All Things Toxic
Symbolism:
Chains symbolize bondage – captivity
Inverted Pentagram refers to hidden knowledge
Flaming Tails and Grapes – This is the vice that imprisons us
Stark Background: hell – what holds you back
Horns – uncivilized behavior
Bat’s Wings – a nocturnal animal
Taloned Feet – the devil as earth spirit
Triangular Head – alert: negative energy pulling everything down
Goat’s haunches – animal drives and instincts
The Cube – the Unexplored Self
Chains – accepting material bonds
Torch – light in the darkness
The Tails – acknowledge the primordial nature
Adam & Eve – banished with paradise, enslaved and corrupted
Getting to Know the Devil
Beware all things toxic.
The Devil is all things making up your shadow self. He attracts you by offering you everything you covet. He wants to fill the hole in your heart. He tempts you with the addictions you should avoid.
Getting the Devil Card can be scary but there is a good side here. You have the power to free yourself from the negativity. You are stronger than your vices. Seek professional help when you cannot face this issue alone.
You are in a dark place. But, all is not lost. You can walk away.
The Devil Card appears with issues in any struggle you experience: sex, food, substance, and negative thought patterns. You may be living with a domineering or abusive person.
The Devil Card allows you to see the darkest corner of yourself. You are in a dark place, but all is not lost. You can walk away.
Internal Issues: eating disorders, addictions, and illness (mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual).
Career issues: bad financial contracts, unsatisfying careers, domineering bosses, toxic work environment.
Relationship issues: controlling partners, lust-over-love situations, affairs, codependent patterns, financial dependency, ongoing money or property boundaries.
The situation is different for everyone. The Devil exposes everything that is not in your benefit. He focuses on all things taboo.
Whatever issues you identify with, run from materialism, power, self-deception, and controlling people.
Break free from people and situations stealing your time, energy, and love.
Beware your inner devil while you escape from under other people’s expectations.
In short, liberate yourself from anything that traps you.
Important here: Forgive yourself and offer compassion to yourself.
Story
The Devil Card appeared in a gift-certificate reading I gave to a young woman. The minute I saw this card in the spread, I knew why she had been given the reading.
The Devil Card warned her that she’s playing with fire. Addictive behaviors are not sustainable in the long term so what began as an escape ends up as a compulsion. Abusive, obsessive, harmful relationships and addiction to material things chain you to your secrets, disconnecting you from your higher power.
When I asked about her boyfriend, she was surprised at how much the Devil Card revealed about her secret life. She appeared surprised at how unhealthy and destructive her situation really was and needed to let go of the ways she manipulated others to get what she wanted.
The Devil Card in this spread pointed to the potential to be discovered when her most hidden and unexpected activities and parts of her life get exposed to the light of day.
I never learned whether the shock of discovery helped her. But this I can say: Her stuckness was a choice. Poor decisions are an option. She was the only one who could change her life.
The Devil Card spoke clearly: “Get out NOW before you get caught.”
Her situation does not have to become permanent. She can stop this now. She should do this to protect her future. This spread spoke clearly: “Now is the time to control destiny.”
As an aside, the spread considered a love interest, affair, or even a crush. The best advice here is to run in the opposite direction. The most she can hope for is trouble and her destruction is a very real option.
Whatever her situation, the details will come with a heavy price tag.
Life Changing Rituals
Mental self-care includes going outside for your help.
Physically, support your wellness without being obsessive about your diet or weight. Take 10 deep breaths every morning.
Mentally, educate yourself on social issues to understand the world.
Therapists, counselors, support groups, and addiction specialists are a good source.
Meditation
Go to a safe and secluded space. Set up your area for your best meditation comfort and environment.
As you settle into your meditation, close your eyes and focus on your in-and-out breaths.
Inreaths promote relaxation. With each inbreath, allow yourself to become more and more relaxed as you nurture your positive self. You are the one controlling the beast.
Your outbreaths reduce toxins, negativity, and anything you don’t need for your better self. As you inhale and exhale, you relax.
With the continued breathing, your legs relax.
Notice how your feet and legs shift into their most comfortable position – in a direction that frees you.
As your abdomen becomes relaxed, your muscles release unwanted tension and stress.
Your back and shoulders relax – releasing unwanted and unneeded stress and negativity. Your back and neck hold a lot of stress so this relaxation affects your total body so you can remove the chains in your life.
Your relaxing meditation breathing relaxes your arms and hands.
As this relaxation progresses throughout your body you notice that your body is calmer, quieter, more peaceful.
Your head relaxes now. Your face and neck muscles. Gently, quietly, your body feels more relaxed.
Your mind begins to calm. It floats.
You realize you are floating away from your meditation area to an area where you feel good. You feel really good about yourself.
Look around now. Where are you? Are you in a nature place? Are you someplace you visited in the past? Are you in a quiet room? Notice where you are. You are moving in a direction that frees you. Wherever this place, you’ve arrived when you enjoy being where you are.
Feel the warmth of this place. Breathe it all in. Feel the air and how comfortable it is to your skin. Feel this warmth, this space, and the love you realize you feel. You feel filled with love. You feel accepted and forgiven. You can disengage from destructive behavior now.
You see yourself as a perfect person in a perfect place. You are perfect exactly as you are. You enjoy yourself in this moment. You experience the joy of just being you.
Feel the warmth of the space. Breathe in peace and well-being with you. Carry it with you throughout your day.
You are your own liberator. You know you can return to this space whenever you need.
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Find out more about Thurman at www.thurmangreco.com
Self-Care is Kindness to Ourselves
Self-Care asks us to give the same kindness to ourselves that we give to others.
When you have negative or critical thoughts about yourself, stop for a moment and ask yourself this: “Would I say these things about a good friend?”
The chances are that you would not. You would not be unkind to someone else.
Now, try being as kind to yourself as you would to a loved one.
The next time things go wrong, accept the event for what it is. Then, apologize for what happened if that’s appropriate. Then, forgive yourself.
Learning from mistakes and moving on is a positive way to get through life.
Forgiving yourself is what allows you to get through life. When you forgive yourself, you are being nice to yourself. It’s easier to be happy that way.
When you forgive yourself, you are offering self-care. This sends nourishing messages to the brain about your self-worth.
Try, every day, to care for yourself in every way possible.
When stress accumulates, this facial massage meditation will relieve muscles and leave you feeling better.
Facial Massage Meditation
For many of us, the day’s stress accumulates in the muscles of the head, face, and jaw. Massaging your face and head can smooth the tiny muscles and nerve endings. Stress and fatigue will have a chance to disappear.
Begin this meditation by finding a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for a few minutes.
Lie flat on a chair, bed, or floor, with your face up. If that is not comfortable, find a comfortable chair or recliner to sit comfortably.
Cover your body with a light blanket or sheet so you won’t get cold as your body relaxes and cools.
Take several deep breaths. Begin these breaths in your abdominal area. Breathe in deeply and hold the breath to the count of three: 1 – 2 – 3.
Now slowly release the breath. When you exhale, you release toxins and stress.
Repeat these inhalations and exhalations 1-2 minutes. As you inhale, you l breathe in healthy air. With each exhalation, you release toxins and stress.
Become aware of your forehead. Mentally relax your forehead to erase wrinkles of expression…the space between your eyebrows becomes bigger. Your eyelids are heavy.
Move your fingers to your forehead and slowly massage it in small circles.
When you feel that your forehead is becoming relaxed, move your fingers to your temples and gently move them in clockwise and counterclockwise motions. Feel this area relaxing.
Notice the tension behind your eyes, and around your eyes and release it.
Now, place your fingers on your temples and move your fingers in small, gentle dime-size circles for a few minutes.
Move your fingers down to your chin and gently, gently pinch your chin and along your jawline to your ears.
Now, move your hands to your cheeks. Massage your soft cheek tissue in a circular motion.
Now, move your hands to your ears. Gently massage along the edges of your ears for a couple of moments. Now, give your ears some long, luscious pulls.
You are finishing your facial massage now. Notice any thoughts, feelings, or sensations you experience now.
Stay quiet for 1-2 minutes while you enjoy and refresh from this experience.
It is time now to return to the present time.
It is okay to return to this place of calm whenever you need.
The goal of this meditation is to experience calm and relaxation using self-touch.
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I host “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”, a program aired weekly on Woodstock’s own educational TV channel 23. This show is an informative, upbeat hour with no rehearsals.
My guests are various people whose lives have brought them to Woodstock for a day, a week, an hour, a decade, or more. Let’s Live has been running for over 15 years with an occasional intermission, now and then. You can find some reruns on YouTube “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”.
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Renee and I both look forward to new subscribers.
But first, do the spiritual work.
You need spiritual work because your weight loss diet brings change – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual change.
Success is easier when you speak to your inner self and ground your core in the new goals you’ve set for your spiritual work.
Now is a good time to embark on this spiritual journey. Choices, problems, challenges overwhelm us daily with information and current events. Everywhere we turn, people, animals, plants, air, water, and the earth even, cry out for help. We are drowning in all the needs for healing.
Spiritual work looms large.
To understand what is swirling around you, go to your spiritual center. This is the source of your strength, grounding, and peace. Here is where you’ll find your truth, your love and the core of your focus. This is where you’ll find weight loss success in your spiritual work.
This is where you’ll realize how much easier your life will be when your physical body is no longer weighted down with extra pounds. For some of us, there are pounds and pounds of protection to release.
Guided meditations can be a positive experience for you now. I’ve relied on guided meditations for years. My three favorite guided meditation books were edited several years ago by Larry Moen. Entitled “Meditations for Awakening”, “Meditations for Transformation”, and “Meditations for Healing”, these books are available on Amazon.
For me, these guided meditations offer a link between feelings, weight loss, and wellbeing.
Forgiveness is helpful. As forgiveness heals your soul, dieting will be easier because you won’t need to hoard pounds.
When forgiveness happens, some of your protection pounds will evaporate into the ethers.
That doesn’t mean you don’t need to change your eating habits and exercise more. But it does mean that it’s easier to accomplish a weight-loss goal.
Forgiveness can be a path all its own. Begin by forgiving everything past, everything present, and everything future.
Forgive everything and everybody – including people and events you’ve forgotten. Simply forgive everyone. Forgive everyone who even possibly needs forgiveness.
The idea is to clear everything up between you and everyone, now and forever.
Release people to their own lives – now and in peace.
And, last but not least, forgive yourself!
Write a daily forgiveness mantra.
You may find inspiration in some forgiveness prayers by Dr. Catherine Ponder. I didn’t copy them here because I couldn’t find out for sure whether they are copyrighted.
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When you read them, some things will resonate with you. Others will not. But, whether you use some of the guidelines or none, one thing is for sure. You will, day by day, leave the past behind.
Diets are not always easy. But anything worthwhile can have its challenges.
Each of us, on a diet or not, is on a spiritual journey. Each of us is travelling separately. But, we are all together.
It’s time to change old patterns, seek freedoms found in forgiveness, and see beyond the past into an expanded now.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please share it on your preferred social media network.
Thurman Greco
https://www.thurmangreco.com
