There are two sources of spiritual toxins in our lives: internal and external. It is easy to understand how internal toxic cleanup is a process. We can understand that stalking, as I wrote about last week, is a process whereby our inner jaguar preys out the internal toxins, or parasites as don Miguel Ruiz would refer to them, and ruthlessly remove them. We then go back and seek to understand the roots of how that toxin came in and remove our attachment to it.
While that process is definitely needed as we clean up the environment in which we live, it is also important to remove the toxins, which contribute to the external pollution and poisoning of our environment. Doing the internal work is a process, which occurs over time. Cleaning up the external toxins is something we can do now, simply by making some active choices. We may not be able to change some of the larger external factors, but we can use our personal power to make changes in some of the smaller and personally influential aspects of our lives. Every step towards the creation of a toxin free environment, whether it is a baby step or a leap, is positive.
For many, television can reinforce toxic thinking without our even thinking about. Why do you watch the shows that you watch? Do the characters reinforce healthy or unhealthy behaviors in your life? For example, someone I know used to watch shows that were high drama and always had people arguing and fighting. These were the very behaviors from which she was trying to detach. For her, watching these shows was saying this is normal and healthy. So she stopped and began watching television less and watching shows that echoed the healthy behaviors she wanted to incorporate in her life. I stopped watching the news because of the biased and emotional way it is presented. It always seemed to be focused on fear and promoting negativity and division. These were not feelings or qualities I choose to focus on in my life. I began asking myself if what I was viewing were a food, would it be healthy for my body or not. If it would help me to be healthy, I watched it, if not, I turned it off.
In my 28 day and 28 week spiritual makeover workshops, I have clients spend a significant amount of time focusing on decluttering the spaces in which they live and spend time at home. I generally suggest starting with the bathroom, bedroom, and bedroom closet. It is amazing how much “stuff” we have in our homes, which is taking up valuable space. For example, the first time I cleaned out my closet and dresser, I gave away three bags of clothes that were either too large, too small, or I never wore because I no longer liked them. Simply doing the little things around the house, decluttering, putting things away, getting rid of things which one does not like, does not use, does not need can create a more peaceful environment. Most days, I would be lying if I said otherwise, the last thing I do at night is to make sure my desk is clutter free. This way when I wake up and come to my office (I work at home) it is clean, clutter free, and welcoming.
The body in which we live can also be a space for toxic or healthy behaviors. Sometimes we can be so focused on purifying our mind and spirit that we forget to think about being impeccable about our bodies, how we treat our bodies, and what we put in our bodies. I have been reminded recently that the Infinite, what the Toltec call the Nagual, what others call God, Allah, etc. lives within us. Without taking care of our bodies our spirits and that of the Divine cannot manifest themselves within us. We can look at what we can do to make our bodies feel good. What are we physically feeding our body? Are we giving our bodies enough sleep? Enough exercise? Learning to take care of ourselves is part of our personal and spiritual transformation. Being impeccable about what we put in our bodies is an even more important question to consider these days as more and more foods are being discovered that are toxic to our systems.
The last source of toxicity, we can make more active choices about in our lives has to do with what we listen to musically. Does the music affirm the feelings and qualities we are moving towards in our lives or away from them. Sometimes we listen to a song because we like the beat, but never consciously listen to the words. There are songs I have removed from my listening library because the lyrics reinforced values and qualities I am choosing not to make a part of my life.
We can do the internal work to detoxify our minds and spirits. However, it is also important that we remove the toxins from that which we ingest through our other senses; through what we see, hear, feel, taste, and touch. It may take me a while for our “inner jaguar” to stalk out all the internal parasites; however, we can take steps each day to ensure we live in a toxin free environment now.