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Beltane & Clearing the Clutter




As I look forward to Beltane I am also reflecting on the things that are most important to me.  “Creativity’s Requirements” was an important blog post for me and marked a turning point in my thinking.  I bring up Beltane because it is the May 1st celebration of spring.  

Often I have written about spiritual cleansing and recently I have begun to revisit my friend Sandra Carrington-Smith’s book, “Housekeeping for the Soul.” Spring lends itself to creativity naturally as it is a time of fertility and growth.  Spring is also a time for purging the old, dried out matter in our lives and welcoming what is new and fresh to the mind, body and spirit.

As we move towards the important holiday of Beltane, I am doing some spring cleaning or housecleaning of my soul. I am considering what is most important and making way for those important things to have room to grow and eventually blossom by clearing out things that are toxic to growth.

I love spring for all the hope that it brings.  I love spring for its show of resilience in the face of the darkness of winter and its way of reintroducing the lightness that comes from spiritual wisdom.

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