Day 22 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - The Animals We Have

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Lesson 22: The animals we have...

“Lesson 22: The animals we have as “pets” are not here to serve us, or to entertain us. They’re soul contracts are the same as ours—to come into family, home, place of being, and to experience what they are here to experience.”

— Sara Wiseman

I currently have 2 cats Miu Miu and Picasso. When I lived back home with mum, we had 5 cats which comprised of additional cats Chopper, Sapphire and Sable. Chopper was our first cat who ran away from his family and turned up on the doorstep of one of my brother’s ex’s. He has major attachment to my mum and has anxiety when she’s not around. Sable was a cat I bought from a breeder and she is a Scottish fold cross – FYI she never liked me. Picasso and Sapphire (Saffy) were abandoned kittens that we came across from our vet and were going to be put down if no one took them. They were part of a litter of 8 and thankfully, people in the community adopted the rest. Saffy didn’t like me either even though she is meant to be my cat. Miu Miu was my ex’s cat that he brought home after we said no more cats! She was just this sweet innocent girl, part of litter from my ex’s mum’s cat who just gave birth.

 

Sapphire

Sable

Chopper

When I moved, I wasn’t sure which cats to bring over. Sable should have moved, but then I didn’t know who else to bring over, since both Sable and Saffy didn’t like me. So I knew Miu Miu should be here and mum said I couldn’t separate her from Picasso since they are best friends. So I took my ex’s cat and my mums. They didn’t really have a choice so I hope they’d like Melbourne.

I haven’t noticed any other animals today though this lesson did spark some memory of my dog Misty. I adopted Misty when she was about 8 years old from a rescue shelter. No one wanted her because of her age and she was malamute mixed with another breed that no one knew of exactly. She wasn’t a huge dog like a malamute but larger than most dogs. She really had a lot of love and energy. When I moved to Melbourne, I couldn’t really take her with me. As she got on in years, she stayed with mum and then one day when I was back visiting in Perth, she passed away in her sleep. Mum told me during that day Misty had trouble standing up, and slowly life was escaping her. When I imagine her now, I hope she’s running around in fields in the next life with all the other animals, just enjoying her time. I hope we gave her enough love in her older age. Makes me tear up thinking about her. The one thing I always associate with Misty is thunder and lightning – she was awfully scared and would jump in my bed to hide from it. We didn’t allow have her in our bed normally, but I did on those occasions, so she could have comfort. It’s amazing how animals can have the same feelings and fears as us. The only difference is that they can’t always communicate it to us.

 

Misty

What I find amazing about my animals is that they can sense when I am sad or sick. I remember Chopper used to hang around me more when I was about to get sick. When I am sad, Miu Miu and Picasso spend more time with me than normal. They are naturally comforting. I honestly never thought about animals coming here to experience. Is it through my own experiences, that they share too? I know they definitely become part of the family and have a sense of belonging. This lesson makes me think more about more memories I can give my cats and maybe I should be giving them more experiences – they are restricted in being indoor cats only. Something to think about, I believe.

Picasso and Miu Miu

Day 22 - A Year to Clear - Stuck Energy

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Lesson 22: Stuck Energy

“Clutter is not just the stuff that spills out of drawers. It is any thing, or thought, that makes us feel off center and rattles our cage.”

— Stephanie Bennett Vogt

Introduction to this new theme is more to reflect on what is about to come. I have never really thought about clutter to include thoughts and feelings that restrict us. Being part of this course definitely has opened me up to that concept - not only physical but mental clutter. By becoming more aware and looking at my situation as an observer, it really triggers to let go of things, because you have less attachment. Doing things bit by bit may seem like a slow process but there are massive gains to be won. I try not to cloud my mind with negative thoughts and focus on what I can do to be better. It’s those moments when you are alone and let your mind wander, is where those thoughts can start to fester. I think keeping busy with creativity or hobbies that really start a spark within you, stop those thoughts from coming about. There is so much to be grateful for and I always try to remember that.

Day 21 - A Year to Clear - Check In WEEK 3 - Cultivating Awareness

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Lesson 21: Check In WEEK 3 - Cultivating Awareness

Today is to reflect back on the previous week and note down my discoveries and how I related to the experience without any attachment. Everything inbetween the problem and the solution.

I found the exercise about imagining yourself shedding a layer of yourself before you go to bed to be a really good exercise. I feel like this is a good tool to let go of your worries of the day and relax before you go to sleep. I haven't been practising it for some reason. I think I just easily fall asleep that I don't think about doing this extra step to have an even more peaceful sleep.

A lot of this week was focused on clothing. Simply connecting with clothes and seeing if they bring you joy and/or if you still use them and managing how you release them. I can say that I'm finding myself less attached to my belongings. I feel like I will wear what is practical without any thought behind it. I don't feel like my clothes make me as a person. I am finding that the reason I am having less attachment, is because I don't want to be another consumerist and want the minimalist lifestyle. I think about the impact the clothing industry has on the environment, so that makes my decision to care less about my clothing easier day to day, and in turn care less about my attachment to those belongings. Because I'm so focused on self care and awareness, trivial things like clothing, doesn't really matter to me anymore. So to me, I think that I'm growing in my own way.

Day 21 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - March of Days

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Lesson 21: The march of days we use...

“Lesson 21: The march of days we use in this lifetime is not a useful way of measure your life. More happens in the moment of watching a blade of grass blow in the wind, or in the noticing the soft warmth of another’s body, than in countless months of schedules, work, progress.”

— Sara Wiseman

Today is a day to notice something that may be beautiful or profound. I had a very productive day today, brunch with friends, went to the markets to get vegetables, went to see Star Wars in 3D, chores, food prep for the week and then went for a drive with a friend to see the sun set at a beach I'd never actually been before. It was a nice day with a lot of activity and I didn't feel tired at all. I think that's the essence of life, being able to live and enjoy every moment, even when doing simple things.

The sunset was beautiful for me. Having a nice drink, bit of a chat with my mate James and just appreciating the city we live in. We went for a walk along a pier and then the foreshore of the beach, not with any goal but just to explore. It's those simple moments that I tend to appreciate more. No thinking and just doing. I've included some of my pictures below. It didn't even bother me that people were standing in the way. If anything, it gave a sense of coming together to appreciate what the universe has on display for us.

Day 20 - A Year to Clear - Wearing or Weary-ing?

Lesson 20: Wearing or Weary-ing?

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Today I am to reflect on clothes that don’t fit or feel good anymore. Basically this is the stuck energy we keep that clutters our lives. I am to release one thing today that is not part of my lighter self. The problem is, I only just recently did this on Wednesday night. I had 6 full garbage bags of clothes and shoes that I placed downstairs for charity collection. On top of this, I gave a bag of jewellery to my friends daughter. I do not want to release anything more as I have already gone through my clothes and shoes and got it down to a point that is manageable. The idea for me now is that I want to live a minimalist life and wear down those clothes until they are not useable anymore. There may come a time when I realise that I still not have worn a lot of those clothes, but for now, I have tried hard to focus on what I do wear for work and what I wear regularly. I haven’t bought clothes or shoes in over 6 months. I think that’s another achievement I have.

The question that got asked was: “Do you wear your clothes or do they wear you (out)?” Personally, I feel like I am wearing my current set of decluttered clothes. We shouldn’t keep clothes around that make us not feel 100%. We shouldn’t keep onto things that do not fit, clothes we’ve never worn or if we just don’t simply love them. Right now, I feel like I love the set of clothes I have. Me bringing those garbage bags down for charity was my form of release. I don’t feel like I need to do a release today as I have achieved a more lighter self.