My Cuddle Bug

Through the years I've loved many fur paws and held them as they passed over that rainbow. There were rescued mutts, german shepherds, rottweiler mix, a tiny poodle mix, and now a sheltie and golden retriever. The cats were mostly grey ones except my Simba - a yellow boy with a golden heart. Today it's Tommy, another grey kitty.

As a youngster, I wanted a german shepherd in the worst kind of way. I think it was Rin Tin Tin from the famous TV show that captured me. Someone got me a big overstuffed german shepherd pillow that I cuddled with and dreamed of my first dog. Soon I was gifted a big german shepherd I called Laddy. But it was short lived. My dad said he got loose and ran away. Years later I learned he had killed all the neighbors chickens and could not stay.

There were so many sweet friends who deserve their own stories but I never had a bigger cuddle bug than this Golden Angel. She fills my days with humor and is a great companion. Sure glad she came into my life.

Truth - Ways of Knowing

Listening to and reading a wide variety of books and teachings has led me to the conclusion that truth is known in many ways. There are different ways of knowing but truth is truth. 

My spiritual journey is so very fun. Opening to the universe (God if you like) brings all kinds of teachings of enlightenment. Everything is spiritual. The way we work. The way we cook and eat. The way we interact. What we buy. How we think. How we act in every way. Everything is spiritual.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is full of teaching of the natural world and our relationship to it. She often talks about "different ways of knowing" as she is native American and also a professor of botany. Interacting with the scientific community, she found herself educating them about a different way of knowing.

I've listened to youtube speakers about a variety of ways: teachings of RA, the law of attraction, Buddhist teachings, The Power of Now. All have common truths.

My favorite is the Tao of Pooh! For fun, months ago I began listening to Winnie the Pooh books on YouTube and loved them. Laughed and laughed and believe adults get more from them than children. Then up popped the Tao of Pooh.

This book (on YouTube video as an audio book)  is a beginners introduction to the Tao through the eyes of Pooh and friends. Having just listened to the old books, and having an interest in the Tao, this was very fun. When in China, I visited a Taoist temple and found it fascinating.

While I have leaned heavily Buddhist (my sister say Buddhao-Christian), I'm finding the Tao may be closer to my core beliefs. 

Ultimately, truth is truth. There is just one source of truth. There are simply different teachers who have different ways of knowing. If we are truly seeking the light and it is connecting us to our source (the Creator), it is simply truth no matter where it is revealed. And we will know it. Truth connects and heals. False truth divides and destroys. The way is PEACE and LOVE.

So, may the light of truth be with you. Honor how you know it is.

Finding Truth

We cannot discover truth by looking "out there" and speculating.  We discover truth when we quiet the mind, body and spirit and LISTEN. Truth comes from the creator who is the source of truth.

We discover truth in peace and love. The creator is the source of peace and love. This is the source of all power. Once we discover this truth, from the creator, we become creators of peace and love AND the fruit is joy.

It isn't always easy because those around you will point in other directions and want you to follow down their rabbit hole. They may dodge and weave and kick up dust trying to take you off course while clouding your vision. 

Do not despair. Stop. Return to your source of truth. Quiet the mind, body and spirit. Listen. Allow the creator to cover you in grace and provide the shield of peace and love. Joy will follow. As you practice and distance from the ways of this world, you will grow stronger. 

The seekers of truth around you will then see too. Not out of speculation, but of revelation that can only come from the source of creation. The same source from which you create JOY.

Truth is an inside job.

An Altar of Love

 

Symbols

Symbols are important. This represents my spiritual symbols to help my body, mind and spirit focus and heal. On the mantel are personal reminders of connections to the past and present that will carry me into the future. 

An angel reminds me that someone is watching over me and the picture at the other end is one of those angels. The storm lantern reminds me that those angels have lit a path for me and do still. The little lamp is unlit, ready for service when needed. These storms will be smaller. 

The Aladdin's lamp represents the magic of life and granting of miracles. People of miraculous! Life is full of miracles. That is why that lantern burns too.

The candles are my prayers. They are carried through those above and remind me of the connection to all that was - all that is - and all that will be.

These are my altar. I light the candles with love for you and for me.

"We don't know what we don't know."

This has probably floated around in my subconscious many, many years. Maybe it floated to my conscious at other times but it has now zoomed forefront to become a NOW mantra. We have all heard that we need to listen more but there is something else I'm questioning. How do we open our hearts, minds and ears to move from not knowing to knowing because we don't know to know we should? Maybe we should just know. Know that we should, I mean.

It might be, as my sister Laurie says, "A Buddhao-Christian" thing. She didn't tell me how to spell it.

How do we listen and not know what we are listening for? Scripture says to be still. Buddha says to be still. And many other teachings have said the same.

These past few years have set us all off balance in varied ways - often imposing stillness on us when we have been unprepared. We are forced to discover a new normal - Ours and learning everyone elses while we are not necessarily aware of their similar challenges. In some cases we don't share the same amount of time - personally, professionally, socially, community, leisure time, fun stuff - that we could before.

Relationships are new - even ones we have had a long time. We cope differently and see different things in one another. We have fresh eyes. We did not know, what we did not know. And we still do not know what we do not know.

For me, it is very spiritual but everything in life is spiritual. It's all connected as I am to you and you to me. 

The Oddness of Time

 It's that time of year again when we change our clocks and get all discombobulated. Some of us will have a very difficult time adjusting and miss things for a few days not knowing what time it really may be. Some clocks in our house may be off and some not.

The odd part is, the time really has not changed. It is our reference to it that has changed. 

Our reference to time can be messed up in many ways. And the last few years have forced a lot of that on the entire world keeping us off balance. The 2020 shutdowns, remote working, kids remote learning and quarantines shook our time references. Days could easily run together without markers to help distinguish the passage of time. 2021 has been difficult as well as we tried to return to "normalcy" and rediscover our routines.

Changing jobs, changing shifts, retiring, going on vacation, and sickness can jar us in much the same way. Having visitors, people staying in our home, new neighbors and even just a rain or snow day rock routines a bit.

So as we change clock time again, be easy on one another about the adjustment. This year might be a little harder for some. Shine some light!

Where is Captain Kirk tonight?

 Like millions of other people around the world - and espectially in the US - I watched Captain Kirt go to outer space today! I was so excited. Young whipper snappers might not understand the excitement. So I should explain.

When TV was young - back in my childhood and younger days - we would make TV watching an event. We did not have a TV until I was in second grade. My Aunt and Uncle had one first. We went to their house to all watch Arther Godfrey together. Once we may have watched the Honeymooners but my parents did not approve of the fighting so it was Arther Godfrey. The adults never fought in front of the kids so we didn't see that kind of thing. Maybe they had arguments but the first 8 years of my life, I didn't experience adults saying any harsh words to each other. So, they were pretty picky about what we saw on this new gadget. But that is another story.

When Star Trek came out some years later, it was on the weekly watch list. We all gathered as a family to watch it together. There were other shows too, but today is memory lane for this one. We all loved it and didn't miss an episode. Kids on the floor, couch full - we loved every moment.

Captain Kirk was a particular favorite character for my Dad. We each had a favorite. I liked the women characters, of course but thought Spock was very cool. I too think the world is very illogical. 

So this is not the first time I saw Captain Kirk in space. How fun it was to watch! I know many of my friends and family share similar memories so this was a fun way to start and end this day. Now - Beam me up Scotty!