On The Farm
We finally have “NO SNOW” in the forecast. Days have been warm, in the 60’s-70’s, and Stitch and I have been exploring new trails. On one boardwalk trail over a marshy area, I saw tiny Dutchman’s Breeches, which I have not seen for years! What a treat! Trillium is blooming on the forest floor and we had nearly two weeks of Magnolia blossoms before the rains took them. Everything is finally coming out of hibernation and we’re seeing lots of wildlife, including Sandhill Cranes looking to build nests.
May in Michigan is “No Mow” month, to give the pollinators a good start for the season. Consequently, we are not mowing the pastures, so lots of new varieties of plants are springing up.
I’m phasing into being a vegetarian. I’ve always relied on meat for protein, so I’ve had to educate myself on a new way to eat and prepare food. I love vegetables, so it’s not a big stretch. I just have to manage my energy. As I reach my advanced years, I find that meat just doesn’t agree with my health as much as it used to. It’s been interesting and fun to find new dishes to try.
In this springtime, the beginning of a new season, what would you like to try that you have never done before? Will you learn something new, or apply something you know differently? Energize your brain and your life by moving into newness, and celebrate the season!
Cause of the Month
BLEATING HEARTS
In 1993, Lynn Halpern and her family were living in Frederick, Maryland. They wanted a few dairy goats for their personal use, but soon discovered the biological logistics of keeping any dairy animals on a small farm or a large industrial business. The facts are that cows, goats and sheep must be continually impregnated in order to produce milk. Males are routinely sent to slaughter in small and large dairy operations. They didn’t want to bring goats into the world when there were already those in need of a home. They decided instead to provide a home for rescued animals. This awakening coincided with an increasing unease with their consumption of animals, and they became vegetarian and then vegan as they learned more about food processing.
”Our sanctuary provides lifelong refuge for a lucky few that have escaped the fate of most animals bred and raised for food. Located in the beautiful foothills of Colorado’s Front Range, Bleating Hearts Sanctuary is where dozens of sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits and others call home." All of the individuals occupying the space at the sanctuary live in an area surrounded by a vast and lush forest in the mountains which is 9,000 feet in elevation. Alongside our rescued residents, the sanctuary is also home to native deer, elk, moose, coyotes, squirrels, mice, wild turkeys, and a variety of birds as well as other Colorado wildlife.
Equally important is the animal advocacy and education provided by the Sanctuary. Over the years they have staffed vegan outreach tables and distributed thousands of food samples and pieces of literature. They have engaged with the public in order to share how vital veganism is to prevent animal cruelty and to offer information on how accessible and delicious it can be. They act as a resource for anyone with questions about the vegan lifestyle that has given them peace and brought joy for almost 30 years.
To donate to Bleating Hearts Sanctuary, or for information on veganism including recipes, go to : https://www.bleatingheartssanctuary.org/
Happiness and Health—Learning from the Animals
To develop their Happiness Protocol for animals, the folks at Holistic Actions! investigated research results from Positive Psychology, Blue Zones, and Radical Remission, as well as from their own rich connections with schools of veterinary medicine like Columbia University and their own staff of experts.
They came up with a 7-step protocol, which you can access free at https://HolisticActions.com. They call it BEAM—health benefits that give a boost to an animal’s Behavior, Energy, Appetite and Mood.
As I reviewed and implemented this happiness protocol over the past month, I found myself getting happier, too! These steps apply to us humans as animals, with some modifications. Basically, Dr. Jeff Feinman, Holistic Actions! founder, says, “Happy people make happy pets, and happy pets make for happy people. The more deeply you can cultivate peace, patience, and positivity in your own life, the more likely it is that your pet will experience this as well.”
See the video that explains how I implemented these steps for my own animal family and for myself.
The Bookshelf
LOOKING FOR THE HIDDEN FOLK
by Nancy Marie Brown
This was one of those books that I love to grab on a rainy/snowy day, snuggle into a chair, get some tea and maybe cookies, and read my heart out. When I visited Iceland, I did think it was magical, with nature spirits everywhere in the dramatic landscape. Because it is a land of both fire and ice, native Icelanders have a special relationship to the spirits of the land.
The island is always growing—there is a constant vibration of the ground that I could feel through my feet. Huge chasms of earth have split open, volcanoes have erupted and melted glaciers into waterfalls and rivers, large cauldrons of collapsed volcanoes hold beautiful lakes, and steaming water comes from underground to provide unique heating for the entire population.
Icelandic elves have been honored for millennia. Brown offers a conversation about how we look at and define what we value in nature, how we shape our world by the stories we tell. How we define our ‘elves’ in a way that will either preserve or destroy our world. As a shamanic practitioner, I am intimately connected to nature spirits and have interacted with them and honored them since I was a child. Brown suggests that if we can honor what we value in nature, in whatever form it appears to us, we can preserve the planet.
Upcoming classes and workshops
Find full descriptions and costs of the classes and events on the website. Registrations are on the website except for Journey Circle. Once registered, a Zoom invitation will be sent to register to receive the meeting i.d. and passcode. If you have difficulty with a registration, please contact Judy at info@judyramsey.net. All classes and journey circles are recorded for your convenience.
May 27-28, 2023
Basic Animal Communication
Learn how to communicate with animals telepathically the way they communicate with each other. Step by step instruction with fun exercises. Open your natural intuitive skills.
Prerequisite: ANIMAL TALK by Penelope Smith.
9am-5pm each day EDT
Cost is $160 per person, $75 for repeating students
Zoom
June 1 & June 15, 2023
Journeying Circle
If you know how to do shamanic journeying, you know that it is a path of direct revelation. Come join us as we explore different aspects of our life’s path, doing healing for ourselves as well as for the world. Zoom registration required—contact Judy at info@JudyRamsey.net
7pm-8:30pm EDT
Cost is $25 per session or $40 per month to attend
Zoom
June 3-4 2023
Extraction: Illness & Healing From a Shamanic Perspective
This is an advanced in-person class with a limit of 6 persons.
Deepen your understanding of illness and how one’s spirit can help the physical body thrive or not. From a shamanic perspective, there are three causes of illness: loss of power, loss of soul essence, and intrusions. We will focus on power loss and extraction of intrusions. Explore different ways to “diagnose” an illness as well as to address its healing. Working with partners, deepen your understanding of spiritual intrusions and learn ways to extract them. Prerequisites: Basic Journeying, Medicine For the Earth/Healing With Spiritual Light. Suggested Reading: Walking In Light by Sandra Ingerman.
9am-5pm EDT each day
Cost is $220 per person, $100 for repeating students
In-person class located in Chelsea, Michigan