The Meditating Monk and Fear

 Picture of Buddha comes from an email so origin is not known.

One of the hardest things that I have found is the process of letting go of fear.  From the time that we are very young, we are conditioned to the idea of fear, and that we must fear anything that is different or unknown.  Perhaps, because of that conditioning, I have gone out of my way to meet, head on, what it is I fear.  I often wondered if I just had a streak of recklessness in me –which was the consensus of my parents – or whether I was legitimately moving forward on my journey.  

This train of thought has been a source of many meditations and contemplations for me.  I wonder if I am able to overcome all fear.  Then I remembered the teaching about the spider.   

I went through my notes, and found that I actually wrote about this  last year – April 13th.  Here is the story.

A Tibetan story tells of a meditation student who, while meditating in his room, believed he saw a spider descending in front of him. Each day the menacing creature returned, growing larger and larger each time. So frightened was the student, that he went to his teacher to report his dilemma. He said he planned to place a knife in his lap during meditation, so when the spider appeared he would kill it. The teacher advised him against this plan. Instead, he suggested, bring a piece of chalk to meditation, and when the spider appeared, mark an "X" on its belly. Then report back.

The student returned to his meditation. When the spider again appeared, he resisted the urge to attack it, and instead did just what the master suggested. When he later reported back to the master, the teacher told him to lift up his shirt and look at his own belly. There was the "X".

Because this is coming up for me again, in the spring, almost a year later, I feel that I need to do some karma clearing around belief systems connected to fear.  

I am off to do that now.   Have a wonderful day!

Many blessings,

Judy

Rosemary Footbath to Treat Feet Abused from Marching or Long Walks

After Marching - Rosemary Footbath

"Rosemary in bloom" - from Wikipedia

I love using Rosemary in cooking, especially with wild meat such as venison.  However, I was blown away when I was reading how our Ancestors treated badly mistreated feet after days of marching  - they used a ROSEMARY FOOTBATH.

The recipe for this is quite simple:

1 handful of rosemary (1/2 cup)    1 cup boiling water

Add rosemary to boiling water to make an infusion.  Let sit for 25 minutes.  Strain the rosemary out of the water, and add the strained water to a tub of lukewarm water.  Soak feet for at least 15 minutes.  Do this twice per week to alleviate sweaty feet and the resulting blisters.  This also kills the bacteria that cause sweaty feet.

Let me know how this recipe works for you!

Many blessings,

Judy

Working Within the Chaos

 

Astrologers tell us that we have just entered a time of chaos, as Mercury moves into retrograde.  Although it is nice to have someone confirm that the energy is chaotic, we all are aware of the energies that move from high to low, and then across the board, pulling emotions, and causing euphoria and despair.

Our Ancestors left us stories of times of chaos, and how these times turned people angry.  These were the dark times, when people turned against one another simply for spite and to show some sort of power.  It was a time when innocents were hurt.

We are heading into a time like this again – and we have felt it coming.  We see the storms in the skies causing rain and snow in unusual amounts and in unusual places.  In other places, unusual heat and drought is occurring.  

Archangels and Ascended Masters speak for Great Spirit and tell us to find a port that we can weather out the storm.  If you need to be in the chaos, call on an Archangel or Ascended Master to help you move through it, and to protect you.

The Earth changes in the forms of earthquakes and whirlpools and large, open cracks in the earth tell us that the very base of our life is also going through changes.  

The task that we have at this time is to work within the chaos to create havens of peace.  This means a place where you feel safe and protected, and where you will allow others to come and be protected.  IT is a time to remember to work at NOT arguing with people – simply do what you must.

Many blessings,

Judy

February 1 2024 - Signalling The Change of Seasons

After a long span of winter with cold temperatures and lots of snow, all of us in the North look to February to signal a change in the weather.  The first really warm rays of sun hit us and we feel better for the sun on our face.

February is a time of Peacefulness when we know that the worst of the weather is most often behind us and we start looking at our seed catalogues for ideas for the garden and for the flower beds.

It is a time where it is easy to close your eyes and sink into peaceful meditation as you contemplate the beauty of Nature.  An easy mantra to use is:

            Nature surrounds me and protects me.

            Nature heals me.

            Nature supports me to be me!

Blessings.

Judy

Chipmunk Shivers

The Chipmunk looked cold.  In fact, I wondered if it was frozen, it seemed so still.  I didn’t know we had any chipmunks in the park.  I thought we had only squirrels, gophers, and voles.  I saw it shiver.  I saw it hold up one paw to keep the cold off it for a moment.  I wondered if the Eagle would see it, and eat it.  I saw it shiver again.  And then I seemed hear it’s teeth chatter, and the thought, “I wish I could go back to where I was”.  Then suddenly, the Chipmunk was gone!  There was a little dent in the snow where its body had been.  I looked around to see where the tracks led to, without success.  Chipmunk shivered away.

Blessings,

Judy

Buffalo Kin

Buffalo is unique in its shape – a massive hump over its shoulders, and a very thick skull and mane that protects the head from attack.  The hind end is not so protected.  Therefore, as a defense stance, Buffalo will gather in a circle, with their heads out and their hindquarters in.  This allows them to protect themselves and each other.  

If you doubted that we, humans, are related to buffalo, then look at the idea of Buffalo gathering in a circle.  So have humans gathered over time.  Our Ancestors held the circle sacred, as does Buffalo.  In fact, Buffalo will put the young in the center of the circle to protect them as well.

Buffalo kin show us that we need to protect our young, while at the same time training them to survive on their own.  We do not know how to do this anymore, it seems.  Buffalo comes forward now to remind us that the strength of our children is dependent on the strength that we have to teach them what is needed.  We have to do better at teaching than we have in the past.

Many blessings,

Judy

A New Time For Being Human

 

It is not enough to be able to drop your body
as easily as a bathrobe, take flight like the eagle,
enter the hollow hills, talk with angels, and
dance among the stars.

We must make the return.

We must live in this world and be gardens
for the dreams that want to take root in it.
~ Robert Moss, Dreaming True ~

The winter has dragged on, and on.  And, it feels like it is birthing something new for us.  It feels like we are moving from a time of density to a time of lightness, on all levels – the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

I know that I am changing.  I can feel it in my body and my head.  I feel the expansion in my heart.  An expansion that tells me to look at the other parts of the story when I am upset at something that I judge to be an injustice or a hurt or a problem.  And, my body relaxes.  

I love this quote from Robert Moss’s work.  He says that as much as we’d like to be elsewhere, we must be here – present and contributing – to this life.  It is what we make it.

Many blessings,

Judy