Let go. Surrender. Give up control. Breathe.
This may not be the prescription you were expecting from a professional organizer, right? You probably thought I was going to give you a list of supplies to buy, healers to contact, and all my resources for crystals and smudge sticks. Nope. Creating a spiritual experience while clearing your clutter comes down to one very simple question: Do you rule your belongings, or do they rule you?
It is easy to become seduced by possessions and let them run the show. It is much harder to set aside time and create a routine around letting go. This simple 10-step spiritual ritual will help you tap into your inner organizer and clear your space once it begins to feel overcrowded and uncomfortable.
1. Get present.
Sit in your favorite chair. Roll your shoulders back and gently down, imagining any tension dripping down your back, melting into the earth. If you’re not present, you won’t be in the right frame of mind to clear your clutter. So take a moment to notice your breath. Are you breathing? Are you holding on to your breath? Start deeply inhaling through your nose and exhaling out your mouth. Repeat: Inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth. One last time, inhale through your nose and now exhale out your mouth, making a loud sighing sound. Notice your feet on the ground.
Tune into the present moment. What are you feeling? What do you want? What is standing in the way of your ideal home environment?
2. Identify the areas where you and your home feel stuck.
Once you are in a place of total presence and without distraction, list all the areas in your home and within yourself where you feel blocked or stuck. Simply calling out the spaces where you’d like to see change helps kick-start the process. Take a moment to notice any connections between the areas inside and outside your home you’d like to see change. For example, if you desire a romantic relationship, is your bedroom in need of some attention? If you wish to improve your health, is your kitchen clean and functional?
3. Set an intention.
Using your powerful imagination, visualize your space as you dream it! Write down exactly what you desire with careful attention to detail. Maybe you would like a meditation room that is mostly white with a simple rug, pillow, and candle? Maybe you’d love a dining room table where all your favorite people are seated around a beautifully displayed meal. Maybe you and your dog are wrestling in your newly renovated outdoor space. Whatever the space inside you may be, feel it, hear it, see it, taste it, smell it. The more details you can muster, the easier it will be to make them reality.
4. Create manageable and realistic goals.
Instead of making grandiose statements such as, “I’m going to get rid of everything I own on Saturday,” reframe your intention into something like, “This Saturday I am committed to cleaning out my chest of drawers. I will give away anything that no longer fits me well or doesn’t work with my current lifestyle.” You will gain natural momentum by starting small.
5. Check your attitude at the door and take heartfelt action.
A mindset focused on “attacking” clutter or “slaying” the clutter dragon simply won’t inspire lasting change. It is impossible to ride an aggressive energy wave for an extended period of time. You will burn out, make irrational decisions, and be left exhausted. While fear-based, punishing energy may help to kick-start your organizing project initially, the adrenaline high will fizzle out as quickly as it came on. Instead, start your organizing ritual with a clear head and an open heart. Tap into positive, rewarding energy channels to create sustainable life force energy.
6. Get unwanted items out of your home immediately.
Once you have made the effort and the decision to let go of items that aren’t serving your highest self, it is vital that you remove them from your home immediately. Your ties to them may have been cut energetically, but you won’t feel a lightness until these items are out of sight. Removing the items also ensures that you won’t change your mind and dig through the to-go bin.
As you eliminate what no longer serves you, allow yourself to be spoiled with what you really want and deserve.
7. Add something new.
Adding something to your space may seem counterintuitive to the point, but you’ll likely need a little extra decor once your space begins to clear out. Bringing in remnants from Mother Nature like crystals, succulents, or drift wood is a lovely way to create a home that holds, nurtures, and supports you. As you eliminate what no longer serves you, allow yourself to be spoiled with what you really want and deserve.
8. Burn sage or your favorite incense.
Burning sage or any other kind of plant smoke is a sweet way to close a clearing ritual. Doing so will remove negative energy and help clean the air. Find your own alliance with a plant that can help you continue to clear your space for years to come.
9. Close the experience with gratitude.
Maintaining an attitude of gratitude allows us to cultivate more of what we authentically desire. Even if evaluating your possessions and letting things go is excruciatingly painful, there is something in the experience you can be grateful for. The acknowledgment can be as simple as saying, “I’m grateful for my home.” Try not to overcomplicate this part. There is great power in allowing simplicity to take the lead.
10. Commit to maintaining your space.
Now that the hard work is done, make a commitment to keeping your space clear. I advise my clients to come up with a mantra that will help them keep their homes sacred. When your home starts to collect and feel overwhelming, a personal mantra can serve as a guide back to center. A couple of good examples include, I am committed to keeping my home a sacred temple, I vow to give my home daily attention, I keep my home clean and clear, and I am taking care of my home as I would a dear friend. Again, keep the mantra simple and deeply personal.
Clutter Healer Lili Pettit matches expert organization with intuitive energetic cleansing to evaluate, coordinate and completely rejuvenate the home. Trained in a series of respected and time-honored traditions, Lili works one-on-one with clients to identify and uncover emotional attachments to their possessions and embark on a gentle, yet effective, path toward releasing and removing them from the home.
Combining 12 years in fashion and styling with a keen organizational acumen from childhood, Lili transforms and restores clients’ living spaces while clearing the air for positive energy to flow freely.
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