Emptiness is not nothing. Its a thing in itself, and a thing of great power. This is the Chinese character 'ku'. Next time you are at an airport you will see it. ’Kuko’ 空港 translates as 'skyport'. 'Sky' is just one of its two meanings, the other is 'Void'. Or 'creative void'. This void is the fifth element, in Japanese cosmology. There is earth, water, fire, air, and then void, the highest of them all.
This emptiness is an essential ingredient to pulling the other elements together, combining and creating things that never existed before.
I like to think thats because the more space and 'nothingness' you can protect, the more you can create.
Here are pictures my student sent me, after our 'Permaculture for inside the house' workshop.
Before. It looks pretty orderly. But its not something you need to see everyday.
After: Void. Things have gone to various homes. She asked of each object: would not having you here decrease my quality of life?" Most things leave the house. The things that stay get to live with clarity and full appreciation.
This empty space then caused creative things to happen.
Space that you consciously protect, in your schedule or in your home, is like a Vaccuum. It takes effort to keep it open. It then pulls new, high-quality things into your life, that never would have happened.