Spiritual spring cleaning: seven ways to heal.

• Position: Psychology

Spring finally has arrived. It is a time of renewal for Mother Nature, but also for mere mortals. When the weather gets warmer, we seem to find a built-in drive to de-junk basements, scrub windows, and dust doorsills. Go to it, urges intuitive healer Deborah King. Spring cleaning rituals get us into a positive state of mind, but do not stop with the physical world. Why not take the single-minded vigor with which you tackle cluttered closets and apply it to the soul?

"I am an advocate of what I call spiritual spring cleaning;' asserts King, founder of the nonprofit organization, Miracle Healings. "We all have issues that block the flow of spiritual energy and hinder our growth and happiness. Now is a good time of year to zero in on the spiritual bad habits you're living with and work to replace them with healthy new ones."

King offers the following spiritual spring cleaning tips:

Pinpoint your most distressing spiritual issues. Do you: live in a state of constant worry and anxiety; harbor anger and resentment toward a parent or spouse; obsessively re-live mistakes or traumas? Are you controlling and aggressive or, on the other end of the spectrum, passive and victimized? "It's not that hard to recognize spiritual debris," notes King. "Anything that makes us feel depressed or powerless or unbalanced--anything that blocks the free flow of spirit--can probably be put in that category. Identifying your trouble zones provides a focus for the work that is to come."

Ask a trusted friend to help identify trouble spots. Getting an outside perspective can work wonders. King suggests telling the chosen person: I am trying to become more self-aware so that I can work on my spiritual health. What issues do you notice that I exhibit? "Answers can vary wildly and what you hear might be the last thing you expect. Your friend might say something like, 'You have a lot of anger toward your husband' or 'I think you drink too much' or 'You're a workaholic' or 'Every other word out of your mouth is negative.' This is a tough exercise, but it will really help you take a look at 'you' from a different perspective."

Seek out a spiritual mentor. Do you know someone whose spiritual health you admire, an individual who seems centered, balanced, happy, and at peace? If so, make a conscious effort to spend time with this person. Notice how this individual weathers the storms of life. Imagine yourself in his or her shoes: How would you react if: your mother died; you lost...