“Out of clutter, find simplicity.
From discord, find harmony.
In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.”
– Albert Einstein, The Three Rules of Work
Imagine this: One object that we don’t use or love equals one invisible string that attaches itself to us. A painful memory that we have not healed or embraced equals another string. A negative thought equals another. Same negative thoughts and painful memories repeated over and over again equals many strings. Hoarding, addictions, unmitigated fear… energetic spaghetti! God help us if there were a special device that could illuminate the coiled-up mess of all of our attachments and a build-up of highly-charged stress patterns over the course of a lifetime. The cumulative effect of all these strings tangled together would be what I affectionately refer to as “Pigpen’s cloud,” after the adorable Peanuts character who walks around with his permanent cloud of dust.
Like with Pigpen, this clutter cloud goes with us everywhere we go until we clear it. This would mean that the clutter in the closet is going with us to the store, to work, to school, to bed, even if it is physically stored or hidden in the closet. Even if it is stored in one of those PODS containers or storage centers in the next county. Yes, even if it’s hidden in your parent’s attic one continent away!
All of our clutter goes with us everywhere. We sleep, we eat, we play, we live, we make love, we work with… our clutter! It becomes like another member of the family that we are feeding, housing, and lugging around with us. It costs us tremendous vital energy. It may not always be visible to us, but until it is cleared, it will always be there and affect everything we think about, everything we do, and everyone we meet.
It’s no wonder that we can feel so stuck and unable to move forward in our lives.
– Excerpted from Your Spacious Self: Clear The Clutter and Discover Who You Are.
Stephanie Bennett Vogt © All Rights Reserved
