Seven Tips for bringing more energy (and less clutter!) into your life

“Our life is frittered away by detail . . . simplify, simplify.” – Henry David Thoreau

We are halfway between the First Quarter Moon and the Full Moon, which arrives April 10th at 11:08 PM PDT (April 11th 06:08 UTC). This is the Waxing Gibbous phase. The face of the moon is so much brighter, with a smaller crescent of dark.

As the Moon’s energy increases, our energy is shifting too, from the inward intuitive Yin to the outward action-oriented Yang, from intention to manifesting, from hidden to revealed.

Our theme for this month’s lunar journey is Rejuvenation. Who doesn’t feel young again in the Spring? In the growing energy of LaLuna?

Father Sun kissing the cherry blossoms of Mama Earth

This month, in the Northern Hemisphere, we have renewed energy after the winter rest. All around us the sap is rising, the trees are budding and flowers are emerging.

Yet the word rejuvenation has other layers, other meanings. It is not just about feeling young again, feeling energized. It also means “to make an organization or system more effective by introducing new methods, ideas, or people” (per the Cambridge Dictionary).

Using the manifesting energy of the Waxing Gibbous Moon, what can you rejuvenate in YOUR life… your home… your office…your work…  your spiritual practice?

Many of us associate this time of year with Spring Cleaning, i.e. rejuvenating our homes. That was something essential for our ancestors: sweeping away the soot from winter hearths, along with the bugs and debris that accumulated in the straw they used in their thatched roofs, bed pallets or on the floor.

And in the Southern Hemisphere, this time marked the start of preparations for winter: preparing the home for the shutting in of the winter months, and likely tipping the balance towards accumulation — storing vegetables, making preserves for the winter, pickling fruits and vegetables, and also packing away tools and clothing associated with the summer, repairing and renewing tools and farm implements, etc.

Rejuvenation is definitely an ongoing theme for me. Out with the Old and in with the New is quickly becoming my mantra! Making space for new ideas, new things while keeping that which still works, that which I love, that which brings me joy (thank you, Marie Kondo, for this concept!), that which is still useful.

Simplicity. Ease. Space.

This allows us to focus on the essential.

Seven Tips for Rejuvenation

1. Spend some time with Mama Earth . . . a walk in your neighbourhood, a local park, community garden. Breathe!
2. If you have a garden or balcony, rejuvenate it by clearing out any winter debris and refreshing with new plants.
3. Do a “Green Clean” in your home. Replace any toxic/chemical cleaners with ones you make yourself or purchase eco-friendly products instead.
4. Detox your diet. Eliminate junk food and add in more fresh and home-prepared foods.
5. Check your medicine cabinet (and fridge!) for anything stale-dated and dispose of responsibly. TIP: Your local pharmacy likely has a program for disposing of prescription drugs.
6. Declutter your space and recycle using the four Ds (Deal, donate, dump, de-own).
   And remember, the question to ask your Self is not “Should I get rid of it?” but “Why should it stay?” (More on the Four Ds in this blog post). 
7. Bring new energy into your life by beginning something NEW — a creative project, a fitness class, a spiritual practice — anything that will raise your awareness to your own energy and renewal.

I’m working through this list one by one. My (ongoing) plan is to declutter and simplify as much as possible, in all areas of my life. Sometimes the balance seems to towards accumulation rather than reduction — especially when it comes to books, craft materials and decks of oracle cards! — but the balance soon restores.

BONUS TIP: Be aware of what one is accumulating. For each new thing you bring in, take something away by donating, gifting or recycling using the Four Ds.

What would you like to simplify and rejunvenate in YOUR life?