BRENT MARCHANT: With the recent arrival of the fairest season, our thoughts now turn to the annual ritual of spring cleaning. Armed with brooms, mops and feather dusters, many of us are readying ourselves to tackle closets, floors and cabinets in need of purging and polishing.

Such efforts usually yield a tremendous sense of satisfaction when completed, too. With clutter cleared and surfaces cleaned, we can kick back and take great pride in our accomplishments. But, as long as we're in cleaning mode, maybe we should think about attending to more than just our physical environment. We might also want to consider sprucing up our inner world, the realm of our consciousness. Taking time to take stock of its current status just might prove to be time well spent.

Why is this so important? Because it's integral to the functioning of the conscious creation process. Since the world around us originates from within, from the beliefs that we hold in our consciousness and subsequently put forth to frame the reality we experience, it's imperative we get them in line to achieve the best results. If the reality we're experiencing suits us, then, obviously, the beliefs are fine. But, if our existence is somehow lacking, then that's a sign the beliefs creating it are in need of tweaking, rewriting or scrapping in favour of new ones. The spring cleaning season may be the perfect time to address this, too, especially if those New Year's resolutions that I wrote about in my two previous posts haven't yet panned out as hoped for.

Spring cleaning your beliefs can be applied in any area of your life. If your home environment isn't all you want, for example, consider how you'd like to refurbish or renovate it. Picture the end result, right down to the smallest details - the colours of the throw pillows, the images in the oil paintings on the walls, even the style of that vase on the top level of your bookshelf - and then envision yourself within that space. By doing so, you've altered your beliefs about what your environment should look like and signalled the Universe that it's time to change the existing elements to match the desired new image. And, chances are, unless you're intentionally doing something to keep that result from coming into being, you'll find yourself in that new space before long. (You'll know you're getting close on this if, on your next trip to the home furnishings store, you spot the overstuffed magenta and chartreuse easy chair you had in mind!)

This process can be used in areas as diverse as career, relationships, health, creativity and spirituality. In each case, simply follow the steps of (1) assessing where you are, (2) picturing where you want to be, (3) making any necessary changes in your beliefs, (4) putting out your intentions to the Universe and then (5) waiting for the results. But, if the desired outcomes don't materialise for some reason, then it's time to take another look at your beliefs to see if you're doing something to block the desired manifestations.

For instance, if you're harbouring beliefs involving fear, doubt or contradiction in relation to your desired creation, then isolate them to remove them from the belief equation, for they will surely undercut the process if allowed to persist. If you want a particular new job but doubt that it exists, then you'll almost assuredly stay stuck in your current position. But, if you remove doubt from the mix, the offer will appear, and probably sooner than you think. (Someone somewhere must have a need for a singing dog walker!)

The belief assessment process can be particularly useful when it comes to our relationships, be they romantic, platonic, professional or of some other nature. By looking at our beliefs in these areas, it becomes easy to see why we've attracted the specific individuals who are part of our lives. In most instances, they either mirror us and our beliefs (for better or worse) or have appeared to help us learn some particular life lesson.

If you're pleased with the people in your life, then strengthen the beliefs fuelling those attractions to preserve the existing relationships and to draw others of like mind into your existence. Conversely, if you're unhappy with your current circle of peers, then look for the beliefs that are the source of the discontent and change them accordingly. In all likelihood, the malcontents in your life will either change their ways or, even better, disappear completely (thereby making room for more agreeable new arrivals). I can personally attest to the value of this practice, having become rather adept at it over the years. I've been quite successful at attracting kindred spirits and dismissing curmudgeons, a most satisfying result that's added much to my quality of life.

So grab those psychological sponges, and get to work scrubbing those beliefs! With just a little effort, you'll soon realise results that positively sparkle.