Feng Shui and Clutter How An Overstuffed Home Robs You of Vitality, Opportunities and Money — and What to Do About It

Today, many of us share one common problem: too much stuff in our homes. And, if you’re willing to invest just a couple of weeks – or weekends — you can get a grip on clutter and start feeling more in control over all the stuff in your house. Better still, you won’t have to live in a disorganized, cluttered home that frustrates and annoys you.

Having an uncluttered, organized home will repay you in time and money — and will return your peace of mind — and in just a few short weeks. Besides being a serious re-charge to your life and vitality, decluttering is good feng shui.

Everything you are surrounded by exerts an influence on your life.

If you’re surrounded by clutter and disorganization, it’s a serious energetic drain on your mind, your emotions and your physical body. Too much stuff quickly turns a home “yin” and that makes energy turn negative. Once that happens, the circumstances of life start changing, too. You could say that clutter becomes the sticks and mortar that dam your life and stop the opportunities that flow to you. It’s time to clean up that “dam” mess!

Let’s get started with the basics.

What is clutter?

Clutter is anything that you don’t regularly use, things that you don’t like or enjoy or that are broken, or items kept out of guilt and obligation. Clutter includes items like old clothing, unused toys, mismatched dishes, or stacks of magazines. One of the worst sources of clutter is paper. Newspapers, mail, magazines, old greeting cards, and various paper items all clutter up our coffee tables, desks, and refrigerator.

What clutter isn’t

Clutter isn’t anything you truly love or use regularly. Clutter also isn’t a valuable collectible. Some things shouldn’t go in a landfill or in a garage sale. Your grandmother’s Fostoria crystal isn’t junk and shouldn’t be treated that way.

Ebay, local antiques or consignment stores are resources to help sell your collectible items. One woman made $15,000 off her clutter. Every week, she sat at her computer with five to 10 items she wanted to sell and in six months, she had made an extra $15,000 by selling her clutter on Ebay. Too much trouble to sell? Give special items away as gifts to someone who’ll appreciate them.

Clutter sources

There are a number of reasons for our over-accumulation. One is that we’ve moved from a disposable society to everything’s-a-collectible society and if everything is valuable, then you can’t throw anything away then, can you? We’ve also moved from a buy-it-as-you-need-it outlook to a buy-it-in-bulk mindset – and if we buy in bulk, we have to live in bulk.

Lastly, recreational shopping creates an overload of unused, unwanted household items. Hitting the mall every weekend just packs your house and empties your wallet.

Staying present. The difficulty with clutter is both past and future.

Too often people are tied to items because of the past (it was a wedding gift, it was Uncle Frank’s) and the future (what if I need a shoe buttoner again?). Yet clutter causes you problems in the present because you can’t find what you’re looking for or you have things you don’t really need or want. Other problems from the past include items we’ve inherited.

Many people feel like they have to keep everything passed down from their loved ones. It’s a tremendous burden of guilt. Remember that things are not people and it’s okay to let things go. To feel like you have to hold on to the possessions of your loved ones who are no longer around is to have to build your own life and hang on to their lives, too. It makes for a crowded house. Keep just a few items that you especially love or that you’ll use on a regular basis. My favorite item from my grandmother? Her cast iron skillet that stays on my stove to this day and gets almost daily use.

Go ahead, be wasteful

Have you ever heard the Depression era stories about being so poor that coffee grounds were dried in the sun and re-used? Well, it’s not the Depression anymore. It’s okay to throw things away. You have my permission and encouragement to get rid of stuff. There will be enough and you can always get more if you need it.

People hang on to so many things because they don’t want to be wasteful; like holding on to a shirt with a stain that won’t come out. The stain won’t come out the longer it hangs there, so why reach for it and then put it back on the rack? Throw it away once and for all.

Your role: The first step to getting control over clutter is recognizing your role in creating it.

Do you overshop? Do you keep things out of guilt (it’s Aunt Mary’s!)? Do you have to buy in bulk? Are you afraid to throw things away? Taking a hard look at how and why your house has gotten cluttered helps you get it under control and from becoming cluttered in the future. So recycle when you can, and throw away, donate, or sell the rest — and at every opportunity.

The physical symptoms of clutter

Clutter stops the flow of energy. When energy stops flowing, there is a negative impact to our bodies, spirits, and energetic life flow in the form of money, opportunities, love, and enjoyment. Clutter manifests as excess weight, constipation, inability to think, feeling stuck in life, low vitality, and poor personal growth and movement.

 

Your Decluttering Starting Point:

Analyze your role in creating clutter. This week, try to make a change to your habits like going shopping during lunch or letting junk mail stack up instead of throwing it out. Try to change one habit each week.

Set up an Ebay account. It’s incredibly easy to do and fast. Then gather up five items you’d like to sell, photograph them and upload them. Wait for the “Your item sold” email and then ship it as quickly as possible. There are a few essentials for selling successfully: great descriptions, good photos, reasonable price, and fast shipping. Do those and you’ll be an Ebay pro in no time.

Tackle the kitchen desk or junk drawer. Buy an organizer and mercilessly pare down everything but what you frequently use. Aim to reduce the amount of stuff by at least 50%.

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© K Weber Communications LLC 2002-2010

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in classical Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE Ebook “Easy Money – 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui” visit www.redlotusletter.com and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!

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The Feng Shui of Numbers

The Feng Shui of Numbers – How to use them for your benefit

Numbers are an integral part of feng shui, with each direction having its own corresponding digit.

Certain numbers, such as 1, 6, and 8 are considered especially auspicious and confer excellent luck to anyone with these numbers in their address or telephone number.

The number eight is considered particularly auspicious because it is also the shape of the infinity symbol (and a woman’s figure, too!;). In numerology, numbers are added together and reduced down to one number. However, this isn’t the practice in feng shui. Rather, it is the sounds of the numbers that create the best luck.

An example of this would be the address “1008 Walnut Street.” The sound of the address ends on the number eight. This gives it emphasis. By the same token, the double zero also adds strength. (Incidentally, double O’s are also auspicious whether they are a number or a letter. Just think of the words Google or Yahoo.)

When you have a home address, you would ideally want a home that ends in 9, 3, 8, 1, or 6. The numbers ending in 2, 5, and 4 are not as auspicious. However, it’s important to understand the Chinese view before worrying about your house numbers.

The word “four” in Chinese sounds similar to the word death, therefore that number brings a negative connotation. My take is that the number four is represented by Southeast which is the prosperity and wealth sector because the word “four” doesn’t remotely sound like death to me.

It’s a lot like Friday the 13th. Many people associate negativity with the number 13 falling on a Friday. If you associate good luck with it like I do, then the association goes from negative to positive. The number two makes me associate the duality of the universe (yin/yang) and the number five with the number of elements in the universe.

So, you see, it’s not as negative or worrisome in English and when you make a better association with the numbers. This is helpful when an address or phone number ends in a two or a five.

Numbers can be utilized to help create better luck. By placing items in the correct number in the correct direction, you can energize the items. Not only that, but you’ll also gain more benefit by the item’s placement when it corresponds to a beneficial number.

Another benefit is when you use the five element theory for your numbers and combine the productive cycle. An example would be to place six silver balls in the north corner because six is the number of big metal which creates water!

To learn more, click on the free bagua link at the top of the Red Lotus newsletter if you are a subscriber. If not, sign up for our free weekly newsletter at the top right-hand corner of this page, or read about the five element theory.

Here is a recap on feng shui directions and numbers:

North: Career, personal growth, prospects, music and art, number 1
Black or Blue color; Water element;
Objects: ponds, fish, aquarium, turtles, frogs

Add a single object here, such as a single frog or turtle figure. You could also have a picture of a single sailing ship to bring wealth to the home.

Northeast: Education, meditation, & spirituality, number 8
Beige color; Earth element;
Objects: hills, bumps or rocks in the ground

In the northeast, place eight items together. This can be crystal or stone spheres, or a bowl of eight beautiful crystals. Secondarily, eight lights may also be placed here. This enhances the power of the northeast by aligning with the number of items used.

East: Family, nutrition, health and healing, number 3
Green-brown color; Large wood element;
Objects: wood furnishings, trees, bamboo, baskets

East is the direction of the number 3. A grouping of 3 wooden items in this corner would be perfect. Or, place an arrangement of three plants in this sector. Three pictures of your family would also be good in this location.

Southeast: Wealth, abundance, communication, possessions, number 4
Green color; Small wood element
Objects: potted plants, small wood knick knacks

In the southeast, group four plants together. Or, select four items that represent growth to you. These can be pictures of fruits and vegetables, flowers, or other items.

South: Fame, opportunity, dreams, awards, happiness and recognition, number 9
Red color; Fire element;
Objects: lights, candles, lamps, fireplace, oven

In the south, the number 9 reigns supreme. Consider an arrangement of nine candles (such as those fireplace candleholders). Or, arrange 9 pictures on a wall that feature the color red. These could be pictures, paintings, or prints or roosters, peacocks, triangles, etc. Or, choose red frames for the pictures. Nine tall peacock feathers would also be a good choice.

Southwest: Romance, motherhood, marriage prospects & marital happiness, number 2
Beige or yellow color; Large earth element;
Objects: Large stones, crystals, hills, lamps

In the southwest sector of the home, you can place globe bookends here. Since the number of the SW is 2 and the globe symbolizes ‘earth,’ this would be an excellent addition. Or, you can use two bookends made from stone or geodes.

West: Creativity, entertaining, socializing, children, luck of children, number 7
White, silver, or gold color; Small metal element;
Objects: small metal objects, wind chimes, etc.

To improve your creativity or help your children, hang a metal mobile with seven pieces in the West corner of your home or living room. Or, you can place seven crystal spheres here to keep relationships harmonious. Items that are white, silver, or gold-colored are especially good here.

Northwest: Helpful people or mentors, international travel, fatherhood, number 6
White, silver, or gold color; Large metal element;
Objects: large metallic objects, electronic items

To enhance the NW, which is the direction of helpful people, place six brass bells in this area. This is also good to do if anyone is looking for a job.

© Kathryn Weber, All rights reserved

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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in authentic Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE E-book “Easy Money – 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui” visit www.redlotusletter.com and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!