Six of Pentacles
I’m in the middle of helping a dear friend sort out the belongings of his childhood home, after the sad loss of his mother. As you can imagine, this isn’t an easy time as every item holds so many triggers and memories.
He has a lovely phrase that touched me, “I don’t need any help David, as I want to allow every item to pass through my hands. It’s a type of healing, a way to say goodbye to mum, to uncouple from each item, as I work through my loss and grief.”
Most of the items will go to local charity shops. The cup she drank her morning coffee from, the sideboard that held all her knickknacks, her old grandmother clock that never kept good time.
Nothing in life is permanent; we’re temporarily custodians of our possessions, the house we live in for example, or like my friend’s inheritance, our belongings are simply passing through our fingers as they make their way to others.
As the Buddha taught, our possessions can if we’re not mindful bring great anxiety and frustration. Yet there are others who are desperate for the most basic items. There can be a real sense of liberation when we simplify our lives and the space we call home.
There is a powerful lesson we can learn from my friend’s challenging journey, the gift of detachment, to surrender all that is no longer needed, to release stagnant energies or blocks. Why not choose a couple of items that you’re happy to move on, and in doing so, you’ll be doing an act of kindness for others.
Don’t let your possessions define you, control or clutter your way. To quote the author Dave Bruno, “Stuff is not passive. Stuff wants your time, attention, allegiance. But you know it as well as I do, life is more important than the things we accumulate.”
Do an act of kindness today, pass your least wanted items to others, and in doing so, you’ll improve the quality of your living environment and begin to declutter your sacred space.
