What if releasing clutter is a pathway to living in the now, free from distractions? What if the act of letting go of clutter is a practical way to demonstrate trust in the Cosmos and its abundant nature? More than anything else, these golden dynamics of clutter busting are what make me love the work.
Before my teacher brought these dynamics to my attention, I was keenly aware of how we are all tempted from time to time to let envy get the best of us: I had already noticed that envy can block our heart’s ability to love our lives. (The envious fault God for favoring others with benevolence yet withholding the goodies from them.) But I hadn’t noticed how clutter can be just as powerful as envy in blocking us from the joy of realizing our lives are sweet in their nakedness with nothing added.
When we hold onto clutter we say to the Universe, "my life isn’t good enough without this thing" (echoing the messages of the consumer culture). Or if it is nostalgic clutter, we are proclaiming, "my life won’t ever be as wonderful as it used to be—I must keep the past alive." Or maybe some other variation of these untrusting, impoverished beliefs—there are countless ways to customize the notion that the Cosmos is neglecting us and our good relies on stuff that is neither sacred nor truly valued or used.
When we view clutter through an inner lense that places a spotlight on clutter as a symptom of our relationship to the universe, our ability to discern clutter in our lives becomes more potent. For example, we begin to see that events and memberships can be clutter depending on what sits at their root. If serving on the board of a nonprofit is a genuine outgrowth of a passion, that is well and good, but what if your motivation for showing up is purely to convince others that you’re "good enough?" Your participation on the board could be something that is distracting you from addressing some inner stuff, in other words avoidance and clutter.
Viewing clutter as the interplay between your outer physical world and your inner experience of the world doesn’t mean that clutter clearing should be reserved for visits with the psychologist or a spiritual counselor. To the contrary: it is the process of confronting clutter squarely with a 100% determination to resolve it that addresses the inner and outer clutter simultaneously. The work of clutter busting takes place when you are nose-to-nose with your towering stacks of books that haven’t been looked at for ten years or your closet overflowing with clothes and items you’ve lost track of.
The task of sorting through the garage’s contents can be intimidating at first. Taking a deep breath and acknowledging your resistance is always the first step—especially if the resistance has been holding you in its grip for years. But just beyond the resistance lies the clarity, your heart’s true desire to move on to a new, liberated place, to step into the flow of your energy and power. Tapping into this desire is the first step to creating a momentum that will carry you to where you want to be.
Your heart emerges from the process liberated from the strings that had been holding it down and your mind emerges with a new ability to focus. You are open to self-gratitude and the flow of happiness, receptive to embracing change and living in the moment. You can have a cup of tea with God with no complaints.
Elliott Robertson is a professional clutter buster. His company, Clear and Simple, is based in Philadelphia. He can be reached at elliottrobertson@earthlink.net or 215-586-4488.