Awakening souls journey through the process of ridding ourselves of unwanted things. People, jobs, non-serving habits, and a lot of stuff, all find their way out of our lives as we expand beyond the illusion in which we’ve been living.
This is great for reducing the clutter that monopolizes our mind processes, freeing up space in our lives for us to enjoy being, rather than protecting, insuring, coddling and storing things that no longer serve a purpose for us.
Following this process certainly lightens up the load, yet it may also dredge up an issue that might need addressing:
Do you really know what you want?
The other day, I saw a crocheted handbag that was really cool. A basic design, neutral color, and the perfect size. I loved it the minute I saw it. The price was fair. It would fill in a huge gap in my wardrobe. And I didn’t buy it.
Why? Well, I told myself at the time, “you have plenty of bags, you don’t need another one.” And yes, although I do have a few handbags left in my collection, I definitely didn’t have one that looked like this or would serve its particular purpose.
So I went away, and yet I couldn’t drop the idea of owning that bag, and how useful it would be. It kept popping up, despite my attempts to put it out of my mind. And when that happens, that’s a sign that there is a lesson in the situation.
So I sat down, and I followed my feelings about the process of buying something I wanted.
I realized that I was unable to recognize the difference between my own desires, and those of the people that benefit from selling me things.
Our society bombards us with desires that really aren’t ours at all. They are the desires of those who want you to buy their products, their services, or their opinion about something. They stream emotional images, words and concepts to affect your most vulnerable parts.
“You’ll be more attractive if you buy this.”
“You’ll never be happy unless you have this.”
“If you want to be like us, then you must do this…”
It’s no wonder that awakening people are gun-shy about making decisions, for we question the integrity behind the motives of those offering things to us. We increasingly recognize the shadiness behind many actions—the secrecy, the lies and the misinformation. And knowing these things can send us into a tizzy of inaction altogether.
So in the case of the bag, I was rendered unable to make a decision about whether or not I really needed the bag. I subconsciously worried if I weren’t going to revert to the shallow, materialistic consumer I had evolved from, who collected things for the sake of impressing others with the sheer volume of ownership.
Sitting a while longer brought options to light. For example, I could donate an older bag that I no longer found useful, in order to make room for this one that was.
Andby the time I went back for the bag, it was gone.
So next time you are faced with a decision about whether or not to add something to your collection, ask yourself to feel out three things:
Do you really want it?
Would you really use it?
Does it bring you joy?
If you can answer “yes” to these three simple questions, then you’ve got every right to have it. Your soul knows the answer to these questions, even if your befuddled mind does not; and it sees beyond the illusion of advertising and skillful emotional manipulation.
You are a good person. And you can have what you want, so make sure to define what that really is!
author: Kimberly
