Clean Monday

Today is known as Clean Monday in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The clean originally referred to the purification of the soul for Lent. Today it's customary to clean the house thoroughly, and, in Greece, people go on picnics, eat shellfish, and fly kites!

Agenda Today:

1. Read "Becoming Rooted"

2. Prayer of Cleansing

3. Spring cleaning

4. Plastic fast

1. Read "Becoming Rooted":

Today I read #26: Intentional Relationship. "The fact that all creation is connected implies the possibility not just of familiarity but of deliberate relationship. We should make room for the notion that all creation, in some way, expresses the image of Creator. In other words, there is something of God in all of God's creation. ... When we understand the level of sacredness this implies, we live out these relationships intentionally."

2. 

Prayer of Cleansing-

I Cleanse My Soul- Author Unknown 

I cleanse my soul in the dews of spring,

Light of mind's refreshing dew

Love of heart's renewing dew,

Life being's restoring dew,

Cleanse and recreate my soul this night.

May the souls of all beings be

Peacefully preserved

From fall of night
Till day's dear light.

3. Spring Cleaning:

Cleaning house is a custom for Clean Monday. In the Ukraine, Russia, and Greece everyone especially cleans the kitchen and the pots with which they have cooked festival foods, because today (in the Orthodox Church) is the start of the Lenten fast.

In March I take the first steps of spring cleaning / maintenance - those big jobs that get put off through the winter months. The big job I've started this week is to paint the window frames in our bedroom, but I probably won't get started on that until tomorrow. The first step is to clean the mold (again) so read on...

4. Plastic fast:

My challenge this week is to find alternatives to all those cleaners I use that come in plastic bottles. First up - Woodwork cleaners:

#1: Magic black mold remover (for woodwork): Mix one part baking soda (comes in a box) with one part water. Stir the mixture until it becomes a thick paste. Spread liberally onto the moldy surface and let it dry. Scrub away the black mold and stains with a scrub brush or toothbrush, and wipe down with water. Follow this up with the all-purpose borax cleaner (below) to help prevent mold from returning.

#2: All-purpose borax cleaner (for baseboards, window frames, and cabinets): Mix 2-Tbsp. of Borax (also comes in a box) with a quart of water in a re-usable spray bottle. Spray onto a cloth to wipe surfaces - no rinsing needed.