Reconnect Lesson 5: Here’s Mud In Your Eye

Do you know the expression “Here’s Mud In Your Eye”? It’s a toast wishing fellow drinkers good health. It may sound negative, but it’s actually positive. Some say that the origin of this saying is Biblical, when Jesus spat in the dirt to make mud and rubbed it into the eyes of a blind man, healing his sight.

That’s my wish for you in this 5th offering of my Reconnect to Your True Self Series – Here’s Mud in Your Eye!

May your sight be healed so that you may see the beauty of your perfect unfolding.

Too often, we’re blinded to the truth of our journey, our perfect unfolding, our beauty. This can translate into fear, false self-perceptions, body shame, and thinking challenges happen to us, not for us. 

Unlike the lotus born in the mud and cleansing itself as it reaches higher through the water to blossom mud-free above the surface and into the light, we humans often cling to the mud that hardens over time and weighs us down.

Sadly, the walls of dirt get so thick that they not only cover our golden light, but also stunt our growth.

We don’t let go of others’ comments, opinions, judgments – leaving us with low self-esteem. We then look at ourselves and our lives through the eyes of those lies, unable to recognize that people’s hurtful comments and actions are but a reflection of their own fears and illusions. We make them our truth and add to them our own judgments and self-criticism to create even thicker walls.

It’s time to let go of the built-up dirt to emerge and blossom! This is a natural part of the process. Embrace it!

The exercises in this post will require vulnerability & strength, openness & courage. It’s time to stop hiding. It’s time to sparkle & shine as your True Self.

Ready?

As I was connecting with my Team of Divine Helpers and painting “The Perfect Unfolding”, they reminded me of so many significant moments from girlhood to womanhood – some that brought back smiles and others a need for forgiveness, gratitude, understanding, and compassion for myself and others.

These came bubbling to the surface as I painted so I could see them, process them,  and let them go – the seemingly good & bad in non-judgment.

The exercises offered here were inspired by my process during the painting of #5 in the Re-Connecting Collection,  “The Perfect Unfolding”.

Your body is your sacred vehicle for your spirit in this lifetime. Spend good solid time with this exercise to hear its wisdom, its feedback.

In exercise 1, your body will be your mirror. It’s already holding so many of your negative memories and self-perceptions.

Now allow it to process years of negativity & challenges so that it can activate its built-in self-cleansing mode – in body, mind & spirit.

Feel free to proceed in whichever way you feel moved, knowing these steps are but suggestions. You might need the full force of the ceremony at the end or you may be inspired to create your own version.

Before you start, however, know that this is not about rejecting all that has made you into who you are today. On the contrary. It’s about acknowledging the mud in which you grew so you can now move past it to emerge into all you have always meant to be.

That mud was somehow necessary. My hope is that this will become clearer to you as your vision clears up.

1. Start from your feet up (usually easier) – really look at this part of your body.
2. Invite your body to speak about what it’s holding – “Dear feet, what am I ready to see, acknowledge & let go of? “
3. Jot what bubbles up on tiny strips of paper. Notice your thoughts, judgments, memories. For example:
   • my flat feet as a child meant I had to wear unattractive orthopaedic wear. This was followed by a lifetime of believing in comfort first, sparing no expense on good orthopaedic shoes no matter what else I’m wearing.
   • bad eczema on my toes as a child making me want to hide my feet – shame.
   • A friend calling me “sausage toes” in high school, pointing out that those who have a longer toe were superior in some way
   • breaking my right foot after sitting for hours cross-legged and walking on it wrong – feeling like a failure as I became dependent on friends for rides as if asking for help was a bad thing
   • black toe nail and bleeding blisters after my 1st hike in Newfoundland caused by bad boots and leading to feelings of being “not good enough”, “out of shape” and reminding me of all the times I was last & laughed at during physical education class, confirming my belief that I shouldn’t do group sports/ activities. I just don’t fit in.
   • my funny heel – with a birthmark on one side (that made me feel special) and a blue dot on the other where I accidentally rammed a led pencil in it when I was 7 (which made me feel clumsy) – I later worried about the health consequences of having led in my system
   • plantars warts as a child – afraid of pool floors and pain associated with going to the doctors
   • other kinds of warts later on – believing I was doing something wrong to grow those
   • constant cold feet from bad circulation – too much sitting.
   • feeling pretty with red toe nails during my trip to England, but not feeling justified to get pedicures with my simple living values and budgetary priorities – feelings of not being worthy, wastefulness, scarcity mentality.My goodness, I could go on and that’s just with the feet!You get the picture.Very slowly go up your body and spend time observing what comes up, without trying to change it or judge yourself for it. Be an active listener, a loving observer.Your body is just mirroring years of inner & outer experiences.
4. Once you have a whole stack of these strips of paper ceremoniously burn them in a small container or in an outdoor fire. As you watch the paper burn, be grateful for how these challenges & the pain have shaped you. Acknowledge how they may have hurt but also made you stronger, more compassionate, equipped you to transform them into gifts for yourself & others.
5.  Take some of the ashes and rub them over your body – as a mask, war paint, messages of transformation, etc. Follow your inspiration. Look at yourself in the mirror and listen to your heart – its loving messages and invitations to transformation.
6. Shower mindfully, feeling grateful for the cleansing. Pray or sing yourself into freedom as you watch the dirt go down the drain.

Note: As I was typing these inspirations, I was also given visions of taking the ashes and flushing them down the toilet instead. Because of the analogy to a lotus born in the mud and cleanly emerging from the water to blossom in the light, I strongly suggest that you include water in whatever ceremony you create for yourself.

“The Perfect Unfolding” – Original SOLD and prints available.

See how the golden glass-beaded figure in my painting stands? She’s a voluptuous, open, strong, spirited, sensual and divine being. She’s not hiding herself. She’s not covered in shame or judgment. She’s free. She’s true – part spirit and part physical. She’s balanced in the heart of that lotus and grateful for all that she’s lived, all that she is, and all that is opening up for her. She’s unapologetic and pure, radiating from unconditional love.

Now that you’ve processed so much of what you had adopted as part of your truth and carried around for years, it’s time to truly see your beauty.

Look in the mirror again.

Love your body from your feet to your head by gently stroking it and acknowledging its function as a vessel to your spirit.

Appreciate your body’s perfect imperfections as a testimony to your path. You are unique. Your body is precious and so very beautiful.

Gaze at yourself in the mirror. Accept the changes that come with age and experience. Accept the calls for love.

A teacher in one of my drawing classes helped me see this. She talked about her experience in self-portrait classes. By spending time drawing all of what made her unique, she learned to love the moles, the scars, the shapes and ever-deepening wrinkles.

The more you can see the beauty in yourself, the more you’ll recognize it in others, no matter what the media advertises as how you should look to feel good.

As you stroke and gaze at yourself in the mirror, follow any guidance leading to deeper sexual healing, health, self-love, etc.

For example, I can accept that there may be changes in my body due to menopause, but I can also take the discomfort of bloating as a cue to make the changes I need in my lifestyle to feel more comfortable in my skin.

No matter what your body is telling you, reconnect to that golden essence at your core. The dust and dirt may have covered it, but it has always been there. Be with yourself until you can feel it through your heart & see it shining through your eyes.

Remember that you’re an individualized expression of the divine, unconditionally loved by your soul & team of Divine Helpers.

Your body is a sacred vessel, a vehicle for your soul. What does your vehicle need? A tune up, repairs, detailing, better fuel, polishing, more frequent use, etc.

If any negative self-talk or judgments still crop up, look deeply into your eyes and say what your heart most wants to hear. Train your mind to see the beauty, the gifts, the truth. Acknowledge that the negative voices you hear are echos of fear or social pressure.

Connect with your Higher Self by eye gazing in the mirror and when it feels natural, say “I see you”. Sit with how that feels.

When you’re connected in this way, it’ll be easier to let any new dirt simply roll off, not taking it on as your own. Use your shower or bath time to ritually and mindfully cleanse yourself from anything from the previous day(s) that doesn’t serve you and watch it all go down the drain.

Please go beyond just reading this post. Walk through the open door of its exercises to Re-Connect to your True Self. You deserve it.

And if you need extra support for some of what comes up to the surface to be seen before it’s released or healthily integrated, please seek it out.

Here’s Mud in Your Eye!

P.S. “The Perfect Unfolding” (24″ x 48″) Mixed media on gallery-wrapped canvas: acrylics, glass beads, ocean jasper stone. No framing required. Original SOLD  & prints in your desired medium & size are available.Thanks for supporting my art!

P. P.S. You can read the original post on the co-creative process for the painting “The Perfect Unfolding” on my blog here.