Despite the forecast, act like it’s spring

—Lily Pulitzer

In Bloor West Village, Toronto the sprawling oak tree in my backyard has the tiniest buds. His gnarled brown branches reach skyward, both ancient and elegant. I have named him “Abe”. Back in Delta, my hometown, everything is green, wet and fertile. And I while I miss the familiar earlier explosion of spring, I find an appreciation of the austere beauty of my neighborhood and the small hints of warmer weather to come. Today, a chilly wind and the smell of snow greets the Spring Equinox. Whether your first day of spring is snow covered or bursting with daffodils, it is a time of new beginnings, of fresh starts. But before we can embrace the new, and savor the abundance of spring, we need to clear out the old.

And while our houses always benefit from a declutter. I know mine does! Why not start with you? We all have cobwebs –bits and pieces of emotional “stuff”– we have collected over the winter. Releasing this personal clutter can have a profound influence on your energy level and your emotional and physical well-being.

If you are sensitive or empathic, you may be feeling extra bogged down. How do you know if you are empathic? Have you ever felt great and then entered a room with a group of people and suddenly come down with a headache or stomachache? Or visited a friend who was depressed, spent time buoying their spirits only to leave feeling down yourself? This is a kind of transference. You could be picking up toxic emotions and ailments from other people. And before you know it your system is overwhelmed. If you are feeling grumpy and unmotivated, caught in a cycle of procrastination, it might be time for a personal spring clearing.

I really enjoy doing personal clearings on clients, using a combination of energy work and crystal therapy to remove energetic blocks and increase balance and harmony. Meditation is also an amazing tool for releasing the negative and making room for the positive. Meditation, unlike you may think, doesn’t mean spending hours sitting on a hard floor. Even 5-10 minutes a day, can be a great way to de-stress and gain perspective.

A powerful clearing meditation I like this time of year is called a Candle Clearing Meditation:

1. Light your favorite candle. I like a white candle, symbolizing purity and truth.
2. Sit in comfortably in a quiet environment.
3. Take long slow inhalations and exhalations.
4. Ask to be surrounded by your angels and guides, if this is part of your practice. I like to call on Michael Archangel.
5. Close your eyes and go inwards.
6. Notice how you are feeling. Do you have any aches? Any heaviness or discomfort? Are you experiencing sadness or irritation?
7. If so, don’t judge these sensations. Just note them. Where are they located? Do they have a color and shape?
8. Ask that any negative emotions or discomfort you are experiencing be released from your body.
9. Visualize this energy being sucked into the flame and disintegrated with ease. The candle acts as a portal absorbing anything unwanted.
10. Continue breathing and repeat this process, until you feel a sense of calm and new space in your body.
11. Open your eyes. Gaze into the candle and imagine being cleansed and purified by its golden light until you are fully encompassed.

You will be surprised at the profound impact of this simple meditation. Friends and clients of mine use it with great results. The candle aligns you with your higher self. You can send anything negative, even problems, into the candle.

Happy Spring Clearing!

Kasey