The Attitude of Hope

“Hope is not a question of personal philosophy. In the face of uncertainty, operating from a stance of hope is a strategic and practical response. It is a way of approaching the world. As environmental writer Professor David Orr said of it, “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”” ~~ Paul Gilding

The Angels say that HOPE is what keeps people moving forward.  They see it all the time.  When people are in dire circumstances, it is hope that allows these people to persevere and to get out of tough situations.

Hope, say the Angels, is not a gene.  You are not born with it.  It is something that you learn, or find.  It is strength of spirit.  Some say it is strength of will.  It might even be an attitude.   As Angels do not have will – they do not need it – and they do not require hope, Angels find the evolution of  mankind’s hope to be one of the most interesting emotions that developed over time.

Although many writers over time have attributed hope to religious faith, the Angels say that there is not any correlation between religion and hope.  Individuals who have never heard of many of the religions will exhibit hope.  And, add the Angels, they are starting to see hope in many animals.  

Hope is anticipation that the current situation will change and will be better for the person who is feeling hope.  The Angels agree that “when there is a will, there is a way!”  It seems that a strong call to action is another trait of people that feel hope.  The Angels have wondered if it is the movement or action that inspires hope.  Or, is it that hope causes action?  They are not really all that clear on which comes first.

What are your thoughts?

Many Blessings,

Judy

Honey Bee - Spirit Animal

Summer, and the flowers bloom on the trees and in the gardens.  The flowers on fruit trees require pollination. The Bee is busy at work.  

Bee stopped what it was doing the other day at the park, and flew over to me.  I held out my hand, and it landed gently on my palm.  Bee had a few things to say.

• There will always be queen bees, drones, and worker bees.  The trick is to be happy with what you are given, and not to yearn for something else.  Queen bees do not leave the hive.  Drones die very young.  Worker bees have jobs to do, and still have the freedom to travel where ever they wish to go.  They get to taste the raw sweetness (nectar) of life.
• Bees have always been in service to the natural world.  In doing the work of the hive, they work for Mother Nature (Creator) and, through this, find ways to be in service to mankind.  This is the ultimate way to grow spiritually -  to “bee” in service to all parts of the Earth.
• Bees are peace-loving, despite our reputation as aggressive that comes from our Africanized bee cousins.  If you do not threaten the hive, you will be left alone.  We wish that mankind understood the idea of “leaving alone” much better than their actions are showing.  Now, it seems whatever mankind sees, he wants to disturb by redesigning, moving, digging, or covering up.
• A hive has a natural order of interconnectedness.  This type of communication did exist between animals and mankind.  Perhaps it will come back before mankind totally disappears.

Then Bee buzzed off.

Many Blessings,

Judy 

About Marmot

One of the reasons that I love going to the mountains is to see the animals, especially the marmot.  

Marmot’s make a high pitched whistle to alert their family that an intruder is in the area.  Dogs counted as intruders!  Humans, on the other hand, were seen as a great source of food.

I think our Ancestors must have seen these little guys as miniature beavers.  They must have been surprised to have these furry little mountain ambassadors come to the camps to check out the food supply.  Marmots are very curious!

We noticed that Marmot acted like a gardener for Mother Nature.  They dug tunnels and brought up fresh soil that enriched the top soil which looked depleted from heavy snow falls and lush vegetation.  Marmot moved rocks around, and picked up small pieces of paper, stashing them we know not where – caretaking the park site.

For me, Marmot is an example of Oneness working.  She looks after the environment around here in harmony with the mountains, trees, vegetation, other animals, and, yes, people.  She is cheerful and funny.  She provides a sense of the elemental relationship of interdependent ecosystems.  She forgives us our humanness.  She remains with the mountain after we leave.

Many blessings,

Judy

When You Slip In The Mud

Picture from an email from a friend

Slipping in the mud is common, especially after heavy rains.    Does it have any meaning?  Yes, it does!

The blending of water (emotions) with the earth (materiality) is the physical manifestation of transition from one place to a next.  If you have ever fallen into mud, you know that you must wash it off.  You then go from dirty to clean, which shows the next step in the process – transformation.

We have been taught through science that all life was born out of the oceans washing up to the shore and creating mud.  Life literally crawled out of the mud to get to dry land.  This means that mud may also symbolize birthing.  If you fall in the mud, and get up, is it because you have this great idea that requires birthing?

People who are ungrounded, or flighty, will often have a “muddy” experience to remind the to get grounded.  The first warning of the need to be grounded is usually spilling water on the ground, and the formation of mud at one’s feet.  

What if you are out hiking and you get stuck in the mud?  This may be a physical reflection of being stuck in one area of your life – perhaps job, career, family, or even feeling stuck about what direction your life generally should go.  A clue about direction can usually be found in the geographic area that your mudslide occurred in.  

Let’s talk about mud slide.  The last several years there have been an extraordinary number (by my standards) of mudslides around the world.   Just as falling in mud or slipping in mud represents an issue for an individual, the mudslide represents an issue for a wider population.  Some of the issues:

• stuck in the old way of doing things – now is the time to let go.
• what you are doing and saying has no grounds – so the ground is swept away from you.
• so you think that you are morally or economically higher or better than others – let’s change that thought right now and sweep everything you have away from you.
• you think that you are beyond the basics – well, if your shelter and food are gone than you move right back to basics.  Maybe you can do it better this time!

Mud has a lot of lessons to teach.  Perhaps you will watch who plays in the mud, and who doesn’t with more interest.

Many blessings,

Judy

Eagle Says Remember!

I was having really strange dreams!  One that I remember occurred and  I could not focus in on the message in the dream, and everything felt slightly wrong.  

Then, my dream scape shifted.  I was walking with my sister.  I looked up, and there was this large Eagle sitting in a tree slightly ahead of us, and up on a branch.  She looked at me and said, “Remember!”  

I remembered that Eagle is about seeing the bigger picture.  She is about looking at beginnings and endings.  I know too that she is about riding the currents and finding a way to stay aloft without doing much work. 

At that moment, she jumped off the branch, and caught a current and soared up into the air.  Then she dived down towards me.  I stuck out my arm in case she wanted to land on it.  Instead, just above my arm, she swooped back up into the air.

She went so high that I thought she might disappear.  Then, she came floating down, as the wind caught her wings.  It made me remember that we do not need to be in control of things.  We can let them happen, in the easiest manner possible.

I woke up with a lighter heart.

Many blessings,

Judy

It is About Singing Your Song

The other day, while shopping, I heard a three year old singing the most delightful little song.  Her mother quietened her by saying, “No one wants to hear you sing!”  The little girl was crushed!  Then, the two were lost in the crowd.

Years ago when I had a consulting business, I had an unconscious habit of humming while I worked.  The consultants and staff would ask me to stop because they could not concentrate.  Fair enough!  I stopped humming.  Now, I only hum and sing if I am completely by myself.  

I wonder how many of us have lost our voice along our journey because others hushed us.  The strange thing is that music and song are made to be shared.  

I hope that you sing and hum, and add a little dance to your music!  I will listen.

Many blessings,

Judy

The Story of Otter Saving The Animals

One of my young friends loves otters!  She identifies with their swimming, their playfulness, and their resourcefulness.

She wanted to know an old story of the otters.  The following Cree legend is for her.

*****

As the story is told, in the days when the earth was new and there were no men but only animals, the sun was far away in the sky. It was so far away that there was no summer. It was so far away that the trees and the grasses did not grow as they should. 

He-Who-Made-the-Animals saw how it was that there was not enough sun to heat the earth, and so he fashioned a snare. The Sun did not see the snare in his path, walked into the snare, and the snare held him fast. 

Then the sun was close to the earth. In fact, the snare held the sun so close to the earth that there was no night. Day after day the sun shown and the earth dried and the grasses withered. There was not enough food or water for the animals and they desperately called a council. 

"Sun," the animals said, "You give too much heat to the earth." 

"Set me free from this snare" the Sun said, "and I will go away." 

"But if you go away, then there will not be enough heat." 

"Set me free," the Sun said, "and I will come to the edge of the earth in the morning and in the evening; then at noon-time I will stand straight above the earth and warm it then." 

The animals sat around the council fire and they said, "Who is going to set the sun free?" 

"I shall not do it," Wildcat said. "Whoever sets the sun free must go so close to the sun that he will be burned to death." 

Lynx said, "Whoever sets the sun free must chew the leather thong that holds him; the sun will burn him to death before he can do it." 

"I shall not do it," said the deer, the wolf and the raccoon. 

"I shall do it," Otter said. "How can you do it?" said the animals. "You are too small, your teeth are for fish, and your fur has already burned away." None of the other animals liked the otter because he played too much. They did not think he was brave. 

"Let him try," Bear said. "He will burn to death, but we will not miss him. He is of no use to us. He looks silly now that his fur is gone." The animals laughed. 

Ignoring the taunts, the otter set off to the place in the sky above the earth where the sun was held by the snare. Otter took many days to get to the sun. The sun burned him. The sun was so bright, Otter had to close his eyes. When he reached the sun, Otter began to chew on the leather thong that held the sun. His skin was burning and blistering, his eyes were hot stones. But Otter did not stop chewing. 

Suddenly he chewed through the leather. The animals saw the sun rise into the sky. The animals felt the cool winds begin to blow on the earth. Otter had freed the sun from the snare. 
Time passed. Otter lay in the center of the council ring. There was no fur at all left on his body. His skin was burned and scorched and his flesh was falling off his bones. His teeth were only blackened stumps. 

He-Who-Made-the-Animals also stood in the center of the council ring. "Otter," he said, "the animals will not forget what you have done for them. I will see that they do not forget," and he gave Otter new strong teeth, tireless muscles, keen eyesight, and a powerful tail to help him in his hunting and in his play. He did not have to give him bravery. But he gave him new fine fur that was like down on his skin, and a second coat of fur to guard the first so that he would not get cold in water or in winter. Then he gave him joy so that he would always be happy in his otter's life, and Otter has so remained until this day.

Many blessings,

Judy