Right now I am cleaning out my kitchen.
Oh, I don’t mean a sweep and a scrub- I mean yanking every last thing out, discarding half of everything, throwing away out-dated products, getting rid of utensils and items I no longer (or never did) use, and generally a clean-sweep.
I’m reorganizing and re-evaluating EVERYTHING.
An onerous job- like dejunking your attic or basement, the junk closet your office, or your garage-
…places stuff has been stashed away seemingly forever.
Places where it just seemed easier to shut the door and ignore the build-up.
Yeah- we all have places like that around our homes!!!
…”When we hold on the past for too long. It starts to interfere with the present.
All the stuff you keep speaks volumes to you; it weighs you down. …Now, I’m not saying to live like a minimalist with no sentimental value. We’re human beings after all. But we need to give our energy and our space to this present moment. Right now is where you’re making new memories. Right now is the only thing you can control. Right now is all you truly have. Anything else is just a box of old stuff that you can’t use any more.
If you have trouble letting go of the past, may I suggest a good house cleaning? Just go through and get rid of everything you don’t need. When you can let go of the physical burdens, the emotional and spiritual ones are soon to follow.” Jennifer E. Jones
I Can See More Clearly Now!
Out go the large trash bags of rubbish, odds and ends and refuse, and the boxes loaded with things for Goodwill. What a feeling of accomplishment.
But more importantly, what a lightening of spirit, and a renewed urge to profit from the purge!
There’s room, not only on my shelves, but in my mind since I was always frantically searching for some item or another.
Now everything is in plain view!
What About Our Minds and Ideas?
I got to thinking that our spiritual journey needs times of scouring out and discarding old thoughts and ideas.
We have worn-out beliefs that still govern not only our spiritual growth, but our personalities and destinies.
And those old tapes play out automatically, without our even recognizing that our behavior is pre-programed.
Just like a junked up closet, where new items get pushed in with all the old stuff which gradually becomes just useless waste clogging up the space.
Relics of the Past
Why is it that folks who are more than willing to try out the new technology, want to own the newest iPhone, and long ago discarded an old typewriter for a lightweight lap top, still work, act, and believe from an antiquated mindset?
You needed a new understanding and new information to use the technology of today.
Just so, your old belief system acquired as a child, no longer is sufficient, effective or dynamic enough to process today’s spiritual insights.
From the death of the old the new proceeds, and the life of truth from the death of creeds. John Greenleaf Whittier
You need new tools, an open mind, and an adventuresome spirit!
Zen and the Teacup
Take this old zen story:
A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen.
The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring.
The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s full! No more will go in!” the professor blurted.
“This is you,” the master replied, “How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.”
So… Truth is pretty hard to perceive if you have all these preconceived prejudices and ideas.
And sometimes, you have to unlearn obsolete and inaccurate information before you can learn.
Why Do We Resist Changing Our Beliefs?
There are a ton of reasons why people hold onto old beliefs. Here are some:
- Too busy to rethink and reconsider
- Laziness- why bother?
- Scared that new ideas may collapse their whole belief system
- Desire for positive proof
- Reluctance to go through the process of growth and change
- Mistrust of anything “new”
- Prefer the familiarity of the “old”
- Bad religious experiences
- Afraid of being “out of step” with family and friends
- Vague feelings and ideas, but no idea what to do with them
Like the overflowing tea cup, if there is no room in our minds for new information, the old will remain and dominate.
What to Do?
Well…yeah! But what are you supposed to do about it?
Real spiritual growth is a process. Sometimes there’s a burst of insight.
Other times, pieces slowly come together. Out-of date ideas slowly get replaced by your new understanding and depth of thought.
Reading is one way to open your mind!
I have just uploaded an extensive list with descriptions of many books that can help you along the way under the above heading of “Resources”. Check it out.
Asking questions is another way to grow. I know it is sometimes hard to know where it is safe to ask those questions.
It is always safe here, and I will do my best to answer, or steer you to some place where you might find an answer.
Something to Try
Here’s an exercise to try.
Take one troubling spiritual or religious thought or idea and pursue it.
Google it.
Read what other people have to say.
Read some more!
Look at both sides- or the many sides- of the issue.
You don’t have to agree with it- but do ponder it.
Wrestle with the information and see how it might- or might not- fit into your belief system.
What you want is to allow your old thinking to be challenged.
Let your mind and beliefs brighten up as you permit old, out-dated, no longer helpful ideas which have hindered your spiritual growth, to shift, change or be transformed.
“Every subculture mandates a spring cleaning; but there is only one reason we all do it: to clear out our space (inside and out) and make room for a new or renewed spirit. Call it what you will—liberation, birth, rebirth, resurrection, mating season or spring recess—it lends itself to hope, a fresh start and new growth. We clean the spaces we live in, we till the soil we’ll soon plant in and, by so doing, we refresh our own wintered-out souls with the spirit of beginning again.” Katherine L. Robyn
