Spirit Asks, "Kindness Or Not?"

 

The poster says, Choose Kindness

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion."     -Dalai Lama

This is a time for being kind!  There are many changes happening on the Earth.  Great floods are reclaiming the lands that have once been stolen from the oceans.  People are isolated by governments.  Life is not political unless someone makes it so.  Life is about developing a system of cooperation that provides the best solution for the band, tribe, pack, or flock.  This means that the greatest good is the best solution; the agenda of the individual politicians only serves self and not the community.

Blessings to all,

Creator

Now is the time of community.  In community we show kindness to others.  We offer food, with kindness.  We heal others and instead of allowing ego to rise in us, we show humility.  We acknowledge that there are huge changes taking place that will forever change the landscape of the Earth and the pedigree of humans.  We see the abundance and know that it is meant for everyone, not just those with power or who can create fear in others.  We are changing.  And, we are grateful!

Thankfully,

The People

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Blessings,

Judy

Happy Thanksgiving on November 28 2024

To my friends and blog readers in the United States, “Happy Thanksgiving!”.  These are my wishes for you on this day.

On this special day, I wish to each of you, 

All the best of everything!

May each of you have much abundance in your life.

May each of you feel laughter and have fun.

May each of you connect with all your loved ones.

And, may each of you find the time to say a prayer 

for all those who do not have anything.

May Great Spirit smile upon each of you today.

Blessings,

Judy

Buddha Says Keep The Heart Pure

 

Not to commit evil, but to practice all good, and to keep the heart pure: This is the teaching of the Buddha.

“To keep the heart pure” means to try to keep the mind uncluttered. It does not mean that we are saintly. It means that we are reasonably aware, reasonably caring, open to ourselves and to others, and not influenced by hatred, greed, or delusion. – Martine Batchelor, "The Precepts: A Special Practice Section"

I read this passage the other day, and I was struck by the simplicity of living that this bit of wisdom crafts for us.  I wonder how this teaching, now nearly 5000 years old, could be replaced by a belief in Christianity and Muslim, which seem to cause great violence to other humans. 

I wondered how these faiths only in existence for about 2000 years, could arise.   As I was sitting in meditation, the simple answer came to me – they arose because the true teachings which supported the teachings of Buddha for different geographical regions, were pushed aside because of the individual’s need for power and to support their hatred and greed.  This thought was so powerful that I nearly fell off my meditation cushion.  And, it made me sad – very sad.

May we all find that place in ourselves to be kind and carrying, and beyond the passions of hatred, and greed.  May delusion be released as we shed our ego.

Blessings,

Judy

Elementals Speak - Fir, Spruce, And Pine - The Christmas Trees

 It is soon time to begin looking at Christmas trees.  The Elementals shake with frustration when their beloved trees are mistakenly identified as pine, when they should be fir, or as spruce when they should be pine.  So, the Elementals asked me to give a brief lesson in how to tell the trees apart.  And, yes, they are all EVERGREENS, remember, however, that calling a tree an evergreen is like calling you a human instead of using your name.

A Guide To Recognizing Christmas Trees

 

Look for the number of needles that come out of the same spot on a twig. If a twig bears needles in groups of two, three, or five, you can safely call it a pine.

Pine Tree Branch

If the twig carries its needles singly, it’s a good bet you’ve got a fir or a spruce. If the needle has four sides and, thus, rolls easily between your fingers, it’s a spruce.

Spruce Tree Branch

Pull off a needle, and roll it between your fingers. If it feels flat and doesn’t roll easily, it’s a fir.

Fir Tree Branches

Note:  This information on the trees comes from www.finegardening.com.  I am grateful for their informative site.

Blessings,

Judy

Coyote Plays

 

Coyote has many personas in many belief systems.  In North America, Coyote is seen as a trickster.  In other places, Coyote is the messenger from the gods.  Still others think that Coyote is a special guide that warns you when trouble is coming, and tells you to beware.

Coyote comes in today to tell everyone to play more.  Her observation is that humans are too serious and that humans miss all the possibilities to increase their productivity and creativity. 

Her message is that you do not need to play for a long period of time; you just need to play to relax your focus so that you can let go of the tunnel vision that plagues many people.

Coyote says that by looking at things with a fresh eye, you can tell whether you need to be in service to the situation, or to offer a prayer for the situation, or, even whether you should be doing some soul searching around the situation.  Nature creates events to allow us to grow.

Blessings,

Judy

Wild Rice Soup Recipe From Our Ancestors

A while ago, we had friends over for a pot luck gathering.  I made several things.  However one of the favourite “eats” was this wild rice soup.  Several people said that they would serve it for Christmas, if I would share the recipe.  Some of us plan our Christmas menu ahead of time, and like to test the results before the big day.  Here is the Wild Rice Soup recipe.

  

Wild Rice Soup 

8-10 Servings 

Wild rice was, for hundreds of years, one of the -main food sources for the Indians of Minnesota. It is a large reed-like grass and grows in three to four feet of water. This grass, with its long sweeping flower cluster on top, sometimes grows eight to ten feet tall.

Ingrediants

1/2 cup wild rice ( I used ¾ of a cup of wild rice)
1 pound bacon (I left out all the bacon and drippings and added 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil.)

3 tablespoons bacon drippings (Leave out for vegetarian soup)

1 cup finely chopped celery 
1 cup finely chopped onion 

¾ cup finely chopped red pepper
2 14¹/2-ounce cans (ready to serve) chicken broth (I used 7 cups of distilled water and a 2 vegetarian broth cubes)

2 white potatoes, cubed
2 10³/4-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted 

Variations:

Add grated carrot, or green onions, or finely chopped leek, or finely chopped mushrooms.

Wash wild rice. Boil rice for 15 minutes and drain; set aside. If you use the bacon, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and discard all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings. Sauté celery, onion and green pepper or whatever veggies that you use either in the drippings, or in olive oil, until onion is transparent. Put in a large kettle and add rice, broth, mushrooms, soup and diced bacon. Cook on low heat for 1 to 3 hours.  (I find that 3 hours gives it the best flavour.)  Do not add salt.

Blessings,

Judy

Spirit Says “Play Well!”

The word of the day is “PLAY”.  Play with friends.  Play an instrument.  Jump, walk, bike, run, jog, or play with the dog.   Let yourself go and be relaxed.  You are now off duty.  In playing, you learn about yourself.  It is time to do more learning.

Things to ask yourself:

• When is the last time you laughed out loud?
• When is the last time that your body felt totally relaxed and refreshed from sleep?
• When did you simply go and have fun with your family or friends WITHOUT an agenda?
• When did you last do something for you?

Blessings,

Judy