Clear Clutter from Your Home and Life

By Darlene Zagata

Do you keep scraps of paper, swatches of fabric, old magazines, clothes that no longer fit and old broken appliances? Chances are that you are what is commonly known as a packrat. The world is full of people who keep everything under the sun. They do this under the pretense that such items may come in handy someday. While that is a real possibility, most of the time these items are useful for nothing other than taking up space and collecting dust.

According to the art of feng shui, clutter prevents the flow of chi (energy) from entering and flowing through the home. This ancient art informs us that the various areas of our living space correspond to and influence the various areas of our lives.

Everyone's point of view differs, so what one person views as clutter another person may view as necessity. But clutter is not only messy - it represents stagnant energy. Every now and then it becomes necessary to clear out the old in order to make room for the new. In order to allow more, new and better things to flow into your life you need to be able to let go of those things that no longer serve a purpose in your life.

We often form attachments to worldly goods, and even when we no longer have the need for them, we sometimes find it difficult to part with them. In a sense we are like children that don't want to part with their favorite toy or blanket even though we have outgrown the need for those items. They still represent a sense of security in one form or another.

Many people have a difficult time accepting change in their lives. Those changes may be major or they may even be miniscule but in the lives of some of us even small changes can bring about discomfort or anxiety. We all have a comfort zone and stepping outside of that particular zone can be stressful. Certain items are linked to that comfort zone. Those items can be anything from the home you live in to plants, a pet, tools or even old clothes. You find comfort with or in those items and the comfort zone inside of you alerts your mind to the comfort these items provide whenever you consider getting rid of them. Those items bring back memories and so they are also an attachment to the past.

As much as some of us may prefer to live in the past, it is the present that we must learn to focus on. In order to move forward in our lives and allow blessings of the present to flow to us, we must clear the clutter from our homes, our hearts and our minds. Once you remove the clutter from your life, you'll find that you can breathe easier and the universe will find wonderful ways to fill those empty spaces in practically no time at all.