Spiritual Cleansing 1: Posessions

This ritual or activity is a combination of physical and spiritual cleansing. We practice it often, especially before rituals where lots of gifts will be making their way into the house. Not only do we then have a clean and neat space to have the ritual, we have room for the new posessions. The old ones have been discarded, recycled, or handed down.

Welcoming the Child - Cleansing
For us and our soon-to-be child, this meant going through clothes and toys and making 2 piles: things that fit and things that are outgrown. The outgrown pile can be saved for younger siblings or cousins, or donated to others (we give the toys to our daycare center). The ultimate disposal of the shed possessions should be the child's decision.

As a side note, I have plans for her favorite baby clothes that neither she nor I can bear to part with (but it's a surprise).

Pre-Sabbat Cleaning
Anyone with children knows how much time and effort can be spent keeping living space orderly and clean. I freely admit that I am not someone who enjoys housework or picking up after my own self, much less anyone else. So my house is not the neatest on the block. I would fail random inspections by the dust police or the toy squad.

One thing that I like about having a major solar holiday once every six weeks is that it encourages me to clean the house both physically and psychically on a regular basis.

Next time: How to turn cleaning the house into a meaningful, spiritual activity (Trust me, as soon as I figure out HOW to do that, I'll let you know!!)