January 5, 2015January 6, 2015 by Mo Marshall

What is your environment telling you?

I’m a huge believer that your environment is a reflection of your psyche. I’m often taking a glimpse of my environment to give me feedback on what is really going on energetically.

Try it. Look at your environment right now. What do you see? This is your energy. This is what you give off energetically to the world and attract. While I asked myself this very question the other day, I found myself looking at the obvious – my petite Manhattan apartment. It was giving me instant feedback on how balanced I was after spending all morning cleaning and tidying up. Saturday mornings for me are always my clean up day. I get up, walk and feed the dog. Then, I walk a few blocks to the bakery and grab a chocolate croissant and a tea latte. As soon as I get back to my apartment, off to cleaning I go. I actually enjoy it. It’s like a workout and by end of day, my life from the week before is back on reset. However, this Sunday after I thought I did a really thorough cleaning of my apartment the day before I looked a little further at my surroundings and for some reason my focus landed on my only plant in my apartment. Yes, my only plant. This plant has been through the trenches with me. It’s called a snake plant or Mother-in-laws Tongue plant, named after it’s thick, hearty straight leaves that stand tall like a column. This plant is more than 10 years old and has been in three different apartments with me, even a 2 month bout in a dark storage space couldn’t kill this thing. Apparently, the plant just thought it was in hibernation for 2 months.

I live in an apartment with abundant light all year long, so it’s ideal for plants to flourish. When I focused in on my plant, I almost didn’t recognize it. I said to myself, oh dear, how could I have neglected this little guy who has been so loyally a sign of life to me? There were dead dried up leaves in with the green ones, the leaves that are usually stiffly upright we are falling over the edges of the pot. I immediately sighed- talk about my environment being a reflection of myself. How telling.

I am one to neglect my own personal life for work. I always have and I felt it this last spring when I was told I caught mono (which is very unusual for a someone in their 30s). So, until the end of the summer I was doing my best to get my immune system back in shape and feel strong again, but feeling strong again did not just mean physically. It meant getting back to my life, having a personal life that I neglected for months in lieu of a very demanding job. I had put my personal needs aside for everyone else’s and it resulted in being physically tired and my immune system had weakened to the point that it couldn’t fight off picking up this virus. I was giving beyond what allowed me to remain balanced. The plant was very clearly telling me I had dried up things that need to be tended to and brought back to life and there were also old habits or ideas that died in me that I was happy to release. It ultimately reminded me that I have to be sure to nurture myself every day. After I picked out the dead leaves, tilled the soil and gave it some water I put it in a new spot in my apartment. Every morning I open the drape of the window it sits in so it gets the first light of the sun and I talk to it. I will nurse this plant back to health just like I am brining and nursing myself back to wholeness and balance. I neglected my personal needs just like I neglected my plant. My little plant taught me to really slow down in the moment and really look at what is right in front of you and that nothing is more urgent than your self care and balance. So, I am making sure I sleep more and that I’m not answering work emails all hours of the day and night seven days a week. Despite the fact that I walk a good bit around the city, I also make time to take a Pilates class or play tennis because these are big stress relievers for me. Night time and weekend time is for me so I can be my best self and if I don’t insist that it is, the universe will be sure to tell me so.

What surrounds you every day? Is it a loving atmosphere, are you positive to those around you and do you feel positive around them? What about your “things”- Are they half put away or half completed? Are there piles of things to get done? Are your floors swept and shelves dusted? What’s in your refrigerator and cabinets? Are they nourishing, life force foods? Are things orderly and in place? Is your environment one that is welcoming and calm that fosters good energy because we all deserve this. Do you need help with your projects in order to finish them? Can a spouse or friend help you clean up the energy of unfinished business so you have a fresh place to start from? Is all in order as this new year approaches? If so, that’s awesome. Keep the good energy going. If not, look around you and keep listening and looking until your environment tells you things have changed for the better. You will know because it will literally transform before your eyes.