Feng Shui De-Cluttering Madness

“Did you read something new?” my neighbor asks as my husband and I are carrying boxes and boxes of trash out of our garage.

“Yes…we’re cleaning up! I just read this book and….” Clearly my neighbor knows me.

Every now and then, I get on a new kick- something new to immerse myself in and learn about. For a while, it was wine and then universal laws and now the latest is Feng Shui. Sure, you’ve all heard of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese system of how to spatially layout certain elements and colors to bring forth positive energy (Chi) to your environment. In the Hindu culture, this is also sometimes referred to as Vastu.

So, this latest obsession drove me to do lots of reading on the subject last week and begin to tackle my self-created “Feng Shui to do list.” One of the principal elements of Feng Shui is to remove all the clutter. After being married for 20 years, trust me, all of the clutter, though not clearly visible through our home, has really taken refuge in the garage. And though I’d love to believe Feng Shui baguas do not include my garage, apparently they do!

This past week-end, to the disappointment of my family, because of my new passion, they were forced to de-clutter their spaces and “improve Chi” all week-end long, which, normally over the summer, would be a reasonable time to do. In fact, my kids would even welcome cleaning the garage if it meant it would interfere with their reading time or emptying the dishwasher chore. However, it was no longer summer in their minds….it was in fact their last hurrah….it was last week-end before school started!

So despite the 100 degree temperatures and the complaining, we managed to remove over 50% of our once beloved junk. We removed old papers, boxes, old broken bikes, and even donated over 6 bags of clothes that didn’t fit anymore. We organized, we swept, we cleared under the beds and in the closets, and when all was said and done, it felt good. It really did.

You don’t realize the weight of possessions. And in our culture, possessions accumulate as fast as money and space allow so clearing our perceived treasure trove feels good once in a while. Besides whatever Feng Shui mystical improvements may have been made in our house, I know for me, I already feel good with the empty space before me! After all, it’s said that empty space allows for new energy to come in because nature abhors a vacuum. Try it.

Now, my family thinks they are off the hook because of the de-cluttering. HA! Stay tuned, as next comes the painting of the rooms!!

P.S. One book I would recommend is Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life by Karen Carter.