The Spring Cleaning You Might Need

A few weeks ago I went to visit a friend to borrow something for my daughter. When I walked into her house, she had items everywhere. There were boxes of kids' stuff, and old items that needed tossing away. When I asked what she was doing, she told me that she had a dream and was told that she needed to clean her house. 

And while cleaning the physical spaces we are in is a great way to start the spring, cleaning the physical space also gives us the opportunity to declutter and spring clean our energetic space.  

Just as we might clean out a cupboard or clear away things we no longer use, there can be enormous value in taking an energetic inventory of what we are carrying. This might be an old responsibility that was never really yours, an expectation you have outgrown, a commitment that no longer aligns, or an old definition of who you believe you need to be.

Sometimes it is emotional residue from experiences that have already passed. Sometimes it is a pattern you keep repeating because it has become familiar. And sometimes, it is something you genuinely enjoyed once, but simply no longer fits the person you are becoming.

You might begin by asking yourself:

1. What has felt heavy that I have been carrying for too long?

2. What responsibilities or expectations am I ready to put down?

3. What patterns am I repeating automatically?

4. What am I holding onto because it is familiar rather than because it is right for me?

5. What would create more space, energy and possibility in my life?

A friend recently reminded me of this in a beautiful way. Her home had become filled with old belongings, including things connected to her children that she no longer needed. She even had a dream about clearing the house, which prompted her to finally begin letting go. As she cleared the physical space, it became a powerful reminder that our environments can hold the residue of previous seasons of our lives.

But the spring clean does not have to stop at your cupboards.

There is something equally powerful about asking what needs clearing within you.

Winter teaches us about conservation, restoration and preparation. From the outside, a tree can appear dormant, but underneath the surface, there is still activity. It is conserving energy, strengthening its foundations and preparing for what comes next.

Spring does not arrive with a demand to suddenly become more productive. Nature does not panic and produce everything at once. Growth emerges gradually as conditions change.

Perhaps we can do the same.