FEATURE - July 2017

Unclutter and Turn Your Home into Sacred Space

by Traci Bray, BS, MA 

 

Home through the Ages

“Home is where the heart is,” initially attributed over 2,000 years ago by Pliny-the-Elder, a.k.a.Gaius Plinius Secondus, a Roman philosopher. Even before that, since the beginning of time, man, along with animal, has been making ‘home’ of home. Whereas a cave from centuries gone by provided shelter from the elements and the enemy, and was nearly fireproof at that, homes today additionally supply us with respite, gathering space, and shelter from life’s emotional storms. Homes are places of business, of recreation and exercise, and at best, environments that we love.

 

When Home is Uncomfortable

“Deep within each of us is a longing for home. We yearn for a place of comfort where we can be ourselves, where we can realize our dreams,” says Denise Linn, creator of the Western World’s practice of Space Clearing. Denise adds, "Our homes are mirrors of ourselves. Through them we can interface with the universe." Some of us are completely comfortable in our homes. For those who are not, generally issues boil down to three things:

• the home is cluttered

• the home has not been cleansed, claimed, and blessed

• the home has not been aligned with the sacred space of the dweller

 

Denise’s student, Karen Kingston, is an international leader in Space Clearing and defines clutter as basically energy that is stuck. The word clutter comes from the Middle English word “clotter” which is the equivalent to “coagulate.” Coagulation is a powerful word indicating a stopped-up, usually ugly, blockage. Think of a sewer that is clogged or a digestive system that is not working.

 

“Things surrounding you in your home serve as subliminal reminders of who you are,” states Denise. For example, Denise’s client, MaryAnne, is a talented artist whose paintings are sought-after, but her studio at home is cluttered. In her studio, paint tubes litter the floor, and the broad tarp covering it shows bits of paper and balls of pet hair. Canvases are stacked helter-skelter, in no particular order, against walls and tables. When MaryAnne enters the studio, she faces a crooked mirror and a favorite, but broken, lamp. When asked what her thoughts are upon entering her studio, she replied, “Ugh! First, I sigh, and nearly daily, ask myself when am I ever going to get this tidied up?”

Looking at subliminal reminders, MaryAnne is likely telling herself, “I am disorganized. I am a mess. I am unclean, and I don’t take care of my things.” Thus, MaryAnne is uncomfortable and may be limiting herself in achieving a full-swing of creativity as mirrored by the condition of her space. Her list of the unwelcomed greeters in her office—littered floor, broken lamp, etc.—can  be easily inventoried. Scheduling time on her calendar for self-cleaning, or scheduling with someone who helps with special projects, will have her space cleaned, tidied, and repaired in no time. Along the way, she can pitch or recycle some of those canvases and put them in some sort of order. Self-talk upon entering the space will shift to positive words.

 

Marie Konda, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, insists that all items within a home should spark joy! And she means it! From the socks on your feet to pots and pans in your cupboard, everything should spark joy or it has no place in your environment. The Konda approach brings the aligning of an environment into a succinct pattern of quality. If we live in joy, we enjoy.

 

Sacred Space

Once clutter has been cleared and the space is physically clean, Denise suggests clearing the space using a variety of ceremonial processes. These can be self-taught in most circumstances. In her books “Space Clearing” and “Sacred Space,” she details a variety of techniques in which the home or space can be claimed, cleared, and blessed. When we complete these procedures, we become aligned with our space and our space with us. In addition to self-learning, there are professionals available to perform this service.

 

Feng Shui for the Soul

On top of the suggestions of clearing clutter and creating sacred space, the crème d la crème occurs when one applies ‘Feng Shui’ to space. Space can equate from something as small as a purse to the top of a desk to each floor of a home, a residential yard, an acreage, or a city. The world is Feng Shui’s oyster! There are many schools-of-thought in the definition and application of Feng Shui. Within each school are a multitude of layers of application including color, shapes, elements, and in some schools, directions of the compass. The goal of Feng Shui is to achieve balance within space, and therefore, within life. There is much more to Feng Shui than instituting Chinese “cures.” Some schools, such as what Master Consultant Kathryn Weber of https://redlotusletter.com, suggest “remedies” instead of cures. Katie practices traditional Chinese Feng Shui. Denise Linn, as previously mentioned, founded the school of Interior Alignment (https://interioralignment.com) which bases Feng Shui choices on intuition and modified Black Hat practices.  

 

When clutter is cleared, space and contents are cleansed and blessed, and Feng Shui is applied, the Universe is signaled that alignment is sought and balance is preferable. As Marie Kondo states, “When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state.” At that point, one would be unencumbered to do so.