Rumer Godden once said: ‘There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms; a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.’
True story.
This quote made an appearance in my life a few years back then fell out of my memory only to resurface 2 years ago. It fell off my radar again and has recently resurfaced. Some lessons just keep reappearing until you learn them.
Cliches aren’t the only hidden cache of wisdom; proverbs rank up there in terms of overlooked wisdom but we’re all too busy to bother looking.
The past week has been draining mentally and emotionally. My priorities shifted from finding balance to wasting focus on external things that cannot be controlled and drama that wasn’t of my own making; the drain of other people’s expectations.
The past few weeks have seen me holed up in the mental room with enough snacks to feed a village for a month; neglecting the physical room to my detriment; God knows where the key to the spiritual room is and the only time the door to the emotional room was opened was to toss a whole pile of mayhem into it then slam the door shut quick fast and in a hurry.
Which room occupies the majority of your life? Are there some rooms you’ve never visited?
There was a time living in England when my spiritual room was in order. Religion and spirituality are not the same thing in my mind but that’s personal to each person. No judgements.
The physical room has left me depleted and depressed lately. Surgery has left a lingering presence which is not entirely unexpected but I’ve chosen to ignore that until now. Being up and about doesn’t necessarily mean the healing is complete and I’ve not allowed myself to accept that.
It turns out my body will have the last laugh in that conversation because it will do what it needs to do regardless of my opinion on the matter. There was a significant period of inactivity during recovery and that’s left its mark. It’s not irreparable but it’s not going to be a 5 minute job either. Listening to what my body needs hasn’t been a priority and it should have been.
My physical room is that barricaded door at the end of the cobwebbed hallway. It hasn’t seen the light of day in too long. The sheer volume of crap that’s been thrown into it is staggering. Nothing is as it should be. The interior is cluttered and grimy and it’s time for a serious renovation!
It turns out my sister had the spare key to my spiritual room; the door was cracked open a little yesterday. We spent the day together, catching up and reconnecting. I’ve pushed her away lately because I refuse to accept that she’s struggling with my move to Scotland. Instead of appreciating that it’s because my family love me that they will miss me, I’ve taken it as them not being supportive so I’ve distanced myself from them for self-preservation.
This during possibly the worst few work weeks in years. A time when having my family around me is necessary for my sanity, I’ve pushed them away. We had a good day reconnecting and talking about where we’re all coming from. She really is my rock and having a good cry on each other’s shoulders was cathartic. We found our link again and went and stocked up on some good vibes at a crystal shop in Geneva. The mental clarity from spending a few hours surrounded by crystals and good energy made a huge difference.
Yes, I know it sounds a bit new agey to some but crystals each have their own properties. Some things are true whether you believe in them or not. The stones I was drawn to all turned out to be things I need in my life right now. Clarity. Focus. Help with memory and repelling negative energy. Moving forward in life. Removing obstacles. Enhancing creativity.
Making time to meditate and be in my spiritual room will pull me out of the mental room that is currently the Black Hole in my universe. Hopefully the key to the physical room is in there somewhere.
As any good DIY-er knows, when tackling a major renovation you should focus on one room at a time. Renovating an entire house at once isn’t possible unless you have somewhere else to live during the chaos.
There’s no option to leave my body during this renovation so it will have to be one room at a time for a while.
Pick a room that would benefit you and spend more time in it. Don’t neglect the others but for now, we’re just airing those out. They will have their turn for a major renovation soon enough.
The physical room is the most terrifying at this point so while motivation is high and the urge is there, it will be the starting point. How, I don’t know but finding balance is part of why I started writing this blog. To find my way home. It turns out home isn’t just in Scotland; my body is also home.
The spirit within will show itself when you let it. If anyone has the instruction manual on how to do that, I’m all ears!
