One of the things I tell my clients is that mineral oil is bad. First of all, it’s a by-product of gasoline processing, but that’s not what I want to focus on here; the molecular structures are too big to pass through your skin’s pores. Which means that none of the good nutrients can get in, and no toxins can get out. When you use skin care products with mineral oil, it’s as if you are wrapped in cellophane.
So, where am I going with this? The toxins in your Mind and Spirit are in the form of Fear. The nutrients we need to grow and develop are in the form of Love. And our metal jacket is the proverbial walls that we put up. By pretending and believing that we are strong, that no one will get to our core ever again (since we’ve been hurt one too many times before); and, by thinking that vulnerability is weak, we are keeping our Fear inside and Love is in view but doesn’t soothe and nourish our Souls.
“Give me strength and courage to get through my challenges” and “thank you for giving me challenges that help me grow”. Those are some daily prayers and gratitudes that I say to God, because He always listening. Yes, I sometimes say these words out loud and sometimes consciously speak them internally. Regardless, the message is that I am not asking for luck or for things to go easily. I recognize that without challenging opportunities, we cannot move forward by learning where our perceived limitations exist.
This reminds me of some philosophy courses that I took through the public library. It had many course names over the years, or through different marketing campaigns, but the one that resonated with me was “Coaching for the Soul”. I took a lot of notes and learned about different yet similar philosophies from East to Western civilizations; historical to modern. If from a distance, you see a door with a big, unbreakable lock, and assume that you cannot get through, you will miss the opportunity. This is you blocking yourself from a very simple challenge, as you will soon realize, that as you approach this obstacle, the door is actually a picture on a large sheet of paper.
Labyrinth (David Bowie rocks it!) is full of these types of moral messages. I watched it several times as a kid, but when I saw it again as an adult, I was giddy about all of the subtle encouraging life lessons. I tend to get overly passionate when things start to click and the “Ah-ha” moments happen.
All in all, try to use a gentle cleanser to open the gateway… let the goodness in and get the harmful substances, feelings and situations out. But once the toxins are out, don’t sit around and give them any chance to sneak back in.