Energetically, our stuff is an extension of ourselves. What we have in our living and working spaces becomes a part of our energy field. This is why hoarders have such a hard time letting go of their stuff.
Clutter is representative of something in our lives. It's symbolic of something that’s happened. A stuffed emotion we have not taken the time to process or release in a healthy way. Stuff that fills an emotional void. Stuff that keeps us stuck in our life. It can even contribute to putting on extra weight and not being able to lose weight.
In the first blog in this series on Clearing Clutter, we learned about what your clutter means based on where it is. In this blog, we're going to look at what energy your clutter represents based on what it is.
Clutter comes in many forms:
Clothes that are too small - Represents regret or hope. You might be holding on to an image of yourself that you admire but don’t value enough to make the changes in your life that are required to release the weight.
Clothes that are too big - Represents hiding and permissiveness. You might be giving yourself (sometimes too much) room to grow or freedom to be self-indulgent.
Clothes that need to be hemmed, mended, tailored, ironed or taken to the dry cleaners - Represents ignoring areas in your life that require your attention. It also represents redundancy or being high maintenance.
Incomplete, unfinished projects - Represents procrastination, avoiding having to become the person you need to be to complete a project and an addiction to being busy. They could also represent fear of failure, fear of success or fear of being visible.
Expired food - Represents lack of attention, having more than you need and wastefulness.
Old magazines - Represents envy of the luxurious or fairytale lifestyle they present as standard and accessible by everyone.
Old newspapers - Represents attachments to past events and fear of forgetting the past.
Books you will never read again or have ever read and know you won’t - Represents the importance of appearances (literacy, intelligence, knowledge, interests, etc.)
Multiples of things - Represents fear of not having enough and a scarcity mentality.
Broken things - Represents broken wills, broken hearts, broken body parts, mental break downs, relationship break ups.
Second hand things - Represents unworthiness.
Family heirlooms that you don’t like or don’t match your aesthetic - Represents guilt, fear of regret, lack of an authentic connection or relationship or a stand in for a family member you love or miss.
Knick Knacks (dust catchers) - Represents a cluttered mind and repetitive thoughts.
Souvenirs and travel mementos that don’t fit with your colors or décor- Represents proof of bragging rights.
Stuff for activities/interests/hobbies/sports that you don’t use - Represents the desire to appear more interesting, skilled or well-rounded.
Stuff with attached painful memories - Represents being stuck or holding on to the past. It could also mean you have energetic cords attached to a person who is not good for you or who has hurt you.
Stuff with attached happy memories - Represents fear of not being that happy again with someone else or in a new chapter of your life.
Stuff without a home - Represents not feeling at home in your own space.
Stored items (except for seasonal clothes and decorative items and travel luggage) - Represents fear of having unmet needs or a compulsion to save things for the future.
Stuff you bought on sale that you don’t use - Represents a shopping addiction to fill a void, disguised as a savvy shopper.
Trash - Represents self-loathing, feeling like rubbish, a waste of space or literally thrown away by someone in your life.
Paperwork, receipts, forms, etc. - Represents carelessness, a disorganized mind or life, lack of established systems.
Unopened mail - Represents fear of the unknown and lack of being prepared for life with “adulting” skills
Unpaid bills - Represents a lack of financial health, irresponsibility or unwillingness to be an adult (immaturity)
You know you need to clear the clutter. But unless you know why you have and hold onto stuff, the process of letting go of it may be more difficult than it needs to be. So, first we need to prepare our hearts and minds to let it go. Once again, we need to start by asking why.
Get out your Feng Shui Journal and answer the following questions:
Why do you have the stuff you have?
You use it.
You like it.
You want it.
You think you need it.
It makes your life better, easier, more beautiful.
It makes you happy.
It makes you feel safe.
It has sentimental value.
Why do you have clutter?
You keep stuff you don’t need, use or like.
You keep other people’s stuff for them.
You pile it instead of filing it.
You haven’t created a place to put it.
You buy stuff you don’t need or more than you need.
You haven’t established a system or schedule for de-cluttering.
Why are you holding on to clutter?
Someone made it, bought it or gave it to you.
You made it.
You spent good money on it
You might want it or need it someday.
You are saving it to give to someone later.
You can’t afford to replace it right away.
The things that we bring into our space, collect and accumulate, hold energy. As we throw or give them away we can release the attached emotion or energy it represents. As we display or put away the things we decide to keep, we can set intentions for the feelings we want to enjoy and the energy we want to experience in our space.
In the next blog, we'll get into the how-tos of decluttering your space in Clearing the Clutter.
For now, select one closet or drawer, one area or room to get started with. Clean out the fridge or pantry. Donate all the clothes you don’t wear or sell your wedding dress. Throw out all of your old makeup, lotions and other expired personal care products. Give your books away to your friends or friends of the library for their annual book sale or the lending library at your local coffee shop or community space.
And as you do, remind yourself of why you are decluttering your space. What’s in it for you? What are you creating space for? What emotions are you releasing as you declutter? What energy are you ready to move out of or shift into as you clear your space of the clutter? Be cognizant of the energy of your clutter.
Change the energy in your space; change your life.
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