This article was posted by CrystalWind.ca.
Cleansing And Being Dirty
- Details
- Written by Nimue Brown
I’m wary of the idea that cleansing is something we, or our sacred spaces automatically need.
The notion of purity can take us in really unhelpful directions, fuelling feelings of shame and inadequacy. Dirt is nature, our animal bodies are messy, and ‘negative’ emotions are part of the human experience.
At the same time, cleaning can be a restorative and healing practice. In the physical sense, it is good for our wellbeing to clean our bodies and the physical things we live with. Water on skin is a deeply restorative thing both physically and emotionally. Physical wounds need keeping clean as they heal, and we might ask how spiritual and emotional wounds need caring for.
Cleansing can be a good response to feeling stuck. It can be a good symbolic gesture when you feel like you need to let go or move on in some way. You might feel you have things you need to put down or remove from your life, and in that context, any symbolic action that seems appealing is likely to be helpful.
The process of cleaning can, in the normal scheme of things, bring a person into contact with a lot of chemicals. What do we put on our bodies in the name of cleanliness? What does that actually do to us? How much microplastic is in our bodies as a consequence? What kinds of things are we releasing into our homes for the sake of the kinds of shininess we see in adverts? What do we inhale from that? What will it do to us in the longer term? We are sold a lot of things with the notion that they make us cleaner, when actually what’s happening is that we are exposing ourselves to a lot of chemicals.
It’s important to ask what you mean to strip away, and what the implications are. To what degree are we simply trying to deny the idea that we are natural beings with animal bodies? I’d rather have fewer chemicals in my home and more spiders. I like the spiders. And equally, on a spiritual level I’m not trying to strip away impurities, or ‘raise’ myself out of my human condition.
Sometimes though, things happen that feel sticky and unwelcome. For that, I need antidotes. The things I find most helpful are spending time with running water, and under trees. Forest bathing works in all kinds of ways, and doesn’t feel like trying to escape from anything real or natural. Time with trees takes away the unwelcome feelings, and is an antidote to what capitalism does. Time with my hands in soil does the same – actual dirt feels genuinely cleansing to me, and the bacteria we encounter in soil tends to be actively good for us. Humans are full of friendly bacteria when we’re functioning properly, and sterile environments aren’t good for us. Sometimes to feel better we need to be dirtier.
© 2023 crystalwind.ca. All rights reserved. We track all IP addresses with sniffer technology. Using a VPN will not hide your IP.
© CrystalWind.ca 2024. All content (articles, imagery, fair use) & design protected. Written permission required for copying. All rights reserved.
Join the Conversation Now! Comment Below!
Disclaimer
We are in compliance with, "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use." All rights reserved go to their respective holders. We do not own the intellectual property shown on this website, the respective holders own that privilege unless stated otherwise. We do not endorse any opinions expressed on the CrystalWind.ca website. We do not support, represent or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any content or communications posted on CrystalWind.ca.
Disclaimers for CrystalWind.ca: All the information on this website is published in good faith and for general information purposes only. CrystalWind.ca does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (CrystalWind.ca) is strictly at your own risk. CrystalWind.ca will not be liable for any losses and/or damages
Spirit Animal Totem Of The Day!
Crystal Of The Day!
Latest Articles
The Crystal Wind Oracle
Myth & Magic Card Deck!
Details Here!
NEW Expanded
Printed & Boxed!
Now with 58 cards!
CrystalWind.ca is free to use because of
donations from people like you.
Donate Now »
Unlock Your Light: Join Lightworkers Worldwide on CrystalWind.ca!
Follow Us!
Who is Online Now
We have 17916 guests and no members online
Featured This Month
Labradorite
The Magic Stone Labradorite allows complete polarity shifts to occur, just ... Read more
Original Irish Jack-O-Lanterns Were Truly Te…
A far cry from the grinning pumpkins of Halloween today, the origi... Read more
Bats - Myths, Folklore and Facts
Bats “Suspicions amongst thoughts are like bats amongst birds, they ever ... Read more
Freeze Up Moon
Snake – Copper and Malachite – Thistle – Orange October 24 to November 21 ... Read more
Halloween Origins - Commemorates the Fall of…
Halloween is often considered the world's oldest human celebration as it has... Read more
Samhain Lore
The symbolism of this Sabbat is that of The Third (and final) Harvest, it ma... Read more
Samhain by The Hedgewitch
Blessed Samhain Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the year, fo... Read more
The Jack-O-Lantern
When we think of Jack-o-Lanterns today we think of the carved pumpkins with ... Read more