Zima kao period (pro)čišćenja

Za nekoliko dana (1./2. veljače tradicionalno, a 4. veljače astronomski) obilježit ćemo Imbolc - sredinu zime. Prije nekoliko dana sam napravila izlet u prirodu i time se počastila danom odmora usred vrlo aktivnog perioda svog života. Izlet mi je samo potvrdio opće stanje u kojem mi se čini da se ne nalazim samo ja, već i mnoštvo ljudi oko mene. To je stanje zimskog sna, ili bolje rečeno zimske pasivnosti.

Promatrajući prirodu, to se stanje vrlo lako primijeti u suhom tlu, golim hranama drveća, magli koja se pruža iznad rijeka i u našem vidljivom dahu u zraku. Zima je sama po sebi pasivan period kada i ljudi i životinje osjećaju potrebu za snom i kada prevladava svojevrsna letargija. Ali to je sasvim prirodno. Ali Imbolc nas podsjeća da se moramo pomalo početi buditi, motivirati se da izađemo iz kreveta (bio on stvaran, ili metaforički) i pokrenuti.

Usred te hladne prirode u kojoj smo se nalazili gdje smo vidjeli svugdje samo gole, otpale grane, ispucano tlo, maglu, mirisali vlagu i mahovinu i čuli samo tišinu, pojavio se jedan mali crvendać - ta prekrasna, preslatka mala ptica koja nam je nagovijestila proljeće. Zaista, jedan od simbola Imbolca jest crvendać koji u ovo vrijeme kada se počinje topiti snijeg (makar ga u mom podneblju baš i nema) prestaje jesti bobice i počinje tragati za kukcima skrivenima u tlu. Unio nam je tračak boje u zimsko sivilo. U ovom smislu se crvendać ubraja u mnoštvo nagovjestitelja proljeća.

Zanimljivo je da sam išla u prirodu s ciljem otpuštanja određenih emocija, odnosno odbacivanja suvišnog i prizivanja novog. Međutim, tada sam bila u potpunosti smetnula s uma da je i to jedna od praksi za Imbolc. Odnosno, ključna riječ za Imbolc je pročišćenje. Potrebno je pročistiti sebe, svoju okolinu, pa ponekad i fizički je očistiti kako bismo se lišili bespotrebnog tereta u životu i bili spremni za aktivni dio godine koji slijedi. Često ne idemo za tim koliko se toga može nagomilati u nama i oko nas; koliko nas sve to guši i sputava u životu. Ponekad su uzrok ovoga ljudi koji sišu našu energiju, koji nas umaraju. Ponekad su to problemi koji su jednostavno tu, našom zaslugom ili ne. Ponekad su to emocije koje nas sprječavaju u daljnjem duhovnom i mentalnom rastu. Imbolc (odnosno period oko njega), pa i sam imbolski ritual služi upravo za odbacivanje svega onoga što nas uništava i guši.

Sve ovo se radi s ciljem pročišćenja i spremanja za idući period koji će početi s Ostarom u ožujku. Iz poljoprivrednog aspekta, već se za Imbolc siju neke sjemenke (zbog čega ih se redovito blagoslivlja u sklopu rituala), makar s Ostarom, s pravim početkom proljeća, kreće sjetva u punom smislu riječi. Iz duhovnog/emocionalnog aspekta, za Imbolc se treba pripremiti teren za "sijanje" novih ideja. To podrazumijeva čišćenje ovog terena, "rahljenje emocionalne zemlje" i njegovanje sjemenki (ideja, određenih karakteristike, individualne osobnosti, emocija, samopouzdanja itd.). Nije dovoljno samo posaditi sjemenku da ona počne rasti. Prije toga su potrebne brojne pripreme koje uključuju pružanje ljubavi toj sjemenki i njegovanje tla u koje će ju se posijati. Vjerujem da možete dalje sami primijeniti ovu metaforu. Svakako, jedan od običaja za Imbolc je pretproljetno čišćenje (koje se najčešće obavlja dan prije Imbolca, tj. 31. siječnja ove godine), kako doma, tako i osobnog identiteta.

Čišćenje samo po sebi otvara prostor za novine, a time i za blagostanje i plodnost. Voljela bih vas potaknuti da za ovaj Imbolc počastite sebe i olakšate sebi životne terete. Napravite jedno "dubinsko čišćenje" - očistite vaš automobil i dom temeljito, operite podove, usišite tepihe, protresite ih i prozračite vani, nemojte zaboraviti usisati i obrisati prašinu u onim skrivenim kutovima koje inače preskaćete. Pregledajte ormare, ladice, police, frižider, vidite treba li se što baciti (hrana kojoj je istekao rok trajanja, poderana odjeća, iznošene cipele, gomile papire, starih časopisa, suvišnih predmeta koji nikada ne koristite itd.). Nemojte se ustručavati. Svi imamo tendenciju ostavljati stvari sa strane jer "tko zna kad će mi zatrebati". Ako ne zadržavamo nešto jer će nam zaista trebati, onda to radimo iz neke druge, nutarnje potrebe. Svatko za sebe jedino može odrediti koji je to prikriveni motiv.

Kada ja krenem čistiti po kući, zaista to radim temeljito - pročešljam svaku policu, svaki kutak prostorije i mahnito bacam sve što mi ne treba. Evo nekoliko načela kojih se obično držim prilikom čišćenja:

• Napravim četiri hrpe: "prodati", "baciti", "reciklirati", i "pokloniti/donirati" (nekoj specifičnoj osobi, u neku udrugu, knjižnicu, dom, i sl.). Ako predmet ne spada u nijednu od ovih kategorija, to znači da ga mogu zadržati i da mi je potreban/da ga se zaista ne želim riješiti.
• Ne treba se apsolutno sve baciti. Ponekad ćete htjeti zadržati neku sitnicu jer za vas ima jaku sentimentalnu vrijednost, ali se ne treba pretjerivati. U redu je zadržati nekoliko fotografija, ili jedan-dva predmeta, ali pedeset nikako. Sentimentalnost je jedno, a zaostajanje u prošlosti drugo. Iz istog razloga je dobro bacati stvari ih neuspjelih veza.
• Bacam (uvjetno rečeno; može ih se pokloniti/prodati itd.) stvari koje nisam koristila duže od godinu dana i za koje ne vidim kada bi ih/kako u sljedećih pola godine mogla koristiti. 
• Rješavam se stvari koje bude loše uspomene, koje mi zaista nisu drage.
• U smeće sa stvarima kojima je "istekao rok" - pokvarenu hranu/piće, poderane, razbijene, istrošene predmete koje se ne isplati/ne može popraviti, ili prenamijeniti na neki praktičan način.
• Bacam nedovršene stvari. Ako ih niste završili u dugom roku i ako ih ne planirate dovršavati, ne trebate se zavaravati (pogotovo ako se nađete u situaciji da govorite: "Joj, zaboravio/la sam na ovo!").
• Kod čišćenja ormara, bacati ono što se više ne može nositi (jer je preveliko/premalo/iznošeno/pokidano/nemoguće oprati/jer loše stoji itd.). Ako se neke hlače može suziti, nosim ih isti/idući dan na prekrajanje, a ako im nema spasa onda odmah "bacam". Nije potrebno zadržavati stvari koje su nam premale, koje smo prerasli i koje bismo mogli opet u nekoj budućnosti htjeti nositi. Takve stvari nas zadržavaju u prošlosti u kojoj smo bili mršaviji, bili u drugoj životnoj fazi itd. Nepotrebno je vraćati se unatrag. Potrebno je gledati budućnost. Nemojte zaboraviti baciti i iznošeno, staro donje rublje i čarape kojima nedostaje par!
• Ako im ne vidim svrhu, bacam! Stvari koje sam nekoć dobila/kupila i nikad nisam koristila (ili sam jednom koristila/obukla i s kojima nisam bila zadovoljna) i kojima više jednostavno ne vidim svrhu uvijek bacam. To mogu biti uređaji, knjige, komadi odjeće/obuće, ukrasi itd.
• Temeljito pregledati papire! Bacam sve stare papire, novine, časopise, nagomilane račune, uplatnice itd. Ovo je užasno zamoran posao jer je potrebno puno toga temeljito pročešljati. Papiri, stare teke, časopisi i slično bez mnogo razmišljanja idu u kantu za reciklažu. Međutim, račune i slične bitnije dokumente je potrebno bolje pregledati. Osobno bacam sve račune za predmete koje više ne mogu vratiti, za predmete kojima je istekla garancija i za one s kojima sam zadovoljna i koje ne planiram reklamirati. Nakon toga bacam sve račune/uplatnice i sl. koji su stariji od godinu dana. Kada sam sve to sortirala na dvije hrpe ("baciti" i "zadržati"), uredno slažem u fascikle, registratore, ili na neki drugi sistem sve one papire koje moram zadržati i razvijam sistem za organizaciju (uglavnom to bude po nekim životnim područjima/obvezama poput "banka", "škola", "posao", "režije" itd. i unutar ovih kategorija organiziram papire prema starosti).
• Ukrasi, ili nepotreban kič? Uvijek bacam stare ukrase i druge nepraktične predmete koji mi nisu nikakva uspomena i koje sam zadržala "eto, da bih ih zadržala". To su predmeti koji samo skupljaju prašinu, gomilaju se na policama i zagušuju dom.
• Ne smije se zaboraviti na kupatilo i police s lijekovima! Temeljito uvijek pregledam police u kupatilu i bacam sve lijekove kojima je prošao rok trajanja (što može biti vrlo opasno!).
• Nagomilana kozmetika je uvijek problem. Pregledam i kozmetiku pa bacam onu koja se više ne može koristiti (jer je ustajala, skamenila se, razvodnila, jer joj je prošao rok trajanja itd.). U kozmetiku ubrajam ne samo šminku poput ruževa za usta, sjenila i slično, već i sve kreme i druge preparate za kožu.
• Dobro je pregledati i torbu te džepove u jaknama (ili torbe kao što je slučaj kod većine žena). Ispraznite ih, po potrebi čak i usišite i bacajte sve što se nakupilo u njima, a što vam ne treba. Začudili biste se što se sve može naći unutra; od novca do komadića papira, starih maramica, zaboravljene kozmetike...
• Valja voditi računa o računalu! Smeće se može nakupiti i u virtualnom svijetu. Redovno čišćenje računala je uvijek najbolja opcija (kao što je to i u stvarnom životu), ali je teorija jedno, a praksa drugo. Kad čistim računalo, koristim tri programa: CCleaner, AVG antivirus i Defraggler. Istražite malo te programe pa ćete sami moći najbolje odrediti što će vam koristiti. Također je dobro u ovom periodu izbrisati s računala sve duple dokumente i one koji vam zaista nisu potrebni više i napraviti backup na nekom eksternom tvrdom disku, ili online (primjerice koristeći Google Drive, ili slične aplikacije).
• Ne smije se zaboraviti na one velike stvari poput čišćenja zavjesa (ovo je dobro napraviti jednom-dvaput godišnje jer dom odmah miriše i izgleda prozračnije), pranje prozora (što je užasno zamoran postao, ali jednako potreban kao i čišćenje zavjesa), čišćenja automobila (možete jednom godišnje izdvojiti novaca za dubinsko čišćenje, usisavanje itd.), pranja jastučnica (da, mislim i na one s jastuka na dvosjedu!) itd.

Sitne izmjene koje također volim napraviti u ovom periodu naprosto jer se mi se dom onda čini čišćim su sljedeće: promijeniti kuhinjsku spužvu, promijeniti posteljinu na svim krevetima, promijeniti četkicu za zube, uredno složiti plastične vrećice (držimo ih sve u jednoj ladici jer nam uvijek dobro dođu), promijeniti filter u usisivaču, baciti sve kemijske olovke/flomastere koji više ne rade (da, trebate jednu po jednu isprobati da biste provjerili), očistiti tipkovnicu od računala (prašina i masnoća se skupljaju između tipki) i popis se može nastaviti u nedogled.

Naravno, ne smijemo na kraju zaboraviti na sebe. Nema ništa ljepše i više opuštajuće od tople kupke/tuša nakon napornog dana čišćenja, zdravog i ukusnog jela i mirnog sna.

Svakako, popis koji sam navela poviše je, realno gledajući, predugačak. Dobro je ovo sve napraviti, ali je naravno i nemoguće u jednom danu. Period pretproljetnog čišćenja može trajati dosta dugo ovisno o tome koliko je toga potrebno očistiti i koliko smo toga spremni očistiti baš u tom trenutku. Zato ovaj proces možete započeti 31. siječnja, a pomalo provoditi sve do Ostare.

Međutim, čišćenje vanjštine je najlakši dio posla. Mnogo duže traje duhovno i emocionalno čišćenje s kojim se može započeti na imbolskom ritualu. Neki će možda već znati čega se žele osloboditi u ovom periodu, a neki će iskoristiti priliku za dobivanje spoznaja o ovome. No, i kada spoznamo čega se točno želimo riješiti, ponekad nije dovoljno znati tu golu činjenicu već i dublje istražiti njezine korijene. Ako je riječ o emocijama, o obrascima ponašanja, ili lošim navikama, odbacivanjem te jedne "činjenice" (emocije/obrasca/navike) ćemo samo ukloniti simptom, ali ne i njegov uzrok. Tada započinje pravi individualni rast i duhovni napredak. 

Voljela bih vas potaknuti ovim postom da radite na sebi, na napretku vlastitog života i osobnosti te objasniti na koje načine se paganski sabati mogu praktično ukomponirati u svakodnevni život. U nadi da ćete primijeniti neke moje savjete, ili ih pak preispitati i kroz to naći neki drugi put koji vama odgovara, pozdravljam vas i šaljem imbolske blagoslove!

Vaša Witch's Cat

Winter as a Time of Clean(s)ing

In a few days (on February 1/2 traditionally, or astronomically on February 4) we will be celebrating Imbolc - the midpoint of winter. A few days ago, I went on an outing and treated myself to a day of relaxation during this very active period of my life. The outing itself just confirmed the general state which seemed to me that not only I, but many people around me were also in. The state I am talking about is that of hibernation, or better put winter passivity.

Watching nature, it is very easy to notice this same state in the dry ground, naked tree branches, the fog stretching out over the rivers and in our visible breath in the air. Winter is in itself a passive period what both humans and animals feel the need to sleep and when a kind of lethargy prevails. But that's completely natural. Although, Imbolc reminds us that we have to slowly awaken, motivate ourselves to get out of bed (be it actual or metaphorical) and get moving.

In the midst of this cold natural world in which we found ourselves where we could see only naked, fallen branches, cracked earth, fog, where the smell of dampness and moss dominated and only silence could be heard, there came to us a small robin - that wonderful, cute little bird that was our first hint of spring. And truly, once of the symbols of Imbolc is the red-breasted robin who, at this time of year when the snow starts to melt (even though there isn't much snow where I live), stops living on berries and starts searching for insects hidden in the soil. He brought to us a ray of flash of color in the middle of the gray winter landscape. In this sense, the robin is one of the many indicators of spring.

It's interesting that I went on this outing with the aim of releasing certain emotions, or rather discarding the redundant and welcoming the new. However, at the time, I had completely forgotten that this is also one of the traditions of Imbolc. That is to say, the lite motif of Imbolc is cleansing. It is necessary to cleanse oneself, one's surroundings and even physically clean up in order to get rid of the unnecessary burdens in life and get ready for the active part of the year that is to come. We often don't take account of how many things accumulate in us and around us; how much all of this suffocates us and fetters us in life. The causes of this can be various. Sometimes it's people who suck out our energy; who tire us out. Sometimes it's problems that are simply there, thanks to us or not. Sometimes it's emotions which prevent us from further spiritual and mental growth. Imbolc (or rather the period around it) and the Imbolc ritual itself are there precisely for this reprobation of everything that is wasting and suffocating us.

All of this is done with the aim of cleansing and getting ready for the oncoming period which begins with Ostara in March. From the agricultural viewpoint, some seeds are already planted at Imbolc (which is why seed blessings are often a part of the Imbolc ritual), albeit the actual sowing season begins at Ostara. For a spiritual/emotional aspect, it is a good idea to prepare the terrain for the "sowing" of new ideas. This means cleaning the terrain, "loosening the emotional earth" and nurturing our seeds (ideas, certain characteristics, individual personalities, emotions, self-confidence etc.). It's not enough to simply plant a seed for it to grow. Many preparations need to be done before hand, such as offering love to the seed and nourishing the earth in which it will be planted. I believe you can further extend this metaphor yourselves. Anyway, one of the traditions of Imbolc is (pre-) spring cleaning of both the home and the individual identity. However, this is usually done on the eve of Imbolc, which falls on January 31 this year.

Cleaning automatically makes room for novelty and therefore also prosperity and fertility. I would like to prompt you to treat yourselves and relieve yourselves of some burdens life brings for this Sabbat. Do some "deep cleaning" - clean your car and home thoroughly, mop your floors, vacuum your rugs, shake and air them out, don't forget to vacuum and dust those hidden corners that you tend to skip usually. Check your closets, shelves, drawers, your fridge and see if there's anything that needs to be thrown away (food that's past its expiration date, ripped clothes, worn out shoes, heaps of papers and old magazines, useless objects that you never use and so on). Don't hesitate. We all have the tendency to leave things aside on the basis of "you never know when this could be useful". If you don't keep something because you will really need it, then you are doing this out of some other, intrinsic need. Nobody other than you yourself can determine what this ulterior motive is.

When I start cleaning around the house, I really am thorough - I go over every shelf, every corner in every room and crazily start throwing away everything I don't need. Here are some principles I usually stick to when cleaning:

• I form four heaps: "to sell", "to throw out", "for recycling" and "gifts/donations" (to a specific person, or a charity, library, home and so on). If the object at hand doesn't fall into any of these categories, then it means that I can keep it and that I either really need it or that I really don't want to get rid of it.
• You don't need to throw away absolutely everything. You may want to keep a little trifle because it may be of strong sentimental value to you, but you also shouldn't overdo this. It's OK to keep a few photographs, or one or two trinkets, but not fifty. Sentimentality is one thing, but arrestment in the past is another. It's a good idea to throw away things for past relationships for the same reason.
• I throw away things (so to speak; you can give them away/sell them etc.) that I haven't used in over a year and can't see myself using in the next six months.
• I get rid of things that bring back bad memories and which I really don't care for.
• Throw away things that have "expired" - rotten food/drinks gone bad, torn, broken, worn out things which are not worth fixing/cannot be fixed or reused in a different practical way.
• Throw away unfinished things. If you started this particular project a long time ago and still haven't finished it and if you don't plan on doing so, you don't need to kid yourself (especially if you find yourself saying: "Wow, I forgot about this!").
• When cleaning out your closet, throw away everything you can't wear anymore (because it's too big/too small/worn out/torn/uncleanable/looks bad on you etc.). If a pair of pants can be taken in a bit, take them to the seamstress to get fixed the same day, or the next at the latest. If they really can't be saved, then I just "throw them" away immediately. There's no need to keep things that are too small for us, that we have outgrown and that we may want to wear again in some distant future. These things keep us stuck in our past in which we were thinner, going through a phase and so on. There's not need to go back. It's better to look towards the future. Also, don't forget to throw away worn out, old underwear and odd socks.
• If I don't see a use for it, I throw it out! I always get rid of things that I once got as a present/bought and never used (or used/wore once and weren't satisfied with) and for which I simply don't see a use anymore. They can be appliances, books, clothes/shoes, decorations etc.
• Thoroughly go through papers! I always throw out old pieces of paper, newspapers, magazines, stacked up receipts, deposit slips and the like. This is an incredibly tiring task because you need to go through so many papers in detail. Papers, old notebooks, magazines and similar things end up in the recycling bin without too many questions being asked. However, receipts and similar more important documents need more detailed examination. I personally throw away receipts for things that I cannot return any longer, for things that are no longer under warranty and for those that I am satisfied with and don't plan on returning. After this, I throw about all the receipts/deposit slips etc. that are more than a year old. Once I have sorted these papers into two piles ("to throw out" and "to keep"), I neatly put away those which I need to keep in files, registrators or using some other filing system. I also develop an organizing system for these papers. Usually, I categorize them by the domain/obligation they are connected to, such as "bank", "school", "business", "bills" etc. and further file them by date.
• Decorations, or useless kitsch? I like to throw away old decorations and other impractical objects that don't remind me of anything in particular and which I keep "just for the sake of keeping". These objects just end up collecting dust on your shelves and suffocate your home.
• Don't forget your bathroom and medicine cabinets! I always have a detailed look at the cabinets and shelves in my bathroom and throw away all medicine that is past its expiration date (they really do present a health threat!).
• Piled up cosmetics are always a problem. This is why I go through my cosmetics and throw away anything that cannot be used any more (because it's just gotten old, too hard, too watered down, past its expiration date etc.). By the way, when I say "cosmetics", I'm not only referring to lipstick, eye shadows etc., but also to creams and any other skin-related products you might have.
• Check your jacket pockets and bag (or bags as the case may be for most women). Completely empty them out, vacuum them if necessary and throw away everything that has piled up in them and that you don't need anymore. You would be surprised at what you can find there; from money, to stray bits of paper, old tissues, forgotten cosmetics and so on.
• Take care of your computer! Junk can pile up in the virtual world as well. Regularly cleaning your computer is always the best option (the same applies to real life), but theory is one thing and practice entirely another. When I clean my computer, I use the following programs: CCleaner, AVG antivirus and Defraggler. Research what these programs do; you'll be able to figure out which ones you will find useful. It's also a good idea to delete any duplicate documents or those that you really don't need anymore and make a backup on an external hard drive, or online (for example, using Google Drive or a similar application).
• You can't forget about the big things such as cleaning your curtains (this is best done once or twice a year because your  home instantly smells and looks more airy), cleaning your windows (which is extremely tiring but equally necessary as cleaning curtains), cleaning your car (you can put aside some extra money for deep cleaning and vacuuming your car once a year), cleaning your pillow cases (yes, I'm talking about the ones on your couch!) and so on.

The small changes that I also like to make in this period simply because they make my home feel more clean are the following: changing the sponge, changing all the bed sheets, throwing away my old tooth brush, neatly folding plastic bags (we keep them all in a drawer because they always come in handy), changing the vacuum filter, throwing away all pens that don't work anymore (yes, this means you have to check them one by one), cleaning the keyboard (dust and grease get between the keys) and the list can go on indefinitely.

Of course, we cannot forget about ourselves at the end of the day. There's nothing better than a relaxing shower/bath after a strenuous day of cleaning, followed by a healthy, tasty meal and a restful night's sleep.

Surely, the above list is realistically much too long. It's good to do all of these things, but it's of course impossible to do it all in one day. The period of (pre-) spring cleaning can last a long time depending on how much needs to be cleaned any how much we ourselves are ready to clean at that particular time. This is why the process can begin on January 31 and can slowly be carried out until Ostara.

However, cleaning the external is the easiest part. Spiritual and emotional cleaning, which can be begun at the Imbolc ritual, takes much longer. Some of us may already know what they want to get rid of, while others may decide to seize the opportunity to gain insight into this. But, even when we become aware of what exactly we want to get rid of, it's sometimes not enough to just know the bare fact. Sometimes we have to go deeper and look into its roots. If we are dealing with emotions, patterns of behavior or bad habits, we may only get rid of the symptom by discarding this one "fact" (emotion/pattern/habit), but perhaps not its cause as well. This is when real individual growth and spiritual development begin.

With this post, I would like to prompt you to work on yourselves, to improve the quality of your lives and personalities and to explain in what ways the Pagan Sabbats can be practically incorporated into everyday life. In hopes that you will apply some of my suggestions, or perhaps question them and in doing so find a different path that will better suit you, I wish you all the best and send you my Imbolc blessings!

Yours truly,

Witch's Cat