To Have Or Not To Have Is The Question

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Time For Spring Cleaning

It's spring and that means it's time for spring cleaning and decluttering. Time to downsize, to get the cobwebs out of our closets and cupboards.

It's about finding the right balance between having things and not having things.

Some things we need.

Some things we need every day, while other things, we need once in awhile.

Some things sit in our closets and we don't need them at all, but for some reason they keep sitting there.

(Below: items ready for pick up for donation.)

Moving Is A Great Time To Declutter

Usually when faced with a move, we’re still working and we have what seems to be a million appointments as we rush off to the next assignment. Just too busy to be able to have enough time to sort through things.

Or, have you ever tossed things in a fit of "oh my god, I have too much stuff" only to regret it later because you actually do need it and then have to buy it again? Ouch.

Other times, we simply shake our head and think, "oh well, just pack it and move it" – with the plan to deal with it later.

Later Is Now

Well, here it is. Later is now and a move is coming. In addition, it’s spring and with it comes motivation for spring cleaning and decluttering.

If you have enough time before a move, you can calmly contemplate items and consider their purpose. Function can be a good criteria to keep something.

There are plenty enough items kept for their sentimental value. The debate consists of determining if sentimental value is strong enough to keep things despite a lack of functionality.

It's all about finding balance.

Time To Declutter

Even if you're not moving, the energy of spring may be motivating you to tidy up and downsize. One source of inspiration is Marie Kondo, the Japanese guru of decluttering. She is full of ideas about getting rid of the clutter and bringing organization to your life. Not only good for your home environment, but also good for your mind and spirit.

Kondo advocates that an important aspect of letting go is to acknowledge an item and say thank you for their energy in your life. Then, you accept that it's now time to say goodbye to it.

She holds that it's more in balance to honor things that have been in your life, even as you say goodbye, instead of tossing them with disdain.

“It is to be touched, thanked and ceremonially sent on its way towards a better life elsewhere, where it can discover a more appreciative owner.”
— marie kondo

Japanese Style

Having lived in Japan for three years, I can certainly attest to the organization and tidiness of the Japanese culture. Everything has its place, neatly organized.

“If you haven’t communed with your socks lately, thanked your shoes for their hard work or bowed (at least mentally) to your home in appreciation, maybe it’s time to consider doing so.”
— marie kondo

Spring is the perfect time to look around your home to see how you might tidy up, downsize and reorganize.

Perhaps you’re inspired to spring clean and declutter now that spring has sprung. 

 

Happiness In Balance

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Happiness In Balance

A fellow meditator on Insight Timer shared with us:

“Happiness is being free from Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness, Grief.”

Immediately upon reading this, questions started to percolate inside me. I launched an exploration of ideas.

Happy Or Sad

Happiness is part of a pendulum that swings from happy to sad, always in motion, always with the knowledge that no matter where you are on the pendulum of happy, sad is on the other side, waiting for you.

The same is true when we are in sad, but from that perspective, it is sometimes hard to remember that happy is also waiting for us.

As long as we are in a human form, we are never free from either sadness or happiness. These feelings are conditions of the emotional body. If our emotions cease to exist, so too, will the human form.

The fact that we are here on this planet, means we are going to experience happiness as well as anxiety, depression, loneliness and grief. It's all part of the package.

We seem capable of getting stuck on sad for a long time, but it's interesting to note there are not so many reports of getting stuck on happy. 

The Story Of A King

The idea of impermanence and the pendulum of our emotions is often captured in the Zen phrase "this, too, shall pass."

Sufi and Zen stories, and biblical parables as well, tell of a great King who was given a ring with this phrase inscribed inside. In either moments of joy or sorrow, he would look at it and be reminded of impermanence.

Here is a link to one version of the story:

“According to an ancient Sufi story, there once lived a king in a Middle Eastern land. The king was continuously torn between happiness and despondancy. The smallest things could make him really upset or give him an intense emotional reaction, so his happiness easily turned into disappointment and despair. One day the king got tired of himself and started seeking a way out.

He sent for a wiseman living in his kingdom. The wiseman was reputed for being enlightened. When he arrived, the king said to him, “I want to be like you. Can you bring me something that give balance, peace and serenity in my life? I will pay whatever price you like.”

The wiseman replied, “I may be able to help you, but the price is so great that not even your kingdom would be enough payment for it. Therefore I will give it to you as a gift, if you will honor it.”

The king gave his assurances, and the wiseman left. A few weeks later he returned, and handed the king an ornate box carved in jade. The king opened the box, and found a simple gold ring inside. The inscription on the ring read, This, too, shall pass.

”What is the meaning of this?” asked the king.

The wiseman replied, “Wear this ring always. Whatever happens, before you call it good or bad, touch the ring and read the inscription. That way, you will always be at peace.”

Balance Between Happy And Sad

With ongoing use, The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) provides a supportive tool for deepening and expanding your awareness. 

Whatever you are experiencing – happiness or sadness – TRT® is there for you. With your use of TRT® hands-on, you access universal energy to apply to your own personal situations. Use of TRT® helps bring balance to your emotions, helping you to center yourself and see the bigger picture.

Use of TRT® provides you inner support and balance whenever you find yourself in a position that you need to say, "this, too, shall pass."

This, Too, Shall Pass

Walking carefully, we realize that enlightenment does not eliminate our human daily life. Someone may be enlightened, and yet they still have a human form and still experience the wide range of human emotions. 

All of our emotions, however, are not who we really are. They are something happening, almost accidentally. They are on the periphery. We are in the center, the observer.

"This, too, shall pass" is a bridge to higher wisdom. It can take us to a point of transcendence in our awareness.

We may even find that happiness embraces sadness and sadness holds within it happiness.