Day 245/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
Water is the element from Chinese Medicine for the season of winter. As the winter thaws into spring, the water becomes fluid and mobile again.
Still waters run deep. We've all heard that expression. In the early days of spring we have the opportunity to find out what's there in those still, deep waters.
One way to do that is to look to your environment, your home or workstation, and discover what's there.
Sarah suggests that it's a good time to look into the junk drawers, the ones that collect all manner of displaced and forgotten nick knacks.
Perhaps you have one of these junk drawers, or maybe you have several. You might have one in your living area, your bedroom, your bathroom and every other room in the house.
Mine are scattered between my living and bedroom. Oh yes, and my office of course.
Sarah suggests that you make a time to begin the job of sorting, sifting and discarding anything that hasn't been of value to you nor your family for several years.
She cautions that this job is best done alone, otherwise you are inviting a load of sabotage as you invite family members to participate.
Whilst you're at it, take the time to reflect on the hidden drawers of your inner terrain. What have you put away, left unresolved, stuffed down to deal with later, left disorganised and in disarray hoping that it will sort itself?
There is a direct connection between your outer and inner world. They are one. It may not seem that way as you carry on your day, doing what you do.
My confession is that my junk drawers are tidy and organised. They are turned over regularly and anything that seems to have no further value discarded.
Now it's fair to say that there have been times when I've been a little too eager to move things out of my life at the first sign of discontent, and I've lived to regret it.
Everything you do comes from your, whatever you stuff in those drawers and what you decide to discard. Of course it has to reflect something about you.
Take this time to discover what your junk drawers say about you.
Good luck, have fun! Learn something new about yourself.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.