Life as devotional.

[2-26-21]

It began in my mug cabinet. A call to find my sacred aesthetic, to unearth the next layer of how I wanted to do life in beauty and integrity, with my family and partner. A lot of pressure to put on a mug cabinet.

The mug cabinet was so full the mugs were being stacked on top of each other, falling over, stuffed in. I had some mugs in another cabinet for 'back up.' Because my cup of decaf in the morning and then subsequent cups of tea all day long are my most favorite thing, it made sense why the calling for sacred began there.

Once you begin seeking devotion, the momentum builds. What began in the mug cabinet then became a kitchen make-over with open shelving and (someday) new counters. I painted the bottom cabinets black and the walls white. The paint continued into the living room and my studio and the room off the kitchen.

I've spent weeks covered in white paint (Ben Moore cloud white and stoneware) while making choices about what I loved, what fit my sacred aesthetic and what felt like it was part of our home or just taking up space. I've been mildly obsessed, I love a good obsession. I live for details; planter pots from Lithuania, vintage rugs from Turkey, sheepskin collections beginning when the kids were young.

We have taken easily 10 trips to the donation center. Each time it gets easier.

Here is my formula: sacred aesthetic, place, energy.

Sacred aesthetic is who you are now, what you love and what you value. I value beauty, handmade, things with a story, vintage, detail, small business. I love wood, baskets, clay, stone, texture, white walls. Who I am now is someone who wants space over stuff while still LOVING my treasures and collections. Who I am now is someone that is done hiding her past in boxes in the attic and mugs stuffed in a cabinet.

Who I am now is someone who saves up for the one thing she truly wants rather than wasting money over and over trying to find it on sale, cheaper, and never getting it right.

Your sacred aesthetic is a devotional to how you want to live, who you want to be. It is like the Pinterest board meets your values.

Place is all about your things having a home. If I love something it must find a home. This means every plant, rug, plate, picture, mirror, lamp, piece of paper, book. All of it. This changed the game for me. I was the person who just stuffed things in a basement or attic for later. Later. You know, later.

Later doesn't come. If I want it, it must have a home. I've got a long way to go to move through my past holding of stuff, but slowly I'm getting there.

Does this fit my sacred aesthetic? Does it have a home?

The last one is energy. My friend Melissa was going through her clothes and she found a final layer to this practice which was around the energy of the item. She asked herself if it was new energy or old energy. She was able to let go of things that held old energy.

This one has been vital for me in releasing things that hold memory. Clothes hold memory, books hold memory, pictures and art hold memory. I ask myself if it is new energy or old energy.

Do I still want this feeling or I am looking for different feelings? Am I holding onto something in a box tucked away because I have some shadow work to do from that time of my life? I might still love something that isn't giving me freedom to be who I am now. This isn't about something being old or new, it is the energy it gives off to you.

Does this fit my sacred aesthetic? Does it have a home? Is this new or old energy?

Three steps to unearthing you inside of your home. I've always known that changing the energy of a space by moving things around changes us. But this practice goes deeper, it is not just about moving and shifting but choosing, claiming and honoring.

Chaos in our home speaks to chaos inside of us. As we clear away and make our homes a sacred space, we open up. We deserve to feel a devotional life. Where does that begin for you?

I see you. I appreciate you. I adore you.