Spring Cleaning JZ312

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    Part 2

    Lesson 2: Spring Cleaning

    We like new beginnings. In general, human consciousness responds positively to an opportunity to

    start afresh. Thank God for it, because it gives substance to the hope that we can do better.

    The key to a new start is realigning ourselves with the task, whatever that might be, and

    recommitting to it.

    What is involved in doing better is relative to cultural perceptions and to our level of

    development. For spiritually aware people now, doing better is a concept in transition: the

    emphasis shifting from the detail of what we do, to the efficacy of what we do, however we might

    do it. This shift acknowledges that there is more than one way to raise vibration.

    Religious and spiritual traditions encourage the view that there are right and wrong ways to go

    about things, because prescriptions that minimise the confusion and degeneration which may

    result from differing and uninformed interpretations, is the very point of our religious traditions.

    So much which may appear as intolerance in our traditions is simply a way of avoiding

    syncretism, which, in lay mans terms is the mixing together of things which, generically, do not

    belong together.

    As the traditions reduce their hold on our minds, we will be aware of alternative and equally valid

    ways of going about things, and indeed, of engaging with life. Then, we will have to remember for

    ourselves what we are about, which is raising vibration, and remind ourselves that certain mixes,

    whether they are of activities or substances, could be counterproductive in this undertaking.

    Take the matter of diet, for example. For many people, especially women, a careful diet whichavoids certain no-no foods and ingredients will be worn openly, as a badge of spiritual awareness.

    Indeed, they may be rather proud of their sensitivities and dietary intolerances; and a great deal of

    the day may be taken up with tracking down, shopping for and preparing foods with various things

    either extracted or included. Yet a fear of harmful ingredients, an abiding sense that what life

    brings our way is not good enough for us, and that the world is full of slobs who do not care what

    they eat, has a very detrimental effect on our ability to feel appreciation, and will be inclined to

    strengthen a mentality which is self-righteous, self-absorbed and separatist. A careful diet and self-

    righteous attitudes are not a good mix.

    Self-denial as a way of life can be another ego trap; exercise restraint when circumstances

    recommend it and the rest of the time, enjoy, if not the food itself then making someone feel goodabout having prepared it.

    Many of my own students have been appalled by my apparent lack of dietary awareness, and they

    are absolutely right in their assumption that I will eat most things, including junk food, if that is

    what is to hand. For some, this lack of concern about diet has been a barrier beyond which they

    could not pass, and they went away shaking their heads and questioning my grasp on things. My

    response then is as now: we do not need purity; we humans need to know how to transform, by

    investing in life and appreciating it in all its aspects. (The difference between heaven and hell is in

    the relationships that we create with the experiences we draw to us.) In this way, we serve

    ourselves and our planet. Men know this instinctively because they have a stronger and less

    complicated connection with life itself; women who are accustomed to identifying imperfections,fixing things and criticising male attitudes, often need to be persuaded that careful and cautious

    when it becomes an approach to life can be, in its own way, life-denying.

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    There is no greater transformative agent than appreciation. No one around me gets away with

    thinking that they are too good for anything that life offers, or to fuss and faff about themselves

    and their diets. If poor quality food is all there is, then appreciate it for being there. Then we

    benefit and the food benefits.

    The more corrupted the food, the harder we will have to work at eating and digesting consciously,

    otherwise we will be what we eat. Of course it is easier and more ergonomically efficient (i.e.,spiritually safer) to eat well because the less time and energy we spend digesting physical food the

    more energy is available for taking in and processing new impressions. This is why certain

    traditions will steer people away from some kinds of foods and encourage others, and why living

    on prana which takes nothing from the Earth and requires no digesting is ultimately the goal for

    humanity on the planet. But it is not essential to eat well, and when circumstances do not permit

    this, then we need to be able to create a sound relationship with this state of affairs.

    If we truly love our food we will not have weight problems. People who are overweight will often

    say they love food too much, but in truth it is sensations connecting to eating they enjoy; they do

    not love their food. In fact, food is usually the enemy and this perception creates a negative

    relationship with food, which is where weight problems come from.

    Food allergies come from negative perceptions about life, which express themselves through the

    foods which sustain life. If you truly want to see off a wheat allergy, face up to the fact that you

    are resentful about the amount of things you perceive people expect you to do for them. This is the

    level on which we need to deal with allergies; anything else is simply side-stepping.

    Shamballa has asked us not to eat meat and to learn new ways of growing food stuffs (see The

    Planetary Guidelines). This is not a dietary issue (although a meat-free diet is spiritually safer for

    the people we are now), but part of a process of changing perception to create a greater awareness

    of our planetary responsibilities. It is first and foremost an awareness issue.

    Careful diet in certain circumstances can create mindfulness and it can assist in helping to create a

    suitable frame of mind for new beginnings, which is our theme here. For many of those who have

    lived a largely materialistic lifestyle and have awoken spiritually, changing diet can be a reminder

    to themselves that different things matter now. They are advised, however, not to be too deadly

    serious about this, because then it will become a limitation and, perhaps, a cause of separation.

    The spring is a time for new beginnings, as the day light returns to the Northern hemisphere. In the

    Southern hemisphere the on-set of autumn encourages a reflection and contemplation.

    Wherever you are, prepare to use the Equinoxes which are a time for new beginnings, for a new

    mode. Hopefully you know yourselves well enough to know what works for you when it comes to

    feeling positive about making a new start and strong enough to sustain what you have started.

    There is a skill required in sustaining the vision, when the enticing distant vista becomes mere

    surroundings, but this is a topic for another time. For now, our concern is to nurture that sense that

    there is possibility out there because we feel positivity within about our own lives.

    1.

    Create a space in your life for bringing into clear focus what you wish to improve upon or

    change, and why. If you yourself do not believe that there will be a benefit from taking this

    action, do not undertake it because there will be no true motivation, and the effort will be half-

    hearted. (No person with awareness would do anything from such a place.)2. Refresh your physical space, which should never be allowed to get really dirty or untidy.

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    3.

    Cleanse your body outside and inside, if that will help you. Remember that the less time and

    energy we spend digesting physical food, the more energy is available for taking in and

    processing new impressions, which may recommend a short period of fasting.

    4. Examine your attitudes, habitual stances and cherished opinions. When did you last notice and

    appreciate a simple act of kindness and consideration? They are being performed all around us

    in everyday life and are amongst the most accessible fruits of the last 2,000 years of human

    development. Yet we surely will not notice them if we are banging on about the wickedness

    of the world and the unspiritual folly of those around us, a refrain which the spiritually-minded often fear to give up.

    5.

    Mark the start of the new with a little ceremony, and tie in the energy of the moon cycle. This

    makes March 22nd2012 the optimal date.

    Enjoy the process of preparing and the opportunity for change and betterment. If you cannot, focus

    upon the aspect of the process of preparation to which you experience the most resistance, and

    give all your time and attention to it until you develop a positive relationship with it.

    Suzanne Rough 2012

    I am SpringSunfade,

    In the eventide,Lavender light

    Inspires birdsong beginningTo piece together

    The Promise

    Star fall seeds as earth receives

    Bringing light into pranic form

    Enamelled skylinedStained glass trees

    Latticed woven openingThrough the breeze

    Faltering light and opened visionGateway of Promise and Provision

    In the eventide,When the Sunfade sees

    This herald opportunityFresh breathed song begins

    In opening phaseAbsorbs the stillness

    Along the Way

    Judith Way

    2011