Josh and Ryan of The Minimalists have a magnificent post about a packing party. The short version of it all is… pack all of my possessions as though I am moving. Don’t unpack anything until I need it.
So, finally, today I did it. With caveats.
- I kept my camera, computer, and bed unpacked.
- I share my kitchen with two other people. I do not wish to try unravelling what belongs to me and what belongs to them.
- The furniture in the rest of the house basically belongs to or with the house. I can’t take any of it to my tiny house.
- I’ve already emptied out every room except my bedroom, so this was the logical last step.
- I already have my decorations where I want them, so I felt no need to take them down.
How about some comparison photos?
Before

After

Thoughts
This is Calcination in its finest, final (but still reversable) glory. The final burning away of that Which Is Not Necessary Or Beautiful (in the material realm).
Calcination is a root chakra transformation of Fear into Confidence. By burning away all which is not part of the true self (in this case, by discarding all of the objects that distract me more than they enhance my life), I learn what is ephemeral and what is permanent. I gain confidence in what is permanent and realize that I can, in fact, live without the ephemeral.
I have burned since 2007, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but always I have burned. Even if I finish this physically, I still have many emotional and mental processes to burn away. And even if finished all of the burning, if I burned perfectly, this covers only a single chakra. Each chakra requires a significantly different process, and each one still deserves my attention.
Unpacking
I expect at least some unpacking. After all… my clothing, my altar, and some of my favorite toys are down there in crates. I imagine things will come back out in about this order:
- Clothing — one item at a time
- Altar
- Levitation wands and poi
- ???
I have no idea what comes after that. I actually cannot remember much of what went into the boxes that I took downstairs today.
Conclusions
I did this in an extreme way because I felt guided to do this. This process will help to kickstart the next stage of my evolution. The next stage may involve a few more steps towards minimalism, but the end approaches. I think I will, very soon, find my most natural equilibrium with the material world, and I will stay there when I reach it.
Frequently I wish that I had a partner who shares my passions for cycling, minimalism, and consciousness. I have not found one, but I will continue looking. Perhaps the right partner cannot appear until I have fully emobied the minimalism I preach.
Either way, I have gained even more freedom than I had before, and boy do I have a lot of people to thank for it.
- Tammy and Logan of RowdyKittens
- Josh and Ryan of The Minimalists
- Ev Bogue of Ev Bogue (Although, I stopped reading him when he stopped doing Far Beyond the Stars)
- Leo Babauta of Zen Habits and Mnmlist
- Kristine, who does not have a website but who has been the only minimalist in my life for a long time
- Vasa, who also does not have a website, but who showed me what it is like to live in a space as small as an RV