Making Space

I have lived in my house for eleven years, the longest I have ever lived anywhere. During that time my once-neat spaces have been filled with unnecessary stuff. There is no longer any room. When I open the closet or cabinet doors, I can’t find what I need. My pantry and my closets, to put it kindly, are haphazard and chaotic. They are filled to overflowing with bits and pieces that either don’t belong or are unnecessary. In order to make room for the things I need now, I must purge that which is no longer needed.

It is an apt analogy for welcoming 2021. For many of us, this year has been a roller coaster of negative emotions – fear, uncertainty, anger, frustration, disconnection. And that is just from 2020. There are many more emotions and memories left over from the rest of our lives, maybe even past lives. All of these many emotions are housed in our bodies, and they really want to stay there. But if we keep these leftovers, there is no room for what 2021 might bring. Unless I clean out the closet, I don’t have room for anything new. Unless I clear my spiritual and emotional spaces of the negative emotions from the past, I have no room to grow into what is being called forth from me.

It is one thing to clean out a closet, it is quite another to clean out our emotional body. How do I begin to let go of things of which I may not even be aware, things that might not even be from this life? While I think I may have let go of the past, are there still things in my life that I need to release in order to become more fully who I am meant to be?

While I don’t pretend to have all the answers, there are a few practices that have been incredibly freeing for me, especially when I do the work on a consistent basis.

1. Having a daily spiritual practice

Prayer, meditation, journaling, creative practices like art or writing, walks in nature – it doesn’t matter as much what you do as that you do it on a consistent basis. Setting aside a quiet time just for you to be in communion with spirit is essential to clearing out the old stuff stored in your body. I am grateful to 2020 for giving me the time to engage in a daily practice.

2. Engaging in meaningful ritual

It is important to invite your soul and the Divine into a sacred space of communion. A meaningful ritual that opens the sacred space sets the stage for communication between yourself and the Holy. It might be as simple as lighting a candle and playing soft music or it might involve a more complicated ritual. Whatever you do, it should be something that invites you to center into stillness.

3. Using spiritual tools

Spirit speaks to us in metaphor and symbols. We don’t usually hear the voice of the divine in a literal way. Spiritual tools like walking the labyrinth, meditation, journaling, collaging, or making art or music can open a channel to the divine and help us to make sense of the symbols that we are seeing.

4. Changing perception

When I am struggling, it is sometimes helpful to reframe a thought or event. When I can see that someone who hurt me was acting out of their own pain and suffering rather than deliberately trying to hurt me, it is easier to forgive and let go of the hurt.

5. Practicing gratitude

When I am grateful for everything in my life, even things that don’t seem to be so wonderful, I am living in alignment with what Spirit brings. If I can be grateful in every moment, I am more apt to learn from my experiences. When I am in gratitude mode, I don’t embody negative energies because I really don’t see them as negative. I see them as opportunities for growth.

6. Being aware of your body

We have been taught to ignore our bodies, but it is our bodies which hold on to the blockages. When you are using your spiritual tools or when you are in communion with Spirit, be aware of the places in your body where you feel blocked. What aches? What feels tense? What feels closed off? As you focus on your body, you can begin to lovingly release those old patterns.

7. Listening to your intuition

What is that still small voice inside of you telling you? What is your body telling you? What is that animal that suddenly showed up on your path telling you? What are your dreams telling you? Look and listen and be open to the signs and wonders all around you. Allow those wonders to speak to your spirit and listen to what they have to say.

8. Finding support

Many of us no longer find mainstream religious communities helpful, but there is a vast network of spiritually minded people connected on the web. There are dozens of offerings and groups that you can join (some free and some not) to receive support in this amazing journey. The offerings can be overwhelming, so be discerning and choose one or two which feel right to you. Sometimes there is a whole network, sometimes there is one person, but there are places where you can find support, including on this site.

As you begin to pay attention, to have a daily practice, to be open to what Spirit is trying to say, to practice gratitude, the things that no longer serve you will begin to fall away or they will be integrated and transmuted into a totally new part of you. You will have more and more space – space for wholeness, integration, communion, and  being the radiant being who you were meant to be. So join me in cleaning out those negative emotional spaces in our bodies and get ready to welcome the new year with lightness and ease.

Barbara Garland
December 11, 2020