When the Dust Settles, the Memories Rise: Cleaning as a Neurodivergent Archive Ritual
Inspired by Malaika Francique’s family photo collage work featured on Blacks of Are.na
Every time I clean, I lose time. Not because I’m lazy. Not because I’m procrastinating. But because I find something. A polaroid. A flyer. A cassette I can’t remember buying but somehow know every word of. And suddenly, I’m not tidying. I’m time traveling.
If you’re neurodivergent like me—ADHD with a sprinkle of the tism—this might sound familiar. The shame spiral usually kicks in. You’re supposed to be productive. But I want to offer you a reframe.
This isn’t distraction. It’s a ritual.
And our brains deserve rituals, not reprimands.
Afronostalgia Is Not a Distraction—It’s a Portal
The folks at Blacks of Are.na recently shared work by Malaika Francique, who reimagines family photo albums as layered, emotional, almost chaotic art. Looking at her collages, I felt seen. That is what it feels like. When you stumble across an old photo while cleaning, it’s not just an image—it’s an opening. A soft moment. A memory with teeth.
Afronostalgia is the joy, the ache, the recognition of something deeply ours—Black memory, found again.
For neurodivergent minds, these moments aren’t side quests. They’re central to how we make meaning.
Your Brain Is Archiving in Real Time
Here’s why that pause mid-clean is actually brilliance in motion:
We time travel with objects. A single shoelace can drop us back into a childhood bedroom.
We are sense-bound beings. Smell, texture, and sound are memory triggers, not distractions.
We are archivists at heart. Not in the traditional library sense (although bless those too)—but in the way we hold fragments and remix them into truth.
Introducing: The Aura Method of Memory-Centered Cleaning
A gentle framework for neurodivergent minds that remember while they clean
This is for those of us who get swept into the past by a single ticket stub. This method turns your spirals into ceremony—anchoring memory as sacred, not shameful.
✨ Step 1: Acknowledge the Shift
You were cleaning, now you’re remembering. Say it aloud:
“I’ve entered a memory moment.”
No guilt. Just grace.
✨ Step 2: Uncover the Trigger
What stopped you? A texture? A smell? A scribbled note?
Let yourself feel it fully before trying to analyze it.
✨ Step 3: Reflect with the “3 M’s”
Memory — What is this?
Meaning — Why does it matter to me now?
Message — What might it be telling me or reminding me of?
You don’t need a full essay. A word. A whisper. A breath will do.
✨ Step 4: Archive the Moment
Capture the feeling or fragment:
Snap a photo
Voice note it
Drop it in a digital or physical memory vault
Tag it with your own intuitive label
This is your living archive—messy, sacred, and yours.
✨ Step 5: Re-enter Gently
When you’re ready, return to the task slowly. Or pause completely. Either way, say:
“I didn’t get distracted. I remembered. I recovered. I archived.”
Let the ritual close softly—with tea, music, or a moment of stillness.
Your Brain Is Doing Sacred Work
So the next time you're ankle-deep in laundry and suddenly holding your grandmother’s old scarf, don’t rush past it.
Sit with it. Name the memory. Let the nostalgia be a form of resistance, a soft rebellion against productivity culture, erasure, and shame.
Your brain isn’t broken. It’s brilliant.
It’s doing what it was built to do.
🌀 Aura Method Mantra:
“My mind doesn’t wander—it remembers.”
And that is sacred.
P.S. There’s now a guided audio session just for subscribers!
If you want a calm voice to walk you through the Aura Method in real time, I’ve recorded a companion piece just for you. It’s soft, grounding, and perfect to play while you clean, sort, or spiral gently into memory.
→ [Listen to the Guided Aura Session here]
Your archive doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be yours.
Ready to go deeper?
I create stories, rituals, and spiritual tools for memory keepers, creatives, and sacred rebels.
→ Start Here: Explore My World of Memory, Magic & Media
→ Work With Me: Coaching, Rituals & More
Whether you’re here to write, remember, or realign—there’s a path for you.
Thanks for reading,
In memory & motion,
Aura