Spring Cleaning
A Ritual Sometimes Forgotten
Feb 21, 2009 Kathy Schlossmacher
One hears little of the art of spring cleaning anymore. Those who do it do not admit it because who wants to be seen as some kind of domestic god or goddess sticking to such a tradition, but one would be surprised by the sense and feeling that goes with the act of spring cleaning.
Banishing the Darkness
Toward the end of winter the darkness begins to envelop everything. With closed windows and drawn drapes the darkness is both inside and out, the house smells of winter, of artificial heat and stale memories of the holidays. It is impossible to open a window because it is so cold. The sun that does shine is not very bright and has trouble even lighting the most exposed of rooms.
Spring cleaning can be a way of banishing the darkness. In the act of going through things and cleaning out one begins to gain a sense of being in control again. In cleaning with pleasantly scented oils and shining up the personal world where one exists one can begin to feel spring in the air even before the first flowers bloom.
Pay Attention
In spring cleaning pay attention to the little things around you that can be changed in anticipation of the season. Begin to replace the dark table and window drapes with lighter colors that will make one feel better. Fill the house with a lighter scent in cleaning fluids that will lift the spirits and change the feeling in the house. Begin to buy flowers, fruit, and spring scented candles and leave them out where they can be appreciated and noticed. Go through clothes and papers and discard that which has not been useful in the last year. Make space for oneself to enjoy the change of seasons both figuratively and literally.
Spring: A Time of Newness
Remember that since spring is the ultimate sign of newness and fresh beginnings one can begin to contemplate the New Year's Resolutions one has been ignoring and begin now to re-create the self and what that self wants to be. Know that soon the encouragement for all this change will be apparent outside in the warmer weather, remember that by spring cleaning one is simply getting a head start of the greatness of that seasonal feeling. By bringing in spring to your home a little earlier with pastel colors, pleasant scents, flowers and feelings, a person's entire mindset can change. The lethargic, winter blues, while not banished can be lessened by the thoughts of anticipation that one sees around oneself after spring cleaning.
Maybe spring cleaning isn't a ritual that should be forgotten. Despite our busy schedules and difficulties with time. possibly this investment in time is just as important as working because of the effect it can have on one's everyday existence as the long wait for spring continiues.
the flowers of spring
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