Moving

Moving

Moving home or work can have interesting effects. When I was younger and moved more often, I noticed things seemed to get better after a move. Some people study best places for a person using tools like biorhythms or astrology. I’ve also heard it said that the laws of nature are strongest for us in our place of birth. (of course, that depends on what we want strong in our life  😉

I recently spoke of the idea of Place and how you may feel about where you are in a very literal sense. How you are with what is includes where you are. I suspect improvement with change will often have more to do with psychology – how we feel about the change. We move towards what we want or away from what we don’t want. Naturally then, the experience will be of hope and betterment. It also gets us out of our ruts, obliges us to think about what we want and see the world more freshly. We get back to the basics of intention.

There is a deeper aspect of this that is good to understand, even if it is not yet our experience. We may have a habit of seeing ourselves as a separate person. As the ego falls away, we begin to experience an internal unity. As that moves forward into the experience, the sense of person decreases and the sense of Self in all things grows. Eventually, it becomes apparent that you are not this person in a body, you are everything. Literally. Not just as a sense of inclusive expansion. You are the table, the trees, and the sky. Touch it and you feel yourself touching and being touched. Some teachers describe the ‘cosmic body’, where the world is your body. Moving through the world is like shifting your attention from your fingers to your hand.

Notably, we also discover that we not only store stress and resistance in the body, but in our stuff. Some possessions bring us memories and joy or have a simple utilitarian function. But many of us have homes and storage lockers full of resistance – physical things we store our dramas in. It’s very simple to see this. Simply look at the object and see how it feels. Does it bring you joy? Is it neutral, having a utilitarian function like a broom? Or is there other stuff that comes up like pain, regret, fear, that sense of grip? Does it have a ‘just in case’ or ‘what if’ tone, though you’ve not used it in years?  That may be the mind’s excuse for a hidden resistance. The stuff in the back of the closet or basement can have some of the deepest festers.

This is why many people struggle with cleaning things out. Especially if they have a large house. Without an annual spring cleaning ritual, we see the rise of “clutter busters”. Many objects we keep for memories can be replaced with a photo. Remember – its the memory that brings you joy, not the object. If you do this gradually, you may find yourself downsizing enough that you can move to a smaller place that requires less work and money to support. Just remember – some people live happily in 400 square feet.

The late George Carlin put it well: “Your house is a pile of stuff with a cover on it” and “Your house is a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.”
See the rest of his monologue on Stuff

It makes the process of going through your stuff  a whole different adventure. Rather than a question of need, it becomes a spiritual exercise in  purification. When it’s done, we will have a home with space, surrounded by the things we love. Then it is easy to feel gratitude and energize that cooperation.

We can do the same thing when we go shopping. Mindful shopping, we might say. Ask yourself if you love it or is there just some craving or sense of need? Does it support your life and pursuit of love or does it burden you with further obligations? Everything you own requires a place to keep it, your time, and your money for upkeep. When you lighten the load, you gain far more than you release.

And remember, trash should be your last resort. Sell it, give it to charity, recycle it. When you release it to someone else, you release the resistance as well.

Knowing we are all things quite changes your sense of place, of stuff, and our relationship with the world. Do you think there would be issues of abuse, pollution, debt and poverty if a majority experienced the world this way?

It’s coming.
Davidya

PS – yes, I’m moving in a couple of days, currently surrounded by boxes.  But a lot fewer boxes than there used to be. Craigslist funded the move, charity profits, and love flows more freely. Back to packing…

Last Updated on April 8, 2014 by

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9 Comments

    1. Davidya

      (laughs) The light moves within Itself. The effect pops up all over…
      May the move be smooth to a place of greater joy.
      I’m quite looking forward to it as I’ve had some of that stuff in storage for over a year. And the new place is much more central for me.

  1. Nancee

    I’ve been restless the past week to get down to another clearing… my move was about 11 months ago and it is time to re-evaluate again. The one advantage of moving so often in my life is that I learned the value of ‘clearing’ things out. My western saddle still sits in my living room… but maybe it has one more ride left in it with me.

    My last move cleared a lot… but I’m thinking there is still room for reassessing why I’ve kept a few things here and there. Of course I then have to face whether I’m becoming compulsive about throwing my things away. There’s always the other side of the ‘coin’ to consider!

  2. Davidya

    Hi Barkri
    Yes, a professional can help take much of the load off your move efforts. But if you don’t do your inner work, you will continue to carry all of your baggage, both internal and external in your stuff. Taking care of your load is more important than taking care of your stuff.

  3. Davidya

    Hi Nancee
    Often during packing, there will be some things we’re uncertain about. Not until after we move will we know if there is a need. Sometimes a clean-out will be a little too much, say forgetting the need for a lamp in the extra room. But I’ve found those minor over-do’s are more than compensated for by the reduced load. There is always 2 sides to any decision and regret is not the solution.

    I agree that one can become compulsive about not keeping stuff but that’s fairly rare in the west. And again that’s addressed the same way – feelings. How do you feel about something and where does this arise from. All of this is in your relationship with the objects. Some people have saddles as objects of decor. 😉 But look at it differently. Does it symbolize what you miss, what you once were? Is it a symbol of what you don’t have in your life? A craving? Or a pleasant reminder of what you enjoy? A symbol of a goal?

    You don’t necessarily have to purge stuff to clear it. It’s your relationship with it that counts. And often, once the hold is released, the need for the object goes and it’s easy to pass on. Sometimes, the physical act of passing it on is the release. And sometimes, people still hold stuff long after it’s gone.

    There’s that well known story of the monk who carries a woman across the river. His companion later complains that he was a monk and should not have touched a woman. The monk replies that I put her down on the bank of the river while you’re still carrying her.

    In this purge, I got rid of a bunch of musical instruments. I’ll miss being able to just play them but do I really want to pay for a larger space just to hold them? The reality is, they get very little attention. Some have been in boxes for a couple of years. In some ways, they became a nag of ‘should’. The buyers were grateful for affordable instruments and they’ll now get good use. And I can use my time with what i love most.

  4. Jacob

    Quote Ariel: “haha, synchronicity much? I’m moving in a couple of days as well… ”

    Haha, that makes three of us! Am moving on Saturday! 🙂

    Quote Davidya: “I’m quite looking forward to it as I’ve had some of that stuff in storage for over a year. And the new place is much more central for me.”

    Again, same here! 🙂

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