For example, I used to love my 45-minute ride to office, even through traffic, because it gave me quiet time to think. I know I have no one to blame but myself for allowing the cell phone to dominate and clutter my mind every time I am in transit. Aside from information overload from the Internet, I find it extremely stressful to shift from subject to subject as I read through the mail. Then there are the newspapers and social chatter filled with negative thoughts drowning positive ideas. So added to the garbage everywhere we look – there is a pile of trash in our collective minds and psyche that is mentally and emotionally debilitating.
Karen Kingston’s book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, is a great primer on how to de-clutter physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The concept is simple. In order for life to work well, it is vital to clear the obstacles created by clutter blocking the smooth flow of life force and energy in our homes and workplaces. Feng shui teaches many ways to improve this energy flow especially through "space clearing." As a matter of fact, clutter clearing in the spaces around us is one of the most powerful transformative aspects of feng shui. The reason is that clutter accumulates when energy stagnates and vice versa, so clutter in a sense is a symptom of what is happening in our lives. Therefore, putting our external world in order results in internal changes as well. Kingston writes that removing the obstacles to the harmonious flow of energy in our living environment creates more harmony in our lives and the space for wonderful opportunities.
There are three types of space clearing that we should undertake this new year. The first is to simply perform a good clean-up to remove dust, grime and dirt. The second involves clearing "predecessor energy" through blessings and prayers or whatever feels appropriate to purify a given space. Fill the space with intention, light and love. Thirdly, we should get rid of things that we do not use or love especially when many things clutter a small space. We should keep only the best magazines, newspapers, clippings, sentimental souvenirs, and photographs and throw out the rest. We must clear our desks and disks and take control of our paperwork. For example, it is advisable to be ruthless about tossing out of paper, and to keep notes in a notebook, not on sheets of paper. Bulletin boards should always have only up-to-date information. A yearly de-cluttering maintenance program could be instituted in our homes and offices to allow energy in.
The more challenging task is to clear the clutter in our minds brought about when we worry, and when we are critical and judgmental. De-cluttering the mind involves focusing on what we want to happen rather than what will not happen. Gossiping, moaning and complaining and mental chatter clutter the psyche. Anything left unfinished – such as unreturned phone calls, correspondence that needs to be written, and unresolved issues – drags us down. Keeping a notebook with things we need to do, prioritizing, tidying up loose ends, resolving any issues before going to bed are important de-cluttering techniques.
We often carry emotional clutter throughout our lives when we cannot let go of upsets. "The root of all illness lies in not letting go of the feeling that you’ve been treated unfairly by a person or a situation." (Carolyn Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit) We need to look inside to see what needs to be forgiven and then let it go. Once we let go of the fear that keeps us holding on to clutter, we will realize that we are mere instruments with a higher purpose.
Reading the book, I thought how wonderful if every one of us were to spend the first few days of the Chinese New Year clearing the clutter around us – first in our homes, then in our places of work, then in our streets and finally in our national psyche. We would realize that we usually criticize and judge only what we do not like in ourselves. We would be generous with praise, speak and think of positive and constructive ideas, and think only of each other’s best intentions. Free of fear and baggage, we would be able to have ambitious dreams, and believe in our ability to do anything we set our minds to achieve. We would spend our precious time working rather than arguing, building rather than fighting and being in the present, rather than dwelling on our past. Free of clutter, we would face the future proudly, confidently, as a people who are focused, productive, and with a profound sense of where we want to go.
Kingston says:
"Clutter makes you feel
tired and lethargic, keeps you in the past
congests your body weight,
can confuse you,
affects the way people treat you,
makes you procrastinate, and
can cause disharmony.
It can put your life on hold,
can depress you,
can create excess luggage,
can cause extra cleaning,
can make you disorganized,
creates a health and fire hazard and distracts from important things."