When you think of letting go of things when they are no longer useful or give you a spark of joy, especially sentimental things, remember that all of your past experiences are already woven into the fabric of your Being. If you were to suddenly leave your home and all of your possessions, taking nothing with you, the life that you have lived, for better or for ill, will go with you even though your hands are empty.

There are things we possess that trigger special feelings, even as when you hear a particular song or smell something unique from your past. These sensory cues will bring back a flood of memories and emotions. It is not that the memories are stored in an item, what is heard or smelled; rather those cues bring forward the memory into the conscious mind, a memory that was always there but residing in subconscious layers of the mind.

The belief that persons or objects are the repository of any particular feeling or thought leads to an attachment that blinds you to an inner reality that whatever you experience already resides within you. Vividly recall any person, place or thing from your past and you will experience all the powerful feelings from that time. Then imagine that situation is no more, and then you feel a great and sudden loss. Now imagine that the emotion you experience when you think of a person or place is and has always been within you. When you met someone or visited some place you may have had feelings that surfaced for the first time, but in reality those feelings had always been with you.

And this is the moral of the story, the story of your existence; all that you treasure, all that you hold dear is right within you, within your heart, mind and soul. And even if the instruments of body and mind were to become broken or destroyed, your Soul, the repository of your entire existence will forever know those experiences. The love you have experienced, the joy you have known, the security that made you feel whole, all of that and more are elements of who you really are and have always been.

And that is why attachment to things, persons or the past makes you feel miserable, because you come to believe that you are bereft of those qualities once those conditions have past. This is an illusion, a wave of the wand of Maya, the delusive force of separateness. In God-consciousness you reclaim all that you truly are, and it is all good. Do not be afraid to let go of those things that tie you to past experiences when it is time to let them go; affirm that you always have them with you, all of that and much, much more.

Picture: Taj Mahal, I took this from Yamuna River side; architectural poetry.

Before the Wednesday evening class on Master’s Lessons there was a general discussion on the effect tidying was having on so many in the room. Not only was there more “clean energy” in the areas done, but the effect on having a clearer consciousness and an ability to focus on getting other things done in life was remarked on by all. There was an air of general excitement at the results being experienced.

This all started when I was talking with an aspirant who had years of frustration at getting a handle on clutter in her house and in her life. We made an agreement to work on de-cluttering our homes and creating last will and testaments as well as living wills for a power of attorney if unable to make decisions for our own medical care. Soon after our agreement Carla received a recommendation for Marie Kondo’s superb book on the Life Changing Magic of Tidying.

While for both this aspirant and I the tasks agreed upon are still a work in progress, we have both made, and continue to make, significant changes toward the agreed upon goals. The result: we feel encouraged, energized, and it has cleared the way for other projects to move forward that before seemed stuck in the mud.

I know there are some who came into this life with organizing and tidying skills well in place; keeping only those things which give you a spark of joy. For the rest of us, I highly encourage you to try out the methods described in this book; it is life changing.

There are many charming and spiritual aspects to Marie’s methods. She comes from Japan and is of the Shinto religion. It is from that perspective she speaks to the individual consciousness that exists in all things. One of her points of view is that everything you have desires to serve you; is in fact anxious to do so. When you put things in the closet and ignore them they are not allowed to fulfill their purpose. When you put them to use or pass them on to someone who will, then they find fulfillment.

Therefore there is nothing you have that is extraneous; everything has value and a desire to serve. If something has fulfilled its purpose for you, then pass it on and let it serve someone else. If its purpose in this life has been used up, then let it “die” gracefully and with gratitude. Marie points out that the spirit of that thing will then reincarnate as a new item so that it can renew its service to you.

What has become clear is that when your physical space is tidy and clean it manifests in your consciousness as pure energy and clarity. This attitude makes the work of tidying with joy intricately part of your spiritual practice.

I want to share something Angela Victory just sent me (used with her permission). Angela is one of many who have embraced this process of tidying wholeheartedly. She has experienced a deepening spiritual connection through choosing only things that bring her a spark of joy. Strangely, this focus on material things makes us feel closer to God; we feel a new and lighter energy throughout our home. My hope is that you will enjoy Angela’s writing, but more than that, you will be inspired.

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Picture: Angela burning the past: letters that had already served their purpose.

This method of tidying has, and continues to be, an inspiration that has preoccupied my mind. Driving home the other day I felt driven, so so driven to conquer the stuff in my home and my life. It’s hard to really convey this feeling other than to say it was a burning desire. Not something that takes energy away from my constitution, but brings me everything I need. Drawing on the life-force energy from behind: it’s calm, it’s strong, and it’s wonderful. My whole body resonates with letting these attachments go—without pain, but with joy!

I never imagined that I would ever have gotten here in my life…..gone is my attachment to my worn white leather baby shoes; still in their perfect condition cardboard box. They were bought on a special trip that my mom and dad took to Hastings Street; quality baby shoes for my feet. These shoes were kept by my mother, and now kept by me—moved from box to box, location to location, from her home to my home.

Recently, with this cleaning-up-my-life obsession, I looked at those baby shoes in a new light, and I said, “I know exactly where you need to be, you need to be in my loving pile of donations.” The transition seemed so simple, and then it led to Barbie dolls (one being my authentic Princess Leia doll), and clothes my mother wore on her honeymoon, my beautiful yellow-golden grade 12 signature high school vintage jacket—I was an art class chic artist.

This jacket: it was so individual and I loved it. I could still wear it today, but I feel more strongly about donating it than trying to find a place in my closet to keep it—and for how long? Forever? I am not the jacket, yet it has defined me. I saw in my mind a girl searching for vintage things in today’s world, and her coming across that jacket and seeing the potential in it—and her having the opportunity to find it—and it now defining her. I joyfully donated it.

The jacket brings fond feelings, like the feeling I get when I reflect on God. I close my eyes slightly and I remember the feeling to be “connected.” Wearing my jacket, or keeping the jacket in the back of my closet is not my connection with Him—that feeling of connection comes from tuning in directly with Him: there is where the love is, that is my gratitude.

Keeping only the things I love—it can be described as a switch, a switch being turned on. Moments before I was so attached to so many things, and then I was not. It doesn’t mean that I don’t love so many things that I donated, but they no longer serve a purpose in my life.

My stuff was actually starting to make me sick: giving me headaches all the time, I was feeling like I couldn’t see properly, a foggy cloud around me, I was bothered and feeling worn out. Today, as these things that no longer give me a spark of joy leave my house I feel fresh air around me, I feel my mind opening up and making room for a larger altar for God.

It reminds me of the story of the man who had royalty (God) come to his house, but the man felt his house wasn’t ready to receive such a royal guest. So, I can use my body to physically move things out of this house to make room—there isn’t a greater love I know of than to make room for God.

I know that my mom wanted help tidying up her stuff up, and we never really knew how, or what to do with it. But now, with the concept of only keeping things that bring us joy—I get it!

I opened my dishwasher this morning to unload my clean dishes. I looked on the top shelf and I looked on the bottom shelf inside the washer, and all I saw were all my favorite dishes—joy! It was a thrill to put them away, not a task. I love each and every one of them: the Anthropologie mugs, my mom’s glass jug for sauce, simple Ikea tumblers, French style plates, white plates, a water jug for two, shiny matching silverware and my vintage made-in-England dish—that is the dish that I set my Rice Krispy squares in. The evidence was right in front of me, and I smiled big!

To be connected with my things means to be connected with God. If I am connected with absolutely everything I own, then I hope to be connected with God in absolutely every way as well.

Book reference: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up; Marie Kondo

Picture: Krishna and Radha-filled with joyful activity

Finding a place for every chosen thought is the second stage after choosing only joyful thoughts. As in Marie Kondo’s book, tidying is broken into two parts to be done in sequence, so may we look at tidying our minds with the same kind of intention that we would use in our homes.

Once having discarded all thoughts that do not give a spark of joy we then focus on finding a place for every thought that remains. These thoughts are intentions that are made to serve us. Many people simply let their thoughts roam at will creating chaos and pain. They often blame the world for not fulfilling their every wish without ever taking stock of their own creative power.

Think of your home when you are only surrounded by things that give you joy and there is space for every single thing you have. How pleasing and calming it is to have a closet, drawer, countertop, tool chest or garden shed that looks spacious and a particular place for everything you have.

Now, take a look at the various tasks and occupations which make up your life. Even as Sri Yukteswarji worked with Master to better discipline himself to be regular in his habits, so you will observe that you benefit from having regular structure to your days and your nights.

Each person is unique in how much stucture suits their personality and needs. Be keenly observant how your thoughts either serve you or are a disservice. Lay out all the activities you have during the day. Ask yourself, does this activity bring me joy? Discarding those things that do not.

There are tasks in life that we may say, “Well, I do not love doing the dishes, however if I don’t wash and put the dishes away it robs me of joy, therefore I have to say it does give me joy in the end.”

There are habits that can rob you of joy you would normally have for an activity. For instance, if you are often late getting to places, then on your way there you easily get frustrated at small delays, feel anxious when arriving and frustrate those who were on time. There is a cost to this habit, and you pay it. Having not allowed  the “space” of time its proper place, you have robbed yourself of joy.

Perhaps you somehow always feel rushed to meditate or are too tired at night to do so; spend money you do not have or that you cannot easily afford; through fear you do not say what is true for you; you rush through projects and make many mistakes which you have to redo or have fear others will discover. These are all areas where your thinking habits do not serve you, and even though you would say that each activity brings you joy, the fact you have not given what you are doing its proper space in time means it takes the joy out of it.

One thing that may come vividly clear when you lay your day out in front of you is that you commit yourself to too many things. Even when taken individually each activity brings you joy, taken as a whole it does not. You must be willing to discard those thought/expectations that crowd your life. Learn to give adequate space for those things you have given priority.

At a time when we have so many “time savers,” equipment and technology that makes life so much easier, we too often live with stress and feeling pressured for time. This is because we have not discarded those thoughts and activities that, in the end, do not bring joy because we have not found a proper place for everything we wish to do.

There may be many areas in which you load yourself up with expectations because you want to do it all, or you have a desire to please others, you may have a fear of being left out or that you will miss out. Or, perhaps you load your time with mindless entertainment to “unwind.” These are the areas that benefit from carefully considering what to discard.

Just like you have the challenge of learning to deal with having so many belongings in your life, you also have the privilege of choosing from so many possibilites of what to do. Most of us have come a long way from working on a farm from sunup to sundown, with little time or energy for anything else. How we choose to spend time must be done consciously; to choose joy and to carefully find time for all the things that really matter brings balance.

Prioritizing and discarding lesser activities makes room for taking more time to commune with God, to complete  projects, paint, write, take walks, or be early for appointed times. Finding a place for everything that brings you joy means that can comfortably fit those things into your days and nights; this reduces stress and increases your joy.

God once gave me a mantra for a life that felt too busy to do everything: “I have plenty of time to do all the important things in my life.” This requires that I find what brings me real heart and soul joy, what is most important, and make that the priority. Time can actually expand to find a proper place for all those important things when you discard the rest.

Here is to a more joyful life where everything important in your life has a place and a spacious fit.

Picture: Lakshmi-goddess of prosperity (materially and spiritually)

An aspirant was telling me about their struggles to organize and get things in order. This is something I have also had a great desire to master in this lifetime. It seems to be an ever elusive goal. I know that it is both a skill set and it has many mental and emotional layers to it as well. During our time of talking we made an agreement with each other to set a goal for March 31st to have our houses in order, as well as living wills and last wills.

When you set a clear goal and ask God for His assistance then it is amazing how help comes in so many unexpected and delightful ways. Carla came across a book, The life-changing magic of tidying up, by Marie Kondo. We decided to make a study of this book, and if it made sense then to put it to work. As Marie points out we are trained in so many things in life, but how to tidy up and organize our home is not one of them; we are just supposed to know how.

Our abundance in life produces great challenges for us. For many of us starvation is not the problem, it is to discover the right foods and the right amounts of food. It is not the lack of information, but it is choosing what information we take in so that we are not swimming in too much of it. And the amount of books, papers, clothes and general stuff we have can create a state of clutter that can become chaotic, frustrating and inefficient; it also blunts appreciation and joy in having those things. Learning to manage abundance is one of the great modern privileges we have.

Marie Kondo has made a lifetime study of organizing and being tidy. An unusual child, she would rush home from school to devour a new magazine on home decor, always with an eye toward efficiency articles. While somewhat obsessive in the preoccupation she devised schemes and tried out many methods. What balanced her in her drive was her focus on what things gave her joy to have in her home.

It is this theme of finding joy and happiness in things you have when organizing and tidying your home that makes all the difference in her approach. By taking a complete category, such as all your tops (shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, etc.) and laying them all out, then handling each one and asking yourself, “Does this give me joy?” You keep only those things that give you joy and discard the rest. What you end up with in the end is being surrounded by only those things that bring you joy.

She even has methods for how to fold your clothes, she is Japanese after all (the land of origami), and you think, “Oh I don’t know about that.” Then you try it, and lo and behold it works! The first category was strangely hard to do. But since then this feeling of joy in choosing and organizing has become contagious, and I find now that I want more of it. And, in the end, who does not want more joy?