I have just read your book and I start clearing up my clutter. But I realize that I have problems throwing away stuff that people give to me, especially from a woman who cleans our apartment once a week. She loves cleaning and is a big help. She is a lot older then me and it is very important for her that I am satisfied. But she brings in stuff that I don't want and I do not know how to tell her that I do not like this without hurting her. I tried to love the stuff and tell myself that she is doing so much good things for us, but I realize I am getting aggressive when I come home and she has changed something or put new stuff somewhere. I do not want to tell her not to come any more because I know that the work is very important to her. Do you have a solution for me?
- E.F, Germany
Karen's reply:
The longer you let this continue, the worse it will get. Her well-meaning behaviour will not change unless you do or say something about it. Just tell her, kindly but firmly, that you are having a big clear out so please do not bring any new objects into the house. You can offer her some of the objects you are throwing out ("Would this be any use to you?") and then after you have done that a few times and she can see you are serious, you can also offer her some of the objects she has given you ("It's time for a completely fresh start so would you like this back or shall I find a new home for it with someone else who can use it?").
Remember, it's your life and your home, and every time you look at an unwanted gift, your energy drops. Take this as an opportunity to learn self-assertion and gently reclaim your power!
I hope you can help me. I am in the process of clearing my living room from clutter. I have two indian pictures and I wasn't sure if they are good luck for feng shui. Regards,
- Theresa
Karen's reply:
I refer you to Chapter 15 of Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, entitled Clutter and Feng Shui Symbology. It begins with the following explanation:
There are two ways that the symbology of the things in your home can affect you. The first has to do with the personal associations you have with an item, and the second has to do with the frequency emitted by the object itself.
Reading this chapter will enable you to see that to answer this question it is necessary to see the pictures you are concerned about, sense the energy they emit, appreciate how you feel about them, discover their history, see where they are placed in your home in relation to everything else, and so on. It's not a simple matter of 'indian pictures are good' or 'indian pictures are bad'.
To understand this subject in more depth, read Life Energy and The Emotions by John Diamond, which will help you to start to assess whether the frequencies of your pictures are beneficial to you or not.
I'm thinking about the best way to organize my clothes in my closet. As a woman, It seems as if I have a gazillon items. I am going through them to determine if I really do want to keep them all. In the process, I'm wondering what is the best way to organize the different types of tops that I have from t-shirts to casual short and long sleeve tops to dressy short and long sleeve tops. I understand arranging them by color which I do. But by function is not really working. Or I might need to be more critical as to which category a top belongs in? Any suggestions would be helpful.
- Vera Mae Volk, USA
Karen's reply:
Most people only wear 20% of the clothes they own so rather than agonizing over how to organize everything my best suggestion is that you dump all the stuff you don't wear, arrange the rest by colour and then get on with your life.
A core premise of my teachings is that the western world has become far too engrossed in material matters, leading to spiritual disconnection on a massive scale. If I were to put your question to a Balinese person I know exactly what their reply would be: Put your hats at the top of the closet, your shoes at the bottom, and everything else in between according to where you wear it on your person. The reason is simple: They believe we are made in the image of God (microcosms within macrocosms) and so their clothes are arranged according to this cosmic design in order to bring spiritual harmony to their lives. Try it and see. It really feels great.
Is it OK to store shoes in their boxes neatly under the bed?
- Lori Henry, USA
Karen's reply:
Shoes have very low level energies because they are always in contact with the ground. In most Asian countries people are sensitive to this and remove their shoes before entering their home. Storing shoes under the bed is therefore NOT recommended. It is best not to have shoes in the bedroom at all, and especially not near the head of the bed.
When I read the section called 'Clear Your Desk' in your book Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui I figured you had snuck into my home office and taken a peek. You described my desk perfectly - stacks and stacks of papers piled everywhere with about a 12 x 12 space available to work.
Needless to say, my productivity is down and my embarrassment factor is up, which isn't too good as a the owner of a home-based business. It's not really impressive when people see such a cluttered desk! The excuse that I'm really busy with a lot of work only goes so far.
Since reading that section in your book, my desk clutter has definitely improved, but still needs some work. I read with great interest your mention of a book by Declan Treacy called Clear Your Desk where he describes the desks and business practices of some of the top entrepreneurs in the world. I'd love to read it for some additional help and inspiration, but I can't find it anywhere. I was hoping you could tell me the name of the publishing house and the date of publication, and if available, the ISBN # from the title page of the book so I could track it down.
Thank you so much for your help and for your wonderful book. It was given to me by a dear friend for my birthday and has made a big difference in my life. I always mention it in conversations with people when they say they are looking for a change in their life. But what always amazes me is that at least half the people I've mentioned it to have told me they already own the book and also love it!! I even know a few people who have done the colon cleanse. Now that is dedication!
- P.C., USA
Karen's reply:
Declan Treacy's Clear Your Desk is not available in the USA but can be ordered through overseas booksellers. The best price I've found is at the UK division of Amazon.com - www.amazon.co.uk.
The ISBN number is 0-09-927192-3.
The latest edition was reprinted in 1998 by Arrow Books, a division of Random House.
In your book about clutter clearing you mentioned that nothing should hang or be stacked behind the door or on it. Does that refer to doors of rooms only or ALL doors including closet doors? Thank you,
- Tamir
Karen's reply:
It is particularly important that doors of rooms are able to fully open so that energy can flow around your home. It is not so vital for closet doors but it is preferable to be able to open them fully and not have things hanging on them. This is especially the case if the closet is located in an area of your bagua relating to as aspect of your life that is not working very well.
If everyone followed the advice about clearing up attics & basements we would soon lose our cultural heritage when it comes to furniture & handicraft. And I enjoy having a bed made out of a 1880's wooden sofa, instead of IKEA crap made out of pressed sawdust and intended to last ten years. I would like to hear your comments about how to combine interests in both antiques and feng shui.
- E.H., Sweden
Karen's reply:
Firstly, there's no need to throw anything away that you use and love.
Secondly, you can use Space Clearing to clear out any unwanted frequencies of antique furniture (the brief description given in Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui is not enough to be able to do this properly - the full description is in my first book, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui).
And thirdly, I personally never have pressed sawdust type furniture in my home because it outgasses toxins for years!
After reading your book on decluttering, I decided to shave off my beard of ten years. Would you consider this a form of decluttering the body?
- Ken Casey, USA
Karen's reply:
Absolutely! Clearing facial clutter definitely counts! My own perception of beards is that men generally use them to hide behind. It makes them feel less emotionally vulnerable. I'm interested to know if you agree with this and feel more exposed since shaving it off?
Hi, Ms. Kingston.
I had to think for a while in order to answer your question. Concerning the "hiding" aspect of beards, I would agree with you in my case. I had just shaven it off the day I first e-mailed you. I do find your observation quite intriguing. Upon considering my emotional vulnerability, I would say, yes, I am experiencing a little more of it. I grew the beard upon a failed promotion at work. . I continued to work successfully in my pre-promotion capacity for an additional four years before I left the company.
It was not until my wife and I read your decluttering book that I considered even changing my face to the world. Since our last communication, I have cleared out the attic, recommenced an heretofore unfinished home improvement project, and most importantly, have sorted through and discarded old working papers from my previous employer! How's that for progress!
Previously, my family and I dabbled in feng-shui. Not until we read your book did we recognize the aspects of my clutterhood. We immediately jumped into action, and our lives are changing for the positive. Best regards,
I have lots of bits & pieces as ornaments, where do I put them?
- Kerry, Australia
Karen's reply:
My definition of clutter is:
(1) Things you do not use or love (2) Things that are untidy or disorganized (3) Too many things in too small a space (4) Anything unfinished Lots of bits and pieces without a home falls into category (4), so your ornaments are clutter at the moment.
If you truly love them and have enough space for them without making your space feel cluttered, then figure out the best location for each of them. If there are items you can't find a good place for, let them go.
A simple motto is: Keep the best and dump the rest!
What is Space Clearing?
