Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui (Revised and Updated)

by Karen Kingston

  A deep and thorough space clearing ceremony will remove the old imprints but can do nothing about the mental and emotional associations that are triggered when you see familiar objects. One way to deal with this is to spend the time and energy forging new, stronger, happier, and more positive connections until you reach the point where you completely overwrite and unplug from the old associations. One woman I know painted all the Victorian furniture she had inherited from her grandmother bright blue and yellow to blend in with the rest of her decor, and that did the trick. As she painted, she actively infused the furniture with all the love and joy she could muster, and from that point on whenever she looked at it, that was the strongest association for her.

  The other way to get rid of old associations is to dump the lot and start again, and twice in my life I have done this. Both times it was an incredibly scary yet wonderfully refreshing, regenerative experience, a real turning point. The circumstances called for it, but most people don’t need to be so radical. Just gradually aim to replace the items you have the most unproductive associations with as you are able.

  Frequencies

  I’ve long had the ability to stand in front of a picture and feel its effect. Some time ago, I came across a book called Life Energy and the Emotions by John Diamond, in which he explains what is happening. For example, he shows a photograph of Winston Churchill with a particular expression on his face; the caption says, “Most people will test weak for the liver meridian when looking at this photo.” Another photograph is captioned, “Most people will test weak for the heart meridian when looking at this photo,” and so on, through all the meridians. He has worked out the negative and positive emotional states associated with each of the energy channels in our bodies.

  Chinese medicine teaches us that we have twelve main pairs of meridians through which energy moves around our bodies, and acupuncture is based on harmonizing and rebalancing the flow of energy in these meridians to revitalize the relevant organs they are connected to. John Diamond’s research concludes that the function of these energy channels, and thus our general state of health, is very much influenced by positive and negative emotional states. For instance, he says that the liver is weakened if you feel unhappy and strengthened when you switch to feeling cheerful; the heart meridian is weakened by anger and strengthened by love and forgiveness; the spleen is weakened by anxiety about the future and strengthened by an attitude of faith in the future. It’s a fascinating study and the book is well worth a read.

  What really grabbed me about it, though, was its application to feng shui. I’ve been on many a consultation where I have found, in a prominent position in someone’s home, a picture, photograph, painting, poster, statue, or other object that is emitting a frequency totally counterproductive to everything the client has told me they want. One woman had a huge, mournful portrait of herself, painted in dark, somber colors, positioned in the most dominant place in her living room, next to the doorway that led to the kitchen. She must have seen that portrait a hundred times a day, and I knew immediately from the way it affected my body that she must be depressed. It had cost her so much money she was loathe to get rid of it, so I persuaded her to at least take it down for a month or so and see how that felt. She was astonished at how much better she felt without it and never hung it up again.

  The photo of myself on the back cover of this book will raise your energy when you look at it. It was specifically created with this in mind, and the feedback I have had from people of many different cultural and social backgrounds confirms this. They all say to me, “I just looked at your photograph and knew I wanted to know more about what you do.” This type of feng shui symbology is universal in its application.

  Arranging Your Home for Symbolic Effect

  Go around your home, look at all your belongings, and ask yourself, “What is this saying symbolically? How is it affecting me energetically? Is it creating the effect I want, or could I do better?”

  Begin by culling things that pull your energy down, such as a predominance of downward-hanging things (plants, decorative items, and so on). This is particularly important if you have low-ceilinged rooms, where your energy is squashed before you even begin.

  Next, start counting. Do you have things arranged singly, in pairs, or in groups? If all your ornaments are solitary, life will tend to dish up solitary experiences. If you’d rather be partnered, tweak the energy of your home by arranging things in pairs. Happily married people naturally buy two of everything because it feels right (ask some and see!). If you are single, it may at first feel strange to do this because you have been used to being solitary. You will need to keep doing it until it feels like second nature, which will create the shift in your own personal energy that you are looking for.

  Then look at the symbology of your home in the context of the feng shui bagua. Check that each area of your home, and each area of each room of your home, has appropriate symbology that supports you in what you want to do in your life.

  I remember one client who told me she was always arguing with her employer, and there in the Career area of her home was a huge oil painting of a battle scene. Another client, an illusionist, was very successful but had difficulty actually getting paid for the shows he performed. It turned out he kept all his trick mirrors and trick money in the Prosperity area of his house.

  Start to look at everything in your home and ask yourself, “What does this symbolize to me and how does it make me feel?” Then move on to the detailed explanation of how to clear clutter in the next part of this book, which will help you sort through your belongings much more easily.

  Here are three tried-and-true ways to deal with your clutter:

  1. The Let-Nature-Take-Its-Course Method (also known as the Abdicating-Decision-Making Technique). Put clutter in a place where it will disintegrate to such a point that you no longer want to keep it. One man I met, who was on an extended vacation far from home, confided, “I cleared out a lot of clutter and put the rest in an outdoor shed. I am hoping that by the time I get back it will be so mildewed I will have to chuck it out.”

  2. The Wait-Until-You-Die-and-Let-Your-Relatives-Sort-It-Out Method. This has been a great favorite throughout the centuries. You can even draw up a will telling people exactly what to do with it all!

  3. Take Responsibility for the Stuff and Clear It Yourself. This approach is far more empowering, has much better karma, and allows you to get on with your life immediately instead of waiting for you or your clutter to expire. It is the method I recommend.

  GETTING STARTED

  Without a doubt, people find that the hardest part is overcoming their inertia enough to get started. Once they have begun, the process itself releases more energy to continue. All the stagnant energy that is locked up in the clutter becomes available for you to use in more positive ways. And the more you clear clutter, the easier it becomes, because you know how good it feels after you have done it and you know the positive benefits that follow.

  My general rule of thumb is that if I were moving tomorrow and would have more than one or two trash bags of stuff to throw away, I’ve got some sorting to do right now. I live like this because my life works so much better. It is not a discipline I have to practice—it just makes so much sense to me that I wouldn’t want to live any other way. And it isn’t something I am fanatical about—I just put a bit of time into sorting things on a regular basis so that everything stays manageable.

  So here are some pointers to get you started on your Great Clutter Clear-Out…

  Handling Your Thoughts and Emotions

  In this book I’m not telling you that you “should” do this or “should” do that. My intention is to explain how keeping clutter can affect you so that you can make your own informed choices.

  “Should” is one of the most disempowering words there is. When you use it, you feel guilty and obligated. My advice is to dump the wo
rd from your vocabulary forever. Use “could,” not “should,” from here on in.

  Feel the difference: “I should start clearing my clutter today” or “I could start clearing my clutter today.” “Could” empowers you, gives you choice, and later allows you to take the credit for a job well done. “Should” depresses you, makes you feel at fault, and brings you little joy on completion of the task.

  I suggest you also dump “can’t” and substitute “won’t.” Then you’ll really make some progress. Again, feel the difference: “I can’t decide whether to keep this or let it go” or “I won’t decide whether to keep this or let it go.” In the “can’t” example, you are helpless and hopeless. In the “won’t” example, you are expressing your decision as a being of free choice, and if you then ask yourself why you won’t let it go, you will discover it comes down to some subconscious block you never realized you had: “I won’t decide whether to keep this or let it go because it brings up all the feelings to do with my mother/father/spouse…” and so on. Well, you still have work to do, but at least you’re being honest now.

  The Best Time to Clear Clutter

  Any time is a good time. Since most clutter clearing is done indoors, you can do it day or night, any time of year, come rain or come shine. However, if you happen to be reading this book in the spring, this timing will get you off to a good start. There is a natural instinct to have a good cleanup at this time of year, when there is new growth and emergence in nature. If you live in a part of the world where there are only two seasons (wet and dry) rather than four, you will find it easier to have a clear-out at the beginning of either period.

  Another good time is just after you get back from a vacation. You have a different perspective at these times and it makes it easier to make decisions about what you realistically need to keep. The same is true when you move, recover from an illness, start a new job, begin a new relationship, or make some other major change. But don’t make waiting for one of these things to happen an excuse for not beginning. I repeat, any time is a good time!

  I generally recommend at least one major clutter clearing every year, and if you really want your life to work well, then it needs to be under constant review. Clear the bulk of your clutter first and then keep it manageable thereafter.

  Doing It Fast or Slow

  People have different amounts and types of clutter, not to mention different levels of willingness to let it go. I find that they approach clutter clearing in one of two ways: one type of person will read this book, cancel all appointments, and ninja through their home like a white tornado, decluttering with glee; the other type will do it in stages.

  If you need more time, just accept that you do. It may be that you are too busy, too stressed, or just too overwhelmed by the sheer amount of your clutter. Progress at your own speed, whatever that may be, and do a bit at a time as you feel able. However, bear in mind the following:

  If you are busy—remember, you do somehow find the time to acquire the clutter so you can make time to get rid of it!

  If you are stressed—know that clutter clearing is one of the best therapies there is for worry, stress, and anxiety.

  If you feel overwhelmed—you won’t be if you follow these easy steps, which have already helped millions of people lighten their load, including many who are far more entrenched clutterholics than you (you wouldn’t have made it this far in the book if you were that bad a case).

  Make a List

  First, take a tour of your home with notepad and pen in hand, noting down the clutter zones in each room. If you are not at home (or are lazy!), just close your eyes and imagine yourself walking from room to room. Most people find they know exactly where their clutter is.

  Then take another piece of paper and rewrite the list, beginning with smaller clutter zones at the top and working your way down to monster mounds.

  Examples of small zones are behind doors, individual drawers, the bathroom cabinet, small chests, briefcases, toolboxes, etc.

  Middle-size zones are clothes closets, kitchen cabinets, linen closets, desks, filing cabinets, and so on.

  Large zones are junk rooms, basements, attics, garden sheds, garages, and any clutter-filled spaces that clearly will take longer to conquer.

  Now put an asterisk beside the zones that irritate you the most. These are the ones to begin with, going from small to large. Get some small successes under your belt first and then you will be inspired and encouraged to tackle the bigger areas later. And when you feel how good it feels to tackle the clutter zones that really bug you, you’ll be more motivated to wade into those bastions where you wish the clutter would just melt away of its own accord.

  Motivate Yourself

  Another strong motivator is to use the feng shui bagua (see chapter 8) to check which areas of your life you have been sabotaging by piling junk in that area of your home. Most people are amazed to discover how accurate this system is. Then give some thought to how you would like this aspect of your life to be in the future. Bearing this in mind really helps to get you started and keep at it until the job is done.

  Space Clearing to Help Clutter Clearing

  This book is intended to so motivate you to clear your clutter that it will be all you need. However, if you have a lot of stuff or don’t feel quite motivated enough, doing a full space clearing ceremony will help you enormously to get started. It’s ideal if you can clear the clutter first, but if you have serious amounts of work to do in this department, skip that part of the space-clearing preparations and do the rest of the ceremony to get the energy in the space moving.

  Later, after you have cleared the clutter, you will be a different person, so you will need to do a second space clearing to refrequence your home to match the new you. But don’t be put off by the thought of having to do the ceremony twice. As everyone with clutter knows, the difficulties it causes make everything in life harder to do, so it will come as no surprise that this includes space clearing. A space clearing ceremony is the fastest way I know to release the stagnant energy that accumulates around clutter, and when you discover how much this helps you clear out your junk, you won’t mind doing the ceremony more than once.

  For a detailed description of how to do space clearing, go to www.karenkingston.com to find my most recent book on this subject.

  Final Preparations

  By now you have an idea of how much clutter you intend to clear, so you must create some means of getting it off the premises. Unless you have already decided to order a Dumpster and go for it big-time, then simply have some cardboard boxes and/or trash bags at the ready. These will be your little army of helpers.

  Suppose you decide to use boxes. The basic four you will need are:

  ⬦ A Trash box for out-and-out junk, destined for the garbage truck.

  ⬦ A Recycling box for paper, plastic, and other materials that can be recycled. Release them back into the world so that they can be made into something useful.

  ⬦ A Transit box for things that are on their way to somewhere else in your home (to another room, or to a space that hasn’t yet been created for them because you need to clear the clutter there first).

  ⬦ A To-Do box for items that need your attention in some way. Don’t interrupt the momentum of the clutter clearing process to stop and do whatever is required. Just put the items in your To-Do box and jot a note in your To-Do book about them. If a task is time sensitive, add a reminder on your calendar, too.

  Depending on what types of clutter you have, you may also need some or all of the following boxes:

  ⬦ A Charity box for things to be donated to charities, libraries, schools, hospitals, etc.

  ⬦ A Selling box for things you can sell.

  ⬦ A Gift box for things you have decided to give to friends or relatives.

  ⬦ A Returns box for things that need to g
o back to the people they belong to.

  ⬦ A Repairs box for items that need repairing, altering, renovating, etc. Only put in here things you are sure you want and need, and set yourself a time limit for getting them fixed.

  And until you gain experience at this, you will probably also need:

  ⬦ A Dilemma box for things you still can’t decide whether to keep or let go (more about this later in this chapter).

  CLEARING YOUR CLUTTER

  Begin small. Choose just one very easy area to begin with. A drawer, shelf, or small cabinet is ideal. Give yourself the satisfaction of crossing it off your list when it’s done.

  Most people find they feel pretty good after clearing one area, so they decide to do another, and maybe another. Each small area you clear releases energy for you to do more. Take it at your own pace, doing as much as you feel inspired to do at any one time. This may take you a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, or a few months, depending on how much you have to clear and how gung-ho you are to tackle it. Remember—the speed at which the positive changes will appear in your life is relative to the gusto and decisiveness with which your clutter is cleared.

  When you’ve completed some of the smaller areas, move to the middle-size ones and finally the largest ones, but still break each area down into bite-size manageable chunks. Divide cabinets into separate sections and rooms into separate areas. You can work through your entire home in this way and gain confidence as you go.

  Do not make the mistake of dragging everything out of your cabinets, piling it in the center of the room, and trying to sort out the whole lot at one time. I’ve never heard anyone with more than a trivial amount of clutter say that this method worked for them.