had worked with me.  

Blessings.

Judy