Simplifying is a bold act

Peace and blessings bestowed upon all.

Simplifying is a bold act.

It's not just about reducing for the sake of it. It is a conscious action in the direction of your goals and your chosen life. It opens up the field of vision so you can lighten the burden and see where you're going.

There is this practice in gardening for propagation that I want to point out:
You take a stem, let's say, of a flourishing salvia plant. For it to grow into a new plant, one removes the bottom leaves - this is where the new Roots will grow out. And one also removes any blooms or big leaves on top so that the energy of the plant goes towards growing roots so that the plant can be established for the long run.

To grow something new in your life and to see it get established with roots, remove the things that are taking up your energy. Remove them so that your energy can go towards the thing you want to grow.

So, ask yourself. What am I trying to grow? What are the things that are pulling my energy? What do you need to let go?

And the things that you need to let go can come in many forms.

It can be things - that which takes up physical space and resources.
It can be projects - that which takes up your time.
It can be activities - that which takes up your time and energy.
It can be relationships - that which takes up your emotional, mental, and physical energy.

It can also be things that are either unfinished, undecided, undedicated, or untimely.

Examples of unfinished can be projects and relationships. Undecided are decisions that are not taken. Undedicated are items whose purpose and use is not yet dedicated for something. Or untimely delays in implementing ideas, promises, decisions, or that which you had planned to do.

Taking action towards your dream life is then like gardening. Remove the excess that's taking your energy. And make space for that which you want newly established. 

What is behind this need to empty?

An enquiry into my soul's wantings

Back in 2011, I had this phase when I started feeling this powerful urge to let go of things and items that belong to me. Personal letters, cards, essays and papers written for school and college and also reducing my vast collection of books. One day, I let go of piles and piles of creative writing assignments from my university studies, with no desire to scan and digitize them. I began with this stack of papers and lay them before me. I wanted to simply “reduce”. At first, I realised that this is a lot of painstaking work that I am simply discarding. To ease the process, I began separating those items that I felt some emotional connection to and made a little collection of them to keep. Very soon, the huge pile of papers was suddenly down to a handful of articles. And the big brown paper bag filled with my essays that I had sorted out for recycling, seemed like a big relief.

Then I went through some of my diaries and other self-awareness notes just from the previous two years. I began letting go of them as well. With some more things left to go through still, I decided to call it a day and went to bed. As I lay in bed, I wondered why I was going through this process of letting go of my belongings?

Photo by Callum Shaw on Unsplash

I realized that in the previous few years, I have intensified the process of recognizing my ego and bit by bit untangling myself from its grip, and making friends with it to serve my higher purpose. The next morning as I woke up, I had an epiphany. I realized that this letting go of my belongings was another way of disentangling myself from things that have become a form of attachment for my ego and a source of identity for myself. So it seems that intuitively, I embarked on this process with the desire to find out: what lies behind all this stuff that I call mine? I wanted to know:

What will I find when I take away all of these things that I own? What remains behind all of this stuff? Who am I without all of these things?

I feel going through this process physically, enabled me to feel a powerful impact. I don’t think I am done with this process yet and still simplifying my belongings. Here are some of things I experienced as a result of decluttering my personal writings and items.

As I let go of things: 

1. I feel light.

2. I feel unburdened with the care and organization of stuff that I do not actively need, use or connect with on a daily basis.

3. I feel free. 

4. I feel greater appreciation and even love for those things I do decide to keep.

5. I feel more spacious.

6. I practice being grateful and thanking my belongings for the service they have offered and letting them go.

7. The flow of energy out, feels good and uplifting. I am making space for all that is wanting to emerge through me and to me.

8. I make room for the flow of gifts of life and the universe.

9. I have more time to do things that fulfill me.

10. I feel more mobile, light and limber. 

Moreover, I felt a general sense of peace and joy filling my being. And I am not yet done. I am eager to go through some more of my things, and some more and some more, until I feel a sense of equilibrium and peace about the whole thing. 

And this has the potential to open up the door for me to come to the realization of the question: What remains behind all the things I own? Who am I? 

Emptiness and Simplicity are the catalysts for inner-peace within me.

The seed of this article was written on November 5th, 2011.

Simplicity and Clarity

Today, the intention is to access clarity and simplicity.

I intend today to experience clarity so that I may see through the opacity and be in touch with the essence of life. I intend to experience simplicity so that all that is most important to me stays in focus.

Thank you Clarity and Simplicity for gracing our lives.