Dear Karen,

In Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui you write, "Twice in my life I have got rid of everything I owned and started again."

This is what I want to do. I am very ready to do this, after years of thought, and the prospect is not scary for me. The things I own make me feel heavy, weigh me down, I feel I am not free to move where I need to and do what is healthy for me. Simplicity is increasingly important for both myself and my girlfriend - we are both at turning points, we need to transform our lives, and we wish to move elsewhere and live very simply together (fortunately my girlfriend has very little property). Do you have any recommendations for me as I consider how to get rid of all my stuff?

- G.F, United Kingdom

Karen's reply:

The first time I did this I (amicably) left my boyfriend and left all my stuff for him to use or dispose of as he would. The second time I had a whole house full of things. I sold all the big stuff to a property developer friend and sold the rest at a car boot sale. In both cases, the whole thing was accomplished within a week of deciding to do it, and I have never regretted either decluttering.

However this radical action is not for everyone. In both cases I also had a very clear idea of the next important step to take in my spiritual journey after I had lightened my load, and so disposing of everything was effortless. The fact that you have written to ask how to do this suggests to me that you may not have this clarity and therefore may not accomplish much by taking such action. The art to twenty first century spiritual life is to have the right amount of things around you so that you can accomplish what you need to do but not so much that they hold you back from doing that. Too little or too much can hamper you - you just need the right balance.