Bee Healing - Spirit Animal

Have you ever had a cold like this?  The cold started in my body. Not only did  it slow me down but it actually put me flat on my back quite a few days. I know that a cold is a sign that you are  clearing something on all three levels of body, mind and  spirit. However, when my throat became quite sore, I was  mostly concerned with the physical. Nothing seemed to  either clear or soothe my throat. Then I remembered that  when I was little, Mom used to give me a spoonful of  honey when I had a sore throat. So, I tried that solution,  and “Presto” after several spoonfuls of honey, my throat  started to clear up.

When I was growing up, my only concern about a bee was  whether it was near me, and whether it would sting me. When I started studying Egyptian Magick, I discovered that the lowly bee (in my mind) was really an exalted friend and provider for the ancient Egyptian culture. In fact, the nobility were buried with most of their possessions, slaves, and large urns of honey. When the archaeologists have excavated these tombs, and opened the honey, it had crystallized but was without mould or spoilage. I thought this was pretty amazing. The article went on to talk about how the honey was used for healing. 

My interest in the bee was renewed when my husband Roger explained that he always has wanted to be a bee-keeper. I decided that I needed to investigate this little insect. As I started the research, I found that the oldest bee is believed to be 100 million years old. (That’s relatively young compared to the shark which is believed to be 450 million years old.) 

Through it has changed somewhat over the years, the bee still produces a nourishing, healing honey that is pretty much unrivalled as food and healer. The antiseptic properties of honey make it a natural healer for wounds by protecting the wound from infection and decreasing the swelling. As I experienced  through my cold, honey destroys mucus from the cold virus. Honey is also recommended for treating indigestion and heart or high blood pressure ailments. 

A few facts that I learned in my quest are:

• that bees do indeed create honey that is healing. 
• Bees are so sensitive to environmental toxins that they die  
  and do not carry the poison to the hive. Therefore, the honey is without toxins. 
• Honey in the bath water is relaxing and is recommended to relieve insomnia. 
• Although it is high in calories, athletes use it as a  
  quick “pick-me-up”. 
• Honey produced in one’s local area is a prescribed remedy for hay fever. 

Don’t take my word for all these remedies. I suggest that you buy some honey and try “bee healing” on yourself and family. Honey really does take the “sting” out of a wound. Oh yes, and “bee” happy.

Many blessings,

Judy

Who Do You Want To Be?

  

One of the things that a person undertakes when they begin the practice of Buddhism, is to figure out who they are.  This is a difficult thing to do because many times we have been shaped by so many people, beginning with our parents, that we truly have no idea of what we like.  We are much like the bride in the movie, “Run Away Bride”, who does not know what kind of egg she likes because she has always liked what her fiancé liked.  Here is a simple meditation to do each time you sit in meditation. Try to answer one question per meditation.  

Enjoy the journey!

WHO DO I WANT TO BE? 
Mentally project yourself 5 years into the future: how would I like to be, having accomplished what I want to accomplish, learned what I want to learn, did what I wanted to do.
- Which qualities have I developed in myself?  
- Which are the most important lessons I have learned?  
- What have I done for others that I feel most happy about?  
- How did I manage to stop underestimating myself?  
- How did I manage to stop underestimating other people?  
- How did I manage to stop pretending that I cannot do things?  
- Which kind of powers and abilities did I discover in myself?  
- Which kind of powers and abilities did I find in others?  
- What can I do right now in order to be this person in five years?  
- If it feels right, make a commitment to yourself to make this vision reality.

Many blessings,

Judy 

Bored!

 “Good-bye. I am leaving because I am bored.”  George Saunders

Picture of boredom from

30tocure30.files.wordpress.com  



I saw the quote about boredom, and I tried to see where, in my life, I might be bored.  I could not find a spot of boredom!  So, perhaps I was not defining the thought correctly. I turned to one of my favourite resources, www.thefreedictionary.com, and found this definition of boredom.  

Boredom is “the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest”.  Now, that applied to me when I was nearing the end of my time at some jobs that I have held. 

Here is what else www.thefreedictionary.com had to say about boredom.  This was under their Thesaurus section.

Boredom or ennui, tedium; dissatisfaction - the feeling of being displeased and discontent; "he was never slow to express his dissatisfaction with the service he received";  blahs - a general feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction; fatigue - (always used with a modifier) boredom resulting from overexposure to something; "he was suffering from museum fatigue"; "after watching TV with her husband she had a bad case of football fatigue"; "the American public is experiencing scandal fatigue"; "political fatigue"

With all of these different meanings of boredom, it almost seems fashionable to be bored!  What I realized as I read through all of this is that boredom really means that there is no excitement; no passion.  

Really, what people are saying by being bored is that they want some passion and enthusiasm back in their life.  When passion is absent, people eventually get tired, depressed, and as George Saunders says, they leave. 

I wish you passion in your life. I wish you success in all things, but mostly in finding something that fills your heart and makes you spring out of bed in the morning.

Many blessings,

Judy

Do-Right

 I was watching a show today, and one of the characters said to the other, “Who are you? Dudley Do-Right?”

I laughed!  When I was growing up, I loved Dudley Do-Right cartoons.  Each cartoon featured a northern Mountie who was squeaky clean, always got his man, and always saved the damsel in distress.  When one saw someone as always doing the right thing, being good and true, and being above reproach, that “someone” would often be nick named “Dudley Do-Right”.  It may seem that if someone was sticking to the rules, and refused to hurt or bully or be part of anything that got some one else hurt, they were called a “Do-Right”. 

 

Dudley Do-Right captures Snidely Whiplash, and rescues the lovely Nell.  Nell throughout the series is enthralled with “Horse”.  Picture from Wikipedia.

I feel sad that when people abide by the first Rule of the Universe – harm no one – they are ridiculed.  I feel sad that the world’s overall belief system has not changed much in fifty years.  However, it feels like that belief system is about to change.  The biggest task that a Do-Right person has is to take responsibility for themselves and for their actions. In doing so, the person realizes that their actions have consequences.  When you hear a person say, “I had no choice”, know that they are trying to abdicate responsibility, and blame someone else.  Any Do-Right person will say instead, “I made a choice”, and become accountable.

Are you a Do-Right?

Many blessings,

Judy

Healing Past Hurts - It Must be Done

 I was reading a meditation today that said, “the human heart does not stay away too long from that which hurt it most.  There is return journey to anguish that few of us are released from making.” - Lillian Smith                              

The quote made me think of all the clients that I've seen who have an illness or a block that stems from an incident in childhood.  When we are children, the strongest people in our lives are our parents.  And, because they have not resolved all of their issues, they often hurt the child inadvertently, or, in some cases, purposefully.  Because our parents did not know how to resolve their issues, they are no help in resolving a child's issues.

When of the largest categories of books in a bookstore or library are self help books.  This is because of many of the unresolved issues and hurts in people today.  I have read my share of these books.  One of the common themes is that if you don't resolve these hurts then you will remain in victim hood. 

So, what is an easy way to heal past hurts? For me, the easiest way is to throw the hurt into the fire.  I am using a fire ceremony to do this because it is simple and it feels so good.  If the fire ceremony does not completely clear the hurt, then I use an affirmation.  My affirmation is “I forgive myself for believing that I ever did anything wrong”.  This affirmation is based on the idea that one’s life is perfect and that each action is perfect in the moment for whatever part of the bigger picture we each play.

May you find a way to heal all your hurt.

Many 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

Affirmations are a Gift!

The image below is from www.mysticmum.co.uk.  What a wonderful poster!

Yesterday, I watched a short movie called “THE STRANGEST SECRET”.    The key point in the movie is that by changing what you think about and how you think about anything, you can change your life.  This same thought was the theme of the movie “A KNIGHT’S TALE” starring Heath Ledger.  In fact, the theme was – You can change your stars!

Listening to Nightingale talk sent me back to a sales and marketing course that I took many years ago.  In that three day workshop, I learned ten affirmations that I still use today.  Here they are:

1. You like yourself unconditionally. You really like yourself. 
2. You always speak in positive terms about yourself and others.
3. You enjoy and appreciate everyone you meet. You like them, and they like you.
4. You always decide for yourself what is best for you, and you allow others the same right.
5. You accept complete responsibility for your life, and for your reactions to all situations.
6. You enjoy excellent health, and you are easily able to relax at any time.
7. You are always calm, confident, and self assured in your interactions with others, with groups as well as with individuals.
8. You are very creative in all areas of your life, always tapping more and more into your super conscious mind.
9. You have an excellent memory, and you easily recall names, numbers, and information.
10. You are a total winner and you are completely successful at everything that you undertake to do.

When I say them, I change the word “you” to “I”.  When I listen to them as a meditation, I keep the word “you”.  Repeating each affirmation five times solidifies the meaning in your mind.  Five is the number of “getting things done”.

I asked my guides if affirmations work.  They responded that affirmations are simply mantras.  In a recent blog, I gave this explanation of a mantra.

Mantra repetition simply means  repeating a sentence or group of words that have a phonetic significance. 

Mantra is intrinsically related to sound. Mantra is sound, and sound is reverberating in everything in this universe. When water flows, the gurgling sound it makes, is mantra. When wind blows through the trees, the  rustling sound it produces is mantra.  When we walk on the earth, our footsteps produce sound, and that too is mantra. 

Many eastern mantras are repeated 100 times at a sitting.  Imagine the change in your body, mind, and spirit if you repeated the above affirmations 100 times a day.  Why not try it? Start with five repetitions of each affirmation, and see what change happens for you.  Let me know the results.

Many blessings,

Judy