A Year to Clear

by Stephanie Bennett Vogt

  These are some of the things that make me feel complete, unadulterated joy.

  As we prepare this week to explore how our state of being affects the spaces that we occupy, use today to reflect on the truth of this statement: “There is no mistaking the delicious spaciousness of a happy home.”

  Explore

  When I walk into a happy home, I feel . . .

  What brings me pure, unadulterated joy . . .

  One thing I can do today to cultivate joy is . . .

  DAY 247

  HAPPILY GROOVING

  It seems that my happily grooving at home might be contagious. According to a Boston Globe article by Carolyn Johnson, it has been scientifically proven that happiness ripples beyond your inner circle of friends:

  It seems obvious that your closest friends might influence your mood, but the study found that even the happiness of a friend's friend boosts your chance of being happy by 9.8 percent. Even more surprising, the happiness of a friend of a friend of a friend boosts your chance of being happy by 5.6 percent.

  This study, published in the prominent British Medical Journal, also said that the effects can last a year!

  So if you suddenly wake up feeling inexplicably joyous, it could be just plain you, or something beaming at you from the air or the water. Your neighbor's neighbor's happiness just might wind and waft its way over to you and catch you off guard, lift you up, and slap a smile on your face for no apparent reason. And if you're one of those eternally optimistic, upbeat, happy-go-lucky types, it's possible that you're doing more good for the planet than you even know.

  Explore

  The last time I felt really happy was . . .

  One thing I could do today to experience more of it . . .

  DAY 248

  CONDUCT YOUR OWN HAPPINESS STUDY

  I'm not sure we really need a study to prove there is an invisible connective tissue of thoughts and feelings that binds us humans to each other. If you're awake and aware in your body and open in your heart, you will know.

  You don't have to take my word for it. Conduct your own study in the weeks and months to come. Notice if your sense of ease, peace, or joy has any effect on your home, family, a neighbor, colleague, friend, or even a loved one living on the other side of world! If you're not feeling at ease, peaceful, or joyful just yet, you can always try faking it 'til you make it. This underrated tip is always helpful in nudging you in the direction you want to go.

  Notice how your state of being affects the world around you, and how the world, in turn, mirrors you back to you.

  Explore

  Ways that I've noticed my world “out there” is mirroring me back to me . . .

  One simple step I can take that raises the vibration of happiness in my home . . .

  DAY 249

  SPACE SHIFTING

  If you were to join me on a space clearing consultation of someone's home or workplace, you might notice how some areas feel clear and others more congested (yes, even in spaces that have no visible clutter). By tuning in with your six senses (smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight, and intuition), you would be able to follow the energy streams that snake through a living space. You might perceive all kinds of energy signatures, from negative thought patterns and emotional charge on one end of the spectrum to the sparkly frequencies of love, spaciousness, and joy. You might notice that these palpable energies mirror our emotional state and can expand and contract on a dime.

  Play with this concept for a few days in a row, if you can, and see if by changing the energy in yourself you notice a palpable shift in energy in your space:

  Choose a room that feels cluttered, congested, or contracted.

  Take a deep breath in and out and become fully present and aware: Observe your judgments, your discomforts, your impulses to bolt or recoil. Notice and allow sounds, smells, sights, tastes, feelings, and intuitions with no attachment (this is key) to any particular outcome.

  After you've had a chance to witness, do something that feels good and raises your energy level: Play your favorite music, dance, tidy up, beautify with flowers, meditate.

  What shifts do you notice—in energy, ambient light, mood of family members or pets—when you simply witness without attachment? Do you notice that by raising your vibration, you raise the energetic vibration of your space?

  Explore

  Shifts that I notice in my space by simply being aware and not attached . . .

  I know that raising my energy level raises the energy of my space because . . .

  Changes that I've noticed in my space (and myself) over the past few days . . .

  DAY 250

  FEELING HOME

  We've explored already how homes do not all feel the same, and how different spaces within the home can vary greatly from one another. It is easier to detect a sparkling living space when we compare it directly to one that is not so bright. The steps that follow will deepen your ability to tell the energetic difference between two spaces.

  Spend a few minutes in a space that feels cluttered, unloved, untended, dark, congested. Notice your breathing, mood, and energy level.

  Repeat the exercise in a space that feels harmonious, tended, light-filled, sparkly, and clutter-free. Go outdoors if you have to. Notice your breathing, mood, energy level.

  Be mindful of your sensate and energy body. How do you feel during and after?

  Compare the two experiences. How does each space feel physically? Mentally? Emotionally? Is it possible to compare the two without judging either as good or bad?

  Explore

  What I experienced from tuning in to the energies of different living spaces . . .

  One small thing I can do today to change the way my home feels is . . .

  DAY 251

  THE JOY IN THINGS

  Cultivating joy may not be as farfetched as it seems. The key, Geri Larkin tells us, is in starting small:

  The happiest person I have ever known was an elderly monk living up in the mountains of Korea. Everything he owned was in his room: robes, a tea set, a futon, a hat, tea, his sandals. Not only was he deliriously happy, giving off waves of giddy energy, but his room was incredibly beautiful in its simplicity. He allowed sunlight, and moonlight, to act as artists' brushes, emphasizing one corner now, the tea set later, the sandals another time.

  We can do this letting go. We can start small . . . The trick is to simply start.

  What is one thing you love that you can pull out of hiding? What is one thing that you can display in your home that would bring you (delirious) joy?

  Explore

  One thing I love that I can dust off and relocate to a place of honor . . .

  What it feels like to shine light on possessions that bring me joy . . .

  DAY 252

  CHECK IN—HOMING IN ON JOY

  The focus this week was to home in on joy as a powerful energy signature that ripples out to affect everything and everyone around us; and to explore how raising our personal vibration changes how our spaces feel.

  In what ways did you experience a direct connection between your state of being and the spaces you inhabit? What were some of the differences that you noticed when you compared a space that feels unloved and untended with one that is harmonious and “loved-up”? How did lifting a thing out of hiding elevate and (en)lighten you?

  Explore

  Raising my personal energy level raises . . .

  Lightening up has enlightened me in the following surprising ways . . .

  WEEK 37

  FEELING GOOD

  Whenever you are sincerely pleased, you are nourished.

  —Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Considerations By the Way”

  DAY 253

  THE BEST BEAUTY TREATMENT

  Have you ever stopped to wonder why some elders look so much younger than their peers? You could say it's genetics, geography, diet, having a sense of purpose or love in their life. No doubt all of these factors contribute to longevity and vitality.

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sp; If you ask me, I think it largely boils down to one thing: vibration. People who vibrate at the level of joy look and feel younger.

  Joy is the champagne bubbles of living clear. It is the best beauty treatment I know of.

  How does it feel to steep yourself in joy? You can find out by making an uncensored list of all the things, people, places, and experiences that bring (or have brought) you joy.

  Explore

  What it feels like to steep in joy . . .

  My list of things, people, places, and experiences that I love . . .

  DAY 254

  NESTLE INTO COZY

  It's nearly winter where I am as I write this, and I can't believe it's already pitch-dark outside. It's not even 5:00 p.m.!

  Truth be told, there's a part of me that loves this time of year. Longer nights means more nesting time. Tea and blankie time. Cave time.

  What I don't love is the mad rushing of the holiday season. It just doesn't match my internal need for more quiet and deep rest.

  If you are feeling similarly misaligned and out of sorts (at any time of year), you might want to consider adopting some of my favorite ways to nestle into some delicious coziness:

  String some twinkly lights in your favorite room, and enjoy the space with all other lights turned off.

  Make a fabulous cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and sip it by candlelight.

  Wrap yourself in a warm, fuzzy blankie.

  Take a nap or a catnap.

  Eat dinner in your twinkly room, or in bed.

  What makes you feel supremely good? Make a list of five to ten things that help you dial down and feel safe and cozy.

  Explore

  What makes me feel safe and cozy . . .

  Ways to dial it down . . .

  DAY 255

  BE DISCERNING

  Truth time. On a scale of 1 to 10—with 10 being a joyful person who raises your energy level, cares about you, and would be there for you if you asked, and 1 being someone who is cheerless, self-involved, pessimistic, gossipy, and unsupportive of you—how would you describe the people you tend to hang out with?

  If your circle is hovering below 7, maybe it's time to switch it up. Yes, like giving yourself an upgrade to first class.

  Be with people who get you, who are more of a vibrational match to who you are becoming (or wish to become). In the end, you get to choose.

  Explore

  People who love me, get me, and would be there for me if I asked . . .

  People who do not serve and support me any longer . . . (Remember, this is about vibration, not guilt or blame.)

  One thing I can do to switch up my relationships in a way that honors all concerned . . .

  DAY 256

  LIGHTEN UP

  We all have those moments when we lose ourselves. You know, those times when we get consumed by self-importance and forget that we're on the planet to experience our birthright: joy.

  What would happen if you declared today a “serious-free” day? A day where you take nothing seriously, and nothing personally. Oh heck, throw in “should-free” too, while you're at it.

  Try it even just for an hour, and even if it messes with your mind, watch the energies shift.

  Explore

  What happens when I take nothing seriously . . .

  What happens when I take nothing personally . . .

  Something I have taken way too seriously that I'm now ready to release . . .

  DAY 257

  SALT AND SODA REFRESH

  I shared an all-purpose remedy in my first book, Your Spacious Self, that is worth mentioning again here because it is so simple and works like magic to smooth out the jangliness of a stressful day. It helps you feel better and sleep better too.

  This simple formula was adapted from an old Edgar Cayce remedy by my friend, Bay Area teacher and healer Desda Zuckerman. Here's how it works:

  Mix equal parts coarse sea salt (or kosher salt) with household baking soda. (Desda recommends you use pure, coarse sea salt instead of Epsom salt.)

  For a shower, make a paste in your palm and rub it all over your body, including your hair, and shower off.

  For a bath, pour the mixture into the tub and soak.

  Salt and soda mixed together as part of your shower or bath routine is an energy worker's best friend: it calms and eases any potential side-effects associated with clearing, restores balance, and integrates deep clearing.

  Explore

  Some of the more subtle effects (on my body, mind, and spirit) of bathing in sea salt and baking soda are . . .

  What I notice about bathing before going to bed at night . . .

  Other ways that work to refresh me . . .

  DAY 258

  FEEL BETTER FAST

  Today, I'm going to give you some quick practices that are designed to help lift, lighten, and enlighten. It's all about feeling good (or better) fast!

  Round up a space: Gather empty cups and plates, slide chairs back into place, power down devices, turn out unnecessary lights.

  Shake out the area rug in the kitchen, sweep the debris below it, and replace it.

  Cook something fragrant that wafts and lingers through the house.

  Hang clothes out to dry and enjoy the fresh, crisp smell when you take them down.

  Light a stick of Nag Champa incense.

  Spritz the air with a mixture of good water and a few drops of rose or lavender essential oil.

  Do nothing at all, with total awareness, for one minute.

  How about you? What helps you to feel better fast?

  Explore

  My list of top ways to feel better fast are . . .

  One thing I can do right now to feel better is . . .

  DAY 259

  CHECK IN—FEELING GOOD

  The focus this week was to raise the vibration of joy—both internally and externally—by doing things that feel good.

  In what ways have you noticed that you look and feel younger this week? Have you noticed a spring in your step? Or that your eyes and skin are brighter? What are some of your indicators that “steeping in joy” is working its magic?

  Explore

  I know that steeping in joy is working its magic because . . .

  Some of the changes that I've noticed in my face and my body since I began my clearing journey . . .

  WEEK 38

  HONORING THE PAST

  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

  —Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go

  DAY 260

  “HEELING” THE PAST

  My wedding shoes. I wore them just once on my wedding day twenty-nine years ago and I've kept them neatly in a box ever since.

  Why?

  Because these grass-stained relics remind me of the joyful day that I walked across a grassy knoll on the coast of Maine to marry my sweetheart and best friend. (Never mind that they take up space and no longer fit.)

  The bigger question to ask of course is this: Is it possible to remember that magical day without carting around a box of shoes that I never open and will never wear from house to house, closet to closet? Is it possible to pull the box out and use it to practice letting go with compassionate awareness?

  The short answer, of course, is yes.

  The longer answer is that sometimes it takes as long as it takes to let things go.

  No amount of coaxing or analyzing is going to move something out that door if the mind is spinning a memory from the past, feels duty-bound to save “just in case,” or is caught in fight-or-flight survival mode.

  The only way to unhinge a mind that is in lockdown is to clear things that are doable and won't activate the stress response.

  After nearly three decades, I finally let the wedding shoes go. I took a photo of them and added the box to the mountain of stuff we took to Goodwill.

  It was way easier than I expected, even if the grass stains in the photo do still elicit a smallish pang.
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  Explore

  One sentimental object I can pull out of hiding and begin the process of saying goodbye to is . . .

  Feelings that come up when I consider letting it go . . . (Remember that naming and feeling the emotional weather that arises—with compassionate awareness—is the real work here. It is not about “getting rid of” the object.)

  DAY 261

  RE-MEMBER

  The word “remember” has a great deal of meaning. At its essence, it means to call back all of our “members”—those aspects in ourselves that we've neglected or have scattered or gone missing—and return to the truth of who we are.

  And there is no better way to pull yourself together, I believe, than to adopt a simple daily practice in mindfulness and letting go.

  What are you ready to let go of today?

  Explore

  Something I've been keeping around “just in case” that no longer serves me or adds value . . .

  It is safe for me to honor it and let it go because . . . (Notice the part of you that wants to cling even more.)