Clutter Clear To Make Space For Your Dreams

Clutter Clear To Make Space For Your Dreams - Gina Lazenby

We are coming out of winter. Spring is here in the northern hemisphere. Yes, it might still be cold for us in the northern parts, but there is definitely an energy shift. Can you feel it?

What has been below ground, under the surface, and getting ready for another cycle is beginning to emerge as new shoots. The energy is starting to move upwards. This is an excellent month for spring cleaning and clutter clearing, but truth be told, the clearing of clutter is not something you should leave as an annual task. There is good energy to support clearing now but what I have learned over the years is that I have to make clutter clearing a part of my weekly life. Or is that just me? Does anyone else struggle with clutter?

Let's just look at clutter… what it is, and why it can be such an ongoing challenge? Well, I do find it a burden, and you would think that having written about this subject for more than a quarter of a century, I would have mastered that aspect of life! Well, yes and no. I have a very organised home, and I pay attention to my space's energy, atmosphere, and vibe. I absolutely know how to do that, and I believe I was doing that intuitively from childhood before I learned anything about feng shui.

The problem is, from time to time, I can get overloaded and overwhelmed. Things can quickly get out of kilter, and the downward slope can be very slippery. The next thing I know, I am drowning in stuff and disorder.

This current period of overwhelm came about from my recent life transition phase for two reasons. Firstly like many other people, I have changed my routines and life because of the global pandemic and spent more time at home, clearing AND generating extra stuff! I have also spent time re-thinking my role in the world and what I do. Perhaps that was a focus of yours in the last couple of years.

Secondly, as I mentioned in my October column, we moved my elderly parents across Yorkshire from their forever home to their own smaller apartment in an assisted living building. Downsizing at age 90 is a very interesting process to observe. I mean, how much STUFF do you need to hang on to for your last few years? Much was jettisoned over a period of weeks, and quite a few things came my way (unfortunately).

As the eldest child and daughter, I am the family custodian of memories and objects with history! So before anything was sent to the charity shop or disposal, it had to pass through my hands. So, among many other things, I got the crystal chandeliers, an excellent new mattress, a 60-year old casserole.

They were all useful, but there were many, many other items I did not immediately know what to do with. I was finding it hard to let go of some family treasures. And the minute you have a pile of excess cluttering up your dining room floor, it starts to breed! When you have too much stuff in your space, reminding you of your procrastinating, it is a huge drain on your energy. Whatever it takes, you have to get rid of it.

So let me share what I have found helpful to get me back up to the surface again when I have been in the drowning phase.

1. Identity:

It can be hard to let go of anything when you are unsure of who you are. It is not uncommon to go through periods of re-invention and transition. When you have a clear idea of who you are becoming and what you need, then you have a greater knowing of whether the item of clutter is appropriate for you to keep. I was given a beautiful insight at a recent Conscious Cafe event I hosted for a New Year Vision session.

The Renaissance artist Michaelangelo was apparently asked how he created the beautiful face for his masterpiece sculpture of David. He replied: "Simple. I took away everything that wasn't David". I found that concept a treasure in my own personal quest for getting my home ready for 2022. To look around me and assess .. what is Gina? Is this me? Is this part of my future of who I am becoming? If it is not me and resonant with my future, it is much easier to let it go. Try it.

2. Ask Good Questions:

Good questions really engage the unconscious mind, and you need to do that for maximum support. "Is this me?" is a great question to start with. Traditional questions include: Do I need this? Have I used it in the last year? Personally, I don't find those so helpful as I can justify keeping anything! Better phrasing for me is: Does this truly add value to my life? If I let it go and find I do need it in the future, can I easily get a replacement? Is it better to have the energy space or hold on to the item? What will I use the newly vacated space for? Asking powerful questions makes clearing so much easier.

3. How to Get Started:

I learned this from clutter clearing guru Denise Linn at the start of my feng shui journey nearly 30 years ago. She wisely advocates starting with just one drawer and NOT a whole room! One drawer is always doable, and when it is done, it clicks something inside your head and spurs you forward. Small rewards give you the energy to continue.

4. The Energy Test:

Hold the item or visualise wearing the outfit. Does your energy go up or down? Does the thought of wearing or using the item lift you up? If not, you have your answer. If you are still unsure and know how to dowse or do muscle testing, you can check this by using a pendulum. The true answer for you is always within.

5. Why it is Important:

As without, so within. I am sure you have heard of this natural law. It is impossible not to be affected by the energy of your environment. Your home is in fact, YOU. So look around you and survey your belongings and their storage and arrangement. All of this is reflected in your inner world. Your environment is simply an external clue to what is happening in your inner world. Be honest with yourself. Is what you see around you truly reflective of what you want to feel or who you want to become?

I know all about excess… I am a collector; I love pretty, shiny things and am interested in a very wide range of subjects, which means I tend to hold on to books, magazines, and press cuttings. I also have strong home-making and hospitality genes. I grew up in a hotel and trained as a cook. I love hosting and setting the perfect scene. That entails a lot of gear. I am constantly in danger of justifying having too much, which inevitably manifests in my life as having too much to do. I have to dig deep for the quality of ruthlessness, and as I said before, I have to make clearing a weekly routine. Otherwise, I know that I will suffer from overwhelm, which always makes me feel listless. In a nutshell, clutter robs you of your vitality.

6. Add Intention:

This is where the magic comes in. When you let go of something, you create space. And empty space is ALWAYS filled with something. So, what will come into that space? If you are not careful, it will be more clutter. So as you clear out, hold a firm intention for what you want and what you are making space for. This is enormously powerful. In fact, you can consider efficient clutter clearing as one of your superpowers. If you consciously hold an intention while you clear out, you are actually making the space in your life for that item to manifest or that experience to come about. When I hosted workshops on clutter clearing in my Feng Shui school, we had so many testimonials come back in on how throwing out old stuff made space for money or new business to appear. I have done it many times myself and received unexpected cheques within a week. Long before I knew about feng shui, I recall looking at a full filing cabinet at a time when we needed new clients and thinking, If new business comes in, where will we put their files? My instinct was to be practical and make space in the cabinets, and bingo, new business came in straightaway!.

7. Set a Timer:

Don't be fooled into thinking that you don't have time to clear and wait until you can find a whole day. Even ten minutes can achieve something .. and it is amazing how a good ten-minute slot gets the energy moving. Set your phone alarm for an amount of time and go for it. And one other tip. Every ten minutes or hour you clear needs another ten minutes or hour to clean up the mess you created in clearing. I have fallen foul of this many times. In clearing out clutter, I actually made more mess than when I started, so do budget time to remove the items you have decided to let go of.

8. Celebration:

Give yourself a pat on the back whenever you make any small win in your clearing journey. When you speak positive words to yourself, your unconscious reacts in the same way as if they were spoken by someone else, so celebrate every time you manage to let go, and it will keep moving you forward.

Never underestimate the power of cleaning and clearing a space to energise you and help you realise your goals and dreams. Doing a good clutter clearing session in your home or office can even be a shortcut to prosperity. It is incredible how physical clutter can impede the flow of abundance into your life. When you add the power of Intention into this seemingly domestic chore, you can create miracles for yourself.

Gina Lazenby - Healthy Living Activist, Feng Shui Expert, Gina’s beautiful hilltop home in the Yorkshire Dales, featured on many TV programmes and the inspiration for her Healthy Home book, is now let as a retreat house to facilitators of yoga, transformation work and wellness.

It’s also a special place to hire for family gatherings and celebrations. She has always understood the management and care of a home as a highly feminine skill set. Her work in the last twenty years has been in the exploration of the changing nature of gender roles and the value of home-making in our lives.

Her feng shui skill set enabled her to teach hundreds of students the value of aligning your home for success and wellness. She has also produced and presented a radio series called ‘The Rise of the Feminine’ exploring the shift in values in the world and the unique contribution of women.

Gina is a veteran conference speaker and has led gatherings for women entrepreneurs all over the globe. Most recently, she has taken on the role of global host for Conscious Café, a consciousness-raising initiative, and hosts the northern community group based in Skipton.

Gina is a born organiser and has created thousands of events since she was a small child and led birthday parties for her reluctant toddler brother. You can join her online or in-person at one of the many gatherings she creates around her passions of conscious conversation, feminine leadership, wholefood cooking, Feng Shui, living well and wisdom.

Her Healthy Home podcast is about to be launched from the Retreat House with tips for making your home the foundation of your abundance and health.

The Healthy Home: Creating The Foundation For Your Abundance

www.thehealthyhome.com