Cleaning Away the Old
Every year, at this time of year, my son and I go through my his toys and put what he no longer needs into a pile for those who can benefit from them. We donate them to the local V
eterans group, which makes this process simple by picking up bags from our front stoop.
My son and I really enjoy this project. It always feels good to get rid of the old, especially when we know there is a child who might be able to benefit.
Just before the Chinese New Year, it is a tradition to clean one's home thoroughly, so none of the dirt of the past year is brought into the new year. This is seen to bring good luck.
Our New Year's Resolutions gets at this same idea-- how we want to resolve toward more holistic ways of being and doing as the calendar turns.
Actively and manually cleaning and getting rid of old objects gives our psyches the message that we are good stewards of our physical world. In putting our intention to clean and make new, and doing this in a real-life way, we can invite the new with less cluttered and more open arms!
Sitting with your legs crossed (or on the floor if necessary), put your arms down and away from your sides, about 12" away from your body. Anchor your hands palms down onto the floor or onto the sofa you are sitting on.
Your body and its base should form a triangle. The arms provide the sides. The base is formed by an imaginary line connecting your hands and the base of your body. Your head sits at top!
Feel the strength and power of this form. Imagine you are a mountain in all of its organic strength. Breathe air into your belly; see your breath as the wind cleansing the mountain, both inside and out.
Find the similarities between your own strength and the strength of a mountain. A mountain is a nurturing home for many creatures and organisms. See if you can connect to this sense of abundance and strength within yourself.
Today, I was sitting by my back window, and spotted a squirrel squatting in the doorway of our shed, eating something from its little hands.
It instantly lifted my mood.
I had been focused on my to-do list, and the appearance of this little squatting fur ball brought me into the present, where everything that needed to be done was already done. There was nothing in that moment that I had to do but watch the squirrel and enjoy it.
I know from my years of practicing meditation, that when we focus our attention for a period of time like this, we create a foundation of attention that is a kind of mental "solid ground." The circumstances of life are mere leaves blowing in the wind. Inside, we are solid.
My habit (and the habit of our western religious heritage) is to think of meditation and contemplation as connecting to something transcendent and vast--beyond the natural world. I have experienced this transcendence, but I am beginning to appreciate the transcendence of the particular.
A squirrel, simply eating its snack, when attended to with appreciation and love, can bring a sense of belonging in the moment -- a solid ground of being -- that is the goal of many spiritual paths.
