The Murky Waters of the Mind

            Nature often mirrors our lives. In the case below, it absolutely does.

            When I want to clear my koi pond of murky waters I change the filter, vacuum the bottom of the pond, clean the pump, add chemicals that clear the water and kill molds and fungi that would create green muck. All of this together creates clean water for me to see my beautiful fish. Otherwise, I spend lots of money feeding koi and shubunkin that I never get to see, because they float on the bottom of the dirty pond, beautiful and expensive, but invisible to my mind.

            The metaphor here is that the fish are our spirit-led thoughts.

            The pond is our mind.

            The murky, cloudy muck is the nature of life: sometimes—busy jobs, competitive thoughts, lusting minds, laziness, a crazy day with the kids, over-booking our lives, addictions, and anything else you can think of that will fill your mind with thought that doesn’t quite serve the big purpose.

            Each of these life occupants facilitates murky water. The more you have on your plate, the cloudier your mind becomes. The cloudier your mind is, the harder it is to hear Spirit leading you to your peace and to your divine path.

            So, what in this metaphor that will clear the path to hearing God’s voice?

1.    Changing the filter:  This can be likened to changing the part of your mind you are listening to. We talk about two primary parts: the deductive andinductive mind. The cloudy part tends to lean into the deductive, reasoning mind. (When you add 1 + 1 you use this part of your mind). The inductive mind is the observer, nonjudgemental part of the consciousness, the imagination and dreaming mind, you must be in to disconnect from the world thinking. This is your primary goal.

2.    Vacuum the bottom of the pond.  This is a metaphor for cleaning up the messes in your mind. If there are things laying around in your mind undone, do them! If you have unforgiveness in your life, do some forgiving. If you have a pile of papers on your desk, clean them up. This is just clutter that makes a mess in your mind. Things left undone and decision left undecided are just ways of keeping you from mental clarity. Fix this now! You are the only who can do it.

3.    The chemicals in the pond can be likened to medications that may help with clarity. I’m on an antidepressant and have been for 18 years. A small dosage for me is the difference between living a normal life and living a life like an animal stuck in a garbage can unable to get back out after he has gotten in there to feed. It’s a constant struggle to see clearly. My mind is simply weak, so I give it a chemical to stop the obstruction of serotonins to the brain, which give me a feeling of well-being, basically. That being said, if you are bi-polar, and you expect to function in a world that will accept you, you better get on your meds. If you have ADHD and expect us to listen to your ramblings of three different topics with no breaths in between, you are probably not going to find that person. Get on your meds. They bring clarity us and to you.

            That’s what psychotropic medicine do. They rewire your brain to function in a normal pattern, so you can see clearly, think clearly, and manage life more easily. Don’t make it harder for yourself in life, because you think you can be the strong one who can get along without your medications. You’ll end up losing friends, jobs, and lots of life before you realize you just simply need to take one pill a day to function in a real world. Trust me, I’ve been through this many times. I’ve simply come to a place where I realize, like arthritic pain you have to manage your illness. Your brain also has disease that can be treated fairly easily. But it will take your cooperation.

            Listen, you are a far better person, when your mind is clear and your body is free of toxic waste. Quit trying to feed your body to quiet the demons in your mind. Quit trying to drink booze to quiet the obsessive thoughts. Stop smoking pot and cigarettes to put a smoke screen for the rest of the world not see beautiful, wonderful you.

            Quit fighting the silence.

            In the silence there is a sacred place where you will find the answer to every question you are looking for. In the silence, you’ll find God waiting for you!