Self Mastery - Begins with Discipline

For a minute there I had to stop and think what day of my fast I was on - perhaps because I am feeling so detached from it. The days matter, but really they don't - and I am not sure even how to explain that! Perhaps it's because when you are cleansing especially in the beginning, your focus needs to be on the tasks at hand.

I just heard someone use the word discipline - a word I use quite a lot with myself. It used to be a negative word at one time in my life - however, once I started my first detox and certainly during my 40 days fasting, it came to have a whole new meaning.

Now, I look forward to and enjoy these little (and not so little) disciplines I have incorporated into my daily life. Of course perhaps the biggest one might be fasting, another one could be exercise - and then, choosing to eat only homemade foods might also be a form of self regulation.

Whenever I need to get to the bottom of something - I turn to the dictionary and look it up! Once you get past the negative connotations that have come to surround this word you begin to see the other words associated with it... such as:

control

mastery

regulation

restraint 

train 

prepare

Wow, what a word this starts to become, especially when you place the word 'self' in front or after of most the them.  Taking it a little further, if we apply each of these to our body then we start to see where a little discipline can take us. 

It just leads me to wonder if part of the problem in our lives which leads to dysfunction (depression, disease, excess weight) lies with being disciplined in the wrong areas...

April  

Picture of love!

Last Big Push! Day 21

Well, this is it - finally it's day 21 and I only have a few hours left to achieve my goal. That's 21 full days drinking only Master Cleanse juice (my own recipe) with herbal teas and water. My body feels squeaky clean and ready to move forward.

I am having loads of dreams, feel great, some detox symptoms such as coated tongue and sore back at times. I think the majority of the clearing is taking place in my back - lungs, kidneys, bowel and so forth. But, it's totally manageable.

Last night my dreams were of Oprah and Lady Gaga - don't ask, because I don't know either!! LOL All I can think of is that I read Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star before I went to bed... but either way, they were very informative and interesting dreams. As usual during a detox.

Today, feels like I am just punching time until tomorrow morning when I can start on my juice - however, if other cleanses are any indication, this will be a most interesting day. The final detox cycle will be in full swing and I should get lots of insights into why and what was achieved these past 3weeks.

I have a feeling it has everything to do with this nasty ball of energy that is coming up in my stomach - it has been there forever, is full of other people's anger and negative energy and I can't wait to get this moving out. It's something I have been working towards for awhile.

Perhaps this detox has been even deeper than I thought. I will keep you posted,

April

Lemon Thyme in my garden

Day 9 - Discipline of the Self

Well, I have arrived here on the ninth day of my cleanse feeling pretty good this morning - happy the weekend is over, because I can get my routine back. Funny how we are such creatures of habit - we find routine comforting, predictable and safe.

Right now when I am deep in the middle of a detox, I also find it makes the time go faster and I know how to keep myself busy! And to be honest, it's not that I want to eat or even about food, even though I am surrounded by it and it's all I do. For me, I just like to feel productive and get as much done as I can during each of these cleanses.

Once my mind is made up to do something - such as a Master Cleanse for 12 days - all thought of eating is firmly placed on the back burner for the duration of that time. Perhaps I have trained myself to do this over the years. 

However, I do remember a time when I would find it very hard to stick with any plan, especially when it came to food. I used to think and complain at the time that it seemed someone else was controlling me or that rubbish food was in control.

And I am certain that was indeed what was taking place (energetically and physically) on many levels. When we are full of toxins the struggle is far greater and it requires far more energy to get the process moving forward. 

My 40 day detox sorted me out on that end. I think that I cut through so much old muck in my system by doing those few weeks, it changed me completely. But, most importantly, I learned discipline. As I talk about in my book The Pagan Diet, I was taught all about spiritual discipline.

Of course this is a life long quest and there is still much to learn - I refer to this as self - mastery and I have mentioned it here several times. Fasting, walking the spiritual path and any of these paths to higher consciousness requires of us to overcome lesser energies that hold us back.

This all takes effort and energy, your body is a work of art - removing one layer of debris at a time as we are gently shown how to overcome addictions, lower vibrations, old habits and fear that have kept us locked down for so long.

April 

Hawthorne berries, drying on the wood stove

Day 6 - What a Cleanse is All About...

Here we are on our 6th day of a 12 day detox and feeling pretty good all around - even though no one got much sleep last night because the little one was coughing and awake a bit. The usual stuff of childhood colds and seasonal change!

However, this morning has been very productive for me - you know when you get up and just jump into things and clear off a pile of chores in short order - it has been one of those days so far. I hope it keeps up because I love it.

So far today, I have made bread, hazelnut butter, lunch is sorted for the little one, laundry is done, kitchen is clean and I have done my salt water flush. Perhaps the swf is responsible for all the extra energy LOL.

As for detox symptoms, I have loads of them - took me ages to get to sleep last night, I have piles of energy, my tongue is coated, my hair is limp, big and deep dreams whenever I did close my eyes and my joints are a bit achy today.

Of course with all of this comes the good stuff - clear mind, lots of energy, bright eyes, keen sense of smell, very creative, wanting to just get things done and get moving forward. My skin is also very soft which I love about doing any detox - this softness usually stays for quite a few weeks.

Actually, my skin used to be the bane of my existence at one time because it was bumpy and not clear at all. Then I changed my diet (drastically) and the rest is history - my skin has been clear ever since. I actually want to go up to teenagers I see on occasion and mention that even a slight change in diet is far better for your skin and will save them years of agony. 

My skin cleared so well once I gave up sugar, chocolate and coffee - those three things were over stimulating to my system and kept me in a downward cycle of low energy, excess weight and terrible skin. Once these were gone my skin cleared within weeks and has not ever gone back to the way it was. That was quite a few years ago now...

I mention skin to nearly everyone I meet because it is our largest detox organ - our skin needs to breathe, be free and taken out into the sun every now and then! And I have come to love being barefoot - especially to do some parts of my exercise routine. 

It just feels good to have feet on the ground - directly in contact with the earth. Perhaps that's what a cleanse is all about? 

April

On to Day 3 of My Detox

Well, not a great night sleeping wise last night - however I feel pretty good today. Usually by day 3 of any Master Cleanse the adjustment period is behind you and you will be settling into a new routine. It's hard to call this a MC at the moment because I am still only drinking water and not any juice.

I wanted to try a few days on only water and perhaps some herbal teas to see how I might feel -- it's the same so far just noticing a little less full tummy. But because I have my own blend of juice drink, it is nourishing and very healing -- perhaps today I will start in on it.

Usually I try some new herbal concoctions in my juice and this time will be no exception - the best thing about the herbs is that they speed up the healing, cleansing and detox process. I also find that they deepen it - herbs work synergistically with organs, tissues and body systems to help bring balance.

Something I look forward to during each of these cleanses is just coming back to centre and feeling completely myself as my journey inwards continues to unfold. 

At this stage I am often mentioning my dreams -- they are very telling during a cleanse and will show you what is happening within your body as well as what to expect. Last night I had very strange dreams, and deeply disturbing ones. Mainly about parts of myself that were missing, lost or stolen....

Of course this is exactly all that I am working on at the moment to bring back into alignment and integrate higher levels of myself. It's the magic of a detox process - one of the main reasons to see it through to the very end each time.

After each of these cleanses (and indeed during them) I have witnessed profound shifts and change within my life. I don't think this time will be any different - I do however feel that this one is going to be deeper and more intense. It is already proving to be. 

Well, off to do some exercise!

April

Glandore Harbour, West Cork

Another Master Cleanse Done!

It's over and we have moved on to the next phase which is already shaping up to be certainly focused on two things so far - mind and physical exercise and perhaps the connection between them. Even today, day 11, which is really a juice day as we shift back into eating, I am sensing change.

Today I am on smoothies and juice for the day until later when I will have some soft cooked veggie soup and some homemade bread. Day 11 usually goes quite well, albeit a little shock to the system of flavours, textures and tastes after the herbal teas and lemon drink for 10 days.

I love this time because now is when we see the effort of cleansing come together into what was accomplished and how far we have moved forward with our inner quest. Already I am seeing in my workouts how I feel stronger, more determined and focused.

This time around I not only maintained my daily workout during the fast, but increased them in length and intensity. So, now with some more calories in my system, I am surging with energy and can feel the power in my muscles.

It's a great place to be actually! I can't help but think this is what wellness or total health must feel like...

So far today, I am still cooking, I just made our meal of mung bean root vegetable stew and some honey spelt bread to go with it. Later I want to make some crackers for everyone as well as get started on a few more of our goodies for the weekend.

This weekend is Mabon of Autumn Equinox which for us usually means a celebration of trees. This is the perfect time of year to plant a lot of different trees as well as put seeds into the ground. In Ireland the winter garden is always a nice option too. 

Already today I have been working away in my herb garden taking advantage of the drier weather to get some herbs in for drying. The whole kitchen looks and smells like herbs (they are hanging to dry), warm bread and health.

Well, off to get some more done here today, have a good one,

April

Oak tree in pot in my herb garden

Today is Day Seven!

Well, it is often at this point in our Master Cleanse where we start to count down and of course plan all the yummy foods we want to eat once the fasting is over. Today because everyone is at home, we are busy looking through our recipes and making wish lists!

And there is a great list on the go right now for me to work from on the weekend, usually it will be far too much to make in only a couple of days, but I always give it my best shot. Everything tastes so wonderful just after a Master Cleanse with a clean palate and all your senses are up and running 

Today I am feeling pretty good as well, I just did most of my workout, and was able to push myself a little bit more. I have managed to keep up with my regimen and am quite pleased with myself on this end. I want to do some more in our gym shortly, it just feels better when I am moving.

As for detox symptoms, I have lots, aches and pains (could be this cold?), slight headache, stuffy nose, coated tongue, a bit tired at times - come to think of it, these are all cold symptoms. I am sleeping fairly well at night and still having dreams, but not remembering like I was earlier in the week. There were more vague this morning. Perhaps because I was up a few times with the kids (coughing and runny noses!). 

This is the stage of a MC when you are also likely to go back into the deepest detox cycle of the 10 days, so things can change a little when this happens. Usually for me this just means more emotional work to be done and deeper insights into old negative patterns.

In fact these next couple of days will provide the overview or place the entire Master Cleanse into context - showing me exactly what has been accomplished over these past 10 days. I love this part - it's as if it all comes together with reasons, understanding and energy shifts.

Well, that's me for Day 7, lots to look forward to!

Have a healthy day,

April

From a little marigold plant something wonderful grows

Feeling the Need to Detox

These past couple of days have been good in many ways, with regards to getting things done, however I am feeling the need to get back down to the business of detoxing once again and physically I feel as if a lot of toxins have been stirred up.

During these past few weeks, since my last cleanse, I have increased and expanded my workouts to add variety but also to improve my own fitness level. I like to challenge myself every now and then, especially through physical activity. 

With all of the detoxing, I had tended to do more gentle exercises, and then stick with that low key pattern after the cleanse was finished mostly out of habit. I missed doing a more vigorous exercise routine and have happily gotten back into it recently.

Of course, doing much more physically, also increases the circulation of toxins in the system as well as encouraging them to leave by the normal routes. I want to speed things along a little bit and thought to combine a Master Cleanse with a few more intense workouts (as much as possible) thrown in.

So, this weekend we are eating well, exercising lots and building up to doing our September Master Cleanse (for how many days I am not sure yet) sometime next week. 

My body feels much stronger, however I am aware of the toxin load moving about because my mind is unable to focus as easily and I am a little ungrounded, neither of which is like me. I miss the way I usually feel in my mind - sharp and clear and need to get back to it.

The fastest, easiest and safest way to detox, body, mind and soul is of course to do a Master Cleanse for about 10 days. This will be my fifth this year so far while I have done many little mini cleanses in-between.

Right now I am very aware of internal body functions and systems needing to come into balance - and the best way to move forward is through a detox. So another Master Cleanse is in order, I can't wait. 

Now I have to decide on a theme or focus for my 10 days journey....hmmm!

Have a lovely day,

April

A tangle of herbs...

And Day 5 of the Master Cleanse is Here!

Well, I had a great day yesterday mostly because the sun came out and I got out into my garden to get weeding and tidying done. The vegetables are coming along, lots of new green leaves that I can't wait to try next week and all else is growing despite the constant rain.

I am also feeling pretty good physically, albeit a little beat up emotionally with some very deeply held patterns surfacing. My tongue is not as coated as it usually is during a cleanse, I am dreaming many times a night, so far I'm a little more tired than normal (smile!) with kids at home, writing and all the gardening yesterday - it was the tiredness after a good day's work actually.

Not much in the way of aches and pains, but my hair still feels heavy and limp, my eyesight, sense of smell and hearing are heightened and very acute. Funny how these vital 'senses' must be dampened down by the presence of toxins, and we don't even know it. 

I have long wondered about eyesight in particular as my eyes are still the same (if a little better because of all the detoxing) while others around me are wearing glasses at the same age. Perhaps, my diet will stand me well in this department? Time will tell...

Speaking of senses, when you are doing a cleanse especially for this length of time your hearing and sensitivity to noise is also enhanced. Yesterday I found myself just wanting natural noises and really enjoyed being outside. I actually spent quite some time with the ducks and goose - watching them splash and talk softly to each other....

As usual I am really looking forward to seeing how this MC plays out and of course the week afterwards when it all comes together. My thoughts are already going to next month, when I think that I will continue to do these 10 days each month and see where it takes me. 

It's a great form of discipline and continues to change my life in only positive ways.

Have a great day!

April

My daughter in Schull on a sunny day

Will Power, Self Control - Mastery

Today is my second day of this mini - cleanse and I am already planning my weekend menu! LOL But, I will add right here that this is not difficult to do at all - at one time, when my mind or my will power or my self control was NOT my own - doing something like this would have been nearly impossible.

If you want to get started with fasting, detoxes and mini or Master Cleanses but are feeling such a huge level of resistance - start out slowly. I can tell you from my own experience that these issues of not feeling as if you are in control of your own mind are very real. And for the most part you are not in control of your own mind - at least not yet.

It probably took me about 4 months to get in the door of mind-control and then to take over the reigns, so to speak, once I was inside. This takes work, dedication, commitment, perseverance and whatever you can throw at it - but it is the most worthwhile thing that I have ever done.

In my book The Pagan Diet, I talk you through how to start incorporating fasting into your life slowly, taking each day as it comes and all the little things that you need to know, what you will have to work through and many of the issues, such as hunger, that you will face as you walk yourself forward into a better place.

I have not one shred of doubt in my body's ability to change, heal, fix, alter, remove or accomplish anything that I set out to do - and now that my mind is fully onside and working with me, I know that this is a full on approach to living. Perhaps one of the best things is that I know there is still so much more of me to awaken, return, find and discover or re-cover - this is like an adventure!

Through proper eating (if you are uncertain of what you need to be eating order my book The Way to Heal/Detox) you take back your body, by connecting with the land, keeping a garden, including ceremony and ritual in your life you take back your spirit and through water fasting, cleansing, detox, spending time in deep contemplation (The Pagan Diet) - you take back your mind. 

This is a life that is interesting, full, alive and entirely built upon a solid foundation of following your dreams, opening up your heart and learning how to connect to universal Oneness. For those of you who are wondering - no, this does not happen spontaneously, an awakening is a cellular activity involving an energetic shift that requires of you to overcome the obstacles placed in your way.

If you want to be, you can be in charge of these shifts while removing the obstacles

April

My daughter's painting 

7 Days Into This Now

So, here we are at day 7 of this 10 day Master Cleanse and things are moving along as they usually do for me when I cleanse. I will say that this time around, perhaps with it being summer and wanting to eat fresh berries and salad leaves from my garden, this has been a little harder than usual!

However, not so difficult that I would stop for any reason - I have learned over these years that I am an all or nothing type of person, I jump in with both feet or not at all. I do gain such a sense of satisfaction with seeing things through to the end - a few years ago, I would have given up far more easily.

For some reason yesterday I was thinking quite a bit about my 40 Day Master Cleanse last year - remembering how I was feeling, especially at the end. In my book The Pagan Diet©, I mention how the main thing that I learned from that experience was spiritual discipline.

Of course, fasting and nutrition of any kind is all about discipline - which for me does not have the negative connotations that it used to have. Discipline has come to be a welcome companion in my life --- and indeed another word for what I feel I am learning is self-mastery.

Fasting has taught me a few things over the years - that it works as a healer, because your body comes back into balance and alignment in a very gentle way. But, on other levels, self-mastery and self-control are vital aspects of walking a spiritual path.

Over the years, I have witnessed many people losing hope, giving up on this journey, getting frustrated with the time it was taking, the degree of difficulty and the deep emotions that they have had to deal with. It is during these times when discipline towards your spiritual practice and self-restraint might come into play.

It is always darkest before the dawn, and I am certain that fasting, Master Cleanses, diet changes, exercise, and all manner of things that are worthwhile - each have this element to them. While I would label fasting as an easy way to lose weight and keep it off - doing this consistently with single minded purpose takes courage, commitment, confidence and concentration (4C's).

Today I am feeling well, my energy levels are good, the sun is shining and I have a slight sense of anticipation. Perhaps something wonderful is on its way here. Or maybe, the wonderful is already here ready to come to the ground like a hot air balloon.

Looking up for my balloon! Have a lovely day everyone,

April 

Coastal area - West Cork, Ireland