I have had a lot of stuff in my life. Too much stuff.
I was given fancy, impressive stuff by my parents. It filled a big house and was overwhelming to me.
And yet I was empty inside.
I believed that I was “nothing,” in spite everything I had.
But at the same time, I was “too much”--or so I was told.
Really I
had too much and I
thought too much.
The excess stuff was more than just objects; I also had too much information--too many theories, methods and approaches.
The excess stuff caused clutter in my brain.
The stuff I had was beautiful—and I celebrated it for being beautiful—but it did not fill me up because it did not all fit with me.
I didn’t know what fit with me because I was not all there. I did not yet know my soul.
And so I could not be content.
Over the years, as I learned to call back the lost parts of myself, I have become more and more clear about what fits and what matters to me.
And so I let go of a lot of things that I did not need
The stuff I have now (primarily seashells and crystals) fits and I LOVE it. It fills me with joy to look across the room at a particular seashell or crystal or basket of seashells or bowl of crystals…
The teachings and methods I now focus on also are the best fit for me and for my students.
I know that some spiritual traditions teach detachment and asceticism as a path to discovering God.
In the opera Porgy and Bess, Porgy sings, “I got plenty of nuttin’ and nuttin’s plenty for me…Got my Lord, got my song.”
But God can also be found in the right stuff when the stuff you have makes your soul sing.
I find God in my seashells every day. And in my crystals. And in my healing work.
Because I found me.
And I allowed myself to be soulish (rather than selfish).
Being SOULISH is living by clear HIGHER SELF choices.
Being selfish is living by misguided lower-self (ego and personality) choices.
Being SOULISH is love-based.
Being selfish is fear-based.
By being soulish, we can know exactly what stuff to acquire or keep and what stuff to let go of.
And we know that we can lose all of our stuff tomorrow and not be diminished by the loss.
Becoming soulish is a very liberating process!
