Spring cleaning – it is something most people do traditionally to clear out the must and dust from a long, cold winter … and others just ignore this concept altogether. I remember my days as a youth, in the time of raptors, the old man chomping at the bit for a nice enough day to sweep, scrub, and spray out the garage – it was, in a way, a spiritual cleanse for him. This year, after an incredibly mild winter, spring cleaning has had an earlier start for most, ourselves included. [But let’s be serious for a second, the house doesn’t get that bad, even over winter (it’s just not allowed). While we do have plenty to clean up (the excessive stuffed animals gots ta go!), things are in pretty good shape.]
But spring cleaning isn’t just about cleaning our homes or cars … it’s also an opportunity to clean ourselves (hopefully you all are cleaning/bathing yourselves daily) spiritually. For most of us, the winter forces us indoors, away from the cold and towards the warmth of the family hearth. In your pagan religions (guilty!), spring is/was seen as a time of renewal and (in most) signs of the growth of the god and the fertility of the goddess (/end religious discussion). It feels natural to me, therefore, to want to get outside and to want to start projects and cleaning and renewing in my life – physical or spiritual. While I do love the crisp days of fall, spring is definitely my favorite time of year – warming days, powerful thunderstorms, renewing rain showers, the return of Mother Earth to life. But I am getting myself sidetracked again …
People too often focus upon the physical cleansing – clean the windows, dust the eaves, shake out the rugs, trim the hedges, etc – but will overlook some of the real needs for cleansing, and that is the spiritual cleansing or internal cleansing (no, I’m not talking about fasting on water and canola oil until you drop from exhaustion and malnutrition). I am talking about clearing out negativity from your life – something that many people cannot do without. Yet, far too many people hold onto that negativity – cherishing it, cradling it like a life force. For what? What good comes out of negativity, out of spitting acid and bile out into the world? Or holding onto that bile for any other reason?
What is disturbing is how some people can move subtly and still provide that slow acid burn to another’s system. Whether it is unknown or under the guise of friendship, repeated doses of acid and venom, even in the smallest amounts, will overwhelm the stoutest of bodies. In spite of what Napoleon believed, one cannot become immune to the effects of Iocane powder. While there are people who will freely and openly spew their drama/poison, affecting anyone around them, it is unfortunate when there are people we consider friends who will do it intentionally, directly – usually for their own selfish purposes.
(I know what you’re saying – Mick, you’re rambling again … but we’re back on track)
I am at a point in my life where some things have improved greatly from where they were, while some areas are still a work in progress. It’s time to continue some of that work, and that includes (as they say) “addition by subtraction” … some overdue cleansing so I can continue my personal growth, my life’s path, and continue the growth and development of my family. Love can win out over poison – but only if you strengthen its hold in who you are, and share it with those dear to you.
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