As one of the authors of the book Pearls of Wisdom, I was asked some really good questions by blogger Rev. Alysson Szabo about my chapter in the book called “Homes are Like Us, They Respond Well to Love.” The conversation felt worthy of a reprise on my blog as well. Enjoy!
Q: In the beginning of your chapter, you say, “…when I bring a quality of mindfulness to a simple chore, I noticed that I always feel happier…” In what way do you bring yourself to that inner quietude?
A: Good question. I think it comes from just being more mindful. When I notice my mind doing its noisy chattery thing, I’ll consciously pull my focus back to the chore at hand. If I’m folding laundry, for example, and I notice myself stressing out and focusing on the negative – about how much there is to fold, how nobody bothered to pitch in, how overwhelmed I feel – I’ll tell myself to “stop it” (literally – sometimes even out loud) and pull myself back. Minding the chatter is a bit like reeling in a toddler (with ADD) who is going into traffic or reaching for the kitchen knife. With a wily “monkey mind” we have to be very vigilant not to let it take over.
As I get better at connecting daily chores with a sense of mindfulness, ease, and inner peace, I notice myself naturally and automatically stepping into a quiet spaciousness the minute I see the laundry basket. I’ll WANT to do it because of how good it makes me feel. The experience can be mind-blowing – quite literally.
Q: You talk about spaces and houses being “alive” in a way. Can our houses get sick, as we do? Since we can’t give a house ibuprofen or antacid, how do we help our house to get better?
A: Yes, houses do get sick. They get sick from human unconsciousness. Stress, worry, and fear, for example, has a sticky energetic quality. These energies stick and hang over the house like a smog.
Our homes will feel clear, sparkly, and spacious to the degree that we embrace, embody, and cultivate those qualities within ourselves.
It basically boils down to this: happy people equals happy homes. As within, so without. There is no separation.
Q: Are there times when something as simple as a rearrangement of furniture or a fresh coat of paint will bring a room into balance, or should it always be a more formal cleansing?
A: Absolutely. Homes that are cluttered, neglected, and not tended will begin to get stuck, sluggish, and even sick. As I see it, moving the furniture, clearing clutter, adding a fresh coat of paint, folding laundry – with awareness – are all very powerful forms of space clearing. Moving even a single pile from one location to another with awareness moves stuck energy and creates openings.
As a longtime space clearing practitioner I also see the value in a formal cleansing. My problem with it is that if the occupant isn’t fully on board, nor willing to do the inner work that supports their outer environment, the cleansing will not hold.
A: When you were sharing the example of cooking a fragrant meal that you enjoy as being one way to improve your home’s energy, it made me think of my grandmother’s home and the scents that always greeted me when I entered there. I find myself cooking her old recipes when I’m feeling down, and now I wonder, is this perhaps an unconscious method of healing myself and my home space by making it feel more loving? Is this something you would suggest to others?
A: YES!!! Absolutely. If it feels good, do it! As energetic vibration that is high level and magnetic, the good feelings you feel when you cook a meal that makes your heart sing, for example, will radiate out into every nook and cranny of your home and life and world! Action combined with heart and soul is powerful medicine.
Q: How often do you clear your house of unwanted energies, and what methods do you generally use?
A: How much time do you have? This is a huge topic and something to which I have devoted nearly two decades. I could talk about clearing metaphysical, geophysical, and electromagnetic energy disturbances and your eyes would glaze over.
After all the training I’ve done, I think I can safely say that it boils down to our own state of being compassionate and detached. That is all I really “do” now to keep my living space clear. Our inner clarity and spaciousness is energetically attractive and contagious. It’s daily practice.
Q: Can you suggest some places online or some reading material that would help my readers find more information about home cleansing and clearing?
A: Yes, my book! Your Spacious Self is the culmination of years of study, deep inquiry, and personal experience.
Don’t let the word clutter in the title fool you into thinking that this book is only designed for those of us who suffer from physical excess, either. If you live in a body that gets out of balance, thinks thousands of thoughts a day, feels pain and loss and fear from time to time and gets caught up in the worries of the moment, this book is for you too! This book identifies the myriad ways we humans hold on and create imbalance in our homes and lives.
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