Your Living Space as a Metaphor for You

Everything we do can be seen as an outer manifestation of the inner quality of our minds. This was a major takeaway from one of my recent stays at a Zen monastery; the realization that every little action, every movement, the way I stand, the way I sit, the way I go to the bathroom, the way I’m typing these words, are all outward expressions of the clarity of my mind in this moment. In this moment, where do I fall on the continuum of distraction versus clear awareness? Each of my actions and the way in which I carry them out are the proof of the answer to this question.

I think this inner/outer concept also applies to one’s living environment, the spaces we regularly inhabit (home, office, etc.). I once read that your living spaces should be arranged so that they appear as metaphors for you, as physical embodiments of the person you are (or want to be), and maybe particularly the person you want to be in those specific spaces (e.g., in the kitchen, your workspace, the living room). What would your various spaces say or illustrate about you? Do you feel they represent you?

If you don’t feel that these spaces represent you metaphorically, an experiment could be to actively change them as a means of influencing your inner world (outer influencing inner). I’m reminded of a famous experiment known as the “Rat Park” study. In this study, researchers investigated the impact of environment on addictive behavior. Prior to this study, rats would generally be placed inside a small enclosure (known as a “Skinner Box”) in order to investigate their behavior. In addiction studies, the enclosure would include two dispensers, one with water, and one with an addictive substance (e.g., opiates), and researchers found that the rats would quickly become addicted and often continually consume the addictive substance until they overdosed and died. In the Rat Park study, researchers created an enriching environment for their rat friends, including more space, toys to play and exercise with, other rats to be around, and an opening at the top of the enclosure. They found that these rats had a significantly decreased preference for the addictive substance compared to those in the Skinner Boxes.

I share this to emphasize the value of setting up your environment in a way for you to succeed in this practice of awareness, clarity, and living a good life, and not in a way that actively blocks and works against you in this practice. A way to play with this would be to investigate your surroundings and maybe take some time to create an inventory of what your environment is like. What do each of your spaces say about you? Do they represent you metaphorically? How might you tweak one of your spaces to be a creative expression of who you are/who you ultimately want to be?

Everything you do, and the space that you live in, is an outer expression of the inner quality of your mind. In this time of uncertainty and lack of control due to the global pandemic, one thing we can take control over to some degree is our living space. Your living space may already be a beautiful expression of who you are and, if so, that’s awesome and you might give yourself a pat on the back. And, if not, that’s okay, too - you might explore the ways in which your environment acts as a Skinner Box and see how you could add a little Rat Park to it. “Inner” influences “outer” and “outer” influences “inner.”