Sunday Musings – October 20, 2019
Sunday is usually a cleaning day although the past few Sunday I have been traveling and had other commitments. Thus, the cleaning I did was only a surface job. Today my intention is to do a much more thorough job. I have begun by changing the sheets, vacuuming under the bed and getting out the winter down comforter.
Although I tend to put off setting aside a significant block of time for cleaning I actually enjoy doing it. While doing physical cleaning I am aware that cleaning the house thoroughly is also a metaphor for cleaning out my emotional and spiritual house. Although I do some light house cleaning as well as emotional and spiritual cleaning every day Sundays are a good day for a more thorough job. The fact that I do it on Sunday may be marginally related to a time when I spent hours in a traditional, Christian church service on Sunday. Yet, I as recall, I was then not so much cleaning house as I was prostrating myself as the lowly sinner that I was before the almighty begging for forgiveness for my humanness. My understanding of myself was this worthless sinner whom the gracious god of my understanding might take pity on and toss me a crumb of forgiveness knowing I would continue to commit sin after sin after sin.
Later, when reading Carl Jung and others, I would learn to think in more clinical or psychological terms. Yet, even this was thought of as a struggle between the good side and the bad or dark side. Robert Johnson (Owning your Own Shadow) and others would claim that we are born whole but early on “eat of the “ fruits of the tree of knowledge and things separate into good and evil and we begin the shadow making process” (page 4 of the paperback edition). He goes on the talk about the process of reclaiming our wholeness in the later part of our life journey. Jesus in the New Testament is reported to have said something similar when he talked about becoming as little children which may be read as returning to the innocent state of little children.
In modern psychological terms or do we dare speak in common sense terms we understand us humans have this very delicately balanced body including this amazing brain which can easily misfire or get off balance. Certain illnesses, brain disorders, some drugs, tiredness, forgetting to eat, exercise or rest can also negatively affect the ability to think and act rationally; to act in a way which benefits or maintains the balance of the universe.
It would seem our tendency as humans is to doubt that we have worth just for being us and to respond to this doubt by looking to something outside ourselves to temporarily numb us or massage our fragile egos. We also have a tendency to simply get so busy with life that we forget to take care of ourselves. We may not even notice many days that we have deficit spent our emotional, spiritual, nutritional and physical energy.
Sunday then is the day when I look a little closer at my internal gas tanks. I notice when I have deficit spent or fed that fear that I am not enough I have acted in a way which is harmful to myself, my community and to the universe as a whole. I must practice honestly and when needed or appropriate make amends to myself and to those who have been injured by the symptoms of my deficit spending. It is not a time to prostrate myself or to otherwise berate myself. It is a time to notice and fill my gas tanks. It is not a time for self-shaming or operatic drama (without good singing and fun costumes). It is a time to notice, smile and do what is needed/possible to restore my health and to, once again, recommit to being more intentional about taking care of myself ever day of the week. Thus filled I am better able to function as a healthy part of the universe.
Written October 20, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Sunday is usually a cleaning day although the past few Sunday I have been traveling and had other commitments. Thus, the cleaning I did was only a surface job. Today my intention is to do a much more thorough job. I have begun by changing the sheets, vacuuming under the bed and getting out the winter down comforter.
Although I tend to put off setting aside a significant block of time for cleaning I actually enjoy doing it. While doing physical cleaning I am aware that cleaning the house thoroughly is also a metaphor for cleaning out my emotional and spiritual house. Although I do some light house cleaning as well as emotional and spiritual cleaning every day Sundays are a good day for a more thorough job. The fact that I do it on Sunday may be marginally related to a time when I spent hours in a traditional, Christian church service on Sunday. Yet, I as recall, I was then not so much cleaning house as I was prostrating myself as the lowly sinner that I was before the almighty begging for forgiveness for my humanness. My understanding of myself was this worthless sinner whom the gracious god of my understanding might take pity on and toss me a crumb of forgiveness knowing I would continue to commit sin after sin after sin.
Later, when reading Carl Jung and others, I would learn to think in more clinical or psychological terms. Yet, even this was thought of as a struggle between the good side and the bad or dark side. Robert Johnson (Owning your Own Shadow) and others would claim that we are born whole but early on “eat of the “ fruits of the tree of knowledge and things separate into good and evil and we begin the shadow making process” (page 4 of the paperback edition). He goes on the talk about the process of reclaiming our wholeness in the later part of our life journey. Jesus in the New Testament is reported to have said something similar when he talked about becoming as little children which may be read as returning to the innocent state of little children.
In modern psychological terms or do we dare speak in common sense terms we understand us humans have this very delicately balanced body including this amazing brain which can easily misfire or get off balance. Certain illnesses, brain disorders, some drugs, tiredness, forgetting to eat, exercise or rest can also negatively affect the ability to think and act rationally; to act in a way which benefits or maintains the balance of the universe.
It would seem our tendency as humans is to doubt that we have worth just for being us and to respond to this doubt by looking to something outside ourselves to temporarily numb us or massage our fragile egos. We also have a tendency to simply get so busy with life that we forget to take care of ourselves. We may not even notice many days that we have deficit spent our emotional, spiritual, nutritional and physical energy.
Sunday then is the day when I look a little closer at my internal gas tanks. I notice when I have deficit spent or fed that fear that I am not enough I have acted in a way which is harmful to myself, my community and to the universe as a whole. I must practice honestly and when needed or appropriate make amends to myself and to those who have been injured by the symptoms of my deficit spending. It is not a time to prostrate myself or to otherwise berate myself. It is a time to notice and fill my gas tanks. It is not a time for self-shaming or operatic drama (without good singing and fun costumes). It is a time to notice, smile and do what is needed/possible to restore my health and to, once again, recommit to being more intentional about taking care of myself ever day of the week. Thus filled I am better able to function as a healthy part of the universe.
Written October 20, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
RSS Feed