For years, I taught a workshop that included a guided imagery experience where participants, in their mind’s eye, emptied every room in their house and placed the contents of those rooms outside onto an ever-growing pile of belongings. I also had them visualize how big a nomad’s pile might be if he did the same thing.
Can you imagine creating that kind of a pile for yourself, i.e. removing every item from your living room, bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, dining room, basement, garage and every other room in your house and turning it into a mountain of belongings? How big would your pile be? Do the same process for a nomad. How does your pile compare to the nomad’s?
Next, I had the participants add all of the earth’s resources they believe they use in a year’s time to their piles, and asked them to “see” the nomad doing the same.
What would your pile look like if you added all the food you eat, the trash you discard, as well as all of the water, oil, natural gas, gasoline, wood and other resources you use in a year to your other belongings? See the nomad doing the same thing. How does your pile compare to the nomad’s?
Through that guided imagery, I hoped to give the workshop participants a sense of the “weight” belongings may add to their lives. I also wanted to give them a taste of the difference between wants and needs. Many attendees left that workshop with plans to organize a garage sale as soon as possible!
Does seeing your mountain of belongings give you a sense of being burdened or weighed down? How many of your belongings are wants and how many are needs? How many of your wants are very important to you?
I have lived in the same house in Seattle since 1973. You can imagine how much “stuff” I could have accumulated in 42 years. I have always valued experiences over material belongings though, so have used my financial resources to take trips to India rather than buying a lot of material possessions.
Even so, over the years my shelves, drawers, and closets filled. Around eight years ago, I decided I was going to give away anything I hadn’t used in the last five years, unless I planned to use the item in the near future. One of the articles I gave away at that point was a loom I had purchased in 1974. I hadn’t used the loom since my children were born. For decades, I told myself I would start using it once my son and daughter grew up and left home. They both moved out in the 90’s and I still hadn’t use the loom, so in 2007, I added it to my “to go” pile. I did a major purging of stuff that year.
Several years later, I felt compelled to go through my belongings again. This time I wanted to create an empty shelf every place in the house where shelves were located. I loved the sense of relaxation and peace I felt when I gazed at those open spaces. The shelves stayed empty until I decided to take in a roommate; at that time the empty shelves were needed for the roommate’s possessions.
Last year, I again felt pulled to reduce my belongings. The desire was so strong I wondered if something was about to happen. Was I going to be moving? Was I preparing for my impending death? (I have no terminal disease but fantasies can take any form!) I still don’t know the “why” but even as I write this post, my yearning to further decrease my possessions is stronger than ever.
Now I am giving away anything that I haven’t used in the last two years unless I have a strong desire to keep it. Once again, I have become a regular at the Goodwill drop off station!
I am loving the sense of lightening-up I am experiencing as I continue to let go of personal belongings I no longer need or want!
Good Day to You Karuna,
You should consider yourself lucky to have the freedom to not hang on to possessions.
I manage to stay uncluttered in my soul, but my wife is the opposite. I live with the clutter, occasionally getting rid of some “clutter” that is “underfoot” when I’m tired of tripping over it.
But then, she puts up with my computer obsession.
Your description of a pile of all our stuff in the yard, made me think about the times we have moved, loading up the U-Haul truck to capacity.What a chore!
I don’t think a warehouse alone could fit in a lifetime of all the resources used as well.
Nomads have the advantage of “letting go” and moving on, but we have a place called HOME.
Clutter and all.
Your methods seem to bring you freedom. My complements to you for sharing with others in the process. You are freeing yourself from more than possessions, you are lightening your soul.
Bless You!
My Best to You
Arth
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You are right, being single I only have myself to consult with!
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Hi Karuna,
Did I ever find you at the right time. My partner (soon to be ex-partner) will bring all sorts of things home from clients, we have so much furniture I could refurbish several houses, and because we’re splitting up I’m moving soon and there’s just stuff everywhere, I simply can’t stand it! Can you hop on over to Australia and help me give most of it away to charity? Only problem is, apart from the distance, that we’ll have to sneak stuff out of the house when he isn’t looking! Another thing he’s done is pack stuff so it’s still packed in about 30 boxes, with both our stuff in the same boxes, forcing me to have to go through them. It’s a bad situation all round. I want some space around me, but I believe I’m going to resent having to give away some of the furniture more than I’m going to miss him.
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Sounds like you have quite a task ahead of you. Just keep in mind that with every box you open up, you are moving towards freedom and open space, both figuratively and literally.
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It all sounds good Karuna, and you appear safely on the side of a healthy decluttering as against some neurotic minimalism. Some people find succour in a cluttered household it seems, yet I have always found that it reflects in my mind when I am amongst clutter. Almost everyone feels a certain psychological space in the wide outdoors, and under big skies, perhaps beside the ocean. So there does seem to be a clear correlation between physical and psychological space.
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That need for both physical and psychological space is certainly true for me. Thanks for reading my post and commenting Hariod.
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The correlation between physical and psychological space definitely resonates for me. Thanks Hariod. It’s nice to hear from you.
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Hi there Arati! I’ve seen nothing on your blog for a good while – I trust everything is okay with you? Nice to hear from you too my friend.
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Oh, I love going through things and purging. It is so cathartic. But you know? Even after I get rid of boxes of things, it still seems like I have a lot of stuff!
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I think no matter how much stuff you give away, if you live in a house there will probably be a lot left. I leave for India in two weeks. There I live in one small room. It is amazing how little we actually need.
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One of the wonderful gifts of being in India.
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That is so true.
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Totally agree, I am finding that getting rid of stuff I don’t use or need to be very liberating
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It feels sooooo good to let go of stuff. Thank you for writing this and offering the opportunity to connect with like minded souls.
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You are very welcome! (I’m in San Ramon now so will probably see you at Amma’s programs tomorrow!)
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Cool. I thought you were on your way to India. Hopefully we will see each other tomorrow
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It is a couple more weeks before I head for India!
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