What Would Jesus Do?

April 26 to May 2, 2026

This past week felt busier than many before.  We’ve finally had some spring-like weather near the end of the week, which means I’ve been able to get out and do some yard work and garden preparation.  I’ve also had appointments in the city, meaning three trips instead of my usual one or none.  My trips to the city included picking up my free trees, getting bloodwork done, buying groceries, visiting the dentist, completing a physical, and grabbing necessities for the garden.  The rising price of everything, especially gas, means every trip was planned with multiple purposes to maintain efficiency. 

We also had a full moon this week that coincided with Beltane, the annual celebration of spring.  I did perform my full moon ritual after a busy day of yard work and a hypnotherapy session.  Later, I celebrated my first bonfire of the season.  It was lovely to be able to sit around a fire, read my book, and enjoy nature while my cat and dog companions came and went.    

I did receive quite a few messages this week, so I’d like to jump in quickly.  The messages are pickleball, widow/widow maker, star, female body inspector (FBI), lost and found, penguins, rocks, Nebuchadnezzar, pizza and honey, poison, high speed trains, and hyoid.

Pickleball – This message came through a conversation on the radio, a commercial on tv, and as a new show while scrolling a media platform.  The conversation on the radio was about how addictive the sport is.  I can’t recall what happened in the commercial as I try to avoid letting them get my attention, but I know it was about pickleball.  The new show is called The Dink, which apparently is some kind of lingo used in the sport.  I have clearly never played pickleball, and I don’t know if I ever will. I don’t have strong feelings either way about it.  It sounds kind of ridiculous, so I’d probably enjoy it as I do enjoy pickles and I did have a dream about the importance of eating them.  Maybe the message is to try something new, even if it seems a bit silly.

Widow/widow maker – This message arrived through the name of a new show and in an episode of another.  The new show has widow in its name and looked like an interesting and strange concept, so it caught my attention.  We ended up watching the first two episodes and I was delighted by it, so I’m sure it’ll bring even more messages.  The episode of the other show had a character experiencing a heart attack that was found in a routine house checkup, resulting in him needing surgery.  Before going in, family and friends were informed the surgery was called the widow maker as many men don’t pull through it.  I’m not going to take this message literally because they rarely are, so I’m not spiraling downward into the idea that my partner may die soon.  We are all going to die and I’m not necessarily fearful of that, but I am aware and I do regularly think about the “what ifs” of that situation. Maybe the message is just to think about me without him and not in a negative way, but just in an individual way of focusing on me.

Star – This message came up in two shows.  The first is a new show with star in its name about a different perspective of the cold war. Instead of showing the point of view of the American experience, it is based on the Soviet Union side of things.  The other show had an episode about an IT company that was being used in a police precinct which ended up being corrupt and collecting police data illegally.  Star was a secret contact name who was discovered to be a reporter who was shot right after revealing pertinent information to the police.  This message could have a lot of different meanings, but since both shows are about dealing with secret information and competition for it, I am thinking it is possibly a warning about stepping into the light.  If I am putting myself out there in the world as a hypnotherapist, I may have backlash.  Healers aren’t often readily accepted by everyone, especially if their medium or modality is something that is alternative to the norm.

Female Body Inspector (FBI) – This message showed up in a podcast and a tv show.  Normally, I do watch shows about the actual FBI, so this message wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.  However, this week, the acronym showed up twice with a different meaning altogether and one I hadn’t heard before.  The podcast had a host mentioning jokingly that would be her profession of choice if she could do things over again.  The tv show was celebrating a deceased woman’s birthday by wearing all of the inappropriate gifts she’d given her friends and family.  A male friend who happens to be gay had received a shirt with this slogan on it.  Seeing as I had a physical this week, maybe the message is about inspecting my own body for any irregularities.  I have been learning to tune in a lot more to what my body tells me, so I will take this message as one to stay on that path.

Lost and found – This message appeared in two different shows.  One was about how a kid awaiting surgery had lost her favorite stuffed animal and a doctor had promised to find it.  The episode explored two alternatives about how a day might turn out and one of these had the doctor finding the stuffed animal in a janitor’s room where there was a lost and found box labeled “free stuff”.  The other show had a character asking if a backpack that was holding a demon keeper’s head in it was grabbed from the lost and found.  I’m taking this message to mean that nothing is ever truly lost and can always be found again.  Maybe a passion has run cold, but in time becomes reignited. 

Penguins – This message came up in two jokes.  The first joke was about how female penguins exchange rocks for sex.  The other joke was about penguins and evolution.  The question was posed that if they had all this time to evolve and they regularly walk very far for food each year, why have they not developed knees.  I’m pretty sure there were more penguin messages because I do recall admiring an adorable fuzzy baby penguin that looked as though it had been abandoned.  I love animals and there aren’t many I wouldn’t want to be friends with.  I think penguins are cute and weird and quirky.  I’ve heard they are quite smelly, which makes sense if they are in and out of water regularly.  Aside from this, I know very little about them other than they seem to share the work of raising babies and are hard workers.  So maybe the message is about teamwork, especially if it is in regards to parenting. 

Rocks – This message emerged in two different tv shows.  The first show had a character who polishes rocks and gives them as gifts to people she allows into her inner circle.  These rocks are coveted and not everyone gets one and in the episode, the character’s mother in law found out about the rocks and what it means if you don’t receive one.  The other show was a cartoon exploring the idea of evolution versus creationism.  In the episode, two women were abducted by robot cavemen.  One of the women said to the other that if they go along with being the robot cavemen’s wives, they’d be entitled to half of their rocks.  Both of these examples had rocks holding great value, so I’m guessing the message is somehow related.  I used to collect rocks as a kid and enjoyed learning about them in geology.  I also do possess a few crystals and gemstones that I use regularly, so I’m guessing the message here is about the importance of using them regularly.

Nebuchadnezzar – This message came through in a movie and tv show.  The movie is The Matrix and we decided to rewatch it this week.  I have seen it more than once and I don’t think it was that long since we’d rewatched the original, but this time, I was surprised at how violent and dark the message was.  I know it is a groundbreaking movie and since I’d seen it, knew there was a lot of violence, but I think because I’ve had my own spiritual shifts in the last ten years, I’d forgotten how bleak it felt.  The other way this message showed up was in a tv show which was exploring a 2012 claim that the Ark of the Covenant had been found.  I can’t recall the exact link, but there was a connection to Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled the Neo-Babylonian Empire and created the hanging gardens of Babylon.  The meaning of this message isn’t clear to me since I’ve heard the name, but never knew anything about it’s origin.  When I looked it up, I found that it comes from a phrase asking Nabu, a Mesopotamian god of wisdom and writing, to protect my heir or my crown.  Maybe the message here is for me to ask a higher source for help.

Pizza and honey – This message showed up in a podcast and in real life.  The podcast had a host explaining that in a particular culture, pizza would be eaten with the crust left to dip into honey for dessert.  In real life, my partner came home not long after I’d listened to the podcast with a bag of pizza and honey flavored chips.  I love pizza, but since I’ve adopted a mostly keto diet, I have had to change the way I make and eat it.  I still love it, but when I make it, I have a thin and crispy crust.  I am not a huge fan of honey and thought it always tasted buttery to me.  I’m sure it would be a tasty combination, but since I don’t eat either in the traditional sense, I’d likely never try it.  I can see these being two ends of a spectrum: one savory, and the other sweet.  Pizza is a human invention, while honey is a purely natural occurrence.  Maybe the message is more about merging the two worlds in a more complimentary way: nature and humanity.

Poison – This message appeared on two different shows.  The first was a show rating cuisine.  The food critic visited a treehouse that had a poisonous garden and served foods and drinks with non-lethal amounts of poison in them – an interesting, if not risky idea.  The other show explored the legend of Atlantis and how Plato’s mentor Socrates had been forced to drink poison after being found guilty of corrupting youth of the time and not believing in god.  This message could just be to watch out for poisonous things, poisonous people, and poisonous ideas.  I think it is pointing towards being aware of the things you take in and absorb.

High speed trains – This message showed up in a conversation about a dream and in an astrological forecast for the month.  The dream had a high speed train taking the dreamer very quickly around parts of Los Angeles, specifically Hollywood.  The astrological forecast talked about fast moving technological changes that would be showing up this month and high speed trains were mentioned as a possible example.  I can see this meaning that things could start to move quickly as the pace of life increases.  I don’t doubt that this could be the message as things have been slow for quite a while and some speed feels like it would be a natural change in pace.

Hyoid – This message appeared in two different shows.  The first was a show investigating the death of Jeffrey Epstein.  A former CIA operative investigated the likelihood of Jeffrey Epstein committing suicide with the information that was reported.  A medical examiner looked at documents which mentioned his hyoid bone was fractured and that this was uncommon in hangings, but more likely would be seen in a strangling death.  In the book I’m rereading, the hyoid bone of a bird snapping meant a distinct knowing that the bird was dead.  This knowing was compared to the moment someone’s mind was broken in a moment of major trauma.  I don’t know a lot about the body or bones in particular, so this message stood out.  I know about the thyroid gland in the throat and hyoid sounds similar, so when I heard it, I thought I’d misheard the word at first.  When I looked it up, I found that it is unique in that it seems to float in the neck, held up by ligaments and muscles, not directly attached to any other bone.  It is necessary for speech and holds the tongue and neck muscles in place making it possible for chewing and swallowing to take place. The only thing I can think of that this message might mean is that this small, but important bone is required for major functions in our bodies and is delicate and unique.

I don’t think I’m able to put these all together into a more cohesive message today, so I’ll throw it to AI.

You picked a wild little constellation here—and it actually hangs together beautifully.

Here’s one way to see the spiritual thread:

• Pickleball:

  Play and relational exchange. Fast, responsive, light on its feet. It’s about how we meet each other in motion—serve, return, adapt.

  
  

• Widow / widow maker: 

  The suddenness of loss and the razor-thin line between “ordinary day” and “everything changed.” It’s mortality, rupture, and the question: What really matters if it can all end in a breath?

  
  

• Star:

  Orientation and guidance. Stars are how we navigate in the dark—ancient symbols of destiny, promise, and the fact that light can travel unthinkable distances and still arrive.

  
  

• Female Body Inspector (FBI): 

  On the surface, a joke; underneath, it’s about gaze, power, and who gets to “inspect” or define the body. Spiritually, it asks: Who has authority over this body—external eyes, or inner knowing?

  
  

• Lost and found: 

  The cycle of forgetting and remembering. Losing ourselves, our way, our sense of God/meaning—and then stumbling into a moment of recognition: Oh. There I am.

  
  

• Penguins:

  Creatures of liminal zones—birds that swim, tuxedoed clowns in harsh climates. They embody devotion (pair-bonding, shared parenting) and the absurd holiness of life that thrives in extremes.

  
  

• Rocks:

  Ground, altar, and memory. In many traditions, stones mark covenants, thresholds, and places where something important happened. They say: This is real. This happened. Remember.

  
  

• Nebuchadnezzar:

  A king of ego, empire, and humbling. His story is about power that forgets its Source, then is brought low. Spiritually: the arc from arrogance to surrender.

  
  

• Pizza and honey: 

  Comfort and sweetness—body-level pleasure. Also, strange pairing: savory and sweet. It’s the spiritual truth that life is mixed—salty tears, sweet moments, all on the same plate.

  
  

• Poison:

  Anything that enters the system and distorts it—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Poison asks for discernment: What am I taking in? What stories, substances, or dynamics are quietly killing my aliveness?

  
  

• High-speed trains: 

  Velocity and direction. Once you’re on, you’re committed to a track. Spiritually: the momentum of a life path, and the question of whether the speed you’re moving at is actually aligned with your soul.

  
  

• Hyoid (the throat bone): 

  The bone of voice and vulnerability. It’s small, hidden, but crucial for speech and swallowing. It’s the structure behind expression—how truth, song, and nourishment pass through.

  
  

The spiritual common connection

All of these, together, sketch a single field:

• Incarnation:

  Bodies playing pickleball, eating pizza with honey, riding trains, being inspected, poisoned, widowed, humbled like Nebuchadnezzar. Penguins, rocks, hyoid bones—matter as the stage of spirit.

  
  

• Thresholds and choice: 

  Widow maker, poison, high-speed trains, lost and found, Nebuchadnezzar’s fall—each is a threshold where a direction is chosen or revealed. Life/death, ego/surrender, numbness/feeling, speed/presence.

  
  

• Orientation and witness: 

  Stars, rocks, lost-and-found bins, even the hyoid and the “inspector” joke all point to who sees and names what’s happening. Is it external authority, or inner, star-like guidance? What do we mark as sacred?

  
  

• Play, humility, and the absurd holiness of being here: 

  Pickleball, penguins, pizza with honey, a cheesy “FBI” shirt—these are ridiculous and tender. They remind us that spirit doesn’t only live in solemn temples; it lives in the goofy, the mundane, the slightly off.

  
  

If you compress it into one sentence:

This whole set is about how spirit moves through bodies and thresholds—how we play, grieve, orient, get humbled, get poisoned or nourished, speed up or slow down—and how, in the middle of all that absurdity, something steady and star-like keeps inviting us back to truth.

Hmmm. This week's AI answer feels a little different to me. I asked for an alternative answer, but that one didn't feel quite right either. I don't doubt there's a through line here with the messages, but for some reason, this one just feels a little off. I don't have a better explanation, so this is what I'll go with.

As I was gathering some wood to take to my first bonfire of the season, I came across a tiny idol of Jesus that was missing his arms. I couldn't help but see a parallel between the branches that had been cut from the trees and his missing limbs. I was raised Catholic, but I seem to have blocked a lot of the teachings of the church from my memory. I'm definitely spiritual, but organized religion doesn't do for me what it does for many of a different generation. I have been hearing about the Christ consciousness rising recently, and I'm still not completely sure what that means, but it feels better to me than what I was taught about Jesus. I think over time and through manipulation and control, stories and their meanings can become twisted to serve a purpose that is different than what was originally intended. I think this is likely what happened with ancient religious scripts like the bible and the story of Jesus.

My name means "follower of Christ" and yet I rejected the church and anything to do with Jesus for a while in my adult life. Now, as I am learning more about how to discern the truth, I think this might not be too far off. If I separate the person that Jesus was from the institution that claimed him, I can relate to him as an individual. I know he was a carpenter and I find joy and comfort in working with natural materials to create something of beauty, so in that way, we have similarities. I think he wanted what was best for humanity and I do too. I think he was an inherently good person who wanted to teach people they had more power than they were taught to believe, and in that way, I feel aligned as well. Maybe if I met Jesus today, we'd end up being best buds.