Theos-Talk Archives (October 2005 Message tt00146)

Gone are the days when as a boy I used a toothpowder that my 
grandfather gave me. Made from a mixture of burnt paddy husk, 
salt, lemon juice and clove oil, it was heavenly, and kept 
my teeth sparkling white.

Today, I won't settle for anything less than a fluoride-based 
toothpaste. Companies making gel-based toothpaste compete with
those making fluoride-based toothpaste. Each company claims 
its own product to be superior to the other's. And the same 
company makes both kinds of toothpastes, to be on the safe side!
Truth decays in the spate of advertisements, and my teeth are
far from sparkling white, but they at least remain.

My grandfather today is ninety-eight, has only a few teeth though.
He has never used a toothpaste or toothbrush all along. My fear
today is that the toothpaste companies would have claimed all 
my teeth by the time I reach three scores of age! Of course,
I can have the dentures, and forget all about taste.

In those days we used brick-sized, rock-hard Lifebuoy toilet soaps
cut into four, and sesame (gingili) oil, washed away with shikaikai 
powder for a head-bath. We used sandal powder and paste for perfume. 
Our bodies were clean with the skin shining. 

Today, my cosmetic habits force me to choose deluxe soaps, 
shampoos, shaving creams to keep by body clean and tidy. 
And body talc, face-powder and face-creams to perfume my face 
and body. My body, of course, remains clean and fragrant, 
but the skin has lost its natural shine.

I wouldn't venture to say much on the cosmetic habits of women,
except only this: they have long back turned their faces and backs 
on turmeric, sandal paste, kunkumam and shikaikai. Today they make
themselves up with clever cosmetic contrivances that make the old 
look younger and the younger look older! Okay, okay, I hold up a
white flag. For, we can't survive without women, and women can't
survive without cosmetics.

We used coconut-oil-based Khadi bar-soaps for washing clothes.
Washed by beating against a rough stone, and dried in the hot
sun, our clothes were immaculate and sparkling.

Today, I use detergent powder and cakes, and wash clothes in a
dryer-attached washing machine. My clothes dry in the dark and 
my body, already adorned with cosmetics, happily accepts them.

The chemicals we use unwittingly in our daily life, keep only 
the exterior of the physical body clean and fragrant. The interior
suffers a heavy damage, as it gets built up with grosser matter
that cannot receive higher spiritual vibrations.

Even more damage is done to the astral body, as it contains 
duplicated astral matter for the physical matter. Turning muddier
and muddier, the astral body becomes more bound to the physical
body and physical world. It loses its sensitivity to higher rates
of vibration, which delays the spiritual progress.

Karma and rebirth are increasingly being accepted in the New Age,
by every religion. If this is the case, is it not time for me
to think about a cleaner life today for a better rebirth tomorrow?

Regards,
saidevo

Note For those who aren't familiar:
-----------------------------------
Human constitution, like the seven planes of nature, is septenary. 
In other words, we have seven bodies or vehicles of consciousness. 
The three higher vehicles are permanent in nature. They are 
the Atma, Buddhi and Manas. The four lower vehicles that are 
transitory in nature are the physical body, etheric-double, 
astral body and the animal soul (kama-rupa).