Karen Shanley's Blog, page 31
June 26, 2022
How to Tell if Pavement is Too Hot for Your Dog’s Paws
There’s a simple seven-second test to check whether the pavement is too hot for your pet’s paws. Just touch the pavement with the back of your hand for seven seconds.
If you can’t hold your hand there for the full seven seconds, then it’s also too hot for your dog’s paws. Same difference, if you walk barefoot and can’t tolerate the pavement heat, neither can your … Read more
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June 21, 2022
Thinking in Words vs Images
Q: Do most people think in words rather than in images?
True. Most people are trained to have nonstop thoughts, which are words strung together. The beginning of releasing thoughts is to begin to start learning to see in images.
Images don’t trigger thoughts in the same way. This may seem counterintuitive because images are more likely to create and evoke emotions. A picture is worth 1000 words.
In fact, the longer you work to see in images rather than … Read more
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June 9, 2022
Why Eastern Spirituality is Often a Struggle for Westerners
Q: In reading Master of Self-Realization by Shri Sadguru Siddharameshwar Maharaj, I find that his answer to everything is that we are experiencing an illusion. We need to let go and just stop caring about whatever it is. That’s all there is to it. But for me, it’s not helpful to be told to just let go. What am I missing?
This is one of the reasons why Eastern spirituality can be tricky for Westerners. The Advaita Vedanta teachings do … Read more
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June 1, 2022
Everyone Should Have Someone Who Makes Them Laugh Everyday
Been an exciting day around here. For a lot of different reasons, least of all this one.
But I can always count on my daughter to make me laugh.… Read more
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May 30, 2022
Want to Know Which Bird is Singing What Song?
There have been a lot of changes in the past year. It’s been interesting to see how Wink’s and Finn’s absence have been telegraphed through our little wild kingdom.
One of the most noticeable differences is in the number of birds that now feel comfortable in much closer proximity to our house. When Wink and Finn were here, pretty much zero came inside our fence. Just this afternoon, there were several that I could single out by sight and sound, … Read more
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May 27, 2022
May 14, 2022
Memory Lane Can be a Mixed Bag
Spring cleaning turned up this photo from a long-forgotten box tucked far back in a closet. Two of my favorite girls in the world.
Hard to believe that one left the planet almost a decade ago. It seems like just yesterday we were running around a field chasing sheep. Me, in fits of laughter. She, annoyed that I wasn’t being more serious about holding up my end of the job. She was so good, there was really nothing for me … Read more
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May 7, 2022
No Mow May
If you’re a gardener, you’ve already seen the decline in bees, and maybe even experienced a resulting decrease in crop yield.
Maybe you’ve even resorted to hand pollination, as I’ve had to on a few occasions.
So I’ve become all about the bees, as witnessed by this wasps nest.
You can learn more about why I left them alone in this post which talks about the benefits of wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets.
And letting our lawn go … Read more
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April 29, 2022
Spiritual Seekers, External Teachers and GIMMES
Q: Sometimes we search for so long we reach a point where we don’t even know what it was we were searching. But there is this longing that remains. What now?
What’s needed is a moment of recognition. Something clicks that makes us feel alive and excited.
That’s one of the things that happen when we find an external teacher. We have that sensation of hope that here’s somebody who could take me further down the path. You may not … Read more
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We All Get GIMMES in Life. How to Find Yours.
Q: I’ve been aware that I’d been searching for what seemed like my whole life. And I was at a point where I didn’t even know what I was searching for because the Catholic God had sort of been taken off the table for me. I knew that I could do okay here, but I wondered what I could replace that God with. That longing which I could only kind of articulate, I’m assuming is universal. What do you think … Read more
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