Out with the old to make room for the new

Recycling is more than just using renewable resources to reduce waste. It is also the act of repurposing, reusing and releasing things that no longer serve us to make room for something new in our lives. Whether we are clearing clutter from closets, redecorating, or completely reinventing who we are as a person, it all starts with letting something go.

AYM advocates Earth-based spiritual philosophies and honoring “the old ways”. We recognize that this is the time of Winter Solstice and Waboose, the Great White Buffalo.  The lessons for this season are of death and rebirth, the “great giveaway”. It is a time to share what we have learned as elders, and a time to make preparations for new growth. It is the season we make plans for the coming year or compose New Year resolutions. Often this involves replacing an old habit with something better such as healthy diet, exercise or taking time for self-care.

This weekend I went thrift shopping with my mom. She is a big fan of “retail therapy” and loves the little treasures that she can find at second-hand stores. During our hunt, we had a wonderful conversation about the beauty of finding something that someone had once cherished and released for someone new to love. She found a beautiful hand carved entertainment center for her new house. We just stood there for the longest time commenting on how grateful we were that someone donated it and how it energetically felt so different from the mass production cabinet beside it. No doubt, this particular piece had been loved and it was palpable.

Animism is the belief that all things have a Spirit, including objects, places, and phenomena. Are there things in your life that you are clinging to that no longer serve you? Just like human relationships, we can grow tired of the things we surround ourselves with, take them for granted or no longer have a use for them in our lives. This is a great time to take inventory. If there are things that no longer bringing us joy, it may be time to release them to make room for things that do. This goes for bad relationships, beliefs or many other things in our lives. Winter is the perfect season to release and make room for the new.

What will you make room for this year?