The Magick of Spring Cleaning
The sun is returning, our energy is coming back and it's time to clean. This time of year the annual spring cleaning bug spreads around. The urge to purge excess items and clutter, to wipe down every surface, to start fresh.
Why do we do this? We seem to trace it back to before modern central heating, when homes were warmed with wood or coal fireplaces and candles. When it was finally warm enough to open the doors and windows, there would probably be quite a buildup of soot and ash that needed to be swept out! Different cultures have their own traditions around cleaning and renewal for spring as well.
Spring Cleaning as a Ritual
Last year I went through a closet overhaul. Disorganization and certain items in it made a negative impact on me every time I got dressed. So, I finally gathered the courage (and the time) to tear it apart. I got rid of items that no longer served me. Jeans that had holes in the crotch. Items that didn't fit right. Things I never wore or saw me ever wearing. Items that made me feel bad about myself, like the pair of peach and maroon exercise pants that simply glancing at immediately made me feel how unflattering I knew I looked in them. It housecleaning, sure, but it was a ritual too.
I let go of what I didn't want to represent myself as, what I didn't want to be. I kept the clothes that made me feel the most like who I wanted myself to be. After I sorted everything, I sold a few things that had some value to it so I could get some new, flattering jeans that didn't have crotch-holes, and donated the rest.
Making Cleaning Magick
If you're not a go-getter when it comes to cleaning, try starting with just one room, or a single pantry cupboard, or a closet. Something that effects your day-to-day life that could benefit from a good cleaning.
Look at the space that you're working with. What are your goals for it? What are your intentions? How do you want this space to look and feel? It's alright if your answer is less deeply metaphorical and more simply "not gross."
Close your eyes and visualize it. As you clean, purge or organize, think about your end goal. If you have a deeper goal in mind than removing the negativity the space was causing, focus on that intention while you clean!
If you're sweeping or vacuuming, visualize the negativity energy being swept or sucked out too. Once your space is physically clean, you can give it a secondary energy cleanse too!
What are you cleaning this spring?
