I've always loved goodbyes, probably because I love a sense of occasion. A good goodbye has all the charm and horror of a post-argument state; anticipation, regret, the intoxication of 'forgiveness' in the unknown and soon rendez-vous. There's a neat circularity to it containing the most cinematic human emotions.
For May's New Moon, I share with you some cleansing detox rituals
that I have enjoyed using over the years, and benefited from greatly. I think of them as bodily and psychological goodbyes. And in an age of relentless TMI and hyper-empaths, a vital skill is to be able to machete away the stuff we don't want...or just gently wish the over-sharers well on their way. Following the lunar calendar and its ancient rites, we can maximise the benefits to our body and psyche.
I first learnt about the moon and its impact on our health when I happened to pick up a copy of Moontime many years ago when I worked
at the incredible Neals Yard Remedies back in Manchester. I was the first
employee they hired who didn’t have a holistic medicine background; I was plucked
from selling beautiful overpriced Gucci shoes because the manager of Neals Yard liked my sassy sales
pitches. As soon I started, thanks to a great nutritional therapist and assistant
manager, I flung myself at everything…learning about supplements, herbs,
attending Solgar and Viridian (supplement companies) workshops, running
workshops on how to make your own cosmetics.
Before I worked there, I was a Frescetta kind of eater. For those
of you who missed this company’s food and seductive ad campaign, it was the
pizza that you cooked from frozen in an unheated oven that would puff up to
deliver a crusty polenta ledge that was, to my late teen self, unavoidable and
totally necessary for my species survival. If I wanted some fibre, I might have
a few baked beans with it.
The nutritional therapist introduced me to new ways of
eating and engaging with food. I didn’t consider
any idea bonkers; with the state of health at the time, I couldn’t afford to.
So I devoured all the ideas in it, what time of the month to cut hair and
nails, when to plant seeds and when the most favourable lunar times are to
feast and fast.
I haven’t read it since then, although I intend to of course
(after the dozens of ethnobotanical books that sulk on my shelves) but I
remember clearly the moon passing through zodiac signs every 2 or 3 days. In
some days, it was favourable to adopt practices to care for a certain part of
the body or avoid operating on it (except, obviously, in emergencies). For
example, as the moon passes through Aqauarius, it says that any kind of
nourishing skin care, like applying oils, masks, and creams, has a greater
effect than other days; or during Gemini phases, avoiding manual lifting or
strain on the shoulders and hands is good.
Skeptical as always, I tried all this for myself, gradually.
Working through the month and as I adopted a cleaner diet, I began to really
through my body and its sensations, which planets were passing through; on
Sagitarrius days, I would avoiding runs, on Aries days, I could notice a slight
headache if I felt out of balance; on Pisces days, I would take better care of
my feet, soaking them or massaging them before bed. And on Aquarius days, I could perceive
(whether invented or not) a luminosity to my skin that was otherwise absent.
Can I say that without being an asshole? Probs not.
Like many ideas, they were replaced by others over time but
one thing that stuck was New Moon cleansing habits. A New Moon is the opposite
to a Full Moon – i.e. there is no moon visible in the sky (not just because of
clouds cover). They can symbolise, according to the moontime beliefs, starting
a new project, as well as stillness from activity from the rest of the month.
Whether it’s ‘true’ or not doesn’t bother me because I like a sense of
occasion. And if one day a month, we can rest, reflect, make a plan for our
ambitions and challenges for the coming month, ain’t no harm in that!
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| Dancing Clouds & Still Water, http://wwwparastooganjei.blogspot.com/2013/06/dancing-clouds-and-still-water.html?m=1 |
Here’s what I do. Adapt these practices to your own
lifestyle, choose what works for you and I’m not a doctor – just a curious
citizen passing on what I love. Follow your intuition and you’ll find something
perfect for you. My guidelines come below the suggestions so you don’t go into
these all guns blazing and forget to react with sensitivity to these delicate
processes!
Try extending your fast. “Break-fast” is exactly
that. So why not extend your body’s digestive resting time, and try a 24 hour
fast? “But I would DIE!” I hear you shriek. Listen – you don’t know me but all
my friends would not hesitate in saying my mouth is always full aka I ADORE all
things edible. However, any eating produces an inflammatory response in the
body and the digestive organs take so much energy and resources. Give yourself
a longer break while doing as little as possible – is no skin of anyone’s nose.
Naturally, if you’re underweight, frail, or a child, avoid this but maybe enjoy
something lighter, like fresh soups, greens, juices.
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Have an enema. “Are you crazy?!” I hear your
bowel-curdling objections. Well, probably. But what’s not crazy is that your
bowel (and mine) like all your anatomy works bloody hard to keep you upright,
clean, happy, and healthy. Why not give it a gentle wash? There’s a home kit
you can use and for around £20, you can have a kit for life. They hold about a
pint or two of water (or herbal tea if you’re feeling adventurous), which
sounds like a hell of a lot of liquid, and dear ones – I don’t know where it
goes either – but fear not cus it soon comes back out.
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Take a salt or Epsom salt bath. Add some
essential oil, like lemon or lavender, to the salt to aid cleansing.
-
Restorative yoga. I find a lot of joy by being
physical but once a month (or more if I can find the time), I take a
restorative class (I love yogaglo online so I can practice when I want). Every
time I practice restorative yoga, I fall asleep. Which tells me I needed it and
was probably a bit exhausted! Highly recommend. This can be practiced by all
levels and benefits from you having as many pillows, blankets and books as you
can as the practice holds you propped in a deeply nourishing position.
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Take a look at my Instagram account @thejoyfulheron for an
example of how to do uddhya banda on an empty stomach in the morning. This is a
powerful yet gentle internal organ massage.
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Imitate, to the best of your ability, a squat
when you go to the loo. All this means is stand on something like a little
stool your child stands on to reach the sink, or use a couple of thick sturdy
books. If you encourage your body to poop this way, it ensures that the colon
is completely emptied which reduces the likelihood of stagnant waste (and
ultimately disease). Adopt this simple practice every time you go to the loo
and remember to keep relaxed. I take a book of poetry or garden flowers in
there. The first rule of longevity is never rush a poo!
Finally, I’d recommend that, if you live in a northern
climate, like I do in the UK, save these cleasning practices for the warmer
months – April to September, for example, unless you are very overweight and
are in robust health. Naturally these practices cool the body, aid elimination
and allow the body to come into balance which –for you- might be losing weight.
Psychically, or psychologically, what we carry is more than what’s in our guts
so you want to go gently into that New Moon because often a memory can surface,
an idea, or something that we forgot about our healing journey, that requires
some kind of action. After an enema, for example, rest for a while, take a warm
bath, drink a herbal tea and plenty of warm gingery water. This is a chance to
get to know your own rhythms, and that’s not an easy thing to do. Some of us
aren’t used to letting go, or many levels. It requires skills around sadness,
grief and creativity with your plans.
This is also true after a longer fast. Imagine that you’re weaning a
baby and your digestion is merrily rolling along with very little to do; they
say any idiot can fast but it takes a sage to break it! You could open your
digestion with something like poached fruit or compote, yoghurt, thin porridge
or warm rice or some sourdough toast, thin vegetable soup or broth with meat
stock. Examples of difficult things to digest (and to avoid straight
afterwards) are a nuts, cream, Full English, processed foods (refined or deep
fried), croissants, crisps! You might crave your favourite foods – acknowledge
the craving and remember that you can have that any time you want. Just not
now!
These fasting and cleansing practices continue to teach me
so much about my body, when I ‘abuse’ it with certain habits like over-eating,
or propping my energy levels up with coffee or sugary foods. It almost writes
like a cliché but it’s true. I feel a voice from deep inside nudging me towards
a fast…and to be that passive about our body isn’t an easy thing to be. We are
usually in control, and want to do what ‘we’ want but who are we without our
bodies? Our heart, liver, lungs, digestive tract, brain…all have a mind of
their own and just occasionally it’s worth asking them what they want, and
sitting humbly aside while they take the spotlight.
For further
conversation and inspiration, email me at the thejoyfulheron@yahoo.co.uk
