Clutter Clearing as a Spiritual Practice - Part 2

Releasing

A spiritual practice is an activity undertaken on a regular basis for the purpose of inducing spiritual insights and encouraging spiritual growth.

So ... clutter clearing ... as a spiritual practice?

It can be.

Think about it:

Clutter clearing invites us to release things.

I have seen three things that block us from releasing things back into the universe: 

1. A sense of responsibility for the item.

2. The fear that one might need or use the item in the future. And
3. obligation or sentimental attachment to the item.

1) A sense of responsibility

Some clients have trouble releasing items because they want to know what will happen once they are out of their keeping. There is a sense of responsibility to see that the items "get into a good home" or are otherwise properly cared for. (This is admirable, but too often is harming the client's ability to get free.)  

The spiritual practice asked of these clients is TRUST. Can we trust that the universe (God/Providence) will get the item to its proper place? Can we let go of feeling responsible for the item's future (without any shame or self-doubt?)  Can we let go of worry about the item, setting it and ourselves free, and trusting that all will be well? 

2) The fear that one might need the item in the future.
Some clients have trouble releasing items because they are uncertain whether they might need the item in the future. There is an unwillingness to let go of even long-unused items in case they want it later.

The spiritual practice asked of these clients is also TRUST. Can we trust that the universe will provide what we need when we need it? In this abundant culture, with flea markets and Amazon and community swaps and Freecycling, can we believe that we could probably find just the thing we need in the future, should the need arise? 

"Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you out without a purse, bag or sandals, did you lack for anything?'  'Nothing,' they answered.  Luke 22:35

3) obligation or sentimental attachment to the item.
There is nothing wrong with having a sentimental attachment to our possessions. It isn't so good if the attachment begins to dominate what is best for us. Sometimes we have items we do not enjoy but feel unable to release due to their origins.  Perhaps something was a gift from a loved one or belonged to an ancestor, and letting it go feels uncomfortable, even though we don't actually want it.

The spiritual practice in relation to sentiment and obligation is "saucha."  Saucha is a word from Sanskrit which means a purity of focus or clarity of vision. Saucha pulls us back to our core self. When we are grounded in our core, we can discern most clearly what serves us spiritually.   Items of sentiment and obligation can be the most sticky and difficult to release. Yet in our deepest core, we know that we don't need to remain attached to anything physical for our wellbeing.

Rarely do we have to endure the loss of all our most treasured possessions.  Only those in massive fires or earthquakes, or refugees from war and famine, may suffer the loss everything they own.  However, it is a healthy practice to be willing to release everything that burdens us or stands in the way of our best life.

When it comes to items we hold due to obligation we must ask ourselves, "Would I want someone I love to carry around something they no longer need or use simply because they fear to hurt my feelings?" If our answer is "No," we must trust our friends and loved ones to be as wise. Let it go! (I don't want anyone to feel obliged to hold on to some unneeded item just to protect my fragile ego. God willing, my ego is far more resilient than that.)

The preceding are just a few examples of how clutter clearing invites us to do spiritual work. Try it, and you may find that the regular examining and releasing of physical items can help you feel clearer and lighter in non-physical ways too.

To be continued.

For the other entries in this series, see below.

Clutter Clearing as a Spiritual Practice - Part 1

Clutter Clearing as a Spiritual Practice - Part 3

Clutter Clearing as a Spiritual Practice - Part 1

Too Much Stuff

I have been clutter-clearing since I was a teenager, probably since I was born.

I have been a professional clutter-clearer since 2002.

My mentor clutter clearer told me that 90% of my job would be counseling.

She told me that my clients' biggest challenge would be shame---shame over having so much stuff, shame over the stuff being "out of control", and shame over the apparent inability to deal with it.

She was right.

I don't think the shame is deserved---not at all. In fact, I think it is part of the problem.

But in a culture increasingly ready to call someone a "hoarder", it takes extra courage to ask for help. I admire my clients for that. It takes courage to face a problem for which we are ashamed (unjustly). It takes a certain spiritual maturity to be ready to sort the old from the new, the broken from the whole, the no-longer-needed from the necessary.

Our north-american culture has an overabundance of STUFF.  We get gifts and give gifts all the time. Then we feel obliged to keep them. And everywhere we go, someone is trying to sell us something new, or cute, or something that will magically fix our life, and we fall for it.  Again and again.

When we open our mailbox, stuff pours out. Most often it is advertising---special offers and discounts on things we might need, or feel we might need, or read, or use...some day....

Our culture inundates us with stuff. And who has the time to sort and decide about it all? So we set it aside "for later," into another pile of stuff we intend to get to "when we have time."

The bigger the space we have, the more likely it is to fill up with stuff that we intend to get to. It happens faster than we can imagine.

Yet every client I have helped is NORMAL. Because we all have this struggle in our culture, and only a few of us have the time, AND energy, AND mindset to keep continuously processing all that stuff OUT again.

I have needed help with my stuff, so I do not judge. I am an expert due to a lifetime of necessity. Most recently I had to downsize from a three-bedroom home to about 100 sq. ft. (To move in with my college sweetheart who had a fully furnished 400 sq. ft. unit in Manhattan.) It was HARD. It hurt! But it was worth it. I survived. In fact, I'm thriving.

But still, clutter-clearing as a spiritual practice?

Oh yes.

Read on....

Clutter Clearing as a Spiritual Practice - Part 2

Clutter Clearing as a Spiritual Practice - Part 3