MEAT, MALT and MATTRESS

You may be wondering what the title means—I certainly wondered about the meaning of these three words when I first heard them strung together.  In short, these words can be used as reminders to check in with yourself to determine if your life is in balance.  Before I describe this practice, I will give you some background as to how I came upon it.

 

A few years ago I felt a strong “calling” to attend workshops conducted by The Four Winds Society, www.thefourwinds.com. This organization teaches shamanic energy healing practices and traditions that the founder Alberto Villoldo learned from elder shamans in Peru.  Once into the training I was sidetracked by major surgery that resulted in a long recovery period; I was not able to continue the training for well over a year.  By that time my interest diminished and I found that I was not, and still am not, drawn to do energy healing work for others.

 

However, late last year the desire to revisit the training for my own personal healing and growth surfaced.  Instead of traveling to the Four Winds, I am able to do the training here in my area with Thane and Ellen Ostroth of Stone Wisdom, www.stonewisdom.net.  The Ostroths were trained by the Four Winds some years ago and devote much of their lives to researching and expanding their knowledge of ancient and current healing and energy practices.

 

In January I attended their one-day Journey workshop and last month I attended an intensive three-day workshop.  This most recent workshop was somewhat of a refresher course for me and it also provided me with a great deal of new learning.  One of the learnings is what I want to share with you; that’s where meat, malt and mattress come in.

 

Meat, malt and mattress represent three basic areas of our lives that we can monitor to improve and maintain balance in our lives.  Meat represents food.  Malt represents liquor as well as any kind of drug (illegal, prescription and over the counter).  Mattress represents intimate relationships and sex.  Money is separate—it is such a powerful energy, it stands alone (no surprise). 

 

Getting back to meat, malt and mattress…when life isn’t flowing smoothly, when things are not going well and we feel unsettled, it may very well mean that one or more of these three areas are out of balance.  Sometimes we are very clear which area needs adjustment, but many times we are not.  Taking time to seriously reflect can help us recognize what is truly going on.    

 

Practice looking at these areas of your life and be totally honest.  Below is a sampling of the type of questions you can ask yourself. 

 

Meat

Am I eating too much, especially unhealthy foods?

Is food on my mind a great deal; is it a major focus in my life?

Am I at a healthy weight? 

 

Malt

Am I drinking too much alcohol?

Do I turn to alcohol when I’m stressed?

How many prescription drugs do I take?  Am I quick to take a pill (prescription or over-the-counter)?

 

Mattress

Is my intimate relationship a healthy one?

How is my sex life (really)?

 

If you uncover an imbalance, think about the cause—what’s the driving force?  Let’s say you recognize that you are eating too much and that you think about food a great deal, it’s possible “meat” is filling in for some lack in your life.  It’s also possible this addiction to food is keeping you distracted from something you do not want to deal with.  There could be many reasons—you are the one who knows the truth. 

 

As an example, I’ll share one that I uncovered for myself…it has been common for me to pop an antacid into my mouth rather quickly.  I could justify this by telling myself that I need it because of painful acid reflux.  Then again, I could also tell myself to sit up straight (posture does effect stomach ailments), take a few deep breaths and wait…the pain may subside on its own.  So why do I need a quick fix?  My answer is that my automatic reaction is a long-time habit of trying to control what I experience.  Obviously I have not trusted my body to take care of itself or at least I have not believed it would do so fast enough!

 

Okay, do you “get” where I am pointing you?  Bottom line, all thoughts, physical activity and behaviors are motivated by our mental state and much of the time it is our unconscious that is in the driver’s seat.  Questions like those above and other ones can help surface some of those unconscious patterns so you will then be able to consciously get into that driver’s seat. 

 

Try it and see what you discover! 

 

Julie