Day 95 - A Year to Clear - The Sixty-Second Round Up

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Lesson 95: The Sixty-Second Round Up

Stephanie Bennett Vogt’s sixty second round up is very much focusing on an activity every day for a week for just one minute. Choosing a spot that needs some work or is heavily cluttered, spending one minute in it and noticing the energy lift as you start clearing.

I think I started this activity without even realising. Well…. I had people coming over and I wanted my place a bit tidier than normal. What I did focus on was a bunch of bags that was full of stationary, nail polish and old moisturisers that needed to be rid of. I actually got through a lot by throwing away what should have gone, put aside some items for my friend’s daughter and made the space open up. What I really want to do is place some nice plants in the free space so there is more life in my apartment.

The activity should be fun and I think spending a minute a day will really open yourself up to being more happier because there is progress at play.

Day 94 - A Year to Clear - You Don't Have to Be a Minimalist

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Lesson 94: You Don't Have to Be a Minimalist

“- Things look a lot worse when they’re spread out all over the place and haven’t yet been put away.

- You don’t have to be a minimalist for your space to feel clear.

- A space feels good when your things make your heart sing, add value, and are placed with intention.

- Things without a “home” are clutter.”

— Stephanie Bennett Vogt

The basic truth’s from Stephanie when it comes to clearing. They all make sense and I think the one that really stood out for me was when things are spread out, it looks a lot worse. I think that’s where I can get overwhelmed and procrastinate to do something. When there is crap everywhere, the last thing I want to do is sort through it but I have been telling myself “just step by step”. I think when you do find a home for everything, the space will feel right. I am still working on this and really have set myself the goal of the end of the year to really achieve the home I want. And, I am trying to be minimalist for my own wellbeing and environmental impact. I don’t really buy possessions or clothing anymore because of my own personal choice and I think it enhances to the clearing experience. This is obviously just my own experience in trying to live a better version of myself. I think the only possessions I want to add to my space is plants, but that’s more to bring some life into the space. Rid myself of that which does not serve me and move onto those that do.

Day 94 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - There is Often Resistance...

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Lesson 94: There is Often Resistance...

Today’s lesson is about the resistance we will feel with the concept of there being no forgiveness. In the last post, I definitely struggled with it because I believe both can exist. I get the whole idea that we should do away with the idea of placing a human above another, and essentially that is what forgiveness entails. For me, I believe there are situations where you do need to get power back from people who have had it over you though and vice versa.

Today there will be someone who crosses your path in a negative way and instead of applying forgiveness, we should hold compassion for them and take it a step further and hold compassion for yourself.

I had a pretty positive day. I didn’t do much and ended the day meeting my friends parents over dinner. The only thing that kind of weirded me out was I was in a store looking at books and the sale clerk is staring at me. I could see him staring at me through the corner of my eye, so I look up and say hello. Imagine a pillar that has shelves on each side and I was walking around said pillar looking at book options. Anyway, so I’m walking around this pillar shelf and this guy continues to stare at me so I go to another wall to be out of the line of sight. Then this guy was then following me around each wall and staring so I decide to leave. I felt uncomfortable. If you want to talk to me, just do it rather than coming across as creepy.

This is the only “negative” thing that happened today and I don’t even classify it as being negative really. It was just something odd that happened. I am applying compassion in the sense of that I hope that this guy gains the confidence he needs to engage with people rather than just staring from afar. For all I know, he may have been attracted to me but didn’t know how to approach it. I apply compassion for him in this sense. The compassion I apply for myself is automatically thinking this person as creepy. I judged the situation based on my own feeling of being uncomfortable rather than taking s moment of understanding.

How did you go with this exercise?

Day 93 - A Year to Clear - Pins and Needles

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Lesson 93: Pins and Needles

“What you may experience are the pins and needles of waking up after holding on for an entire lifetime.—Your Spacious Self”

— Stephanie Bennett Vogt

We all have extremely good days where we’re buzzing with energy and others days where we all flat. This goes the same with the clearing process. We may feel clearer and less clear. Today is about recognising “growing pains” that have been coming up lately and if we can name them without judgement.

I think I am struggling with this lesson in general. I’m trying to read it and it’s just not sinking in. I know I am to recognise what’s been a pain for me on the clearing journey so far, but I can’t really think of something that is growing also. All I can recognise is what I’ve kind of always had all along and it’s the laziness and the procrastination I can sometimes have on tasks, but after I do them, I feel so much better. I think for me it’s getting started that can be the actual problem ,so that comes back to motivation. I think sometimes over thinking it can come into play, so I just need to just really let go. Still learning so hopefully by the end of the year, I’ll actually “get it”.

Day 93 - A Year of Spiritual Awakening - There is No Forgiveness...

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Lesson 93: There is No Forgiveness...

Today’s concept may ruffle some feathers – “there is no forgiveness”. We are learning to accept our second passage of the heart which is compassion so rather than take on forgiveness, we should use compassion instead. The idea of forgiveness means we hold a power over another or them over us, though by taking the approach of compassion, we may see the differences in how we use our energy. Today we are to hold another person we have deemed that we were wronged, hurt or betrayed by, with compassion, rather than applying forgiveness. See how you feel when you take this different approach.

I am kind of 50/50 on this. I think when you have been wronged quite badly, both forgiveness and compassion can be applied. I think applying compassion is definitely a good mentality to have. It’s not something I had ever thought about until I started doing this course. I applied compassion to my mother’s ex-boyfriend who said some hurtful things to me. I know I have abundance in my life where he may be lacking. So even though what he said hurt me at the time, I could only apply compassion now after some reflection. Some would say I forgive him because I definitely felt hurt. It’s only now as an adult, that I can apply compassion. If you had asked me to apply compassion as a teenager, I would have probably old you to fuck off because I was hurt and my feelings needed to be validated. It’s only upon some self-awareness and reflection, you could even say becoming wiser, that I can apply compassion for this person.

It’s a tough one today. A lot of the message is that forgiveness has no use to you, but I am in 50/50 agreement and disagreement. I think we hold the power of forgiveness when people hold power over us with the bad things they did to us. If anything, we’ve given power over to others when they’ve wronged us and they win by making us feel down and hurt. I think it’s important to gain our power back, in our own ways, in order to forgive and apply compassion to those, even when they don’t necessarily deserve it. I think it’s tough in itself to apply compassion but it does open us up to be more peaceful.

I’ll leave this with you to ponder on….