I’m fascinated by Greek Mythology. It was my favorite course in college and I related to each of the Greek Goddeses I studied.

First I felt connected to Hestia, Greek Goddess of the home and hearth, but consumerism gummed up the works and I ended up with way more stuff than I could use or store. 

Next came Hera, the Goddess of marriage, and that didn’t work out so well either.

For a while I fancied myself Dementer, the Goddess of Grain, but my cooking abilities never developed properly. 

Well, Hallulayah.  At last I’ve finally found a Goddess-like personality I can embrace.  Her name is Discardia and she shines during the time between the Solstices and Equinoxes and their moons.  Discardia is known for getting rid of stuff, ideas and habits that no longer serve her.   (Guys, I think she has a male consort for you to channel.)

The holiday is just around the corner, and I’m already celebrating.  Yesterday I yanked the plug out of my vintage 1990 sound system and took it to the street.  It hasn’t worked properly in five years and is taking up valuable space in my “prop closet.” Ditto for the little television set that plays  VHS tapes.  Both were picked up by scavengers within the hour.

Discardia should be a holiday like Thanksgiving.  You could cook up all that unidentified food in your freezer and have a feast.  So lets repeat the mantra “Let it Go.”  And you don’t buy anything, pounding into your brain that “You Have Enough Already!”  I’ll probably launch my personal Discardia tomorrow since I need some new running shoes and will get that done today. Oh, and I will rant about some guilty pleasure that makes me miserable.  No more late night Chunky Monkey fests.

This is the perfect time to get rid of things that no longer add value to your life. It’s time to shed bad habits, let go of emotional baggage and generally lighten your load and find a new freedom.

I love the idea of an ongoing, seasonal celebration of letting go. Getting rid of clutter this way doesn’t seem like such a chore or a sacrifice, but instead is simply a preparation for a holiday. And if that holiday is celebrated regularly, more and more stuff will get out of our homes and more and more joy will be brought in.