We all could use a little more love, and that's for sure. In todays world there are so many twists and turns and unexpected events, and if you tune into the news - which I recommend you don't - the picture it paints is not pretty. Sometimes we all have to remember to simply take a breath and maybe another, and send ourselves as much love as possible. If you are lucky enough to be sharing your life with your fur baby / babies, turn to them. Look at how they look at you and look at yourself the same way, to the best of your ability. When you get home and they are so happy to see you they can barely contain themselves, realize how valuable you are. Hold that thought, capture that feeling and send it to yourself whenever you feel down. Watch the way your pups play with wild abandon, forgetting themselves in the moment, and not caring who is watching. Allow yourself to play like that, behind closed doors if needed. Turn on the music and dance like a fool. Better yet, get out there and play with your pups. They will not judge you, and they will always include you. There is so much good in their eyes, because they see life in the moment. A really great practice to adopt. Remember this too, whatever your are facing in this moment; "These things too shall pass". Dogs and cats, live in the moment and don't hang onto what was, they enjoy what is. Indeed that is the way of all creatures. The truth is the moment is all we have, so the more that you can bring your focus to the here and now, the happier you may find yourself. And. . . the most amazing way to bring more love into your life, is to give more love into the world. This can be through simple prayers or meditation, it can be through smiling at a stranger, it can be through volunteering, making a donation, or even - dare I say - adopting a shelter baby, if your circumstances permit. Whatever is next for any and all of us, if we allow for more love, it can only be good! Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam
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Sometimes we all have to stop, drop and listen to the silence. Like a puppy plays and plays and it's all chaos and suddenly without warning they fall over and pass out! They have played hard and fast and now it's time to rest. So too can our days be chaotic and sometimes overwhelming, The balls we have in the air can drop on the floor and roll under the couch and as much as we may want them, we simply can't get under the couch to get them. LOL. When we run and run and run, there comes a time when we have to rest, or life will take a turn and we will rest whether we like it or not. Things like a cold, the flu, or sometimes more serious realities can set in and that is no fun. Puppies have it figured out. They rest at the precise moments they need to. They turn inward and allow themselves to regenerate and restore. We all deserve this. Take a paws and reflect on your own personal energy levels, and maybe the last time you allowed yourself to decompress and let go for a while. When you allow yourself this kind of time it will certainly bless you with renewed life force and a more positive purr-spective! Peace, Love and Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam Sometimes we have to stop and think about whether or not we want something. Sometimes we say yes and commit to things that are not really what we want to do, but we feel we have too. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that don't feel good, but we don't totally know what to do about it. Dogs never commit to anything they don't want to do. They show up for stuff that excites them, and they enjoy every minute that they possibly can. And if there is something they don't want, they let you know. They don't share if they don't want to, they don't allow some other dog to take charge, they let them know beyond a shadow of a doubt to get their paws off! There are situations in life where compromises are important, however for the most part we don't have to sell ourselves short and submit to things we'd really rather not do. There isn't an award waiting for us if we sacrifice ourselves, and losing ourselves inside of obligations that only feel burdensome to us benefits no one. Dogs tend to be joyful in life because they are tapped into the moment and embrace it with all that they are. They don't wast time feeling obligated, and they certainly don't show up because they think if they don't they will be letting someone else down. When their paws are in, they are all the way in! Time is precious and dogs live every minute as if they are aware of this fact. When you are faced with decisions that you don't feel good about it may be time for you to say "paws off" and reclaim your freedom from anything that feels burdensome. I'm not saying that we will love everything we do, however we do deserve to feel as though we are making choices that serve us. Peace, Love & Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam There are so many times we work so hard, spend so much time on getting so many things done. Pulling task after task off of our to do list which has way too many things to do and that grows daily because we don't get our current list done. And, even when we accomplish things, actually achieve and get things done, since we don't finish our list, we don't celebrate ourselves, or acknowledge our success, no. Instead of celebrating our wins, we condemn ourselves for all the things we have not yet completed. We need to take yet another lesson from dog! Ask a dog if wants a bone, or a treat, and it will wag its tail and get all excited, knowing that they are about to receive something very enjoyable. They don't contemplate if they deserve the bone, should deny themselves the bone because they didn't do something they think they should have. They don't struggle with the idea that receiving the bone is something they don't deserve, nor do they do battle with their own self worth. They grab that bone and thoroughly enjoy it! We all deserve to give ourselves a daily bone. Ok, ok, I know that could go in a couple of directions however let's be clear, what I mean is exactly this; An acknowledgment, a celebration of self, a moment - or longer - where we thoroughly enjoy the fact that we actually got something done, even if it is a little thing. The point to this is, that by encouraging ourselves in this manner, we actually become more empowered. The more empowered we feel, the more we show up. The more we show up, the more we achieve! If you need any reminding of what celebrating self looks like, get a bone, or a treat, and call your dog! I promise they will demonstrate this with perfect ease and grace. Peace, Love and Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam Dogs always say what's on their mind. Dogs will always say what’s on their mind. Admittedly they get loud, and even reactive at times. They bark and tousle and try to dominate. But. . . They don’t stay angry. They don’t just keep growling at each other because they are holding on to hard feelings, they resolve what they need to, and they move on. They don’t hold grudges or feel the need to drag something out to make a point. Dogs never get pumped up just to show off, and they get over things quickly and move on to the next moment, without baggage. People like to say what’s on their mind as well. However, people can be a little notorious for saying things without thinking because they feel reactive and that can all too often lead to hurt feelings. There is really nothing worse than realizing that something should not have been said and now there is no way to take it back. People tend to stay angry. They hold grudges and sometimes drag things out to make a point. Some do get pumped up to show off, and we all have our fair share of baggage, and it gets heavy! We all deserve to take a page from the book of dog. Maybe we can get a little less reactive and learn how to drop things before they get out of hand. If we need to make a point, maybe we can make it, and move on. When we feel like we must bring something up, we do so gently versus trying to throw something in someone’s face. Maybe instead we can take a breath and do what Dogs do, live in the moment and be present in the here and now. Dogs react, but they do what they do with integrity. That is the ingredient we all deserve to add, a little bit of integrity and lot less barking! When we stop barking, we can start listening and maybe even get some good belly rubs. LOL!!! Peace, Love and Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam Have you ever noticed that dogs are never in a hurry? Sure, they will get right after a stick or a ball, but they are never in a hurry, they are merely in the joy of the moment. They may get excited and eager for a walk, impatient even, but they are in the moment, they are not stressed about when it happens, or even if it does. They live for the now and embrace each moment for exactly what it is. We all deserve to learn this lesson from our furry beloveds, We all deserve to capture the moment and learn how to take a "paws" and reflect on the moment for exactly what it is. If we are excited, then be excited, just for the sheer joy of it. If we are looking forward to something, then let us enjoy looking forward without attachment. When we can be present, truly present, we can begin to experience every second for the gift it is. And life, in the here and now, this exact minute, as a gift. Dogs know this, they know that life is to be savored, whether they are on a walk with their noise glued to the ground, or fast asleep and dreaming about chasing squirrels. Take a "paws" and live in the moment. Peace, Love and Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks and Sam Wolves howl to express themselves, bond and otherwise connect to the energy of Mother Gaia and the cycles of the Moon. Domestic Dogs do the same, they express through their language of barks, snorts, yips, growls and howls, all meaning different things depending on their tone and the situation.
As the weather warms, our best friends encounter many irritations, including fleas and tics, hot spots and such. The itches and the stings, rashes and bug bites are all part of the landscape when one walks so close to the ground! Of course we do what we can to prevent such things, be it collars or chewables or these days even shots. Left to their own resources, dogs will roll in dirt to manage the itches and also tend to one another when in a pack. As the weather warms we too encounter our own irritations and discomforts. Sometimes due to the heat or humidity that will ultimately come, but more often than not it's the feeling that comes from deep inside as the seasons change and things blossom and bloom all around us. Unlike our dogs, we don't have collars to purchased and comfort us, or chewables to soothe us, rather our only option is to take a deep dive into ourselves and see what we find. Deep dives can be unsettling and more often than not show us bit and pieces about ourselves we would rather not see, but they are necessary if we are to quell all inner irritations. If we ignore them, they don't go away, although we can fool ourselves into thinking they do. Instead, like those awful parasites, fleas, who lay eggs and multiply rapidly, that which troubles us, lays it's eggs in our consciousness and there it grows itchier and itchier over time! You would never let your fur baby suffer when you can do something about it, so please be sure you do the same for yourself. Peace, Love & Wufs Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam The moment has happened! After almost two years in the making the official launch of The Temple of Dog took place on March 5th at the Williamson Country Library to a very attentive and intimate audience of special guests. We laughed, we sang, and even shed a tear, and interacted in fun and sacred ways. It was a loving and lovely exchange between souls who all had a common thread between them and that was the love of dog and indeed the love of animals. Dina Rae and I shared our experience of what it was like developing and creating The Temple of Dog Oracle Deck, illustrating it best by performing a small tug of war between us with a doggie tug toy! However above all our greatest moment was performing our new Beatles parody "All You Need Are Dogs!" which the whole crowd joined in on! We shared a presentation that detailed what The Temple of Dog is, and what we intend for it to become, which will be posted on this website soon. Dina Rae showed off her instagram reels that featured some of our Temple of Dog Characters, and we even did a compelling tai chi exercise famous for releasing and relieving stress. We had our guests pull their own cards from the deck and some shared what they got with the group. Everyone there let us know how pertinent their card was and in fact, one person said they couldn't share, because it was just too personal. That, folks, is the power of the deck. At the end of the event we did a very special blessing for all fur babies, present and past, blessing them for everything they bring and have brought into our lives and our hearts. (This is where a few tears were shed.) All in all it was a great beginning and everyone left with heads high and their tails wagging, metaphorically speaking of course! Thank you to all who were able to be there, and to everyone else who has wished us well on our journey that is The Temple of Dog. If you want to know how you can get your paws on the Deck, or participate in one of the special packages we have put together, please check out our shop. Peace, love and wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam When was the last time you thought about your dreams? Was it recent enough that you are in touch with them and readily know what your dreams are? Or. . . are you dreams so buried at this point you'd be like the neighborhood dog digging holes in the back yard just trying to remember where you put them?! Dogs live in the moment, so it is safe to say that they live their dreams. If you have ever watched a dog deep asleep you can see them fully committed to the dream they are having, be it chasing squirrels or sticks, they are all in. And the same goes for the life they live when they are awake. They are fully into whatever it is they are doing in the moment. Nothing feels too hard for them. and they never thing that they don't deserve something. I invite you to consider my double dog dare! I dare you to rekindle your dreams, whatever state they may be in, and take one step towards them. If your dream seems to huge you don't know what step to take, understand that this might mean that you don't really believe you can it. It's like a dog biting into a gigantic tree branch as if it were a little stick, but being unable to actually carry it, sometimes when you have a vision that is so big you don't know where to start, the size of the vision can keep you stuck! Downsize that vision into smaller chunks until you can take a step forward. It may take a while to get there, but it you take a little step every day, you will arrive at your destination before you know it. One little step every day will move you farther faster than you can imagine. And no matter what happens, Dog always loves and supports you especially when you love and support yourself and your dreams. Peace, Love and Wufs, Rev Deb, Chooks & Sam |
Our WishDina Rae and Rev Deb invite you to enjoy this curated experience. May your tails wag with satisfaction and your hearts be warmed by all that you see. Archives
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