Spring is a great time for some spiritual house cleaning | Voices of Faith
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
—Psalm 51
Spring is my favorite season. I look forward to the cold, snow, and ice giving way to sunshine, warm days, and the first green leaves poking up from the earth. As the cleansing rain washes away the debris and clutter of the winter, I’m ready to be outdoors more and to open the windows to let the rich smell of fresh air fill the house. I also take part in a common practice for many people this time of year- spring cleaning. It comes from the times when homes were heated by fires and lit by oil lamps. The house was kept tightly closed up during the winter to keep the warmth in. Spring became a time to clean out the soot and grime that accumulated. Although we may not use oil lamps or heat our homes with wood fires, cleaning house is a great way to say goodbye to winter and welcome the spring.
I also take time each spring to do some spiritual house cleaning. It’s a good practice for any time of the year, but I think it’s especially meaningful in the spring with the season’s invitation of rebirth and renewal. Spiritual spring cleaning is a tradition in many cultures. For the Chinese, spring is a time to get rid of not only physical clutter, but also clear the mind of any regrets and mistakes. In Jewish culture, Passover, which falls in Springtime, is one of the most important holidays and is preceded by a thorough cleaning of the home. When the Hebrews fled Egypt, they had to leave so quickly that there was no time for their bread to rise. As a memorial of their journey to freedom, leavened food, chametz, is not allowed in Jewish homes during Passover. A thorough house cleaning ensures that no food or drink made with yeast, even the smallest crumb, remains.
For Christians, Lent (Lent actually means “spring”) is a time of soul-searching, of reflection, of fasting, which is to rest or take a break from things that create imbalance or excess, all of which prepare the spirit for the renewal and joy of Easter.
For Muslims, Ramadan, a month of renewing their relationship with Allah, is preceded by cleaning the house and giving things away to others in need. One writer said: “Ramadan is like hitting the reset button on your soul.” In Thailand, the Songkran festival in April marks the beginning of the Thai new year. Water is an important symbol during Songkran because it represents washing away the old year and anticipates rainfall for the coming season. During the festival, people throw water at each other. The Persian New Year – Nowruz– occurs on March 21st. Part of the celebration includes ‘shaking the house’ or khooneh takouni. Iranians thoroughly clean their homes over a two-week period and then new clothes are worn to symbolize a new start. All of these traditions serve the important role of reminding us to care for our spiritual self on a regular basis.
As spring arrives and we’re cleaning the house, what about taking a Marie Kondo approach and clearing out some clutter in our emotional and spiritual lives? We accumulate worries, anger, resentments, and other burdens that prevent us from experiencing joy and fullness of life. Are there habits or behaviors we need to let go of that are harmful to ourselves or others? Is there forgiveness we need to offer or to seek
out from others? Are there beliefs or spiritual practices that no longer serve us well? In the busy-ness of our lives, perhaps we’ve forgotten our deepest purpose in living or lost touch with what we hold to be of ultimate meaning: the sacred, God, Life, the Universe, wherever it is that we find strength and hope for living. Spring can be an opportunity to reconnect with the Ultimate, renew our spirits, and open ourselves to the gifts that this season offers.
May spring be a time of blessing, joy and renewal for you.
The Rev. Steven Protzman is a religious naturalist humanist and the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, a congregation whose mission is to inspire love, seek justice, and grow in community.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Voices of Faith: It's time for some spring spiritual house cleaning
