Sunday 20 February 2022

A Change In Sleeping Patterns In The Last Several Months

 

                                                           Picture from unsplash.com

A strange thing is happening in North America to our adult sleep cycle.  Many, many people are saying that they are having two sleeps a night or one short sleep one night with a long sleep the next night, repeatedly. In the last three weeks, I have talked to family and friends and acquaintances that are all puzzling about why their sleep pattern is changing.

Our Ancestors went to sleep pretty much when the sun went down.  After sleeping for about four hours, they would wake up, have some water and something to eat and do something creative like reading/studying, writing, drawing, thinking, carving, baking, dancing, sewing, knitting, mending things, tending to animals, praying/being spiritual, and even watching the sky.  Then, they headed off to bed and slept until dawn or just past dawn, averaging about eight hours a night.  

This form of sleeping helped the Ancestors process food as they ate later and helped them have time to digest both the meal and the events of the day and plan for the next day. This sleep pattern helped them to be more alert, active, and spiritual.  Sleeping like this may have kept them healthier.

Compare the Ancestor’s sleep to the sleep many in North America have.  People eat late, drink late, work late, and sleep little.  In the past, I have heard so many folks describe sleep as a waste of time.  Lots of successful people talk about how little sleep they need.

The question then is - “Why is our sleep pattern suddenly changing?”  I think that there are multiple reasons that the sleep patterns are changing for many of us.

  • The isolation that most of went through the last two years because of the pandemic has caused us to rest more and I think that most of us are now caught up on sleep. As we merge back into a more mainstream style of working, our body/mind does not want to lose the creativity that we acquired during the pandemic so our brain creates a space for us to be creative.
  • There is a rising awareness of the Earth and our connection to it - a view fostered by great advocates like National Geographic and wise and dedicated environmentalists like Jane Goodall.  Being awake for several hours during the night helps us feel the connection to the Earth because it is so quiet.
  • The time that we are awake at night and processing and asking “why” is allowing us to connect and understand ideas bigger than ourselves.  We are actually becoming more spiritual (not religious).
I am sure that there are many other reasons.  Share them if you have some insight.  Meanwhile….

Many Blessings.















Thursday 17 February 2022

Spirit Animal - Swans Speak

 


It seems that every Monday, when I walk my dog with my friends, we see a flock of twelve swans fly over us.  First, that the swans stay here in the winter is remarkable.  Second, the energy of their flight washes over us and even the dogs get excited.

What is the message that these beautiful birds are bringing to us? The most important message is that you need to acknowledge the true beauty of self and to awaken that inner power of self.  Other aspects are:

  • Honour your emotions and the emotions of others
  • Honour the ancient and the rituals
  • Look to new adventures and new spirituality
  • Look at the swan as a totem for the mystic and the dreamer

Many blessings









Monday 14 February 2022

Happy Valentine’s Day 2022!

 

                                       Poster from a collection of images from timesnownews.com

Valentine’s Day!  The day that we are encouraged, especially commercially, to express our feelings of love to our family, friends, and special someone.

My wish for you this Valentine’s Day is to find time to live life and find love where ever you can.  I wish that you find time to be kind, to be filled with loving kindness, and express love/compassion for someone who needs a show of kindness.  May your spirit be loving every day!

Many Blessings.









Friday 11 February 2022

Ancestors Speak - The Power of Persistence

                                     Picture from J Hirst -taken of Elbow Falls in August 2021


Our Ancestors have some powerful parables about taking action.  Parables are stories that become sayings overtime.  One of the sayings is that expending big energy is like a torrent of water bursting down a mountain.  It has power for a very short period of time.  When energy is managed, it has sustaining power just like the constant gentle wash of water down a mountain side. The gentle wash eventually will wear down the mountain.

In life, we will do tasks with short but large bursts of energy that play us out and may even stop us from doing much for a day or two.  If we use our energy wisely and manage our energy, we are like the gentle wash of water that will have staying power and help us to whittle our way through many tasks.

Many Blessings.










Monday 7 February 2022

Angels Speak - Keep Your Inner Peace!

 



I was in a situation yesterday where I was getting so upset with a family in a grocery store.  Normally, the grocery store is a soothing place with quiet music and staff that sometimes break into song. The family - Mom, Dad, and two kids about six and eight - were very loud and argued about everything.  Both parents were obviously not in a happy frame of mind and both parents were being very vocal and demeaning to their children.  

I was about to say something, if only for my peace, when my inner guidance - my angels speaking - reminded me to stay calm and peaceful and to project the calmness and the peacefulness to the family.  I took several deep breaths in and closed my eyes and strove to find the peacefulness I normally carry around with me.  I breathed it in and out.  I projected the peacefulness to all those around me.  I focused on walking in a sunny meadow.  I concentrated on my walk in the store.

Suddenly, I realized that it was much quieter in the store.  Perhaps the family left.  However, when I rounded into the next aisle, there was the family.  They were much quieter and looked more pleasant. Whatever calmed them was a welcome relief.

I realized then, how quickly a strongly negative influence like the unhappy family, could throw those around them into a more negative space.  Rotten apples in a barrel effect, it seemed.  I also realized that we all have to work at overpowering the negative with a positive influence.

Perhaps you will have the chance today to send peace and tranquility to someone who is unhappy.

Many blessings.



















Friday 4 February 2022

Why Gratitude?


If you are a participant in many of the spiritual conferences and podcasts that are currently available online, you will notice that all of them mention the power of gratitude.  For the record, www.vocabulary.com has a great definition of gratitude.

Gratitude means thanks and appreciation. ... Gratitude, which rhymes with "attitude," comes from the Latin word gratus, which means "thankful, pleasing." When you feel gratitude, you're pleased by what someone did for you and also pleased by the results. Unlike indebtedness, you're not anxious about having to pay it back.
Knowing how to feel grateful and how to practice gratitude is a gift from Great Spirit.  Buddhists say that in order to feel compassion, one must know how to feel gratitude and to express gratitude.

One of my teachers explained to me that gratitude is a special wave of energy that spirals to the heart of the Universe.  The Universe feels the joyful news and grace within the gratitude.  This wave of energy is like a magic wand that waves abundance to the one that expresses gratitude.

May you have a ton of gratefulness today!

Many Blessings.