Clutter & Feng Shui

Before getting down to the exciting and potentially life changing process of bringing Feng Shui adjustments into your home, it is vital that you clear the way for these changes to occur. Hanging a well intentioned crystal in the window of your room to bring a bigger and brighter charge to, for example, your relationships corner could potentially make the problem worse until you have cleared the stagnation. Many of the adjustments that you can make to enhance the Chi in your home will readily enhance the vibration that is already present. If you have found that the sector that you need to work on has piles of old books, old photographs, dusty correspondence - then simply placing a crystal in this area is only going to emphasise and enlarge the problem. Before putting into practise any of the ideas and suggestions in the ensuing sections of this book, please take time now to reflect on how you need to prepare your home.

What is Clutter?
Basically, clutter can be defined as possessions that you either don't use any more or do not love. These are often possessions that we believe may one day be useful, broken items that one day we intend to repair, spares that we accumulate for a potential breakdown, unfinished projects and unwanted gifts. Everything that we own has its own vibration and is energetically connected to us.

Bowls, plates, notes, clothes - every item within your house. When the daily utility of many of these items ceases to be charged by usage, their accumulated Chi energy can begin to clog and interefere with the flow of energy in your home and life. You have to question whether what you own is worth the vibrational wait that it puts on you in terms of your health, your spirit, your intellect and your emotions. Keeping things simple is the key. Having our wardrobes, drawers and kitchen cupboards filled with regularly used items that bring us joy is far better than having too much. Remember that everything that we own has the potential to raise and heighten our Chi.

Clutter brings with it a sense of disorder and confusion. It undoubtedly disturbs the Chi of our home and that of our own health and vision. Naturally, if the Chi in our home stagnates through excess clutter, it will definitely permeate through to us, leaving us unenthusiastic and tired. You find yourself in a "catch 22" situation. You know you need to do something about it but you do not have the energy or the enthusiasm to do the job.

Motivating your own Chi in this situation requires an enormous amount of effort initially. There is a parallell here between getting your Chi moving and pumping water from an old fashioned pump. In order to get the pump to work, you need to prime it in the first place with about a litre of water. The paradox is that what you require is water but in order to make the process possible, you have to find a litre of water in the first place! Once the pump is primed, the water flows effortlessly. It is the same situation with stagnant Chi.
Feeling, tired, despondent and overwhelmed, what you need is a litre of enthusiasm! Pulling that out of the thin air is difficult but, once the process is under way, you will feel recharged and invigorated.

Three Kinds of Clutter

Physical Clutter
This relates to the obvious mess and jumble that can accumulate in our homes. Begin by deciding what you really need to keep and what you need to store and what you need to get rid of. On a practical level, keep what you need on a daily basis as simple as possible. Store away items of clothing that are only used seasonally. Be ruthless about getting rid of what you really do not need. Since every possession we own has its own vibration, think carefully before you pass it on to a neighbour. Do you really think they need it? Charity shops and recycling centres can make good use of your unwanted jumble.

I do encourage you to keep the entrance to your home a clutter-free zone. Remember, that it is through this "mouth" that new opportunities and fresh Chi enter your space. Paths, doorways and entrance halls need to be free flowing to allow access of new Chi into your life. If you happen to share a hallway with another neighbour, then do be responsible for keeping it clean. If you have asked them for co-operation before and it is not forthcoming, then simply be responsible for it. It only takes a moment to pick up those unwanted flyers that come through the letterbox. The kitchen is another vital area to keep clutter-free.
Pay particular attention to the fridge and make certain that you regularly check every recess for old and out of date food. Get in behind the cooker from time to time and have a good clean up around the edges. The one area I love to check is the cupboard under the sink! Given that the kitchen is the source of the creation of our health through the creation of our daily food, then it is a paradox when this same important space can also harbour agents of death and destruction! Heavty duty bleaches, disenfectants, ant powders, wasp sprays and other potentially hazardous chemicals need to be found another home away from the kitchen which is such a vital centre for your health and wellbeing.

Do check the bedroom for clutter! Out of sight is definitely not out of mind. Stuffing everything into wardrobes and drawers does not simplify the problem. The stagnant and disturbed Chi is still present. Be ruthless and decide what is useful, what is storage and what needs to go to the jumble sale. The very worst place in your home for clutter to be stored is under your bed. It has potential to disturb your sleep, attract dust and mite and needs removing today! Finally, go through your desk and filing cabinet and get rid of those notes and scraps you think may one day be useful. Keep everything current and useful. Having dustbins/waste baskets in every room is not a problem provided you empty them frequently.

Vibrational Clutter
This pretty insidious stuff and has enormous potential to block your progress. It could be as simple as unfinished conversation that you had with someone recently. It left you feeling that the issue was unresolved. Pick up the 'phone and resolve the issue. Are there unpleasant rumours or gossip circulating about you at present?
If so, do what is necessary to resolve the situation. Have you recently broken an agreement or have somebody renege on their agreement with you recently? If so, do your best to resolve it as soon as possible. Do you owe anybody anything? If it is a financial debt, then make very clear your proposed plan to resolve it. Have you borrowed something and not returned it? Do you have a pile of unanswered letters on your desk? If just looking at them disturbs your Chi, then you know you have problem! What about those messages accumulating on your answerphone? What are you doing about answering them?

On a sub conscious level, this kind of clutter definitely brings a sense of disorder into your space. Put aside a few hours to do your very best to resolve these outstanding issues. Once the "blockage" is removed, then it allows new possibility to arrive.

Internal Clutter
In Chinese medicine, the element Metal governs the function of the lung and the large intestine. Both of these organs are connected with:-
Accumulation/asborption/elimination
The highly charged and active organ - the lungs (Yang) are connected with the assimilation of the Yin element oxygen. Its partner, the large intestine (Yin) is connected with the assimilation of solid (Yang). When these two organs are functioning well, we feel positive in our outlook and energised. However, if they become weak or stagnant, we easily mirror this by becoming despondent and depressed. A sense of hopelessness and lack of motivation is one of the key symptoms. Fresh air and plenty of exercise helps to stimulate the lungs and bringing fresh plants into your environment brings with it a freshly oxygenated atmosphere. Getting things "off your chest" is also vital for the well being of the lungs. Making your feelings known, letting go of old resentments and not smoking all support the healthy function of the lungs. For the colon, avoid eating late at night (at least 2 hours before you go to sleep), chew your food very, very well as the digestive process begins with the initial breakdown of the food in your mouth by saliva. Avoid overeating and reduce the consumption of heavy baked flour products such as flans, pies and pastries.

Prevention
Once you have effectively cleared the clutter in your home, what can you do constructively to prevent it from recurring again? The best advice is to have a periodic spring clean. A change of season is always the best time. However, the most powerful time would naturally be the Spring equinox. Do make your springclean a special occasion. Try not to regard it as a chore but as a ritual that will become part of your life. A deep cleanse of your space will also have a profound effect on your own Chi, new ideas will come, inspiration, as well as physical changes in your wellbeing. Initially you may feel a little tired, stiff and irritable but these cannot be regarded as side effects of the elimination process! Put aside the requisite amount of time that you know the job will take and avoid being distracted or disturbed. Make it a meditation! Once each room is "declared" clean, then emphasise this by lighting a candle, placing a vase of fresh cut flowers.

Another aspect of prevention is to really question items that you are going to buy and bring in to your home. What purpose do they really serve, are they going to be useful and are they likely to become clutter in the near future? The dynamics of Yin and Yang would suggest that when you let go of something, you create the opportunity for new possibility. Do not be guilty of taking a car boot load of junk to your local dump and coming back with a couple of useful items that you found there!

Remember that clutter attracts clutter. Do you recall as a child that you would never dream of walking across your mother's newly washed or polished kitchen floor! How many times have we visited friends' newly carpeted homes and asked whether we should remove our shoes? However, it is not uncommon when we enter a space that is untidy that we give little thought to whether we are making the situation worse. Even walking down the street, we would always look for a rubbish bin to get rid of that disused bus ticket. But how many times are we tempted to throw it on top of another pile of rubbish if we can't find a litter bin? There is no way we would throw it in the street but we are certainly tempted to throw it where there is more clutter.

Do be aware of accumulating other peoples' clutter for them, on their behalf. Friends often ask if they can leave a couple of boxes of books while they go to the USA for a few months or while they move flats. Before long, a few weeks or months can run into a year or so. Do you really need their clutter as well as yours to contend with? Equally, have you got some clutter accumulated at someone else's home? The favourite place to check is your parents' attic, basement or garden shed. What effect is your clutter having on their lives? If any of the issues in this section apply to you, then try to resolve the situation soon.