proposition by Lenn The motivation for cleaning can be anything I experience; an obsessive urge for overview, a need to take care and connect with things I own - and owns me, longing to control (something), a temporary purpose, originated from frustration maybe, and sometimes as a contemplation activity, just because it’s that time of the month. Or driven by a graceful need to move (myself, things, ideas, dreams) especially in times when movement is scarce… I remember very well how passionately my parents were sweeping the yard leaf-free every Saturday in Autumn. I never understood why. That was the first thought I had while joyfully sweeping my balcony in the Spring sun today. My mind started wandering further -while the action went on- to a conversation I had a year ago while I stayed at family Cornucopia. A nucleo community of the spiritual eco community Damanhur in Italy. Here are a few notes I made back then in my logbook: The daily ritual of sweeping …the Temples of Humankind (of Damanhur) …your communal house, nucleo (Cornucopia) …your room …your mind The daily work by caring for each other, and for your surroundings Reminds me of the book: Paradise Now: The Story of American Utopianism by Chris Jennings He says that the gesture and ritual of sweeping and wiping is a fundamental part of each major movement that already began with the Shakers. ‘The base is not the individual nor the community, it’s the day’ Invitation to share: What is currently your most favourite cleaning activity?
And what are your wandering thoughts that emerge along? If you feel like share your action (image/ words/ drawing) and thoughts with us info[a]mohaproject.com so we’ll post them here.
Lenn
Alice:
My dear vacuume warrior
If I can, meaning if I work from home (at the moment it is the case most of the time because of quarantine), I like to start my day with cleaning my room. I fold my clothes put them back in place, open my curtains, water my plants and then I get to my favourite part: the vacume cleaner. This little yellot and grey vacume is a warrior. What I like the most is to vacume this carpet and make it somehow shiny again. Then I take pleasure going to any corners of my room amd vacume it thorouly. Only after this little ritual I can sit with a tea and start working on my computer. It puts my mind at peace.
Clément:
Cleaning the windows.
I’m not sure why I’ve always particularly liked cleaning my windows. Every few months I’ll notice them and it will start bugging me. Every morning of these confined days I would do some little sport facing the sunrise through this window and I’d notice the dirt and look forward to finding the time cleaning it. I did yesterday, it was sunny, and I loved it. But it also comes with a curse, I’ve just never managed to nail it. Lately I’ve learned to use news papers and it works a little better and it brightens me to think that even if when you don’t speak the language newspapers contribute to a clearer view of the world. But still not perfect. And every time I meditate on this while cleaning my windows and remember that no matter what you do, as you progress you see the missed details and it’s never good enough, because we’re a relative specie and not very good at it either if we can’t remember the starting point not evaluate our goal properly. Eventually though, when you stop and take a step back that you realize how much brighter it got and everything’s more spacious and fresh and smells nice and you even get to talk to your neighbors when you’ve let something drop like your phone once.
Ivan - the blokker broom
This standard Blokker broom I am using to swipe an imperfection of the floor of my living room back into perfection. Swiping is an activity with a predictable result, where success is almost at all time guaranteed. I guess this security is what makes it pleasurable.
Zsofi
WASHING UP! Washing up in the morning, washing up in the afternoon, washing up before cooking, washing up after cooking, washing up when I'm awake, dreaming about washing up.... Washing up is a constant flux in my life. Never ending, never stops... After I wash up I usually find a mug that I missed out or a plate what I'm still using... And will need washing up later.
Ps: I do like washing up.
