Themes of Humanity

A while ago, I was reading the fascinating book "MYSTICAL TRAVELER: How to Advance to a Higher Level of Spirituality" by Sylvia Browne.  In it she discusses that there are forty-seven themes that classify the human  experience experience.  Themes, remember from high school English, are the major topics or qualities or characteristics of a story.  With that in mind, think of each human then, as a "story", and you will see why this intrigues me.

Shaman are teachers and we teach our protégées that when a person comes to us with a story, and wanting our sympathy and support, that we, the Shaman, should ask the question, "What is really going on here, and what is the story behind the story?"  It seems that the story behind the story is actually another story that that human came to Earth to experience.  We need to look at the “theme” of the individual and reason for coming to Earth.

Ms. Browne has presented the themes in alphabetical order. I am presenting a broad over view of the information. Her first several themes include:

1.  Activator - focuses on achieving a goal that others ahead of her have not completed...

2.  Aesthetic Pursuits - driven by an innate talent, the individual is a slave to the passion that drives them.  An example of an individual that seemed to exemplify this theme would be Beethoven. 

3.  Analyzers - those that pay very close attention to all detail, and need to know why something works the way it does.  Scientists fall under this category.

I could go on about each theme...however, that would spoil the read for you.  

Just to satisfy your curiosity, give the book a read!

Blessings,

Judy

When Badger Appears to You

Badger in an inquisitive moment! Courtesy Microsoft clipart.

 

Did you know that badgers are by nature very playful? This trait is because Badger is part of the same family as otters (very playful!), ferrets (also playful) and weasels. Most of us though, tend to think of badger as grumpy and perpetually fierce. Most of what we know comes from Britain where they have lived forever, and are one of the favoured animals of the Green Man - keeper of the forest and all things wild. 

Badger may be solitary or may live in clans of up to about a dozen members. They are very family oriented and will stop at nothing to protect their mates and their young. Badger's courage is widely admired as it has been known to fight wolves, bears and man, and send them all fleeing. For this reason, many European coats of arms feature badger as a prominent insignia - to show stamina and courage. In tribal cultures, the badger skin was a worn as a head dress to show that the chief or warrior was strong and full of courage, just like a badger. Indeed the black stripes on the badgers head, around the eyes is reminiscent of war paint used from the time of the ancients. 

When Badger appears in your life, you may be sure that it is now time to put fear aside, and to take the step beyond compromise. Badger encourages you to stand your ground, to be firm in your boundaries, to speak your truth and stand in your power, and to disregard what others may think or feel about what you are doing. Be sure that when Badger appears you are in a place where all you love is being or going to be challenged. She says that you must fight now or risk losing all forever.

Blessings,

Judy

Ostrich - A Spirit Animal

This wonderful picture of a giraffe and an ostrich having a chat, came in a slide show in an email. I don't know who to give photo credit to, however, Bravo! for a great picture.

Ostrich walks the Mother Earth because it cannot fly. It therefore, must gather all of its wisdom from the Earth. By walking all the time, Ostrich is totally grounded even though its neck, which is about truth and spiritual truth, is very long and reaches to the Heavens to bring down Divine information, just as Giraffe does. Ostrich has very large eyes and tends to appear dreamy and unfocused, often fooling those who would steal up on it kill it for its skin and feathers. Ostrich will either flee on its incredibly long, speedy legs, or will turn and fight with death dealing kicks. The very young birds or injured birds camouflage by lying flat on the ground and burying their heads in the sand.

If Ostrich appears to you, it brings messages such as: 

-check to see if you are grounded, and if not, walk the Earth with bare feet, if possible.

-are you too dreamy with your thoughts and eyes sky ward instead of paying attention to what is around you on the Earth?

-is it time to be a little less visible? Have you been attracting those energies that do not agree with you?

-do you need to take a look at those around you to determine if they are true friends? Perhaps it is time to “kick” some of them out of your space.

-is it time to work on your clairvoyance so that you truly “see” what is really going on around you?

Ostrich feathers have long been considered a valuable possession. The feathers are used by the Egyptian Goddesses, especially the Goddess Maat, to symbolize truth and justice. If Ostrich is appearing to you now, perhaps it is time to take a look at any injustices you are feeling around you. Are you the cause or the recipient of injustice? Perhaps it is time to let truth prevail.

May you see each moment clearly!

Blessings,

Judy

Celebrating Winter Solstice On Dec 10 2023

 

Picture credit to my brother.

Some folks have asked how we celebrate Winter Solstice.  Each year it is slightly different.  This year, I was guided to have our celebration early because of the weather ahead so we scheduled for the 10th of December.  Winter Solstice is about the shortest day and the longest night.  By having our celebration on the Sunday, 11 days early, we had a bit more daylight and we started early…at 4 PM. 

We have a group - our tribe - that comes to our meditations and celebrations.  Including my husband and me, we had 17 people in front of the fire.  Yes, we have a fire to light the way and to carry away all that we throw to it.

Our steps for the evening included:

1. Smudging everyone
2. Drumming
3. Welcome and quick overview of what will be happening
4. Opening Sacred Space
5. The theme
6. Breathing exercise to support the theme
7. Meeting the guides for this evening
8. Several quick meditations
9. Sharing Circle
10. Closing Sacred Space

The experiences that folks had were amazing!  It was fun for all of us.  The evening helped to wipe out some anxiety and restore balance.  The energy was so high!  It all felt right.

Blessings,

Judy

The Tree Of Life Explained in Lakota Terms

The CHA WAKAN card - Tree of Life, #32, from The Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards by Chief Archie Fire Lame Deer and Helene Sarkis

In many traditions, the TREE OF LIFE is recognized - for all people see the tree as having roots buried deep in Mother Earth, and branches reaching up to Great Spirit, and Father Sky.  

The Lakota say that the humans are like leaves - when we become a certain age, or ripeness, we leave this plane and go into the Spirit World.   We die, our bodies go to the Earth, like the leaves from the tree.

The guidance on this card is one that is timely, as we move towards Christmas, a time that is very stressful for many people who either visit family or have family stay with them. 

"Open your heart to all your brothers and your sisters and to all of creation, relinquishing your judgements and expectations (of yourself and others).  Allow all our relations to be exactly who they are; accept all that you are."

If you feel the need to judge or criticize someone tomorrow, stop and ask yourself  - "Why does this bother me so much?"  For, often what bothers us in others is what we can not deal with in ourselves.  If we can identify why it bothers us, we are on the path to releasing that issue, like the tree releases the leaves.  When we release something that has bothered us for ages, we feel a deep stillness and peace.  The Shaman says that one must continually work on themselves-- if you believe that you have dealt with an issue and yet you remember it, then the issue is not solved.  Work towards Oneness and Peace!

Be compassionate...

Many Blessings,

Judy

Moose Is An Ancient Four Legged One

 

Moose in the snow from a set of winter pictures of Jasper, Alberta

As we approach Christmas, notice that in many yards in Calgary, and I am sure elsewhere, there are stunning light displays of a moose.  Some are large while others are small.  Since moose often comes to the city and hangs out along the river in Fish Creek Park.  Moose seems to represent the wildness and ruggedness of the West.  Here is a bit about this huge animal.

Moose are one of the more ancient four legged ones. In Alberta, we see them in the foothills, in wooded areas, and sometimes even along the rivers in the city. Moose was named from the Algonquin word “Moz” which roughly means stick or twig eater. Moose are totally herbivores and may eat up to 112 pounds of food per day in the summertime as the winter time is almost a time of fasting for them. Their great size – averaging six and a half feet at the shoulder, and one thousand pounds – makes sustenance a full time occupation. Their colouring allows them to blend into the bush, grass and water that are their habitat. Moose runs at about twenty-eight miles per hour, and swims quite rapidly as well. Even with its huge antlers which may weigh seventy-five pounds, the bull moose will move silently through the forest, and will appear invisible as well. When we do see Moose, it is so powerful a presence, one cannot help but feel a sense of the majestic force of Nature.

Our Ancestors have many legends surrounding Moose. Some are that those born with Moose’s shape – long legs and arms – will have Moose’s ability to connect with the higher realms. Moose’s gifts – presence and invisibility are also the message to those Moose appears to. Moose says to go and do what ever your journey is without drawing attention to yourself. If Moose has antlers, the message is to open up the crown chakra and connect to the universal consciousness and connect with the Heavens and Mother Earth and understand that balance is required. Moose reminds you that you do have great wisdom and that the wisdom is to be shared discretely; and that one should not be troubled by the garbled advice from those around them.

Moose’s habitat in summer is water. Here, Moose pulls up the tenderest shoots of marine plants, and feasts on the water lily, a brilliant yellow flower. This is a reminder that one must constantly plunge the depths of emotion to find the true moments of love and swallow them whole to incorporate them into one’s being, for love is the one true thing. All other emotion must be examined, and blessed and released to prevent this density from holding one back from growing into their full power.

Blessings,

Judy

What About Cardinal?

Picture of "Cardinal" from Wikipedia....

 

As I was writing Christmas cards, I noticed how many of the cards have a picture of the "Cardinal" on them.  I looked at the cards I had accumulated and realized that I had not really bought a box of cards on birds.  Yet, several cards in a row were showing me Cardinal.  Therefore, there must be a message for me.

First, the brilliant red Cardinal is usually found in through Ontario, Quebec, and some of the Maritimes, and then down into Maine and the eastern States.  In western Canada, the Cedar Waxwing is more orangey-red than red in colour.  When the early explorers and settlers saw this bird, the crest reminded the people of the red robes of Catholic Cardinals, hence the name.  Cardinal, then, does have significance for people on either a religious or spiritual journey - and often the two are exclusive of each other.  

My task is to figure out what Cardinal was trying to say to me.  The colours of Cardinal - black and red - are about the base chakra, and a reminder to be more in touch with Mother Earth and to stay grounded.  The base chakra is about survival - having food and shelter and feeling secure from harm - the very issues that our Ancestors faced when they ventured out from their cave or their village.  Cardinal is very much about survival and she knows which seeds to eat, summer or winter, that will benefit her.  At this time of year when over indulgence may become a habit, Cardinal reminds us to eat healthily and to avoid harmful foods.  I paid close attention to this information about food and eating because we have many social eating situations over the next several weeks.

Cardinal has a very high, loud whistle that echoes through the air.  Cardinal may be singing to its mate - male and female sound alike.  The message is to integrate our masculine and feminine traits and then use the combined skills of intuition and logic to achieve a very large goal.  Only by moving forward with our being totally integrated will we achieve the steps on our life mission.  This message is especially true for me right now as I am working on new workshop materials. I see the message that my communication must also be loud and clear!

As the colour of Cardinal is red, one often associates attributes of life with the colour.  So, Cardinal's message in this area is to live with assertiveness, courage, and to be pioneering in the areas of work/hobby that one does.  Cardinal may also imply that one is insecure, or fearful, or even self pitying or a victim, and urges the individual to be more like Cardinal - full of fun and life.

Again the message of courage and pioneering struck a chord with me as I am working on several things that go beyond the information that I have learned, and synthesizes ideas into something more - in fact, being a pioneer.  That message of pioneering felt good and right, and was affirming the steps that I am taking.  I am grateful for the message.

Blessings,

Judy