Mystic Mantra: Clean the garbage of negativity

The sounds of chirping birds returning from their migration from the warmer climates and small animals peeping up from their hibernation holes herald the return of spring. Often in spring, we want to open all the doors and windows of our house, make it spic and span, and let the pleasant breezes waft through our home. The atmosphere is so beautiful that we want to invite family and friends to join us to celebrate the return of this beautiful season. Just as we make our home ready for a visit from our family and friends in the spring, we should focus our attention on inviting God into the home of our human body. The same preparations taken by us for an outer springtime party in which family and friends join us need to be taken by us for our inner party with God as guest of honour. For that party, we first need to clean the house. We know the saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” This refers to the outer body being kept clean and neat, but it also refers to the condition of the soul. Cleaning the soul has to do with clearing up the dark spots that cover it due to anger, violence, greed, attachment , and ego.

Tulsi Sahib has said, “Clean the chamber of your heart, so the Beloved may enter.” Cleaning the heart means being an ethical, loving person, introspecting ourselves regularly, meditating, and having love for God and all living beings. When we do not clean the inner house of our soul, we spread the waste into the world. Each person is dumping its garbage on to the streets. Everybody thinks they are cleaning their house, but instead they are throwing their waste into the streets of this planet. What is the trash people are throwing out into the world? The trash represents all the negative traits that people have. People are filled with anger, violence, greed, selfishness, and ego. The houses represent their own body and mind. Instead of cleaning ourselves of these negative characteristics by eliminating these bad habits, we are disposing of them in the world and defiling our environment and the lives of those around us.

Instead of cleansing our anger, we defile the world by spreading it to others. Soon, those on whom we throw our anger become angry and pass it to others. Then, we are not the only ones in a rage, but we spread it to the point that everyone in our family, our community, our city, our country, and the world becomes angry. Instead of cleansing ourselves of greed, we deposit it into the world and everyone around us also becomes greedy. Rather than cleanse ourselves of selfishness, we spread our behaviours to the world and soon others copy our selfish attitude. Instead of ridding ourselves of our ego, we act egotistical to the world around us and soon everyone else also acts egotistical. The garbage of our negative traits spreads to the world around us, and soon people are fighting amongst themselves. Thus, the world is filled with mountains of trashy behaviour cluttering up our world and causing problems.

Instead of filling up the world with our negative behaviours, we can cleanse ourselves of these traits and contribute to a more positive world. We can weed out our anger and violence and replace it with non-violence. We can eliminate our greed and selfishness and replace it with selfishness and sharing. We can curb our ego and replace it with humility. The method of developing positive traits is meditation. Each time we meditate, we come in contact with source of all loving qualities within us. God is within us and is the source of all love, non violence, selflessness, and humility. Each time we connect with the inner Light and Sound, the two manifestations of God, we are cleansed from within and begin to take on positive qualities. We are transformed and display these ethical virtues in our lives. Through meditation and ethical living, we too can transform ourselves and the world and keep ourselves, our home, and all creation clean.