Waking Up & Clearing Space

Waking Up & Clearing Space
By Lotus Moonwise
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When the cold weather begins and the season shifts from autumn to winter, I go into hibernation. I go into that quiet space within and it feels like time stands still. Projects that I’ve been working on get put on the shelf. I know that things unfinished will have to wait for Spring. I let go of the past year and move into the dark months. During this time, I often find myself wanting to just curl up in a warm bed, like a child in the womb of the Mother. I feel a quiet calmness. If one looks only on the surface, it seems there is not much going on. Though deep within there is much activity. Energies of the past year mingling with energies of what is to come. Swirling together in the void. Within that void, all possibilities exist and from that space, creation springs forth. In this dark space, we wait to be reborn and for new light and inspiration to find us. We wait for the first signs of Spring. I feel the stirrings within me and the excitement of starting over again. Another turn of the wheel and we’ve arrived at one of my favorite times of year: Imbolc. We start to awaken from Winter’s long sleep. We pay attention to our thoughts and notice how inspiration begins flooding in, giving us little clues to follow, opening us up to all the potentials of the New Year. We feel an inner urging to clear our space. We begin to look around and notice all the ways we could simplify, clear out, and unclutter our lives. We make peace with the process of letting go of the past to make room for the new.  “Spring Cleaning” is a tradition for many people at this time of year. It’s part of our natural cycles as humans connected to the Earth. We feel it in our bodies. We don’t need to look at a calendar to tell us it’s time to clear our space. We feel it in every cell. We know it by the way we feel. We know it when we feel the flower inside our hearts begin to open up, ready to blossom towards the sun as it grows in strength. We want to open our arms and embrace this new light by sharing it with those we love. In my family, Imbolc is a celebration that lasts over several weeks. It begins when we pack up the Yule decorations and take down the tree. The clearing process starts with our physical space. Starting at one end of the house, usually the kitchen, we turn on some music, open all the windows, empty each room completely, and clean everything from top to bottom, infusing the space with new energies. Then we take our time filling the space again, putting back only what is essential. We usually have a few boxes to categorize the items we remove from the rooms. A box of things we know we want to keep, a box for things that we know we can let go of, and one for things we are not sure of yet. First we put back what we know we want, then we spend time in the room as it is. Going within, we ask, what else is truly needed here? The inspiration comes. Maybe a new altar for the kitchen? Maybe some new pictures to hang on the wall? A new plant? Every year, it’s a different answer. The room tells us what it needs. Room by room, we continue like this, until the entire house has been re-born.  When we get to the kid’s rooms, we talk about what it means to let things go. We talk about how other children may enjoy the toys the kids no longer play with. The kids get their own box to put used toys in that are later taken to a donation center, along with everything else that we are letting go of as a family. It’s a process they have become used to. Letting go of things from the past is a natural part of their life. Learning to let go now, as children, sets a foundation for their lives and makes transitions easier to move through.
Once the physical space is clear, it’s time for a clearing of another kind. A clearing of the emotional, mental, and spiritual space within. A time to take stock of everything in our lives and what it means to us. Family, friends, career, spiritual practice, hopes, dreams, goals. It’s the time to get quiet and listen to your inner voice tell you what it needs. A time to set your intention to be open to allow all avenues of blessing and abundance into your life. Sometimes the inner voice will tell us if we have gotten off track and how to get back to the basics of what we truly need. Maybe we need to spend more time with family or friends. Maybe it’s time to change our job if it’s not bringing us joy. Maybe it’s time to move to a new place? The possibilities are endless. I use this time to re-dedicate myself to my chosen spiritual path and to re-write my personal statement of intent. I call upon Brigid at this time for inspiration for new projects that I’m starting, and to revive old projects that I put on the shelf when the winter months began. I visualize the waters of her sacred well washing me clean of the past and nurturing me in the wholeness of the now moment. I allow myself to be actively fulfilled by the present moment and open to the truth of the perfection that is within me. It’s time to fertilize the soil of our souls with the seeds of our dreams, knowing that these seeds will grow and blossom as the year progresses through it’s cycles once again.
Have a Blessed Imbolc!
About The
Author: Lotus Moonwise is studying to become a Priestess of the Order
of the White Moon.