When I was growing up, every spring my mom as well as all the other women in the neighborhood would go thru the yearly ritual of “spring cleaning”. Of course as kids, we hated it because it meant we were going to be put to work for a weekend with no time off for fun.

Few people realize that the annual cleaning ritual dates back to ancient spring time rites. In many cultures, the New Year happened on the first day of spring. Even today, Iranians practice “shaking the house” before celebrating the New Year. And Jewish Passover suggests cleaning prior to the celebration. Other cultures clean the house before Lent or April 1^st.

On a more practical basis, after the cold winter months with our houses being closed up creating stagnant air, it’s a “breath of fresh air” to spring clean. My grandmother used to call it “cleaning out the cobwebs”.

There is another reason we need to spring clean which is often overlooked. We are energetic bodies constantly expressing energy into the field. You might say we leave etheric footprints wherever we go. Some of these footprints are emotions and thoughts. Which would be alright if they were always positive thoughts and emotions.

You’ve probably felt this before. Remember when you walked into a room after someone had been arguing? You can still feel the energy. Or walk into a house where someone is in mourning; you can definitely feel the sadness.

We also feel the built up energy in places; from other people like prior owners of houses or offices. If they experienced a divorce or death or even a business failure, we will be energetically affected by it.

We are most affected by our own residual buildup of negative etheric footprints. These footprints can affect us physically as well as mentally. You might be tired most of the time or feel like your mind is cloudy. It’s as if you have cobwebs in the brain.

In the Hawaiian system of Huna, the belief is that energy is sticky. When we are in contact with others or a place, we send out tendrils of our aura called aka connections and these “stick” to the person or place. Imagine all the aka connections you receive in a week from the numerous people you come in contact with! It’s no wonder we can get tired from being around other people.

So what do we do? 

1. Clean up the clutter. Wherever there is clutter there is stuck energy.

2. Clean the area or house. I mean really clean it. If you’re doing your house, make sure you clean the windows, move the furniture and vacuum underneath. Even clean the baseboards. As you clean, hold the intention that you are clearing out all the negative energy and getting everything flowing again.

3. If you really want to clear out the energy, also straighten up your cupboards, closets and cabinets.

4. Open everything up to light and air….let in fresh energy.

5. When all is clean, you can do a ritual to “clear” the space. This is setting an intention for the type of energy you want to be present. This intention might be to have a loving positive energy to be present at all times.

You will need:

• Sage or incense to burn
• A bell or gong
• The intention you would like, clearly in your mind.

Find a comfortable place to sit, relax and allow your mind to become calm. Think of the intention you wish for your space. Breathe deeply for several minutes until you feel yourself relax.

Once you’re in a calm, peaceful meditative state, take the sage or incense, light it and begin going around the perimeter of your home repeating to yourself the kind of energy you want present.

Next, take the bell and repeat

Then go back to where you were sitting, return to the meditative state and begin to imagine scenes in which the energy you set forth is manifesting.

You can do this for the whole house or a single room although I would suggest doing the house. And you can set the intention for anything. If you’re looking to manifest a partner, set that intention.  Or if you find your family bickering a lot, you can set an intention for peace within your home.

You may be surprised at the positive effects of spring cleaning. Often we can shift the energy in our lives just by shifting the energy in our external world!