While professional organizers and clutter busters are the rage these days, with even Oprah and Donald Trump singing the praises of these clutter gurus, few of us realize how to keep that clutter from reappearing once we've moved it out. Do we ever really ask the question, Why does the clutter keep coming back?! As if having a life of its own, we all know the uphill battle most of us fight trying to keep our homes looking like the ideal we have in our minds of that photo on the front of the magazines. We have the closet organizers, the desk files organizers, the special toy dressers that double as an ottoman, and all the fun goodies that our professional organizer has recommended, and yet IT KEEPS COMING BACK into our lives! Why?
Obviously much of our clutter is in fact related to a lack of proper organizing of our space, and if that is ALL that is involved, then you simply need to find one of those magical interior alchemists to help out. However, if you find that your clutter keep reappearing, then you may need to look at the more underlying causes of its reappearance, and this will take you in the field of working to shift the underlying energetic matrix of your home, the energy field that is stuck, stagnant, or somehow blocked, which is attracting the clutter to accumulate in the first place.
In Feng Shui, this concept is referred to as Space Clearing. It is based upon the assumption that our homes reflect the vibrational imprints of the past, either ancient past, or more immediate. In this case, the battles, and history of the land is reflected and imprinted upon our home environment and may well be contributing to the cause of your clutter.
If you consider the ever popular concept of Ch'I in a home--that infamous current loured into our homes by well placed mirror, wind chimes and brightly colored, it is analogous to the life flow of energy in a property. Having sufficient flow of this Ch'I is considered the cause of prosperity, health and good relationships. Conversely, a blocked flow of this Universal life energy produces the converse, chaos, blocks in communications, money, relationships and the whole bevy of problems that lead most of us to call in a Feng Shui consultant in the first place.
However, we do not need to rearrange our whole house to avail ourselves of the magical benefits of a space clearing. With just a few simple space clearing tips, even a novice can begin to clear their environment of vibrational imprints of the past – to sweep out the old to make way for the new, and isn't that why we are de-cluttering our homes in the first place?!
Six Simple Space Clearing Tips to Keep Your Clutter Away:
1. Bring Your Life Energy back Into where there is Clutter: To our subconscious mind, clutter triggers images of stagnation, stuck energy and places where Life doesn't move. It usually represents the things we resist and places that we don't want to put our attention. Simply put: clean out the clutter. Piles of laundry, papers, boxes, mail...whatever it is, when we see clutter, our mind equates it with chaos and dead energy. So make a point to dive into your clutter like a heat seeking missile. Go straight for it, you know where it lives! Put it away, find a home for it--address it! By putting your attention and focused awareness into that place where clutter has collected, you are reclaiming the places in your environment where you have vacated your consciousness! So really do it with some enthusiasm, with the knowledge that you are putting your Presence back into this space and that it is YOURS to reclaim. Once you move that dead energy in your home, you will be surprised at how it moves in your life!
2. Corners: These are the places where the Life energy or Ch'i of our environment comes to a stop like traffic at a four way stop sign. Take a moment to tune your consciousness into that part of your environment to discover the plants, artwork, or objects which will move the energy of your corners. The flowing water of a fountain, the flow of air represented by wind chimes, or even the life sustaining energy of a plant can be enough to keep the energy moving and flowing instead of stagnating in your corners. Allow your intuition to guide you towards solutions that redirect the dead energies of a corner into more harmonious, peaceful and joyful spaces.
3. Closets: They are the bowels of our homes and offices, the storage bins for old, dead energy. If you don't use it, loose it! Keep your closets clean, neat, and free of unwanted, old, unused items. Don't allow your closets to become black holes, or they will reflect that energy. Once you have cleared out those closets, offer a simple ceremony of smudging of sage or incense to clear the old lingering vibrations that were there as well. This keeps those closets from reacquiring their old residents again. Some people prefer to use lemon grass, or an essential oil mixture of peppermint and lemon to freshen up the vibes.
4. Ceremony: Ceremony is a time when we honor life, the seasons, and those aspects of living beyond the physical. It brings us in touch with the worlds beyond our everyday, and reminds us of a vastness of Life beyond our immediate attention. When we make time for ceremony in our life and homes we open a doorway into another dimension beyond this one allowing fresh new ideas, inspiration and energies to flow into our homes.
By ceremonially burning a candle each night we reinforce to our subconscious mind the symbolic of letting the problems and worries of the day as we offer them to the candle's fire. It is a simple ceremony and one that keeps the energies of your home clean and clear of the burdens of the day. It is also a great way to let go of the past, an ending of a business, a relationship, an old job…all are energetically released through simple ceremonies so that their energetic baggage doesn't follow us into our future.
Rather than follow recipes about which ceremony is "right" for your space, feel the unique connection you have with your space, and allow yourself to follow the ceremony you are guided to use. Look for a ceremonial act that seems to match your energies the intentions you wish to inaugurate into your space. Whatever the ceremony, when you do it with intention and awareness that ceremony heralds in the energies of your intention in a much more profound manner than when we simply and perfunctorily go perform the same act.
5. Consciousness: The power of this cannot be overstated in my opinion. Find the places in your home or office where you have vacated your consciousness, those closets, corners, and dead zones that you pretend are not there, or wish weren't. That room where the kids used to live, or the pile of paper in the office that calls out for help, but we ignore. Put your consciousness into that space, with intention, and yes, even ceremony, and notice the MAGIC that happens when you do! Energy flows where attention goes!
6. Cycles: There is a rhythm to Life, a time for growth, and a time for death. Cycles are important to observe: moon cycles are often used for planting, cutting hair, beginning new projects. Similarly, observing the cycles of the sun of day and night, being more active during the daylight hours, and winding down in the evening when there is less energy available. As well there are the larger seasonal cycles, solstices, equinoxes. When we align consciously with these cycles of nature, the rhythm of Life, we find more harmony and balance in our lives.
When we follow these cycles, we harness the Life energy of the planet begin to dance to the same beat of Life. So by paying attention to the cycles of Life, we begin to work with them to receive the gift of their energy.
Fall is a perfect time to let go of the past and release the old habits and holds we have on our stuff allowing a new energy to flow in its place.
With some small investment on our part, we can dramatically change the energies of our environment making our homes a sanctuary to reflect our highest intentions and dreams.
Christan Hummel is the author of the best-selling book, Do It Yourself Space Clearing Kit, founder of Earth Transitions, a world wide environmental service organization, and former Flower of Life facilitator. International lecturer and teacher, having presented before the British and American Dowsing Society Conferences, as well as before the International Kinesiology, and International Feng Shui Conferences. Christan shares how to connect with the devic realms to create harmony and balance in our homes and communities. She has travelled internationally working with leading edge inventors to develop a worldwide, grassroots environmental clearing network now underway in over 25 countries. For more information, please see her website at: www.earthtransitions.com