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

Daily Necessities

A Statue of the Buddha in Tawang Gompa, India  From Wikipedia

 

 

 

I enjoy the teachings of Buddha and all of the various advices from Buddhist teachers.... the following daily advice is something that "zinged" through me and made me feel like I had discovered a hunk of gold in a cold stream.  

Tips & pointers for building a spiritual life from scratch 

Pray 
Meditate 
Be aware/Stay awake 
Bow 
Practise yoga 
Feel 
Chant and sing 
Breathe and smile 
Relax/Enjoy/Laugh/Play 
Create/Envision 
Let Go/Forgive/Accept 
Walk/Exercise/Move 
Work/Serve/Contribute 
Listen/Learn/Enquire 
Consider/Reflect 
Cultivate oneself/Enhance competencies 
Cultivate contentment 
Cultivate flexibility 
Cultivate friendship and collaboration 
Lighten up 
Celebrate and appreciate 
Dream 
Give thanks 
Evolve 
Love 
Share/Give/Receive 
Walk softly/Live gently 
Expand/Radiate/Dissolve 
Simplify 
Surrender/Trust 
Be born anew 
~~~~~from Awakening The Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das

Feel the peace and enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,

Judy

About Death

Picture from a site called Legacy.com.  

Earlier this year, my mother-in-law passed away and then I found this beautiful poem that describes how death looks....Right now the world is looking at death almost daily and it seems that this poem fits for that as well.....

DEATH IS NOTHING

Death is nothing at all, 
I have only slipped away into the next room. 
Whatever we were to each, that we are still. 
Call me by my old familiar name. 
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. 
Laugh as we always laughed 
at the little jokes we enjoyed together. 
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me. 
Let my name be the household word it always was. 
Let it be spoken without effort. 
Life means all that it ever meant. 
It is the same as it ever was; 
there is absolutely unbroken continuity. 
Why should I be out of your mind 
because I am out of your sight? 
I am but waiting for you, for an interval, 
somewhere very near just around the corner... 
All is well. Nothing is past, nothing is lost. 
One brief moment and all will be as it was before, 
only better, infinitely happier 
and forever we will be one together.  

~~~Henry Scott Holland (1847-1918)~~~~

May all in your life be gentle!

Blessings,

Judy

Dragon is a Spirit Animal

Dragon image from fantasygalleryart.com/library. Picture by Ciruelo.

 

 

 

 

As I was wrapping Christmas presents, I watched/listened to Dragonheart, one of my all time happy movies.  So, I thought that I would talk about dragons.

What does Dragon mean to any of us?  Wikipedia has a wonderful list of general characteristics of a dragon which it draws from many cultures.  It says:

"There are many kinds of dragons in the different cultures. In general:

• A dragon is usually big and impressive 
• A dragon has: none to four legs, claws, scales and possibly spikes. Optional wings 
• A dragon perhaps looks like a snake with wings, or like lizards 
• A dragon has a tail and a long neck. 
• A dragon has a wide mouth with big and dangerous teeth 
• Sometimes they have horns and hair. 
• A dragon can fly 
• A dragon can perhaps breathe fire (or other dangerous substances). 
• A dragon has special powers. 
• A dragon could have flight sacs full of hydrogen and methane, that not only help it to fly, but also to breathe fire.  - from simple.wikipedia.org/dragon "

The article clearly states that the dragon is mythical, and yet, here are some well known characteristics, and a picture to prove the traits.  We humans have a great love affair with Dragon.

When protégées take the rites of the Munay-Ki, the Third Rite, the Harmony Rite, provides the protégée with a "serpent" in the base chakra.  The archetype of serpent may be either a dragon or a lizard or snake.  Many protégées tell of receiving a black or red or blue or multi-coloured dragon as their first archetype.

What message does Dragon bring?  Dragon is about  being in integrity, about being a healer, about walking softly on this earth.  Each of these aspects of Dragon speak to us about being able to walk and talk our truth, and healing those around us.  The "walk softly" means that we need to stop leaving our footprints of destruction of nature on this Earth.  

Ancestors tell us that Dragon was one of the original earthly guardians of all things.  When Man advanced, Dragon believed that it could retire to another realm because Man would care for the world.  Dragon had taught its knowledge to Shaman, Wise Men and Wise Women.

If Dragon appears, she is telling you to remember that YOU must care for the Earth and help restore it to health.

Many blessings,

Judy

Tumeric Root

A picture of the Turmeric Root  from www.chinesemedicinenews.com

Cold and flu and covid!  How do we stay healthy and strong?  One of the oldest solutions to fighting disease is to eat or drink food with tumeric in it. Here is what you need to know.

 ""Turmeric has strong antioxidant activity. It is more potent than either vitamin C or vitamin E. In the body these important disease-fighting substances mop up unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals that can otherwise damage cells and cause diseases such as cancer. One component, dimethylbenzyl alcohol, normalizes cholesterol in the blood, while curcumin removes accumulation of cholesterol in the liver. Turmeric normalizes arterial health. Turmeric is also called for when indigestion, gas, and eliminatory issues imbalance the body.   From http://www.bellybytes.com/nourish/turmeric_root.html""

  After reading the information above, it is easier to understand what our Ancestors wanted to do with  roots and creating medicine from combinations of food.  Yogis and herbalists have worked to create many recipes that both balance the ACIDIC/ALKALINE levels in our body as well as working to provide good nutrition.  

Other properties of Turmeric are that it lubricates joints, cleanses the skin, cleanses the mucous membranes and cleanses the female reproductive organs. Yogis advise that Turmeric lubricates the spine and helps break up calcium deposits.  One of the drinks that Yogis recommend is "Golden Milk".

Golden Milk Recipe

1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon Turmeric       1/3 cup of water

8 ounces of milk, dairy or non dairy,  1 teaspoon almond oil and honey to taste

Boil Turmeric and water for about 8 minutes.  If water boils away, add more water.  Add milk and almond oil.  When mixture boils, remove from heat and add honey.  Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups of Golden Milk. 

(from Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, written by Shakta Kaur Khalsa).

Blessings,

Judy

A Lonely Crow - Spirit Animal

Picture of 
"Crow In Flight" from Wikipedia

 

We are at the time of year when all of the crows should have flown south - from Alberta - for the winter.  So, I was surprised to see one lonely crow in the park woods on my walk the other morning.  I know it was a crow because of the distinctive "caw" noise.  Thinking about the scene, I then began to wonder if I had actually seen the crow or whether it was a Spirit Crow that was there as the woods were eerily quiet.

Crow makes a wide range of noises, and it is possible to learn their language in our rather primitive human way.  Sometimes the sounds are about danger, others about gossip and where the food is, or where there are other animals that may present some fun! The shiny blackness of Crow's feathers remind us that absolute blackness is the chaos that we - the cosmos - was born out of. And, Crow represents the magic that is present during the day. (Appropriate for me in the woods.) 

What messages does Crow bring?  Messages that really need to be reflected upon.  Here are some of them.

a)   Crow likes to be very high up to observe and watch for danger.  If you see Crow, and she is cawing at you, perhaps you need to be warned of danger ahead.

b)  Crow likes to gather with other crows.  Some liken this to a Council.  Perhaps it is time to turn to your Council of Twelve for guidance.

c)  Various legends of the Gods and Goddesses tell of their use of Crows as spies because Crow has an inherent knowledge of truth.  If Crow appears, it may be that she is saying that you need to look beyond the apparent for the actual Truth.  Shaman say that you need to look for the story behind the story.  

d) Crow therefore is also about integrity.  Is there something that is challenging your truth and integrity?  Do you need to be diligent or discerning in your association with others?

As I look at my Crow experience, I realize that my  message came from Great Spirit, and that Crow was there to remind me that there is much beyond what we know, and that I need to turn more to guidance from Great Spirit, Ancestors, and my Council of Twelve.   I will be spending more time in mediation!

Blessings,

Judy

Winter Solstice is Thu, Dec 21, 2023, 8:27 p.m

"Winter Sanctuary"   © S. Roger Joyeux, used with permission.

A tradition we have every year is to participate in a Winter Solstice Celebration – whether we attend one or host one.  Here is some information about Winter Solstice.

On the longest night of the year, December 21st, we celebrate an ancient celebration, often called "Yule".  This is the Winter Solstice celebration that honours the long night, and welcomes the Mother Goddess to give birth to her child, the SUN. From this day, the daylight hours will grow longer, as Sun matures.  We celebrate Yule by lighting a big bonfire to welcome the light, and by burning Yule logs (pine logs) to honour the birth of something new.  At the sametime, we set our intentions because Winter Solstice is a magical season . . . one that marks the journey from this year to the next, journeys of the spirit from one world to the next, and the magic of birth, death, and rebirth.  We ask to shed that which no longer serves us, set our vision of what we desire for the next year, and take the winter to dream it into being.  We also give wishes to loved ones, to ensure the blessing on our visions.  We take our vision of what we will become and offer this to the Goddess for a blessing. As well, we offer gratitude for what we have and gift good wishes to others. 

In Sweden, The Goddess Lucina is known as the Sun Goddess. The people celebrate the return of the Sun Goddess on the day of the year when the night is the longest. By giving her this adoration, the next day, there will be an increase in daylight signalling something new! Lucina gives birth to the young Sun who will grow in strength to be able to nourish the Spring and the Summer so the world may flourish. Lucina asked the people to create joyfulness by decorating evergreens, the tree of life and death, which are sacred to her. As well, she asked them to put up holly, which is the symbol of rebirth (abundance and prosperity for the year). Mistletoe, also sacred to her, is the symbol of peace. The decorating of pine trees and the hanging of holly and mistletoe are traditions that originated with the Goddess Lucina.

That tradition was passed down to me by my Grandmother. When I was little, my Grandmother, who was Swedish and Norwegian, always sent a big box of presents at Christmas time on the years they did not come to visit. In the box would be several branches of Holly and a sprig or two of Mistletoe, to wish our family prosperity and peacefulness for the upcoming year.  Grandpa grew mistletoe and holly as part of his flower garden so Grandma sent a link from their house to ours. 

Note that the picture of holly comes from http://www.trainingreference.co.uk/ . We are grateful for their help.

We wish you all to have a branch of holly and a sprig of mistletoe!

Happy Winter and many blessings,

Judy