A healthy, safe, clutter-free home is something many of us desire but have difficulty achieving --similarly difficult is achieving a well-balanced, healthy body. While we may occupy more than one home throughout our lifetime, we get just one physical body to call "home."
Sure there's plastic surgery -- there's options for superficial change. But a temporary uplift is simply surface change -- ephemeral and unfulfilling -- for it lacks the emotional congruence for change to resonant or last. Superficial change cannot truly change how we feel about ourselves from deeply within our core.
Moving and renovating can only offer fleeting change. Our original home cannot be replaced or completely forgotten. We can't continually pick up and run for the hills whenever we feel worn out, tired and in need of change. We can only run away for so long -- for covering up our perceived flaws -- as the cracks in the foundation will eventually grow wider -- give way, as it can no longer carry the increase in load. In time, neglect or failure to tend to our essential needs, coupled with disdain for spending on those things utilitarian, lead to an inevitable collapse, to ultimate destruction.
Changing and rearranging physical space provides only temporary relief. Eventually, re-doing gets old. Deep down, we crave something more. Working hard to maintain physical space takes its toll, physically and emotionally. Without adequate time for resting and recharging, our energy gets drained, and we're left feeling depleted, completely out of gas.
We tend to make poor choices when we're tired. In our attempt to feel better, we search for more -- mostly through unhealthy external pleasures -- like shopping, drinking, eating, sleeping, working. These resources - performed in excess - are not always in our best interest and perpetuate a cycle of addiction, fueled by shame and guilt.
While we may make excuses for our home's unacceptable appearance, deep down, we are aware of the truth. But we hide our feelings, swallow them down and stay feeling stuck -- fearful - ashamed -- embarrassed by our disorganized, unattended home.
Hired help can assist us in keeping up appearances for some time, but ultimately, the overall health and well-being of the interior and exterior of our homes is contingent upon our personal efforts.
Caring for the "home" is a choice, a personal responsibility.
The home space has unlimited potential -- It's a foundation for creation -- for manifesting anything we so desire.
So then, why are so many of our homes chaotic, disorganized, dirty, and unwelcoming?
Unfortunately, due to societal conditioning, living by extrinsic motivators, many of us aren't living at "home." Instead, we're living like visitors in our own homes -- living incongruently, uncomfortably -- forgetting how to check in with ourselves. We may treat strangers visiting our home more kindly than we treat ourselves.
We're become so accustomed to receiving external reward that we continue living in accordance to the world's dictates -- too scared to face the truth about how brainwashed we've become.
Conditioned and numbed out from years of working hard, our incessant strive to achieve -- to attain perfection, with nothing substantial to show for it -- only left with dust-collecting trophies, medals, money, grades, certificates earned from entrance to programs or schools, higher commission percentages, new clothing along with the emotional residue remaining from failed weight loss attempts -- For what? All for naught, as all of it is extrinsically motivated.
World bribery starts early -- schools use grades, trophies and academic recognition based on good behavior; grocers use discount cards and coupons to save you money while you shop at their store; corporations use bonuses and commission scales to encourage growth and sales numbers -- all luring us into living in their best interest -- further disconnecting us from what best for us -- for what truly makes us feel alive and free -- to feel truly at home with ourselves.
We've literally forgotten how to make ourselves feel comfortable; how to treat ourselves kindly, respectfully; how to tap within for creating healthy boundaries that permit us to say NO; and mostly, how to stop -- to rest -- -- to pause, to simply tune into our own personal frequency -- for gauging how we're feeling.
How we feel about ourselves is what typically motivates our choices. Every behavior has an underlying cause, and understanding the cause of behavior and motivating factors is key to changing or improving outcomes.
When's the last time you did something you really wanted to do? What's an activity, course, or skill development that you've pursued solely for the satisfaction of learning and having fun? What drives or motivates you? What feelings motivate you from within to do something in order to be competent - to do it to gain a sense of mastery?
Can you think back to a time when you were learning something new?; learning a new game or skill and seeking to play it often because it excited you?, made you think differently -- so you worked internally to develop your skills?
Can you remember when you were motivated by intrinsic measures?
Re-examining our "home," scanning the interior landscape -- honestly and frequently, for assessing what's working and what's not, can be a new, exciting challenge -- a game truly worth playing, for the true seekers will discover authentic joy, indescribable satisfaction.
You can create your happy spot -- that haven for family gatherings, that sweet spot to feel safe, comfortable, connected, and loved. A healthy home environment will permit you freedom to express authenticity -- satisfy your craving for shelter in inner retreat -- fill you with love and nourishment.
A joyful interior home nurtures lovingly, gives space for forgiveness -- for fostering self trust -- for allowing for growth, for facilitating Self realization.
A confident, trusting, hopeful Self lives confidently at home -- from the heart, fully equipped with tools for resiliency, flexibility, resourcefulness, empathy, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Home is a refuge for uncertainty, a place to be unafraid to work hard-- with discipline -- and with honesty. For a home is truly a home when we can leave our doors unlocked, daring fear to enter, trusting the Self with faith -- knowing that continual tests are inevitable, necessary -- pain is part of the process -- all part of growth. We work continually to strengthen from the interior, to experience and learn from making mistakes -- to value and trust guidance from the inner workings of our unique "home."
Continually asking ourselves why we want to build a beautiful home will help us to become aware of our intentions -- doing so helps us get focused, for doing what we need to do -- to get to where we want to go.
Asking frequent questions, checking in often, keeps us in touch with our innate capacities -- our inner power -- so not to stay looped in negativity and chaos.
Choosing to remain inside, to find company with the self, to stay present in each mindful moment -- choosing to perform each home-task lovingly - intentionally - is living fully at home. Each mindful moments breathes life and naturally guides us to where life wants us to go. Living responsibility is choosing to allow space for acknowledging truth - for having a full sense of our true inner home presence.
So are you ready to create a joyful home atmosphere and to enjoy well-needed, well-deserved rest and relaxation in the comfort of your own home? There's no need to spend excessively, to travel any great distances in order to escape to some remote vacation locale. You can learn how to rest, to stay right at home, instead of continually running off to escape.
STAY TUNED FOR MY NEXT BLOG POST . . . HOW TO CREATE YOUR JOYFUL HOME ATMOSPHERE.
To create a thriving home atmosphere you'll need a fresh pair of eyes; eyes for perceiving interiorly -- eyes for seeing honestly -- eyes for assessing the self -- for examining core values -- beliefs -- for recognizing worth, value . . . for appreciating and loving the self. . . for the courage for vision . . . to act from true desire . . . to live passionately, eager to take flight --willing to SOAR.
Creating your home atmosphere is like creating a work of art. As the creator, you must form a clear intention and put forth loving positive energy -- To consciously create, you must take action -- and be brutally honest -- with intense self scrutiny -- and with complete faith -- to fully align with your higher Self. You will have to ask yourself some tough questions -- to examine the truth-- to search for your WHY and to dare to do what's in your heart, for the truth lies deeply tucked within your home.
With genuine conscious intent -- with sincere desire to express love -- you will create an inviting atmosphere that will come to life -- you will create a safe space so filled with Self that all truth seekers will enter trustingly -- with sincere admiration and respect.
A real home has all the makings -- emanating and attracting abundance, truth -- radiating rays of love and light.
Your newly clear, clean space will need consistent maintenance, daily care. When your inner space is peaceful, calm, and harmonious so too will be how you view the outside.
Not sure where to begin? It's okay. We're all guilty of putting off doing work, at some time or another, avoiding the task at hand-- as pursuing other satisfying indulgences is tempting, commonplace. But the time for procrastination is no longer -- we don't want our weeds growing out of control, choking off new growth -- stunting our budding flowers from taking bloom.
So no more wasted time in thought -- no more dwelling over organizing, purging, and cleaning. Instead, just roll up your sleeves, throw on some dance music and spring into action -- before you know it, you'll find your groove.
Each intentional action creates forward momentum. Movement is rhythm, it's therapeutic. Cleaning is a rhythmic release -- a healthy way to discharge pent-up or stale energy. As you get a handle on your home, all things will feel more orderly, more calm. You'll feel more able -- more capable for working more efficiently -- feeling relieved with greater space for being creative, for letting go of your need for control.
Without dust and clutter, there's new space -- there's room for appreciating the architecture, the intricate woodwork; for seeing the bare structure; for gaining clarity.
Space allows us to step back -- to take stock, to simplify. Purging enables us to let go of all the excess stuff; to get to the core of our being, for discovering the truth about what we really want to accomplish -- maybe it all started with a desire to do a little painting -- a touch-up here and there, or hanging a new picture, or rearranging a few things to allow for some fresh energy to flow.
No matter how or where you start, intentional action is necessary in order to clear your space.
We can't envision change when we're bogged down, feeling threatened, fearful, and uneasy. For real change to take place, we must want it. We must truly desire a new way of living, a new perspective -- we must believe in something greater, for faith is the way to renew hope -- to inspire action.
Recharging our inner "home" can renew life, can make for a happier, calm, more organized, healthy home atmosphere.
Real change doesn't happen overnight; it's a process. New behaviors take time to take hold, to become integrated. We need to go gently, lovingly, forgivingly. We need to take time to appreciate each gain we make. We must stop to smell the roses.
We can start out by assessing what's not working (ask questions) and then, create a step-by-step action plan -- to work towards getting what we want. Action is key.
Create and commit to rituals, with a willingness to want sincere change, along with honest self-reflection and self-scrutiny, and periods of rest. And don't forget to make lots of room for positive thinking (affirmations) and gratitude -- all will prove effective.
Most importantly, change takes tons of patience and forgiveness with consistent - conscious - daily doses of self love.
The mind-body-spirit balance requires frequent rest stops along the way, mindful pauses for reflection and reward and remembering -- to ask for help -- to loosen up -- to laugh a little -- to give up the need to control.
A beautiful inner atmosphere brings life into technicolor -- bringing alive what once seemed dim and grey, reframing our view of the external conditional world. With new eyes, freshly focused from within, the exterior is looking brighter, more hopeful, -- it's certainly more joyful when we can see clearly -- from a calm, safe inside everything seems more interesting, more exciting.
Are you ready to make change? Are you willing to improve the interior of your "home?"
What are you waiting for? Let's get started . . . step by step, Let's SOAR:
Our Home is our energy center -- like our seven chakras, energy centers that run from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. They are not in your physical body, but rather are part of the subtle energy body or aura. Chakras are responsible for creating and maintaining your existence. They are who you are, your essence, your true "HOME."
Learning to scan your physical home for clutter or blockages is similar to what you will do for your physical body. The upper floors (7, 6, 5) are the private sections, the ones that connect us to our higher Self, to spirit and are cleansing and stabilizing. The lower chakra (3, 2, 1) are the lower energies centers that connect us to the Earth, for grounding and protecting. Our center is our heart (chakra 4) and this is where we connect and find balance between the upper and lower 3 chakras -- this is the seat of the soul or HOME.
I will get more into chakra in my next writing. For now, let's get familiar with the basic stuff that can help get into healing action.
CHAKRA #1 - ROOT CHAKRA (Mulahara) - Our "Foundation." Associated with the color RED, and is found at our ROOT or base of our spine with the purpose of providing support, it's our foundation for survival.
1. Create healthy order or structure in you life by purging the clutter and organizing only the things that bring you joy.
Scan your home - and your body - where is the clutter? Set a timer for 15 minutes and pick up clutter, throw out trash.
Move your body. Try Hatha yoga or Qi Gong. Practice Energization Exercises.
Practice mindfulness - breathe, eat, and think mindfully - positively.
Diffuse Doterra essential oils in your home. Use them in your bath and on your body.
Smudge your space with white sage. Get rid of negative energy, renew and protect yourself and your home.
Add lots of live plants in your home. Increase oxygen. Bring the outside in.
Write. Journal daily. Express daily gratitude.
Pray daily and often.
Meditate to listen to answers to your prayers.
Practice doingguided meditations and progressive visualizations.
Practice positive affirmations.
Send love and light intentionally to your home, to all your appliances -- surround your space - ask for protective light.
Send love and light to everyone in your home, to your neighbors, to your town, your state, your country . . . expand the love.
Shake it all off. Rid yourself of daily pent-up tension and trauma. Practice TRE (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises).
Sure there's plastic surgery -- there's options for superficial change. But a temporary uplift is simply surface change -- ephemeral and unfulfilling -- for it lacks the emotional congruence for change to resonant or last. Superficial change cannot truly change how we feel about ourselves from deeply within our core.
Moving and renovating can only offer fleeting change. Our original home cannot be replaced or completely forgotten. We can't continually pick up and run for the hills whenever we feel worn out, tired and in need of change. We can only run away for so long -- for covering up our perceived flaws -- as the cracks in the foundation will eventually grow wider -- give way, as it can no longer carry the increase in load. In time, neglect or failure to tend to our essential needs, coupled with disdain for spending on those things utilitarian, lead to an inevitable collapse, to ultimate destruction.
Changing and rearranging physical space provides only temporary relief. Eventually, re-doing gets old. Deep down, we crave something more. Working hard to maintain physical space takes its toll, physically and emotionally. Without adequate time for resting and recharging, our energy gets drained, and we're left feeling depleted, completely out of gas.
We tend to make poor choices when we're tired. In our attempt to feel better, we search for more -- mostly through unhealthy external pleasures -- like shopping, drinking, eating, sleeping, working. These resources - performed in excess - are not always in our best interest and perpetuate a cycle of addiction, fueled by shame and guilt.
While we may make excuses for our home's unacceptable appearance, deep down, we are aware of the truth. But we hide our feelings, swallow them down and stay feeling stuck -- fearful - ashamed -- embarrassed by our disorganized, unattended home.
Hired help can assist us in keeping up appearances for some time, but ultimately, the overall health and well-being of the interior and exterior of our homes is contingent upon our personal efforts.
Caring for the "home" is a choice, a personal responsibility.
The home space has unlimited potential -- It's a foundation for creation -- for manifesting anything we so desire.
So then, why are so many of our homes chaotic, disorganized, dirty, and unwelcoming?
Unfortunately, due to societal conditioning, living by extrinsic motivators, many of us aren't living at "home." Instead, we're living like visitors in our own homes -- living incongruently, uncomfortably -- forgetting how to check in with ourselves. We may treat strangers visiting our home more kindly than we treat ourselves.
We're become so accustomed to receiving external reward that we continue living in accordance to the world's dictates -- too scared to face the truth about how brainwashed we've become.
Conditioned and numbed out from years of working hard, our incessant strive to achieve -- to attain perfection, with nothing substantial to show for it -- only left with dust-collecting trophies, medals, money, grades, certificates earned from entrance to programs or schools, higher commission percentages, new clothing along with the emotional residue remaining from failed weight loss attempts -- For what? All for naught, as all of it is extrinsically motivated.
World bribery starts early -- schools use grades, trophies and academic recognition based on good behavior; grocers use discount cards and coupons to save you money while you shop at their store; corporations use bonuses and commission scales to encourage growth and sales numbers -- all luring us into living in their best interest -- further disconnecting us from what best for us -- for what truly makes us feel alive and free -- to feel truly at home with ourselves.
We've literally forgotten how to make ourselves feel comfortable; how to treat ourselves kindly, respectfully; how to tap within for creating healthy boundaries that permit us to say NO; and mostly, how to stop -- to rest -- -- to pause, to simply tune into our own personal frequency -- for gauging how we're feeling.
How we feel about ourselves is what typically motivates our choices. Every behavior has an underlying cause, and understanding the cause of behavior and motivating factors is key to changing or improving outcomes.
When's the last time you did something you really wanted to do? What's an activity, course, or skill development that you've pursued solely for the satisfaction of learning and having fun? What drives or motivates you? What feelings motivate you from within to do something in order to be competent - to do it to gain a sense of mastery?
Can you think back to a time when you were learning something new?; learning a new game or skill and seeking to play it often because it excited you?, made you think differently -- so you worked internally to develop your skills?
Can you remember when you were motivated by intrinsic measures?
Re-examining our "home," scanning the interior landscape -- honestly and frequently, for assessing what's working and what's not, can be a new, exciting challenge -- a game truly worth playing, for the true seekers will discover authentic joy, indescribable satisfaction.
You can create your happy spot -- that haven for family gatherings, that sweet spot to feel safe, comfortable, connected, and loved. A healthy home environment will permit you freedom to express authenticity -- satisfy your craving for shelter in inner retreat -- fill you with love and nourishment.
A joyful interior home nurtures lovingly, gives space for forgiveness -- for fostering self trust -- for allowing for growth, for facilitating Self realization.
A confident, trusting, hopeful Self lives confidently at home -- from the heart, fully equipped with tools for resiliency, flexibility, resourcefulness, empathy, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Home is a refuge for uncertainty, a place to be unafraid to work hard-- with discipline -- and with honesty. For a home is truly a home when we can leave our doors unlocked, daring fear to enter, trusting the Self with faith -- knowing that continual tests are inevitable, necessary -- pain is part of the process -- all part of growth. We work continually to strengthen from the interior, to experience and learn from making mistakes -- to value and trust guidance from the inner workings of our unique "home."
Continually asking ourselves why we want to build a beautiful home will help us to become aware of our intentions -- doing so helps us get focused, for doing what we need to do -- to get to where we want to go.
Asking frequent questions, checking in often, keeps us in touch with our innate capacities -- our inner power -- so not to stay looped in negativity and chaos.
Choosing to remain inside, to find company with the self, to stay present in each mindful moment -- choosing to perform each home-task lovingly - intentionally - is living fully at home. Each mindful moments breathes life and naturally guides us to where life wants us to go. Living responsibility is choosing to allow space for acknowledging truth - for having a full sense of our true inner home presence.
So are you ready to create a joyful home atmosphere and to enjoy well-needed, well-deserved rest and relaxation in the comfort of your own home? There's no need to spend excessively, to travel any great distances in order to escape to some remote vacation locale. You can learn how to rest, to stay right at home, instead of continually running off to escape.
STAY TUNED FOR MY NEXT BLOG POST . . . HOW TO CREATE YOUR JOYFUL HOME ATMOSPHERE.
To create a thriving home atmosphere you'll need a fresh pair of eyes; eyes for perceiving interiorly -- eyes for seeing honestly -- eyes for assessing the self -- for examining core values -- beliefs -- for recognizing worth, value . . . for appreciating and loving the self. . . for the courage for vision . . . to act from true desire . . . to live passionately, eager to take flight --willing to SOAR.
Creating your home atmosphere is like creating a work of art. As the creator, you must form a clear intention and put forth loving positive energy -- To consciously create, you must take action -- and be brutally honest -- with intense self scrutiny -- and with complete faith -- to fully align with your higher Self. You will have to ask yourself some tough questions -- to examine the truth-- to search for your WHY and to dare to do what's in your heart, for the truth lies deeply tucked within your home.
With genuine conscious intent -- with sincere desire to express love -- you will create an inviting atmosphere that will come to life -- you will create a safe space so filled with Self that all truth seekers will enter trustingly -- with sincere admiration and respect.
A real home has all the makings -- emanating and attracting abundance, truth -- radiating rays of love and light.
Your newly clear, clean space will need consistent maintenance, daily care. When your inner space is peaceful, calm, and harmonious so too will be how you view the outside.
Not sure where to begin? It's okay. We're all guilty of putting off doing work, at some time or another, avoiding the task at hand-- as pursuing other satisfying indulgences is tempting, commonplace. But the time for procrastination is no longer -- we don't want our weeds growing out of control, choking off new growth -- stunting our budding flowers from taking bloom.
So no more wasted time in thought -- no more dwelling over organizing, purging, and cleaning. Instead, just roll up your sleeves, throw on some dance music and spring into action -- before you know it, you'll find your groove.
Each intentional action creates forward momentum. Movement is rhythm, it's therapeutic. Cleaning is a rhythmic release -- a healthy way to discharge pent-up or stale energy. As you get a handle on your home, all things will feel more orderly, more calm. You'll feel more able -- more capable for working more efficiently -- feeling relieved with greater space for being creative, for letting go of your need for control.
Without dust and clutter, there's new space -- there's room for appreciating the architecture, the intricate woodwork; for seeing the bare structure; for gaining clarity.
Space allows us to step back -- to take stock, to simplify. Purging enables us to let go of all the excess stuff; to get to the core of our being, for discovering the truth about what we really want to accomplish -- maybe it all started with a desire to do a little painting -- a touch-up here and there, or hanging a new picture, or rearranging a few things to allow for some fresh energy to flow.
No matter how or where you start, intentional action is necessary in order to clear your space.
We can't envision change when we're bogged down, feeling threatened, fearful, and uneasy. For real change to take place, we must want it. We must truly desire a new way of living, a new perspective -- we must believe in something greater, for faith is the way to renew hope -- to inspire action.
Recharging our inner "home" can renew life, can make for a happier, calm, more organized, healthy home atmosphere.
Real change doesn't happen overnight; it's a process. New behaviors take time to take hold, to become integrated. We need to go gently, lovingly, forgivingly. We need to take time to appreciate each gain we make. We must stop to smell the roses.
We can start out by assessing what's not working (ask questions) and then, create a step-by-step action plan -- to work towards getting what we want. Action is key.
Create and commit to rituals, with a willingness to want sincere change, along with honest self-reflection and self-scrutiny, and periods of rest. And don't forget to make lots of room for positive thinking (affirmations) and gratitude -- all will prove effective.
Most importantly, change takes tons of patience and forgiveness with consistent - conscious - daily doses of self love.
The mind-body-spirit balance requires frequent rest stops along the way, mindful pauses for reflection and reward and remembering -- to ask for help -- to loosen up -- to laugh a little -- to give up the need to control.
A beautiful inner atmosphere brings life into technicolor -- bringing alive what once seemed dim and grey, reframing our view of the external conditional world. With new eyes, freshly focused from within, the exterior is looking brighter, more hopeful, -- it's certainly more joyful when we can see clearly -- from a calm, safe inside everything seems more interesting, more exciting.
Are you ready to make change? Are you willing to improve the interior of your "home?"
What are you waiting for? Let's get started . . . step by step, Let's SOAR:
Our Home is our energy center -- like our seven chakras, energy centers that run from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. They are not in your physical body, but rather are part of the subtle energy body or aura. Chakras are responsible for creating and maintaining your existence. They are who you are, your essence, your true "HOME."
Learning to scan your physical home for clutter or blockages is similar to what you will do for your physical body. The upper floors (7, 6, 5) are the private sections, the ones that connect us to our higher Self, to spirit and are cleansing and stabilizing. The lower chakra (3, 2, 1) are the lower energies centers that connect us to the Earth, for grounding and protecting. Our center is our heart (chakra 4) and this is where we connect and find balance between the upper and lower 3 chakras -- this is the seat of the soul or HOME.
I will get more into chakra in my next writing. For now, let's get familiar with the basic stuff that can help get into healing action.
CHAKRA #1 - ROOT CHAKRA (Mulahara) - Our "Foundation." Associated with the color RED, and is found at our ROOT or base of our spine with the purpose of providing support, it's our foundation for survival.
1. Create healthy order or structure in you life by purging the clutter and organizing only the things that bring you joy.
Scan your home - and your body - where is the clutter? Set a timer for 15 minutes and pick up clutter, throw out trash.
Move your body. Try Hatha yoga or Qi Gong. Practice Energization Exercises.
Practice mindfulness - breathe, eat, and think mindfully - positively.
Diffuse Doterra essential oils in your home. Use them in your bath and on your body.
Smudge your space with white sage. Get rid of negative energy, renew and protect yourself and your home.
Add lots of live plants in your home. Increase oxygen. Bring the outside in.
Write. Journal daily. Express daily gratitude.
Pray daily and often.
Meditate to listen to answers to your prayers.
Practice doingguided meditations and progressive visualizations.
Practice positive affirmations.
Send love and light intentionally to your home, to all your appliances -- surround your space - ask for protective light.
Send love and light to everyone in your home, to your neighbors, to your town, your state, your country . . . expand the love.
Shake it all off. Rid yourself of daily pent-up tension and trauma. Practice TRE (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises).