Spirit Speaks - Growing

Life is always about change.  Remembering that it is only the future that you can change is an excellent practice to prevent you from becoming frustrated and bitter.

So many people live in the past, and do the "If only…" over and over.  This stunts their growth because they block themselves from changing.

You know what it is like to be stuck – in the mud with a car, with a broken bicycle chain several miles from home, in a subway car that has stopped, and so on.

Being stuck is frustrating because one feels helpless.  Being helpless means depending on someone else.  There is a lesson in depending upon a professional to help you move forward.  Think about the lesson.

Does the lesson fit you?

Namaste.

Angels Speak - Don't Be Ridiculous

We are not always correct in our thoughts and actions.  Sometimes, we have very high and extremely unachievable expectations.

Sometimes, we behave and speak in ridiculous ways.  We lose our credibility when we do that.  We can however, redeem ourselves if we simply say that we have been ridiculous.

Namaste.

Spirit Speaks–Peacefulness

 

The past several weeks have been filled with all sorts of news broadcasts about earthquakes, snow storms, tornadoes, and flooding.  Where there is no precipitation, the news is about drought.  How wonderful it would be if there was peacefulness.

Right now, so many would like to have peace.  Peace means no worries about anything.  How nice it would be to feel as though the world was peaceful.  This means that all have enough to eat, all have a home and clothes to wear, and there is no thought of war.

How nice it would be to be peaceful.

Namaste.

Angels Speak - Go With The Flow

It is interesting that as we move through the world, how anxious we become.  Anxiety is part of stress, and we all know about stress and what it does to our bodies.

Finding ways to go with the flow help us to keep our emotions and mental state at an even keel.  When we are in balance, we are wiser and more apt to find quick solutions to problems.

It is difficult to be in the flow all the time.  It takes a mindful attitude and a continuous watching of our actions. 

• Relax.
• Let it come.
• Breathe calm.
• Allow space and time.

Namaste.

Spirit Speaks - Rules For Life

I cannot tell you how many times people have said to me that life does not come with a manual.  That is true.  Trying to provide a manual for lives that are continually changing in a world environment that constantly changes is a very large challenge.  Even software that changes every six months is having a hard time keeping their manuals updated!

The poster at the top of this post does provide some thoughtful insight into living life.  Some of the sayings we may want to term as folklore or as old wives' tales.  Though the sayings are simple, they have withstood time, and in fact, are proof that they still are true.

My favourite saying is "What other people think of you is none of your business!" 

What is your favourite saying?

Namaste

Spirit Speaks - Moving on From People

 

Sometimes, people you know and have shared time with, drop you.  They ignore you when they see you.  They do not return phone calls. And, they may even be rude if you approach them.  You have not done anything that you know of to upset them or to make them hostile.  What is going on?

Sometimes, on our journey, we meet people that we like and who like us.  They are on the same wave length and have the same interests.   Then something shifts for us.  We grow spiritually, mentally, or emotionally.  Suddenly, we are not the same person to those around us.  We have changed.  Usually the change is seen in a negative context.  And, our friends turn on us, and drop us.

Because we have shifted energies or frequencies, even if we kept them as a friend, we would not be happy with them because they will frustrate us with their world view.  It really is better simply to let them go.

Namaste.

Spirit Speaks - Your Destiny is In Your Memories

Who do you share memories with?  Is it your brothers and sisters?  Perhaps your best friend?  Maybe it is cousins or neighbours, and now perhaps your spouse and/or children. 

It seems funny that if we stroll through our memories that we can "see" how our forward path was shaped, and we can see why we are at the place that we are now.  While this may sound cryptic, what I am saying is that if we knew how to read the steps into the future, we would know what our future will be.

Things that seemed uneventful take on a new meaning in a "life in review" moment.  You see that that event was the hinge that opened the door to something new and fantastic. 

What were some of the big moments in your life?

Namaste.

Spirit Speaks–The Meaning of Fear

A friend sent me this poster.  I think it is brilliant!  It shows us that everything has at least two meanings, and probably more, depending on your view point.

When we are in FEAR, we forget the logical and the positive.  We fall into the conditioning that when fear strikes us, that the worst will happen.  We struggle to breathe and to stay in control.  We most often fail.  We choose to let fear overwhelm us.

Fear comes from that little part of us that does not believe in our own worth.  Fear comes from years of people (parents, siblings, peers) putting us down or "be-little-ing" us.

We are are more than the labels that people assign to us.  We all have courage.  We get up and do things every day. What flavour of fear will you choose today?

Namaste

Buddha Speaks - Dealing with Anxiety

 

I read the following on the OSHO website… http://www.osho.com/meditate/more-meditations/meditation-of-the-week/feeling-anxious-be-alert.

This is a wonderful teaching and you can finish it by going to the above link.

FEELING ANXIOUS? BE ALERT!

When you feel anxious, anxiety-ridden, what is one to do? What do you ordinarily do when anxiety is there? You try to solve it. You try alternatives, and you get more and more into it. You will create a bigger mess because anxiety cannot be solved through thinking. It cannot be dissolved through thinking because thinking itself is a sort of anxiety.

This technique says don’t do anything with anxiety. Just be alert!

I will tell you one old anecdote about Bokuju, another Zen master. He lived alone in a cave, but during the day, or even in the night, he would sometimes say loudly, “Bokuju” – his own name, and then he would say, “Yes, I am here.” And no one else was there.
Then his disciples used to ask him, “Why are you calling ‘Bokuju’, your own name, and then saying, ‘Yes sir, I am here’?”
He said, “Whenever I get into thinking, I have to remember to be alert, and so I call my own name, ‘Bokuju.’ The moment I call ‘Bokuju’ and I say, ‘Yes sir, I am here,’ the thinking, the anxiety disappears.”

Then, in his last days, for two or three years, he never called “Bokuju,” his name, and never had to reply, “Yes sir, I am here.”
The disciples asked, “Master, now you never do this.”
So he said, “But now Bokuju is always there. He is always there, and there is no need. Before I used to miss him. Sometimes the anxiety would take me, cloud me all over, and Bokuju was not there. So I had to remember ‘Bokuju,’ and the anxiety would disappear....”

Read more on the Osho site.

Namaste.

Buddha Speaks - Anger

 

Yes, people get angry.  Even you and me.  Anger can be triggered by someone being mean, being a bully, or by someone belittling us.  It comes from a feeling of injustice or imbalance.

We feel ANGRY because we feel life is unfair,"they" get special treatment, "they" are lucky, or special, and the list goes on.  Really, we get angry because our Ego jumps in and says we have been wronged.

We need to let anger go.  It is difficult.  However you would like to release anger, begin with, "I release the anger, resentment and regrets….", and your world will be changed.

Namaste

A Prayer To Buddha For the Ancestors

 

Fig 1 Picture of Buddha is from an email that I received

 

A Prayer for Ancestors throughout the Generations

By Venerable Master Hsing Yun

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
We would like to express to you
Our gratitude to our relatives and
Ask blessings for them throughout the generations:
We attribute our ability to live and work
In peace and contentment now
To the diligence and efforts of our relatives
Throughout the generations.
They left abundant fortunes for us
So that we can live a civilized life;
They established fine lives for us
So that we can enjoy a life of convenience.

For the happiness of future generations,
Some toiled as pioneers to cultivate the land, and
Some fought bloody battles to resist foreign aggression.
For the future of their descendant,
Some migrated overseas to toil and strive, and
Some devoted all their efforts to create and invent.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Although our ancestors are gone,
Their example remains before our eyes.
We are willing to take as a model our ancestors’ virtue of benefiting others;
We are willing to learn from our ancestors’ example of solidarity;
We are willing to inherit our ancestors’ model of determination;
We are willing to accept our ancestors’ teachings and admonitions.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
In order to expand the boundaries and territory of our nation,
Our ancestors continuously fought battles everywhere;
In order to increase wealth,
Our ancestors continuously toiled.
All their past actions
Whether merits or mistakes,
Were intended for the good of future generations
Their bounty is higher than mountains and deeper than oceans.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Please allow us to pray and repent for them;
Please allow us to pray for them to transcend suffering in future lives;
Please allow us to take refuge in the Triple Gem on their behalf;
Please allow us to ask for forgiveness on their behalf.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
May those who were in the lower realms of transmigration,
Be reborn as heavenly and human beings,
And hear the superior, wonderful music of the higher realms;
May those who were in the heavenly and human realms
Be able to take refuge and believe in the Triple Gem,
And never regress or become idle.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
Among our ancestors throughout the generations,
Some were unfortunate and died in despondency;
Some suffered injustice and died bearing resentment;
Some had talent but no opportunity to use it
And were disappointed all their lives;
Some endured natural and manmade calamities
And were separated from their spouses and children.

We pray to you, Buddha, to bless and protect them:
May they understand the cause and effect of karmic retribution from the three time periods of past, present, and future;
May they understand the right way of putting an end to karma according to circumstances;
May they transcend suffering in their future lives;
May their spirit attain purification.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha!
How fortune we are to have you to rely upon today.
We are also willing to take our ancestors’ virtues as a model
To benefit and aid future generations.

Oh Buddha! Please bless and support us:
We are willing to avoid evil
And to do good;
We are willing to purify our intentions
And become models for future generations;
We are willing to contribute our strength
And serve the masses;
We are willing to benefit all human beings
And not waste this life.

Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept our sincerest prayer!
Oh great, compassionate Buddha,
Please accept our sincerest prayer!

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha.

I found this prayer to be peaceful and focused.  It comes from the website below:

 https://prayersmantrasspirituallyrics.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/prayers-for-ancestors/

Namaste

Spirit Animal - Robin Sings

The Robins returned to our yard and each morning, at about 4:20 AM, they begin singing and sending cheer throughout our yard and surrounding neighbor yards.  Much like the Monks who rise at 4 AM to chant in the day, Robin's music meditation lifts your spirits and lets your imagination soar. 

Robin, legends say, is celebrating that it could steal a fire ember and bring fire to earth.  In the process, its breast feathers were scorched red and its head was blackened with smoke and soot.  So, Robin sings of bravery and of going beyond your self.

Namaste.

Nature Speaks–Seaweed

Funny how humans call things that they do not understand "weeds".  Most of the vegetation on the earth and the ocean is plentiful for a reason.  Yet, they are called weeds.  Sea grasses and plants are part of the cleansing cycle of the ocean.  The plants filter out minerals that humans need to maintain their health.

The people of the coasts and islands have used seaweed for food for thousands of years.  Health gurus talk about the benefits of eating different seaweed such as:

• high protein
• high mineral content
• antiviral and antibacterial

Feeling blue, and lack of energy?  Maybe seaweed will help restore you. 

Note that before changing your eating habits or exercise routines, you should check in with your doctor to see what his/her take on your new regime will be.

Namaste.

Spirit Speaks–Abundance #2

 

Fig 1 – Source unknown

Wanting things and needing things are two separate states of being.  Many of us want things that we do not really need; the item simply feeds our ego.

Abundance is having what you need to keep clothes on your back, have a good roof over your head, and to have some food left over to share with others.

Living life simply does give one abundance without much effort.  Being mindful of the work that one does, and the benefits of the work help achieve a spiritual state.  Abundance follows.  Meditating on life and spirit will also move one forward on the path to abundance.

Note that abundance is not about greed – lusting after things or more of things that you do not need.

Namaste

Spirit Speaks - On Achieving, Abundance, and Blessings

 

Fig 1 – Abundance from www.confident-with-money.com

It seems that achieving does not bring abundance by itself.  To prove the point, ask those Olympic athletes that achieved big but did not get endorsements or create their own products.

Wayne Dyer's quote sums up that abundance is an energy that we need to tap into.  If you can find that energy vibration, then you will be set.  Finding the energy stream is challenging.  Most find it when they align their everyday physical life with a steady  practice of spiritual growth.  There are many ways to do this – find one that suits you.

I found this Abundance meditation from Karen Salmansohn. You can see her website on the bottom of the poster.

Fig. 2 – Written by Karen Salmansohn

Namaste

Spirit Animal–Rattlesnake On Healing

Fig 1 – Rattlesnake – Source unknown

Rattlesnake visited to talk about healing.  He said that rattlesnakes do not get sick.  He believes that it is because they eat healthy, natural food, and they eat sparingly.  Rattlesnake commented that although humans are very procreative, humans are not all that healthy. 

Rattlesnake says to go out and get fresh air.  Sit in the sun.  Stretch your jaw.  Eat fresh and not processed/packaged foods that have preservatives as part of the ingredients.

If you want to see more on Rattlesnake, refer to the blog below.

Spirit Animal – Rattlesnake

Namaste

Nature Speaks- Bringing in April 2016

Fig 1 – preparing the garden, source unknown

The turning of the seasons is something that I look forward to because it tells me that there are cycles. If there are cycles in one place, there will be cycles in other parts of our life. 

An interesting  exercise is to sit down, with no distractions, and list out the major events in your life, with the month and the year, to see if you can identify any cycles in your life.

Back to Nature – the message from Nature and from Mother Earth is that it is time to be responsible for your own food.  You can source it from farmers/farmer's markets, or, you can grow your own in pots. 

Herbs are easy to grow indoors. Use the herbs in all your cooking, and dry some to make tea.  Blend the dry herbs for different teas.

Here is a great tea recipe from Http://studiobotanica.com/power-packed-teas-for-winter.

Cold Care Tea

Calendula flowers
Sage leaves
Hibiscus flowers
Elderflowers

HOW TO MAKE:

• Place a pinch of each into a glass jar. Boil water. Add water to the jar.
• Place lid on the jar.
• Allow to steep 8-10 minutes.
• Add a little herb-infused honey

The best part about this tea is that you can grow these plants in your house, on your balcony in pots, or in your garden.  Our ancestors had two gardens – one for vegetables and one for herbs.  The herbs were the medicine, and they were gathered frequently.

Namaste.