Someone once sent me a fascinating story that was published in a Finnish newspaper about an art student who decided to inventory every object in her 250 square meter home (that's about 2,700 square feet) and present it as her final thesis. 

To do this she used traditional archaeological methods and discovered she owned a total of 6,126 objects. The most interesting part was her analysis of how often she used each object...

Never used objects - 1457
Objects used less frequently than once a year - 2209
Objects used once or twice a year - 1411
Objects used every month - 587
Objects used every week - 401
Objects used every day - 61

Put another way, 24% of the objects were never used at all and a further 59% were used only once or twice per year. That’s a ratio of 83% clutter! Of the remaining 17%, only 1% of the objects were used every day.

There is no reason to suppose that Finnish clutter hoarding habits are any different to the rest of the human race, but let’s suppose this art student was an extreme example. Even if she had twice as much clutter as a normal person, that would still mean that more than 40% of the average home consists of junk.

These statistics alone give pause for thought but now let’s add another dimension. Let’s look at the energetic effect of objects that are never or rarely used.

Most people keep things because they believe they will come in useful one day, but in fact the stagnant energy that collects around unused things causes stagnation in the life of whoever owns them. So instead of being an asset, clutter is in fact a liability. That's why people who have clutter are always stuck in their lives in some way.

Over 30 years ago, I developed the ability to read energy imprints in buildings and objects with my hands. I can go around the inside permeter of a place, reading the walls, furniture, ornaments and so on, and whenever I come across clutter, its energy is unmistakeable. It has a stale, sticky, cobwebby feel that is very different to the vibrant energies surrounding things that are loved and used. By energy sensing someone’s home I can tell exactly what’s working in someone's life and what isn’t. It’s all there to be read. People stand open-mouthed in astonishment when I show them how much their hoarded junk affects them and is holding them back.

Perhaps you do not have the time or inclination to inventory the objects in your home but a quick stroll around will reveal whether there’s clutter or not. What’s your clutter ratio do you think?

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui is designed to reveal why you have clutter in your life, how it holds you back, and how to reclaim your life through the simple process of clutter clearing.

other articles by karen kingston

What is Space Clearing?
Why It Feels So Good To Sleep In Your Own Bed
It's Spring Cleaning, but not as you know it...
Practitioner Level Space Clearing
Understanding The Unseen Worlds
Why Space Clearing and Prozac Don't Mix
A Feng Shui Hotel in Bali

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