Some months ago, Melanie and I switched spaces. Her sewing room became my office and vice versa. I was resistant at first. It’s a lot a work. But worst of all, I had to give up two drawers where I stored invaluable items: Note pads, pens, book marks, some old files. Really precious stuff.
After 90 minutes of moving things, my precious things were relegated either to recycling or the garbage. After 90 minutes of moving, it was easy to let go - Amazing! The scales fell from my eyes and I saw the precious for what it was: clutter.
We accumulate stuff. We fill our closets and cupboards. We put things we no longer need into a drawer, basement or attic, “just in case”. Clutter mounts.
You’ve moved rooms or residences. You know the phenomenon of letting go of things once treasured. On a practical level, moving is a great exercise in decluttering. And moving (aka “letting go”) is a great exercise in decluttering on a personal level too.
Our ego is also an accumulator. It grasps onto self-images, preferences, beliefs, and assumptions that it views as essential to its survival. Our personality gets cluttered with stories and fears that are false but feel precious.
Soul work consists of sorting through the clutter in our personalities. It’s the hard work of separating what’s true from what’s false. It’s your heart and mind choosing what beliefs and assumptions to keep and which to toss.
This letting go makes “the move” so much easier. And here the move is how we move through our daily lives. As we let go of psychic clutter, we lighten up. (See the Decluttering Exercise below)
As we light up, we open channels to the Spirit world.
As we open channels to the Spirit world, we see more clearly what is truly precious.
As we embrace what is precious to us, we reverence life more. And, as John O’Donohue says,
When we approach things with great reverence, great things decide to approach us.
A Decluttering Exercise for the Personality
Here’s an exercise that helps you to do some soul-sorting work. It uses the three centers of human intelligence – body, heart, and mind – as guides. The more we can let go of psychic clutter, the more welcoming and receptive we become for the gifts and guidance of Spirit.
Grab some paper and a pen and answer the following decluttering questions:
Body Center Decluttering: What are patterns or practices related to your body that no longer serve you?
What will you gain from letting go of these body patterns or practices?
Heart Center Decluttering: What are patterns or practices related to your heart and emotional life that no longer serve you?
What will you gain from letting go of these emotional patterns or practices?
Head Center Decluttering: What are patterns or practices related to your mind and thinking process that no longer serve you?
What will you gain from letting go of these mental patterns or practices?
All done? Grab a cup of tea, pat yourself on the back, and reverence the feeling of lightness that comes with letting go and decluttering your self.