A Soul Full Year

    

 In my newsletter "Tree Talk" I mentioned my word of the year. I like to choose one word to focus on, rather than a list of resolutions... that way I can have several resolutions within a word. The word I chose was Soulful. In which, all things I do, create, and feel must be done with soulful intent, and from my center. I must feel this soulful feeling every single day. 
     In my newsletter I mentioned that I am an avid house cleaner. My house is practically spotless, and I love it. I never used to be that way until I moved. I put everything in it's place and was very bothered when things got messy. I've found it's the same way with feelings.

Thoughts and feelings are very habitual..

      When my house was spotless, I noticed that I myself was in a much better mood. Not just a happy mood, but I was grounded, clear, and at peace. I spent a lot of 2014 depressed and trying to overcome depression. Like I said, thoughts and feelings are habitual. But in this new home with the new energy, and all things in their right place, I felt grounded.When my house was messy, I felt messy. 

      I noticed this soulful feeling when my house was clean and I felt grounded. I felt a vibrating in my ears, and a warmth in my heart. It's a little tricky to explain, because I think everyone feels it differently. But it's that soul connection, Spirit, centered and grounded that everyone has access too. 

     I of course have felt it several times in my life. The first time I really noticed it was when I was very little and playing the piano alone in the house. I would fill my house with piano music, never taking my foot off the pedal. This is what my piano teacher called "muddy music." But, I loved it. I noticed it again was when I was attending a mantra chanting ceremony at the Krishna Temple nearly 7 years ago... and then several times again with my favorite music, and certain soul sparking conversations.. but it wasn't until I discovered that having a clean house would help me feel it all the time. 

This post isn't exactly about keeping a clean house but instead it's more of a metaphor to keeping your own energy and thoughts clean. Because like my house, when anything is out of place, I feel bugged, and fuzzy. 

When anything is out of place within my energy I can't paint, I can't write, I tend to argue with Sterling more, and I honestly don't get much done. I spend more time on facebook or pinterest than I should... so this soulful feeling is very important for me to get work done!  

Some of my favorite ways to achieve this soulful feeling is to take a good bath, with salt, candles, crystals, coffee, and a good book. I'm just not deciding I like baths thanks to Jenica (Sterling's sister, but also my sister cause I love her lots and lots). I also love a good cup of tea or coffee while I sit and look out my window. Cleaning the house helps me achieve this feeling, so does yoga, and meditation. 
At first, in order for my house to be totally clean, I would have to scrub all the dishes, vacuum everything and clean up for about 3 hours. But it gets easier.. much like achieving this grounded feeling. Learning what it feels like in your body is the first step. Pretty soon when you don't feel it, you will begin to crave it. 

Once a week I have a big house clean where I vacuum, change the sheets, dust, shake out the pillows. I sage the house, light some candles and make the house spotless. 

Once  a week I take a salt bath. Salt is a neutralizer, and helps clear energy. I do a long crystal meditation and make a night out of it. 

Daily, I make my bed, wash the dishes and counters. I straighten up the small things and keep it all in order. 
And as part of my word of the year, I plan on daily soul upkeep. Tea meditations, yoga, and creating from my center. 

When I first started to contemplate what my word of the year should be, my first thought was just creating, daily checklists of what to accomplish, how many things I need to do each day... and I suddenly felt sick. I knew that that was setting myself up to fail. Because sometimes I can finish 5 things in a day, and sometimes I can finish 5 things in a week.. so I knew that deadlines and checklists would be a bad idea. 
Instead I chose to meditate on it. In the Lunar class that I teach at Sacred City, we were all deciding on our intentions for the New Year and I walked everyone through my process of reaching my center through meditation. 

During this meditation, I felt to focus on feeling soulful daily. I knew that that would be enough. Because through that soulful state I would be able to create all the things I needed to within the perfect time frame. No stress, no worries, just creating from my center. 



Today I started with my tea meditation and follow it up with some quick yoga. Immediately, I felt clear and grounded and ready to create. 

Here's too a soulful year full of soul. 








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