In Part 1 I talked about the process of letting go of clothes that don’t fit and the nostalgic body image I’ve been holding on to. I ended up with the right amount of clothes and a much better attitude towards this body that gave me three spectacular little girls.
Now, I’m working on my books.
It’s definitely been more challenging to get rid of books. I’ve always been a huge book nerd, and so has my partner. Our great love, and the fact that I’ve been working at a used bookstore for the past six years, means we’ve built up quite the collection.
I have to confess that the picture above isn’t even half of the books we have. I didn’t want to break the table. So I didn’t quite follow the Konmari rules, which say you must pile up every single item in a given category. However, I did make sure every single book came off the shelf. We decided if they gave us joy and if they didn’t we packed them up to sell at the bookstore. I went ahead and lumped all the movies, music, and board games in and sent them off too.
I tried to do some magickal releasing as I got rid of my books… but I really struggled with it this time.
Maybe letting go isn’t the right focus with my push to get rid of books. After all, my book life has been abundant and joyful. Maybe it’s more about what I’m keeping. I’m paying special attention to what I want in my life. There’s a wealth of beauty and inspiration in the world, but I have to whittle it down to the stuff that really lights me up. So maybe cultivating my book collection is a way for me to focus on what’s important to me.
My partners graphic novel and Dungeons & Dragons collections are definitely important to him, but they’d been tucked away on a shelf in the corner. I almost let him get away with leaving them sitting in their dust; but just like the rest we pulled everything off and asked if they brought him joy. He thinks the whole concept is a little too woo woo, but he clambered aboard and got into it. Now his favorite books and guides and board games are proudly displayed in the dining room and will hopefully inspire him to start the nerdy podcast he’s been dreaming up.
An important step in this process is giving the things that spark joy a home. Recently we had some water damage behind the shower so there is a big chunk of new wall that needs texture and paint in the living room… right where I’ll put the bookshelves that were gifted to me (shelves that match my other furniture exactly and came at just the right time, thank you manifestation!). So, I’ve still got some shuffling and repairing to do before the bulk of the books can find their home. I recently discovered that that troubled part of the living room is actually the money corner in Feng Shui (that can’t be good). So, I’m trying to prioritize it and I know that lovingly displaying our books and the piano (also gifted to us) is going to help the whole family meet our creative goals and maybe even start using our gifts to bring us some financial security.
I have already made a personal altar of sorts on a bookshelf in our bedroom. I’m admiring my collection of journals now as I lie in bed nursing the baby and writing this. There is endless potential in those blank pages, and I’m going to fill them with ideas and stories and poems and memories.
There’s a trend emerging here: our stuff is very literally a reflection of ourselves. So, what self revelation will I run into next when I start sorting all the dreaded paperwork that’s been piling up?
My Mundane Magick 