Spring Clean Your Attachments

I am on a 6 month retreat. . .  in Downtown Cotati! That might sound strange, but it’s ideal for me. I need to stay close to Songbird, and my 5 minute walk is the perfect distance for me. I also need private time to focus on visioning, manifesting, and creating, which I was having difficulty finding at my house. My retreat allows my boyfriend Allen to more easily handle his pressing family issues and our desired house remodel. Making this retreat happen required releasing my attachments to what a retreat should look like, what a long term relationship should look like, and what I can manifest.

For a long time, I have felt the need for a retreat like I took when I spent 2 months in Damanhur, Italy seven years ago. That’s when I got the clarity to keep Songbird open. I’m too involved with Songbird and Stones Throw to be able to do that now so this is a great alternative.

At first I was unable to imagine taking a retreat or vacation close to home. I was picturing it as moving and renting. It seemed ridiculous to get a second place in the town where I live! I had to let go of my belief that a retreat had to be far away. I also had to let go of my belief that it cost too much and see it as an investment in my dreams. Once I made these changes and let go of my attachment to finding a place, the perfect home appeared, even though I didn’t believe it existed. I was offered it on the spot with no application or credit check.

I’m now living in a small furnished studio cottage. It was once a two-car detached garage, but has been beautifully remodeled into an ecofriendly home. The cottage is on a quiet street behind the main house. I have a small private yard and a koi pond in my front yard (the landlady’s backyard). Since I am the first one to live here, everything is new and I don’t have to deal with the energy of past tenants.

Because my cottage is furnished and all utilities are included, the move was simple – just a few hours. I didn’t have to strip apart our house or set up new utility accounts. Because it is close by, I am keeping my mailing address and can easily get what I need whenever I need it.

Along with moving, I’m getting to see how many things I have in my house that I don’t need or use. I’m feeling great freedom in stepping away from all the stuff I have accumulated over the years. There are many things that I might decide to get rid of during the course of this retreat. When I moved a couple years ago, it was easier to just move everything than sort through it.

I am also getting to see what was important to bring with me – various altar items, tarot cards, and books were high on the list. I also brought a small bookshelf, since there wasn’t one, and a desk for my computer. In a small place, there isn’t room for much, and there is less room for clutter to accumulate.

While it might seem that living apart from Allen means the relationship is weakening, instead it is strengthening our bond. The time apart allows us to better focus on how we want to prioritize our time both individually and together.  We can examine the many routines we had formed and see which ones were serving us and which ones were not. It’s easier to change them when we aren’t caught up in them.

I’m glad I took the plunge of letting our relationship flow instead of having to fit it into a traditional mold. I’m grateful for this time to spring clean my attachments to what my life and our life has to look like. I’m excited to see what unfolds next.

What’s going on in your life that you need to spring clean? Is it inner or outer attachments? Is it your body? Is it your environment? Come celebrate spring cleaning month with us as we help you clean out what you need to release.