Today’s theme is transforming the clutter of the mind by reflecting in the spaces you keep – whether it’s your home, office, other spaces, or even your mind! In a bit, I’ll share a little story of something which happened to me, but first, I want to establish what I’ll be talking about today – Feng Shui. There are five basic rules to it:
Feng Shui goes further to lay out the best way to work in harmony with nature and your life. Now, my story… By the door in my apartment, I had some shelves right by that front door. When I first put it there, it was useful. However, over time, it became a catch-all for lost items. I had systematically been clearing those shelves until I had this notion what if I was to give the shelves away. Simultaneously my appointment book had slowed down, as I had not had a client in weeks. These days, I don’t panic; I simply understand that the slowing down means some revelation is going to be revealed or a catalyst for some change that is going to be revealed. So, the day came for the person I offered the shelves to come over. We packed them up, and she went on her way. After the shelves went, I noticed I experienced a sigh of relief. The corner where they once stood became lighter, more spacious, and clearer – it felt like I had cleared the way. How many times of letting go of some item or a thing or a position clear the way for the good to make its way to the surface through the muck and mire of stubbornness, opinion, and will? I went to bed, and when I got up in the morning, I noticed a referral in my email box. It might have just been a coincidence or synchronicity. Just as I was admiring the universe for its reward, I downloaded a thought in my mind; I remember having read in a Feng Shui book to always leave the space beyond your doorway clear as it blocks energy and communication from coming through. (I remembered.) Energy and vibration play an understated and important role, from being in sync with the universe to being out of sync or distorting the picture. Emotions and thought patterns, such as joy, peace, and acceptance, create high-frequency vibrations, while other feelings and mindsets, such as anger, despair, and fear, vibrate at a lower rate. For me, this situation with my set of shelves was poignant because every so often, there is a need to de-clutter or wipe away the film over our third eye or cleanse our channel so we can gain clarity for ourselves primarily and then for others. There is a cleansing of the physical things we may use in our spiritual lives - even Tarot cards, runes, gems, and stones have a cleaning ritual. Houses, apartments, workspaces, and so on can be cleaned every so often by burning sage or other herbs or woods. Churches use incense to sanctify, purify, or make sacred. Cleansing is a theme throughout faiths. In the Christian faith, in the Bible, there is mention of the floods during Noah’s time in the Genesis narrative can be looked like cleaning up a purification process. In baptism, the water is said to cleanse the believer from their sins. In the Muslim faith, believers must wash before prayer. In the Jewish faith, followers must stay clean or be separated from the congregation or community until they have cleansed themselves. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung said: “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Here where we are, maybe there is a project around our house that needs some attention, and what if that project is blocking our good from coming to us? It could be that it is simply because of the energy it traps and stalls. What if it is a part of a story that is waiting to unfold for your highest good? Think about that. Is it representative of the cluttered thoughts or thoughts being held on or a position you held which has not allowed for any other thought to enter which might relieve you of the burden of being right or surrendering to it might be time to change? Whether it’s going to therapy to process a traumatic childhood event or grief or processing the end of a relationship, the organization of your thoughts, memories, and emotions is as important as what you do with your physical environment and physical items. Each one of those physical items carries a thought or a vibration, such as jewelry of an old relationship or other tangible items from difficult relationships – it all carries a vibration. Some are in harmony in your home or mind, and some carry a lower vibration. And keep you stuck in a paradigm of confusion or lack. Returning to the subject of Feng Shui. Being organized and tidy was top of the list! By organizing your mind, you are opening your doorway – you are freeing the dam to allow the flow of whatever it is that is good to come to you. The good that can come to you in the way of peace of mind is priceless. What is standing in your doorway blocking your good? Could it be you? Photo credit: Andrew Harriott, 2022.
0 Comments
|
AuthorRev. Andrew Harriott is a certified Diplomate Supervisor; Clinical Chaplain/Pastoral Counselor; and clinical fellow in Hospice and Palliative Care. He is the convener of the Spuyten Duyvil, NY Chapter. Andrew has served on the CPSP Certification Committee, and he is the former Convener of the Chapter of Chapters. Andrew's clinical pastoral education training center, International Chaplain Foundation, is in New York, NY. Archives
February 2024
Categories |