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Picture your absolute favorite place. Use all of you senses, yes, your sixth one too! Why is it your favorite place? What does it smell like, look like, feel like, sound like. Are there tastes? What is the energy like? Sit with this in your mind’s eye for a few minutes.
Now, when you walk through your front door, does your space feel like this? Does it transport you to a place where you are surrounded by peace, calm, relaxation, healing? Do you walk in and feel a big “ahhhhhhh” come over you? If you answered no here, keep reading!
The importance of turning your home into your sacred space, or at the least having a space within your home as a sacred space is highly ranked on my list of essentials to help us thrive in this human life. We spend most of our lives within the walls of our home, whatever that is for you, asleep or awake – we’re there for the majority of it!
If your home is in a constant state of disarray, chances are your life might be too! Fortunately, when we take the time to turn our homes into a sanctuary of healing and love, the feelings of peacefulness, calm, and relaxation follow, and with that follows the quiet and stillness, connection and grounding so many of us are searching for.
If your home environment stresses you out, let go of that energy here and now. Make a decision to move forward and create the space to support what you want in your life! Anyone can do this, and with little to no expense. You can turn any space into one that transports you to far off places with a few simple (although perhaps time consuming depending upon the current state of your space) steps:
1. Declutter!
This is the first and most important step in preparing the foundation for your sacred and inviting space. Go through your home and purge, purge, purge. Let go of the old, the stale and the toxic physical things cluttering up your space. Remember, they’re not only cluttering up your home, but also your mind and your energy!
All those little knick nacky things, items you were gifted and kept because you felt guilty if you didn’t, the clothes you’ve been waiting to fit back into . . . for the last 2 years . . . you get the idea. If you haven’t used/worn it in the last 6 months to a year, yep . . . time to go. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t keep the things that are truly and deeply meaningful to you. Yes, definitely keep those.
Keep in mind the practices of non-attachment and non-hoarding as discussed in the 8 limbed path of Yoga as you go through things. Then happily donate all your purged items to a local shelter house/or charitable organization, or have a yard sale. The idea is to do it all at once.
The ego loves procrastination! If you do have a yard sale, still remove all the purged items and store them in a garage etc. so they’re out of your home. Time for your first “Ahhhhhhhh.” Now doesn’t that feel good?
2. Clean
Yep, clean. Reminiscent of the simple and seemingly mundane task the Karate Kid is instructed to do over and over again, the simple act of cleaning is an incredibly cleansing process! Pun intended! Dusting out the cobwebs of your home is dusting out the cobwebs of the mind.
Vacuum, wash your floors, do your laundry AND put it away, and don’t leave piles of things all over your home! The initial task of cleaning may be daunting, especially if you haven’t done it for a while J That’s ok! Just pick a place to start, get the whole family involved, put on some music, chant the Maha Mantra as you clean, and do it with the energy of Love and happiness.
Remember that energy is within and around us and what we give off goes into the things we do, and it is also what we get back. Like the saying goes, “whistle while you work.” Once your space is clean, keep it clean! It is much easier to maintain a clean space by doing a little once in a while than letting things go for a long time and having to put in hours and hours of work.
Remember always to use non-toxic ingredients to clean! Keep it simple. Use vinegar, baking soda, lemon, water, and some pure essential oils if you like. Keep your space clutter free and clean, and you’re well on your way to your next “ahhhhhhh” moment.
3. Smudging, Crystals
The next step is to “clear” your space regularly. Smudging is an easy, inexpensive, and quick way to clear your home of negative energy. I walk around my home at least once a week and smudge every room and the items in it, and I immediately notice a difference in the way the space feels.
Since everything is energy, even the inanimate objects in your space (like a couch or table), we transfer our energy to the things in our environment, and vice versa. In this human existence we are bound to have moments of anger or sadness, and that energy can get stuck in “stuff” – smudging is one way to clear it away.
If you love to buy second hand items, always remember to cleanse/clear the items upon or prior to bringing them into your home! I use white sage to smudge with, but other common smudging plants include cedar and sweet grass. Each has unique properties, so have a look into the benefits and uses of smudging with each of these, and pick the one that suits you in the moment!
In addition to clearing your space with smudging, another simple, inexpensive way to keep the energy in your space clear and aligned with the frequencies of peace, calm, love–whatever you want your space to give off–is to place crystals around your home.
This can get very technical and specific (aka crystal gridding – we have a lovely and talented woman here in Thunder Bay who does this professionally – we love you Katherine Keeping), and it can be expensive if you go out and buy those BIG beautiful specimen pieces, but it doesn’t have to be.
You can easily pick out some rocks you found on a beach, some crystals that “jumped out at you” while in a local mystic shop, or go mine your own and lay them about your house wherever you feel guided to. Always trust your intuition!
Or you can take some time to learn about the healing qualities of different crystals and select the ones that are aligned with what you want your space to feel like and to support you on your journey. For example, amethyst is healing and relaxing and is aligned with the crown chakra and spirituality, while rose quartz is associated with the heart chakra and aligned with Self-love.
Another simple way to keep the energy in your home clear is to purchase a Himalayan salt lamp. Leave it on all the time and it will constantly “work” to reduce indoor air pollutants and “electro-smog” or negative ions in your space. The bigger the salt lamp, the larger the space it can clear. Click here to read more about the healing benefits of Himalayan salt according to Dr. Mercola. Say “ahhhhhhhhh.”
4. Create an “altar” or “nest”
Now for the really fun part! Creating a special sacred spot within your home, a place that is designated for quiet time, spiritual practice, meditation, whatever you do to unwind, is so very important. This process is always exciting for me. Each time we move to a new “home” space, one of my favorite things to do is to re-create my altar. I would like to point out that this term has no religious affiliation.
It is simply a term used to describe the space where one keeps spiritual and meaningful items. For example, my altar includes various crystals, brass moldings of various deities, ribbons gifted to me for healing by a shaman representing the 7 directions, my Grandfather stone from my first sweat lodge, and usually a beeswax or soy candle and incense/smudge.
Your special space or “nest” might include any of these, and perhaps fresh flowers in water, a picture, any items that represent the elements, or anything that is deeply meaningful to you. This is the space I choose to sit near or in front of to meditate, do my Yoga asana practice, or simply to relax because it is conducive to spiritual practice and development. Ahhhhhhhhhh
What’s in your space?
There you have it. 4 simple steps and you too can have an “ahhhhhh” inducing space to come home to, each and every day.
All my love to you beautifuls. You can do this!
Article by Leanne Wierzbicki, Guest Blogger for the BodyMind Institute
