Taking out the trash - Serious Saturday

Since next to no one read this on Saturday - because they have better things to do - I find that I can delve into deeper and more serious topics than I normally would. Today's topic is what I call

 taking out the trash - the most important step in your journey 

If you are like me, you have done some work on yourself because life has put you in a place you don't like. You do some introspection or you take some course that works miracles and you feel better. Too often that is where I stopped - the place where I felt better mainly because I felt better. Let's recap the action so far:

1. You feel Bad
2. You want to change things
3. You do something about your feeling bad
   

• this something could be read a self-help book, take a self-help seminar or course, join a support group such as Artist Way or AA or Al-anon. 
• This group or class works for you and you feel better about yourself - at this point, you seemingly have two options

1. Keep digging into your inner landscape via introspection or therapy or both
2. Start living life again

Most people choose option number two which is not a bad thing. But both options leave out a vital step if you want to make progress - Taking out the Trash. 

I call this trash because it is stuff that you no longer need and as trash you need to get rid of it or it will not go away.

The part of your personality that you changed, say being shy or smoking, remains in your inner landscape unless you get rid of it. The best way to get rid of it, is to establish a ritual in which you use symbols to express your desire to rid yourself of this baggage or trash.

One ritual I do is meditation. In my meditation I release all my cares, concerns and  worries to the universe, to God/Goddess - the Creator. I actively offer up my trash. I do this not because I want God to take care of it but because I want to be the best person I can be and I am a better person when I GET RID OF the TRASH. I put it on the Cosmic curb and I let the Garbage Angels take it away. That is my ritual - it seems to work for me - I feel better and I have not been tempted as strongly by bad habits such as procrastination as I used to be. 

 I have done a lot of self-help stuff - a catch-all phrase for workshops , seminars, books, spiritual seeking (another catch-all phrase for dabbling in Native American theology, Buddhism, mysticism . . .) and energy healing. I have been changed by all these things and more but I found that I made real progress when I decided to stop holding onto my trash - old outdated habits and ideas.

Now it is time to do some soul spring cleaning - out with the old and in with the new.

1. I will not actively doubt myself, thus I have to let go of thoughts I have of myself that limit myself.
2. I will not criticize others -  thus I have to let go of the idea that it somehow benefits me to put others down.
3. I want to be active in the achieving my goals - I give up the idea that money will make things all better (also substitute any material thing for money) So thoughts of the winning Lotto ticket bringing me happiness have to go

This is quite a lot to haul to the curb - It lo0ks like I have my work cut out for me. 

Talk to ya later,

Frank