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| Not my room! Just a nice picture! |
Identifying The Energy Focus of the Bedroom
Everyone's home and home life is a bit different. Some people only use their bedrooms for sleeping and sex. Some others may have a multi-purpose bedroom that is also their home office. So to start, it's best to identify how your bedroom is used, and what kind of energy you want to encourage in your bedroom. Is it a Sanctuary? Do you need better sleep? Is it a place where you want more romance? Are you trying to conceive a child? Who do you share the room with? Does the bedroom also have another use, such as a computer room / office? Is there a meditation area or an altar?
I'm lucky to have a large bedroom, but it's broken down into different areas. Obviously I have my bed and a dresser with my clothes. I also have a couple different altars and a meditation area. My desk is in here with my computer - so yes it's also an office. Oh, and did I mention my son shares our bedroom with us? (Due to the number of bedrooms in the house. His bed and belongings are on the opposite side of the room from mine and my husband's)
Since this is a multi-purpose room, and is used by all members of the family (because the kids need to use the computer too!) I find it easier to break my room down into sections rather than just "The Bedroom" as a whole. If you have a smaller bedroom or don't use it for as many purposes, this room's energy will be a lot easier for you to identify.
You see, everything is energy - including our thoughts and wishes! If our thoughts and wishes swirl around our room and get "stuck" on clutter - they just get bogged down and lose potency. Plus, a big part of manifesting anything is feeling good! If you're content, happy, and not distracted or stressed out, it's so much easier to use positive visualization, meditation, or ritual to manifest what you want!
Sleeping and Dreaming
Since MOST people use their bedrooms primarily for sleeping, we'll start there. There have been studies that show a clean and organized environment helps promote a better night's sleep. If your room is cluttered; laundry is on the floor, the bedside table is covered with junk, the dresser is in shambles, and even things piled up under your bed - well it's no wonder you're having trouble sleeping! (Interesting note - in Feng Shui it is widely believed that a dirty kitchen sink will prevent a good night's sleep as well! So there's another reason to wash those dishes and shine that sink before bed!) Sleep is quite possibly one of the most magickal things we do. While we sleep our body heals and rejuvenates itself - even regenerates new cells! Our brains enter into states that they rarely enter during the day, and science has shown that these sleep states are crucial to our body's health and healing ability. And we dream! Dreaming has long been associated with the magickal and mystical. Whether we practice lucid dreaming, or receive messages from our ancestors, or just get to let our brains sort through our fears and worries - dreaming is an important part of life! So, as you begin, just look around your bedroom and ask yourself; is this area helping me sleep? What can be moved, organized, or simply gotten rid of to help me sleep better in this space? I've found the simple acts of cleaning out under the bed, making the bed every day when I get up, and keeping the surfaces of any bedside tables neat and clean is very helpful in promoting a good night's sleep. You can also place some crystals near your bed to help you sleep, or make a sleep pillow with herbs in it. I'll be posting a couple tips and spells about sleeping and dreaming this week to go along with our bedroom topic!
Romance and Sex
Whether you're in a relationship or not - if sex is going to happen it will probably happen in the bedroom! Hey, by all means be adventurous! If you prefer the couch or the kitchen table, go for it! But I'm guessing those other places are for sometimes and the bed is going to be the most comfortable and natural place for those things to happen! If you're wanting to attract a realationship and some romance into your life - you need a clean bedroom to help you manifest that! If you're in a relationship already and want to spice things up or keep those flames going - you're going to need a clean bedroom to manifest that! If you're trying to conceive - guess what - you're going to need a clean bedroom to help manifest that! So look around your room again. What things in your room are "blocking" that sexy time energy? A pile of bills and paperwork from work is probably not helping you or your partner feel relaxed and in the mood. Kid's toys cluttering up the floor are probably not helping either. If you live alone, then things that remind you that you're single and make you feel lonely or sad are not going to help you attract a partner - or simply feel okay with being single! A really simple thing to do when trying to decide what to keep or not (this applies to every room) is to pick an item - look at it and ask, "Do I feel good when I look at this?" If not - you need to let go of that item! Once you get rid of things that make you feel bad, or clutter that is detracting from the romance factor in your bedroom - you can then start looking for things to decorate the room to help promote attraction, sex, romance, or fertility. But don't just add these things on top of or next to clutter! That clutter will just drain away any effect those items might have had!
Self-Care & Sanctuary
Another purpose of the bedroom has a lot to do with self-care. We pick out our clothes, get dressed, and put on our shoes in the mornings. In the evenings we undress. We recover from illness or sickness in our bedrooms too. We may do things to "wind down" or relax in our bedroom such as reading, watching tv or a movie, and cuddling with the kids (or the cat or dog)! It's where our day begins and ends. So as you look around your room, ask yourself - on what note am I beginning and ending each day with this environment? It should be somewhere you feel safe, comforted, relaxed, and truly yourself! This is why so many people refer to their bedroom as a "sanctuary" - it should be a safe place not just for your body, but for your mind and spirit! Keeping this space organized and clutter free will help it feel like a sanctuary. A problem some people have is that their bedroom becomes a "dumping ground" for things through the day. Don't have time to fold and put away those clothes right now? Just throw them in the bedroom. Need to go through this pile of mail or paperwork, but don't have time right now? Throw it in the bedroom. It becomes the "I'll deal with it later" space because of the Out Of Sight - Out Of Mind concept. If you can't see it, it doesn't exist. Until you go to bed - then you remember it! But by then you're tired and on your way to bed, so it gets ignored again "until tomorrow". Since any guests who come over won't see your bedroom, you feel like it's okay for this room to be messy, because no one sees it but you. But what kind of message are you sending yourself with that attitude? You're saying that other people's thoughts/feelings/opinions are more important than your own! You're saying that your own comfort comes last! Taking the time to create a Sanctuary in your bedroom is a Scared act of Self-Love! You deserve to have a place to unwind, relax, and feel safe! A place where you can just be you!
What next?
So I've given you some ideas of what your bedroom energy should be focused on, and why. You've looked around your room and asked all the right questions. Now it's time to tackle some clutter and start clearing your space! We'll use the same process we did in the bathroom;
Clearing The Space In Your Bedroom
- Choose a time to focus on your bedroom. It can be as simple as 15 minutes a day for a few days, to one hour . . . whatever works best for you. Don't overwhelm or overwork yourself! Pick one area to focus on at a time.
- Gather what you need. Trash bags, a box for items to donate, cleaning products. If you want- bring a candle or some incense and crystals to set up a temporary altar. This will help you stay focused on your task as a spiritual process of releasing and cleansing. Think about what Deity you may want to help you, or what Deity you will dedicate your work to. .
- When you're ready to begin, start by simply sitting in your bedroom. Think about the type of space you want it to be. Sleep, Romance, Sanctuary, etc. Visualize how you would like the room to look. Visualize yourself and your family being healed, comforted, and blessed when they use the space. Light your candle and say a prayer to the Deity you want to work with. Ask for their blessing on your work and your bathroom
- Go to the area you've chosen to work on. This might be the bed, dresser, desk, bookshelf, or side-tables. (Just pick ONE area at a time! Take everything out. Wipe down the surface, visualizing that it is not only physically cleaned, but energetically cleaned. Then pick up each item you took out. Ask the following; *Do I need this? *Do I actually use this? *Does it promote the energy that I want in this space? Does it make me feel good when I see it? If your answer to any of these questions is NO - you can either throw it away, donate it, or put it aside to be put somewhere else. (If it is something you need and use, but doesn't belong in the bedroom you can keep it but it needs to be "rehomed" to a more appropriate area)
- Put back neatly the things you are keeping. Take the throw-away items to the trash. Put items that need to be put away somewhere else in a small box and take them out of the bedroom.
- Feel gratitude! Thank yourself for releasing things you don't need! Thank yourself for taking the time to cleanse this space and dedicate it to becoming an area of Sanctuary. You may choose to smudge with sage or a blessing incense. Thank whatever Deity you worked with for their blessing on the area.
- Dedicate yourself to keeping that area clutter-free. Maybe once a week you can take 15 minutes to quickly look through your bedroom and make sure that only the things that belong there are there. Pick one day as a "bedroom rescue" day - say Mondays - and make a reminder to yourself to simply bless and maintain this area once a week. OR you might choose to do a quick "sweep" every morning. Since you wake up in your bedroom every morning to get ready for your day - why not just take an extra minute or two while you're in there to keep things clear and make sure clutter doesn't build up. Same for the evenings - part of your bedtime routine can be just a couple minutes to pick up / neaten your bedroom again before you go to sleep.
Overwhelmed?
Need some missions to help you get started? Sometimes if a room is particularly cluttered it can be overwhelming to think about cleaning it up. Here are a few missions from FlyLady.net to get you started.
Mission # 1 - Clean Out Under Your Bed! Go on, pull everything out! Chances are, there's a lot under there you didn't realize was there! You may find something you had lost! Throw away any trash, put things where they belong. You'll feel a difference in the room once this is done!
Mission # 2 - Organize your sock drawer. Get rid of socks that don't have mates, underwear that is old and worn out, or things that don't fit. Get rid of anything that may have been hastily put in the drawer, put it away or get rid of it! This is a simple task but you'll feel better when you can just reach in the drawer and grab the socks or underwear you want without digging around!
Mission # 3 - Dust! Get a washcloth or a duster and get those "up high" places around your room. Shelves, windowsills, and the tops of dust frames. Don't obsess, just quickly wipe away any dust that has gathered!
Mission # 4 - Clear off the tops of the nightstands or bedside tables. Put away books you aren't reading, throw away those old tissues, water bottles, or candy wrappers! It will make a huge difference to have a flat surface next to your bed that only has a few things on it! A lamp, a book, a crystal or gemstone, or a framed photograph of family/loved ones.
Mission # 5 - Clear off the top of your dresser or desk. Same as the bedside table, a flat surface with a few intentionally placed items will make the space so much more inviting! Get a bowl or jewelry box for your jewelry instead of just having it dumped on the dresser. Have a plate for your keys and change from your pockets. Place a few items that make you feel happy and safe and promote the energy of your bedroom - then put everything else away!
After you've done those 5 missions, you might feel brave enough to begin working on the hidden areas - like inside the dresser drawers! The closet? The desk drawers? Yeah there are plenty of hidden places in our bedrooms holding clutter. Don't worry about getting it all done in a week! Just work on a little at a time, when you have time and feel up to it.
Good Luck!
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