SPIRIT JOURNALING

Written by: TwilightEssence

Summer is often a time to try new things, to be out and about enjoying nature and all it has to offer. Sometimes we are so busy we forget to make time for our spiritual side. A spiritual journal can help us slow down and capture your soul’s deepest thoughts and feelings. It will allow you to view more clearly the spiritual path of your life – where you were, where you are now, and where you want to be in the future.

But what is a spiritual journal you ask? It is a written record of personal reactions to spiritual matters; a place to spiritually share yourself with whatever you call your Higher Power. There are different kinds of spiritual journals:

1) Scripture (or Text) Journal – Where you can record passages that speak to you where you are right now, explaining why it touched you.

2) Prayer/Meditation Journal – A collection of daily thoughts, prayers, so that you can go back and enter the answer or result.

3) Blessing Journal – A place to be thankful for your Higher Power’s provision of daily needs, blessings sent today, blessings in disguise, challenges, and seeing something in a different light.

Wondering what to put in your journal to get you started? Consider some of the following questions as starting points – or just start writing on whatever pops into your head and heart.

· What is the nature of your Higher Power?
· How has your path changed from childhood?
· What prompted changes in your spiritual path?
· What is your spiritual path now?
· Where would you like your spiritual path to take you?
· Who or what were your mentors and guides along your spiritual journey?
· How would you like to change your spiritual journey?

Once you are started on your spiritual journey, you need to try to write something every day. You also want to include the date of the entry. Try to only write on one side of the journal page so that you can go back and add comments or results of actions or prayers. At the end of the month, summarize what the key events were that happened. You might also want to pray/meditate prior to each entry so that the focus and relationship are upper most in your thoughts as you write.

Suggestions for things to aid in daily journaling include:

· A brief summary of the day’s important events.
· Your thoughts and feelings from the day.
· Ongoing concerns, insights, decisions or plans you have made.
· What you accomplished for the day.
· Five things that happened during the day for which you are grateful, no matter how small.
· Photographs, drawings, clippings, quotes, notes of world events that are meaningful for you on that day.

Once you have established a habit of writing daily, it is important not to let it become so much of a habit that you forget it is a journey of exploration of the spirit. Spiritual journals give you an opportunity to keep track of your path and relationship with your Higher Power. What an awesome opportunity to eventually look over it, see where you were, where you are, where you are going, and all the nooks and crannies of the path you have taken. 

GREEN CLEANING

Written by: DarkDestiny

Opening the closet where my dozens of cleaning products were stored, I had a flashback to watching my grandmother pull aside the curtain that covered her kitchen cupboards and there on a single shelf were the things she cleaned with the most. Both her household cleaners and laundry cleaners were there since she often used the same items for both jobs. On the shelf above the cleaners were some cooking items that did double duty in the cleaning area too. She was more than familiar with hard times and knew better than to waste money on modern chemical cleaners where nature had already provided plenty she could use without the strange odors that came with progress.

Thinking back I remember a few of the things but since then have checked with other family members who remembered different ones and we’ve recreated her cleaning cupboard and found that the items she used make much more sense to be used today than even in her time. Not so much economically as environmentally. It’s being called “Green Cleaning” and is one of the hottest things to catch on in years. Given that cases of asthma and other respiratory diseases are on the rise nearly everywhere is it any wonder that many are trying to subtract the noxious odors and chemical residues left by the more modern and harsher cleaners.

There are all kinds of combinations that you can devise to outfit your own Green Cleaning kit but some of the main ingredients should probably be baking soda, salt, white vinegar, bleach, borax and lemons. I cannot begin to list all the uses of these things alone or in combinations but will give a few examples and I encourage you to investigate other uses for your own needs.

Lets begin with White Vinegar it’s safe to use on most surfaces and is a natural cleaning product and acts as a disinfectant and deodorizer. The smell is gone when it dries so no worries over the odor of it. It’s very cheap and since it’s acidic, be sure and not to use it on anything that would be harmed such as tile and grout or marble surfaces but almost everything else is open for it to be used as an all purpose cleaner. A mix of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar is the common use as a cleaner. It does a great job on windows and mirrors. Recycle old newspapers to clean glass with and a great shine will be your reward.

In the bathroom you can use vinegar to clean the tub, toilet, sink and countertops. Use pure vinegar in the toilet to clean away rings, pour it straight in and then scrub away. It eats away the hard water stains and soap scum very well.
In the laundry you can use vinegar as a natural fabric softener which is great for those who have sensitive skin use aprox 1⁄2 cup added to the rinse cycle in place of commercial fabric softeners, an added benefit is that vinegar helps break down laundry detergent more effectively which saves on extra long rinse cycles to try and remove all traces of detergent for those sensitive to it.

Baking Soda is another natural cleaning product that can be used in virtually every room of the home from mixing with vinegar or alone with hot water for a soft scrub paste to clean and deodorize your fixtures to added to wash water to make the detergent work better and your whites stay whiter, as it’s a natural bleaching agent. Since it’s a natural deodorizer it’s perfect for sitting in the refrigerator or freezer to absorb odors or anywhere in your home that is damp such as a garage or basement. Also if you are a recycler and the stacks of cans or bottles bother your sense of smell while waiting for pickup you can always sprinkle a bit of baking soda over them and it will clear away those odors too.

Borax is a natural mineral product that has been added to laundry for decades as it softens hard water and acts as a disinfectant removes stains and bad odors. It also prevents mold and mildew. While there are many more uses for borax there are also a few risks. Avoid direct skin contact for more than a few minutes as it can irritate skin or eyes if gotten into them. Since it’s toxic if ingested don’t leave it accessible to kids or pets.

Lemons contain acids and are another natural substance that can be used in many ways to clean your home. Lemon Juice dissolves soap scum and hard water deposits, can be mixed with vinegar and or baking soda to make cleaning pastes. Lemon works great to clean and shine brass, copper and silver when mixed with baking soda. You can mix 1 cup olive oil with 1⁄2 cup lemon juice to make a natural furniture polish for your hardwood furniture.

Salt can be used as a gentle abrasive mixed with water or soda to make a paste to scrub with for tougher jobs. If your plumbing is draining slow especially the curved drains to sinks, pour a generous amount of salt directly into drain followed by baking soda and white vinegar let sit and work for 5-15 minutes or overnight then pour boiling hot water down the sink and watch how quickly it drains away.

Mineral Oil while used mainly as a lubricant has great uses for cleaning and polishing too. It’s good for dissolving hardened oil or grease stains making them easier to wash out. It is approved for polishing soapstone and other delicate stone that are so popular these days in homes.

These are but a few of the natural and inexpensive products that are available to clean, deodorize, disinfect and safely care for your home and health. I began my investigations by calling on older family members who remember well cleaning with these products and some still use them today, back in fashion and taking better care of us than ever.

Other Resources:

Vinegar Tips

Natural Cleaning Products

Cleaning with Hydrogen-peroxide

Uses for Baking Soda