What is this "organizing"? Nick thinks I should tell you. My idea of organizing or clutter clearing was formulated by reading Karen Kingston's "Clearing your Clutter with Feng Shui". I then went about applying the principles of clutter clearing to my apartment, and repeated them time and again until I had sorted through an assload of useless, old, bad-memory-inducing, unused and unloved items. I could see everything in my closets when I opened the doors. I could find things. I knew what I had and where it all was. It was downright liberating.
So in short, my brand of organizing is executed by flinging open the closet doors, dragging stuff out from under the bed, getting into long forfotten drawers and having a stern talk with yourself about what you use, need, and love, and what is just lying around because it is some brand of emotional crutch. Stuff holds energy (this is the Feng Shui part)- good, bad, old, moldy - and you want the stuff that brings, holds, and generates good energy. Pictures of loved ones, clothes you feel great in, books that have a message you believe in, towels that you are using on a day to day basis. All that other stuff? Well, there is a darn good chance you just don't need it, and an equally good chance that it would do you good to toss it out. You own your stuff - don't let your stuff own you. Imagine moving right now - is the thought absolutely horrifying because of the mounds of crap that you would be dragging from location a to location b, probably to never use again? Do you feel just a little bit of tension when you open your linen closet and it feels like everything is going to fall out on top of you? Let in some new chi! Get the old stuff and the stagnant energy out of your life. Create space for energy to flow in your home and it will! if something brings back a rough memory, toss it. If something you purchased, or were given two years ago is exactly where has been since the day it came into your possession, give it away! It's only bringing you a sense of guilt for not having used it - reminding you on a daily basis that you wasted a bit of money. Let the item move on to a new life with someone who will use it. The money is already spent and if you are saving it because you "just might need it" at some point in the distant future then you are stomping on your own foot by creating a sense of poverty/future necessity.
Aside from all of that psychological stuff, it's way easier to use your good stuff when you can actually see and access it. Old books, old clothes, pictures of old lovers, costume jewelry you never wore, tennis shoes you keep for "painting in" . . . get that stuff off the shelves and make space for some vibrant chi to flow or at least for something that will prove more useful in your life.
Copyright 2004 - Kara Govro :)
Posted by at April 13, 2004 03:23 PM | TrackBack