How We Treat The Earth

All around North America, we have been hearing about the journey of the young Greta Thunberg from Sweden, the environmental activist.  She seems to speak of caring for the earth, the environment, and about accepting responsibility for keeping the environment safe and pristine. 

It seems so amazing that people will listen to a young woman from another country about the same beliefs that indigenous peoples have always held.  In many cases, towns or cities or counties will often listen to expertise or advice from away rather than listening to those folks at home.  The belief being that one of our own cannot possibly know what is right.  

When we walk on the Earth, we know what feels right and wrong about it.  We know from looking at pictures that open pit mining creates drastic consequences for down the road.  We know that over cutting of trees will cause land slides and possibly mud slides.  We know that diesel emissions in cities can kill plants and trees, and that it hurts peoples' lungs.

What will you do to help the environment?

Blessings.

Keeping a Warm, Loving Feeling

In many ways, Nature reflects how we are feeling.  When we feel dismal, the sky is grey and cloudy.  When we feel very emotional, rain may very well be falling outside.  When we are filled with warm, loving thoughts, then often, the sun shines and life is beautiful!

How does this work?  Well, part of it is that we all create our own reality.  And part of the occurrence is that others are often feeling the way that we do.  You might say that we all create our own reality together.

The challenge becomes how to continue to feel warm and loving when others do not feel that way.  How do we stay Buddha-like?  One of the easiest ways to stay in that space of harmony is to be in the present moment - to leave the past behind, and to not think or worry about tomorrow, or next week.   Do not listen to the "what if..." statements that start to grow in your mind.  Send them away, and continue on, thinking of the warmth and brightness and lightness.  It works!

Blessings.

Making Choices

Every so often it seems that we come to a fork in the path that we are on, and we need to make a choice.  I had that happen to me this month.  I needed to make a choice about whether I continue to blog, or not.  I am making a choice to blog, for the time being, and I will see where it leads me.

I want to thank those of you that sent me emails, asking where my regular blog post was.  You helped me see beyond myself.  Thank you.

May each of you have a wonderful upcoming week.

Blessings.

Recipe - Cinnamon Paleo Zucchini Bread

I love zucchini bread and this recipe provides a full bodied taste experience that is marvelous.  Try it!

Cinnamon Paleo Zucchini Bread  

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
6-8servings	15minutes	60minutes

Ingredients 3 large Eggs 3 large ripe zucchini shredded 1 1/2 tbsp almond extract 1 cup Coconut Sugar 1/2 cup organic coconut oil melted 1/4 tsp himalayan sea salt 1/2 tbsp Baking Soda 1 tsp gluten-free (aluminum-free) baking powder 2 1/2 cups almond flour 1/2 cup Coconut Flour 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp all spice 1/4 tsp fresh lemon zest 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl; beat eggs until they are fluffy. Add zucchini, almond extract and coconut sugar; mix well. Slowly add coconut oil and continue to mix.
3. Sift coconut flour; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, all spice, lemon zest and sunflower seeds; mix well to combine, then add the dry ingredients to the wet egg mixture. Stir well until wet and dry mixtures are combined and there are no lumps in the batter.
4. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan; bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until bread is set. Check the doneness by inserting a toothpick after 50 minutes to see if the inside is cooked completely.
5. Set aside to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
6. Serve warm, or cold with butter.  Yum.

Blessings.

Snow in the Mountains

Sometimes, it seems like Autumn and Winter are mixed up in September and October and November.  We are getting snow that seems impossible to have at this time of year.  

As I think about it, the snow signals a time of hibernation and rest.  Perhaps we all need to rest more and this is Nature's way of asking us to stay put.  When we rest or are at rest, we are more open to picking up the vibrations of life around us.  We "hear" in our bodies, the messages from the Universe.  

Many people are telling me that they wake up about 3:45 am and cannot go back to sleep.  3:45 am is the best time to be in meditation because there is the least amount of interference in that time zone.  By 4:30 to 5:00 am, people are up and moving, especially if they have a long commute.  Tim's and Starbucks are open to help commuters with a large coffee and some food.  Everything is in motion. 

Try getting up and just sitting and being quiet.  See what happens.

Blessings. 

The Best Advice - From a Pumpkin!

As September draws to a close, all of the crops and the garden bounty are gathered in and canned or processed to the necessary food.  Growing our own food used to be a necessity or we would starve.  Now, with large corporations handling most of the food, our food comes to us in cans, packages or frozen.  Nutrition is dropping off and people's weight is increasing.  

The vegetables in the garden have the right idea about life.  See the pumpkin poster at the top of this blog.

Blessings.

Spirit Animal - Rattlesnake Visit

Rattlesnake appeared in my dreams, in the articles that I was reading, and in the news.  Rattlesnake does not appear often to anyone as generally, she is a quiet reserved being that prefers to stay hidden.

The messages that she is bringing seem like they are a message for everyone:

• Watch your step four months as what ever you step into may cause you grief, much like stepping on a rattlesnake.

• Find a way to test the waters of whatever endeavor that you are going to undertake in the near future.  Snakes use their tongue and their senses to test whether an environment is safe for them, or not.

• As you look at Rattlesnake, see how she is camouflaged.  There is not anything flamboyant about her appearance.  She does not go out of her way to draw attention to herself.  Practice the "blending in" strategy of Rattlesnake and you will learn what you need to know and to do.

To see more about Rattlesnake, see the blog noted below.

Spirit Animal – Rattlesnake

Blessings.

Fall Conference at the Questers

Title -    Raise Your Vibration at the Questers Fall Conference

Questers and Others Looking to Raise their Vibration:

The Questers Fall Conference is coming up on October 4, 5, and 6th.  You still have time to register and attend the conference.

Click on https://questers.ca/conferences/fall-conference/ to see the line up and to register.

All My Relations

In the last year, we are reading all sorts of stories about animals coming into the city/town/village and interacting with humans on a surprisingly frequent basis.

The animals seem to be invading the space that humans occupy because for centuries, humans have been invading the animals space.  When the animals show up - raccoons, skunks, porcupines, bobcats, cougars, bears, deer, elk, etc. the people call them "nuisances" and demand that "somebody" get rid of the "critters".  Perhaps that is what they do when their relatives visit.  

Many blessings.

Fall Equinox 2019

Fall Equinox in our area always signals that winter is right around the corner.  The day signals even shorter daylight and longer night.  It is the quarter turning of the Earth.  For many, it is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the harvest.  When so many live in the cities now, the celebration of the harvesting of good, nourishing, natural food is not practiced.  For city dwellers, it is like giving thanks to Superstore or other grocery chain.

We have lost much of the art of celebrating the passage of one season to another.  A passing season is a big event - much like a birthday.  It is a time of contemplation, wild celebration, and fantastic food all rolled into one day.  Even going outside and standing on a balcony or going to a park to give thanks to Nature and the beings that care for all things in Nature is a great way to celebrate Fall Equinox.

If you want to say words as part of your celebration, try these three lines:

We give thanks for the harvest.
We give thanks for abundance
We give thanks for the blessings in our lives through the year. 

Many blessings. 

Life Purpose

Clients always ask me, "What is my life purpose?  I know I have one.  I just don't know what it is!"

My response is always - you need to become the best person that you can be and to share that with the Universe.

The poster above is a different take on life.  I like it!  "Make your heartbeat match the beat of the Universe."  Or, learn to go with the flow of the Universe.  Beat as one.  What an exciting life goal to have!

It is hard, however to be in step with Nature.  It is not our nature to move easily and freely with the weather and with the seasons.  We want to be in control.  No one really knows why.  

Today, listen to the heartbeat of the Universe.

Blessings 

Releasing the Past to Move Forward

There is a saying that goes "You cannot see forward by looking into the rear view mirror".  So often when you talk to different people, you hear about all the things that happened to them in the past.  You hear about their victim hood. You hear about:

• how my father or mother or family member beat me or ridiculed me
• how a parent or both parents died so I had no guidance
• how I left school because the teachers picked on me or did not understand me or stopped me from learning
• how I don't have a job because my employer does not appreciate me

As long as the individual hangs on to the belief or grievance, they will stay stuck.

Do not let them drag you into their rut.

Blessings.

Can You Be Like A Tree?

Trees provide beauty for us on this Earth.  So we landscape our yards and our cities and our parks with them.  Yet alone, untended, they provide shelter, oxygen, and life as they stand in the forests on a mountain or in other inaccessible areas.  

It saddens me that the Amazon Forest is burning.  And then I remember that sometimes things need to be destroyed before they can be renewed to a next evolution.  Trees, like humans are evolving as all of the beings on planet Earth are evolving.

We need to remember that we are not Creator but we are Caretakers of ourselves and those beings around us whether human or tree or other.  We are like the tree.

Blessings.

The Beauty of Rain

The last several days it has rained and rained off and on.  Sometimes it spits, and sometimes it pours.  The beauty of the rain is the intensity and the gentleness that it moves between.  The beauty of the rain is the way it acts like a curtain and eventually parts to allow the Sun to shine on the Earth.  The beauty is how it nourishes us all.  

Rain carries down oxygen to the earth to provide life.  It cleanses and eases and offers hope for all life.  There is nothing like walking in the rain.  It offers a healing like no other.  Take some time to walk in the rain.

Blessings,

Managing Anger

It is a bright and lovely day.  You are enjoying the sun and the feeling and glad to be alive.  Then, someone rains on your parade!  They pick a fight by insulting you or your family, or arguing with something you said, or, they just come and dump on you for no apparent reason.  When that happens, we get angry!

When we get angry, we are seeing ourselves as the victim.  When someone argues with you or dumps on you, recognize that it is their problem, not yours.  You do not need to accept what they say.  You are your own person.

Blessings,

Where Do I Find Peace?

When I was looking for peace today, I went to the riverside.

I could not walk across; it was far too wide.

I watched the water flow and swirl around the rocks and trees.

It seemed the water was so free to travel as it pleases.

For all the action as it moved, the water seems at peace.

It has no home, no job, no friends, no child, no niece.

It has no ties or commitments besides

Being a home for many and the food it provides.

Perhaps the river is much busier than I know.

Perhaps the peacefulness comes from going with the flow!

Blessings.

Summer Memories

This is a picture of the overflow ditch in Fish Creek Park.  Mother Duck and her babies are happily swimming and catching bugs, and eating stuff.

Summer is wonderful, because, in the North, the days are still quite long, sunny, and even very hot. 

As we move into fall, we have already had frost warnings in different parts of the province, and, northern British Columbia, snow.  Forget the cold and snow for the moment and remember -  Going out into Nature is the way to refresh your soul.

Blessings.

Dealing With "Stuff"

IT is coming up to September and it seems like there is so much 'stuff' to deal with.  There are two kinds of stuff - all the physical things like possessions and the 'stuff' you need to keep your house running, and, the mental/emotional stuff which is usually a lot of drama.

Dealing with stuff causes stress, makes us lose sleep, makes us cranky (moody, irritable), and causes us to lose perspective.  We tend to become the victim in the drama.

So, let it go!  Walk it out.  Run it out.  Meditate it out.  Write it out.  Talk it out.  Do all of these things.  Writing it out will often start the door opening to let you release the 'stuff' that is driving you crazy.  You can even blog it!

Blessings,

Back Blogging!

Life is wonderful!  I have someone that took over blogging for me for Questers.ca and I now have some time to get back to my own blog posts.

I am back!

So many happy, sad, wonderful, disheartening, and strange things have happened over the past six months.  I will have lots of stuff to write about going forward. 

I still will not turn on the comments because of all of the weird stuff that is hitting the blog email.  Sorry folk!  Perhaps I can turn the comments back on in a month or so.

Stay tuned.

Many blessings.

Blog Comments

After promising to leave the blog open for comments, I now find that I must close the comments.  I am getting an extraordinary amount of spam comments mail.

I apologize to those of you who wish to comment and who wish to post legitimate stories. 

Stay well and stay adventuresome.

Blessings,

Judith