Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Marita Aicher-Swartz

Spring is trying to burst forth here in East Tennessee – signs are all around us in the flowering trees, plants, and bushes. The grass is greening and baseball and soccer are in full swing after school and on weekends. The first warm days found me outside in my yard – eager to get my hands in the dirt again, eager for the taste of “real” tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh dill and parsley from the garden. But it’s way too early for that. We’ll endure a few more morning frosts before the end of April and then, maybe we can begin to plant.

So I began to clear away twigs and winter leaves, readying the flower beds for the annuals and perennials that will bring color to our yard. I began to see this as a metaphor for another part of life as well. Like the flower beds, my inner life sometimes needs a good spring cleaning too. There are parts of me that need pruning, so that my inner life can be strengthened: negative thoughts that feed emotions that no longer serve my highest good and habits that need changing. It’s a time for clearing away the beliefs of lack and “not good enough” so that my spirit can be renewed by God’s abundance and unconditional love.

Receiving and giving Reiki treatments allows me to create a space where my mind and body can be still and calm enough to receive God’s tender healing energy. Stagnant and blocked energy can be released and cleansed from the energetic system. As a practitioner, the daily self–treatment allows me time to bring to the surface those thoughts and feelings that are out of balance or out of alignment with my higher spiritual self. Working with others allows me to support and help them to do the same in their life. Each day I am blessed to be able to experience and offer this gift to others.

This spring I encourage each of us to do some inner house cleaning. Let’s take time to forgive someone who needs it – even if we are that person; to give thanks for our many blessings each day which creates a joyful heart; to look for the good and beautiful in each other and release judgment and criticism from our words; to choose to be kind and generous in what we say and do.

- Marita Aicher-Swartz, Reiki Master

(This article is from our 1st Qtr 2006 Newsletter)

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