Spiritual Cobwebs (Spiritual Spring Cleaning)
The past 2+ weeks have been challenging. I’ve felt full of shadows and darkness, I have been edgy and just generally feeling off. It’s a way of being that does not land easily; I resist. Kind of like spring cleaning, which I also resist.
Yet the art of spring cleaning has an allure. There is a crisp sense of a space deeply cleaned, it feels more open and welcoming. It’s not necessarily something tangible. The sorting through, letting go, and moving things around creates welcoming. As have these past two weeks of spiritual cobweb cleaning.
I readily embrace the newness of fresh and different the spring brings. The newness of shadows and dust, darkness and edgy, not so much. It seems much easier to embark on a new endeavor than to finish the old; there is an excitement present when never experienced before. Crisp, uncertain, yet inviting. Yes, my deep knowing invites everything to be seen as new, fresh and crisp - this is harder to embrace. I much prefer to move into something that feels brand new, and when I grow tired of it, to move on.
That’s not the way of spring cleaning; it requires a resolve to examine and go into the corners, just like spiritual work. Running from one new shiny object or tradition to another may feel easier. On the surface, there is no requirement for me to examine the spiritual cobwebs that accumulate when they go untended.
The last two weeks I have been trying to move files to a new laptop. Seemingly simple, right? Not so when the old one does not cooperate. I also blew past boundaries and then made up all sorts of stories. It’s similar to this spiritual journey; sometimes it feels full of cobwebs, old, crusty, stale. So it feels, because my natural desire for new and sparkly gets in the way. When I refuse to cooperate with the old, the old patterns, manners of speaking without taking a breath, cutting someone off, assuming roles that are not mine to assume, handing out advice that is not asked for, holding on to what is not helpful - like 7th grade papers (yes, they’re in the garage with the possibility that sharing this will help move them out), it is time to get the big broom, go into the corners, and move those cobwebs.
There is one set of spiritual practices that always seem fresh, even after years of study. Even when I feel shadowy. These wise tradition practices invite gentle noticing in the day to day. Immersing in these principles, these guideposts, with a group of other people helps me, and I am finding, nourishes everyone involved. It’s like getting someone to help broom away the spiritual cobwebs.
If you are finding it time for spiritual spring cleaning, these spiritual practices will show you fresh and shadow. If dusting off spiritual cobwebs sounds interesting, join me for a 6 week virtual exploration, complete with daily life practices and sharing. With this small group we will share shadows, support and learn from each other, to embrace this spiritual journey via a fresh, crisp lens.
Life can be wonderful; it can also be hard. It doesn't always go as planned. Sometimes we are hesitant and fearful or feel like we are stuck and incapable of change, destined to move, think, and be a certain way. This course is a chance to explore how a connecting with light and shadow, touching base with body, mind and spirit helps nurture spiritual playfulness anew.