I am in the process of getting my house ready for sale at the moment and, although I love my home, the time has come to move on.
I have lived in my beautiful home for six years now and even though I haven’t accumulated much during that time it is becoming apparent with every drawer and cupboard I open that there is an excess of unnecessary ‘stuff’ that is not actually needed… and is taking up space.
This is interesting to observe, as compared to when I was younger I had way more then than I do now. I used to love collecting all sorts of goodies just for the sheer beauty of appreciating them, even if they did not serve any real purpose.
There were also items I brought into this house when I moved in 6 years ago that had no real purpose but there was a certain attachment to them, because of sentimental reasons. Some of these items have been sitting in a cupboard and have not seen the light of day for that amount of time.
What I am becoming increasingly aware of lately is there is a constant refining and re-evaluating that is necessary in my home if I am to honour the change and refinement that is taking place in my body. Even though I may not see these things, they are nonetheless taking up space, literally and energetically. It is rather like carrying around excess weight or emotional baggage that causes unnecessary strain and is a drain on the body.
Our homes, I am discovering, are a powerful reflection of our relationship with ourselves.
How we care for ourselves, what we choose to hang onto, what is left in the third drawer down, all these things affect the order and rhythm of our lives.
As I am letting go of past tensions and protection held in my body and re-connecting to the spaciousness within, so too do I need to adjust my surroundings and discard what is no longer needed in my home for there to be flow and harmony. If there is resistance to letting go, it makes sense that it creates stagnancy in moving forward.
Bringing more attention to my home environment, letting go and discarding, I can feel the space is opening up for me to expand and evolve into what is next in my life. There is clarity and simplicity and I am really enjoying the lightness in the body that naturally follows.
In spaciousness everything is available to us, so in ‘emptying’ out we are naturally filled with the love and divinity we are.
By Victoria, Suffolk Park, NSW, Australia
Further Reading:
The De-cluttering Diet
De-cluttering my Flat and my Life: A Forever Deepening Amazingness
Bringing Sunshine inside my Basement by De-cluttering
Making Space
The Truth about Universal Medicine 
Maybe, I need to see if there is some more letting go of items that no longer serve a purpose.
This very much makes sense, ‘discarding what is no longer supportive as we evolve.’
Making space makes sense and when we allow our body to clear old patterns we are communicating to our bodies that we can deepen in the Love we all innately are.
“As I am letting go of past tensions and protection held in my body and re-connecting to the spaciousness within, so too do I need to adjust my surroundings and discard what is no longer needed in my home for there to be flow and harmony”. Thank you for the blog Victoria, your words are very practical and make perfect sense to me, sometimes I come home and feel how my home doesn’t reflect the new depths of myself I am now living, and I can feel I need to make changes to bring my home up to speed.
‘It is rather like carrying around excess weight or emotional baggage that causes unnecessary strain and is a drain on the body.’ Agreed! I can really relate to this and have felt in my body the difference when I de-clutter and clean. It leaves a greater space both within and on the outside.
Yes the space is naturally there, it is we that fill it with all manner of distractions and ‘stuff’.
I notice the difference too in my body and being when I have cleared something in either my home, car or at work and just how good it feels. Simplicity is definitely the way … I still have some clearing to do! 😶
Clearing and cleaning make great partners and simply work together for our evolution.
I am aware my home could do with a good de-clutter but every time I start to let go of some things that I rarely use I get the ‘but I might need that thought’ drop in. The problem with this mentality is that you end up with a lot of ‘things’ that you may not necessarily need.
Being open and constantly clearing what no longer serves expands us, anything less means we’re standing still or stagnating.
The less we have, the more we’re given.
Discarding what is not of any purpose whether that be within our body or in our surrounds we get to feel the natural spaciousness that is there.
When The Gentle Breath Meditation becomes an every day expression, it supports us to be present with ourselves. If, for example, something or someone is not moving in a way or pace we expect, by connecting to The Gentle Breath brings us back and holds us in space, and allows us to be with another in love, not anxiousness.
You could equally write this about our body – a constant refining, getting rid of what does not serve us and allowing more space for our natural selves to come forward.
Beautifully said Simon, ‘constant refining’ is at the heart of de-cluttering our inner selves
Exactly Simon, it is about the body. Just like space that has the unnecessary clutter removed, it naturally feels and looks clear and sparkly.
It first comes from a connection to the quality within that is then reflected outwardly.
When we declutter our house we can feel a yummy feeling of spaciousness and expansion. When we declutter our body, this feeling of spaciousness is the same and it can be incredibly supportive to let go of stuff we no longer need to allow more spaciousness in life.
There is no perfect state. We are in a constant refinement with our relationship with ourselves and our bodies, and as we do, the things we have around us need to change. It takes any sentiment and emotion away from it, as it’s about what is needed now, not what we needed before.
That constant refinement is a response to the fact that nothing stays still – we are constantly being moved, life is constantly evolving and expanding, and so must we if we are to keep pace with everything that is being offered.
I agree with you Victoria the less the clutter the more space. The materials in my home are practical. If they are not being used to develop or honour who I am it’s out.
It takes about 3 months I think for the body to totally replace itself – blood cells have dies and been replaced, bone density has changed depending on our level of physical activity, muscles adapting to our current situation etc etc. Likewise our home and what there is in there is not static, and needs to evolve to support what we are doing, where we are at, and simply what is needed.
Interesting how we are all naturally very orderly and spacious cause we can feel our who body and being enjoys the expansion it offers. Really worth exploring why it is that we have not made it our norm. Perhaps complication feeds us back something more than we realise?
Yes Linda !
We are in the process of getting our house ready for sale too. We also lived in our house for 6 years and previous to that we used to live on a boat which meant we didn’t have much stuff. But now, I can’t believe how much we have accumulated in 6 years. I love getting rid of stuff and making more space.
It is great to read how you love getting rid of stuff, and making more space; still challenging for myself.
It can feel so tension-releasing to have a well ordered and spacious space around you. It makes me wonder every time I feel this how much tension I have actually been living with and not realising. Wow!
What tends to accumulate in my home is the ‘I’ll sort this out later’ pile. Things that I don’t feel to or see the need to deal with immediately so I just put them aside, but know somehow I have to look at it later and that ‘later’ can sometimes prolong and the dust starts to settle and eventually becomes a mess. It’s this feeling of incompleteness that feels like clutter and stagnation. And they don’t necessarily have to be physical objects at all.
True Fumiyo, in our spaces we can also feel the ‘energetic clutter’ or clarity. The quality of how we live, our thoughts and emotions can equally be felt and impact us and all in the household.
I can relate to the feeling of incompleteness when I put even just one item out of order or away from its original place. Now, when I have the thought to that says ‘I’ll sort it out later’ I remember that stagnation and incomplete feeling and it is often enough to make me shift my delay and walk a few more steps to put things back where they belong.
‘How we care for ourselves, what we choose to hang onto, what is left in the third drawer down, all these things affect the order and rhythm of our lives.’ And don’t discount the ripple effect it has on others when we clear out our stuff in our homes and in ourselves.
Yes without order and rhythm in our lives we do not get to feel space and the expanse both within and without and others can feel this also.To meet another in this quality lets you simply be.
Clearing out the clutter offers the opportunity to feel what is important in the space around and inside you.
I know, clearing out our space can feel very settling and satisfying. I have been clearing my house and it feels great. There is more to do and I love discarding the next layer.
Clearing out the clutter is a loving choice to make, but still is not always easy to fully let go of things that are potentially not needed.
Space is naturally within and all around us yet can be difficult to feel when it is filled up with ‘stuff’, whether that be a head full of thoughts, a body full of food or tension or a home full of excess. It is revealing how much can be felt when our focus is brought to the body, some areas feeling more dense (less spacious) that others. Bringing loving awareness to these areas naturally begins to unravel the dis-ease and strain.
I am learning when you give another space or yourself space your intelligence expands.
Yes, it does and it means our love expands too because true intelligence is the same as love.
I love re-reading this blog, feeling how we are all evolving in our relationship with self, deepening and making space by bringing all of who we truly we are.
It can only be love or empty of that love, filled by something else that is evil. This unfortunately is the truth.
Space and expansiveness simply is before we fill it in, or frame it.
It sure does Linda and I am often surprised how quickly things accumulate and pile up if I do not stay connected to my rhythm. Often I use the excuse that I do not have enough time but I seem to be more connected to my natural rhythm when I am busy and in flow. But when I am busy and in overwhelm this throws everything out.
I love that feeling too Linda and when we are open to evolve we will naturally make space to allow this to happen both energetically and physically. But if we are in delay we would stay in stagnation and feel well and truly stuck in denseness.
Your blog Victoria inspires me to go to the next level to embrace more spaciousness in my house, office, and car and everywhere I go. It feels great to let go of ‘stuff’ I do not need and make space for more love and care into my life. It is a work in progress and your blog and these amazing comments are brilliant support.
Agree chanly88 it is inspiring to read our relationships with space, and when we let go of ‘stuff’ space it is naturally there.
I agree, it does feel great to let go of ‘stuff’, for me it is still a work in progress.
So true Brendan, the quality felt in the home after a declutter in one room inspires me to bring this to every room in the home.
So so simple – we can feel the difference and that inspires us to do more of the same.
‘If there is resistance to letting go, it makes sense that it creates stagnancy in moving forward.’ Spot on Victoria, it feels amazing when I clear and de-clutter what I am holding onto to, I feel more expansive, more spacious and certainly you are making way for something new.
I love to de clutter now and then when I feel our bodies are asking for a different configuration in the house. But reading these words ‘what we choose to hang onto ‘…, what we choose to hang onto, what is left in the third drawer down, all these things affect the order and rhythm of our lives.’ I could feel there are still some things in the house I am hanging onto for no other reason than an emotional one, so it is time again to feel and let go whatever is needed for more space in my life.
Indeed, and the more we can feel the rhythm of everything else around us, so our sensitivity and ability to respond accordingly is equally enhanced (back to what it always should have been).
That final sentence is super powerful – when we remove the clutter and detritus it opens up space … yes, and then the follow on is that allows space for more love. Gorgeous.