Cleaning and doing chores aren't activities that our culture appreciates much these days, yet Sufi mystic Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee understands housework as being essential for a healthy spiritual life. "As within, so without. As above, so below," he seems to be saying in this article about 'The Art of Cleaning'. Sweeping becomes a metaphor for clearing away the debris that is blocking our progress. Discarding old, unwanted things becomes a way of letting go of attachments that no longer serve our spiritual journey. The very process of cleaning becomes a humbling act of taking responsibility for creating open, empty spaciousness, for new life to enter in. It is a way to be kind to all beings - including ourselves - who may enter into the spaces we have inhabited. With new appreciation, may we pick up our brooms and clear our drawers as living prayers of mindfulness.
↧