Spring Cleaning for the Mind

A Look at How Mindless Tasks Help Us Connect to the Universe

You know the feeling you get right after spring-cleaning your whole house. I don't mean just the routine cleaning. I mean a real reorganization of your entire household complete with moving furniture and elbow grease. What a great feeling it is when you're all done and you sit back for the first time and just relax.

This good feeling comes not just because you have a freshly cleaned house. Nor is it just a feeling of self-gratification for accomplishing, what is in my case, a monumental task. It is also the result of your recent connection with the universe through your own subconscious thoughts.

You may not realize it but as you focus your attention on physical activities you are actually allowing your subconscious mind to surface with new ideas. When you really focus on something as mindless as cleaning your kitchen or garage you are actually distracting yourself from all the external influences that surround us all the time. It is this distraction that allows your subconscious mind to rise to the level of awareness with new ideas fresh from the universe for you to act upon. Ever have any great ideas in the shower or while shaving?

As the master teachers of "The Secret" will tell you, your subconscious mind is your most direct connection to the universe. The feeling you get when you make that connection is wonderful but there are better ways of getting there than doing a bunch of housework.

There is an old Zen saying: "The Joy of Art is in The Doing" That's why most of their art is drawn in the sand. They understand that doing something as mindless as drawing shapes and patterns derived from their subconscious mind into the sand helps them focus on "the now" and it is that direct connection to the universe that gives them joy. The result of the doing is of no consequence. It is just something to be raked under into a new canvas for the next time they feel a need to make that connection.