Making a Clean Sweep!

It's Spring here -- well, OK, it went from being rainy nasty winter to SUMMER. :-) But it ~should~ be Spring...

One of the things that is very important, in realizing your inner Bond Grrl self to the outside (I know that's not English but I still like it), is to get RID of unwanted stuff, then to ORGANIZE what you have.

Look -- I know that there are 50 billion ways to do this, so I'm going to give you my way. (Since you're readin', anyway...)

As I think I have mentioned before, one of your first "exercises" is to go through your house -- your car -- your desk -- your (name it), and touch EVERYTHING, throwing out ANYTHING that you don't "love." If you still "like" it or "might get a use for it," then put it in a bag, mark it with a date 3 months from now, and if you haven't missed it (be sure to staple the bag shut) -- off that bag goes to charity. OK? OK. (And I think I have mentioned having "swap parties" too with grrlfriends, where you all bring over whatever you are "getting rid of," with the promise to one another that anything that is NOT taken by the end of the party is GOING TO CHARITY -- even if you still "like" it, it's gotta go.)

The way that I organize is actually based on the ancient principles of feng shui.

Now, feng shui (pronounced 'Fung Shway') can be considered this great mystical thang. OK, fine, if you want to go that way, you go. That's not what I think. I think feng shui is a "memory device" for quickly finding things in our lives that can help us, in various areas, when we are in need.

Our homes are mirrors of ourselves. They can be sanctuaries for retreat; places of recharge and regeneration. To understand how to cleanse and clear the energies of your self, it is essential to understand that everything is composed of constantly changing energy, and that you are not separate from the world and energy around you. This means that all "things" in your life also have and hold that energy -- your house, your car, your bed.

When you step into a room ‘charged’ from an argument, you feel it. If you step into a room full of comforting and joyful things, you will get a similar energetic ‘charge.’ The energy that is invested in ‘things’ is powerful and important, and we can also train our brains to look for support by the way in which we order our world using techniques such as feng shui.

Feng shui believes that every area is made up of 9 quadrants, called the “bagua.” Simply placing the “bagua” map on the area you are considering, you have regions in that room (or desk, or home) that correspond to parts of your life. These 9 areas are stacked like a square, with the bottom of the square aligned with the entrance to/front of that room/home/area. The bottom 3 squares, from left to right, are (1) inner knowledge and self-realization; (2) career path in life; (3) helpful people; travel; spiritual guides. The middle 3 squares from left to right, are (1) family/ancestors/heritage; (2) health/chi energy (this corresponds to the “middle” of a room/home/desk/area); and (3) children; creativity; projects. The final “top” row of the square is (1) wealth, good fortune and abundance; (2) fame and self-expression or reputation (what you are “known for”), and (3) relationships, partnerships, and love/marriage.

Now don't think I have gone all "new age" on you. This is what I believe: I believe that by arranging your home, and each room, and even your desk, with these 9 quadrants in mind, you give your mind a place to “look to” if something is awry in one of the quadrant areas. For example, if you are having trouble with your James, by having positioned a wonderful picture of the two of you and some silly mementos on the “top right” of your desk, your mind will be trained to look there in times of partnership strain (the “top right” corresponding with the relationship area of the bagua). Similarly, if the “top rightmost” corner or room of your home is dedicated to relationship/ partnership, you have an area to examine and clean should this go awry for you. If you are feeling less than abundant, you might visit the “top left” corner or room of your house (which you set by imagining the squares "laid on top of” your house, from the roof). In this area, you will have placed items that speak to you of wealth and abundance -- because (as per the previous paragraph), the "bagua" for financial success/prosperty/etc. is in that "corner."

By being congruent in this way, you have an area to energetically ‘recharge your batteries’ in your house, and even in your office, and in each room of your house (starting from the entry door as the “bottom” of the bagua square). As you can imagine, this means that the wealth corner in the wealth room of your house is particularly important, as is the relationship corner of the relationship room, etc.

Your home is also comprised of millions of overlapping energy fields. For example, a chair alone has residual energy from the raw materials that made that chair (e.g., the “energy” of a California oak will be different than that of an English oak), energy from the craftspeople who worked on that chair, energy from former owners, and your own energy while sitting in that chair. This is not even to discuss the energy of the sun coming into your home, the energy of the home itself and its builders, or the residual energy from interactions that have taken place in your home.

This is important because you are not separate from your home. Your home is not just an extension of your thoughts and feelings and the energy of its furnishings and surroundings; in a larger sense, your home is You. “You” are no less your home than you are your body. Both are outer manifestations of your inner energy fields and Spirit – which is the true You. In the deepest sense, your home reflects and mirrors your consciousness. Just as your body is “symbolic” of your inner state, your home also reflects that state. Therefore, as you can imagine, you can shift personal energy by shifting energy in your home. For example, the windows are your eyes to the world around you – just the simple act of cleaning your windows, with the Intent of being able to “see your way” in life more clearly, will effect that clarity.

After you have cleared and harmonized your home, car, desk and the like, they can function both as a collecting and a transmitting point for energy. Your home can become a peaceful oasis for you, but almost more importantly, it can attract and radiate love and clarity out into the world, becoming a beacon that will in turn direct more love and clarity to you.

So, how do you go about it?
Preparation: Where Intention goes, energy flows. Your intention is very important. What is your overall Intention here? If your overall conscious and subconscious Intentions are aligned and are to instill an uplifting energy in the home for the betterment of the occupants and mankind – so it will be. If your overall Intention is to contribute to the vibrant health and well-being of the home’s occupants and thereby raise the energy of mankind – so it will be. Do you want to create an environment in which you can undertake the creative work you dream of? Or to create a warm social center where friends and family can gather to share hopes, laughter and tears? Take the time to clarify, define clearly, and write down your Intent. This is an essential step. This is similar to preparing the soil before you seed the ground. Your Intention will be instilled in your home at the time of the clearing, even if you are not constantly thinking about your Intent.

What specific results do you want for yourself and the other occupants of the home? After you have clarified your overall Intention, decide what immediate and specific results you want. For example, if your overall Intention is to generate a loving, creative energy in the home, a specific Intention might be to shift energy in the home so that you can write poetry easily and creatively. This specific goal could be further broken down into specific objectives. For example, you might decide that you need to create a beautiful work space separate from the normal living spaces of the rest of your home in which to do your writing. Or if your overall Intention is to create a social center for friends and family, then you might want to consider what specific elements your heart tells you will help bring that Intention into being. Is it a kitchen with a big oak table to sit around in a light-filled room, where you prepare meals with friends? Or everyone gathered together with glasses of wine and take-out, watching movies and enjoying a crackling fire? Think of your overall Intention as an aerial picture, and your specific intentions as focusing on your street, your house, the rooms inside, the furniture inside, the books and flowers on the tables, and so on. What “supports” your Intention?

What long-term results do you expect to achieve? It is important to know that, as energy is always flowing, clearing and arranging will not be a “one-time deal.” You can yourself clear, purify, and re-set the energy of your house in the manner you will learn during your re-alignment session, and we suggest that you set aside a time (for example, Friday evening after a wonderful bath) to re-clear your home and re-set your Intention every week. This will keep your energy and Intention focused and current.

When you consider long-term results, you want to consider results that will help to “concrete-ize” your Intention. For example, if your Overall Intention is a home that is abundant and prosperous, your specific intentions might be a financial increase at work, getting rid of objects in the house that make you feel poor (and specifically listing objects in the house that make you feel abundant so that we can focus on them during the session), or a specific intention might be living out a specific dream (like a luxury safari to Africa). The long-term results could be a continuing and growing feeling of expansiveness and always knowing that you have enough for all your needs to be met. Or, if your Overall Intention is to have a home that contributes to the spiritual development of all occupants, your specific intentions might be the creation of a beautiful meditation room area and an altar in your home, focusing on colors and objects in the home that elicit a spiritual or uplifting feeling, and daily private meditation times becoming part of your normal routine. Your long-term results might be that all members of the household have an increased sense of connection to their spiritual source, and all members feel more physically and spiritually vital and energetic.

It is important to remember that all things in our homes are given importance because of the energy that we have tied to them. You may have items in your home that were given to you and you don’t feel you “can give up” (or else you will “insult” the giver); you might have furniture that was given to you by an aunt who you hate but it is “good” furniture and you therefore don’t want to part with it. It is important to remember that the Universe can only fill your glass with new and beautiful gifts if there is room in the glass. By the sometimes difficult parting with personal items that do not resonate 100% with your Intention, you are giving the Universe the ability to replace these items with items that are 100% resonant. This leap of faith is critical if you are to lead a 100% energized and non-dissonant life.

And on that note -- my James just said he wants to take me to dinner and to go see MI-3 -- so I guess it's time to get changed and get goin'!