A Year to Clear Read online

  Allow all sensations to arise without doing anything to fix, change, or manage them.

  When you feel complete, open your eyes and put your things away with awareness beginning with the Stay pile and ending with the Don't Know pile.

  Notice if you're feeling differently from when you started.

  Write down any aha moments in your journal.

  In case it hasn't quite sunk in, this exercise is not about fixing a problem. And it's not a race to see how much you can “get done.” The practice is designed to slow you down so you can allow the resisting patterns to arise, be witnessed with spacious detachment, and released.

  The pudgy purse (rat's nest refrigerator, excess body weight, painful relationship, unsatisfying career—or whatever causes you pain) is simply the vehicle that takes your clearing to a much deeper level.

  Explore

  Of the four piles, the one that challenges me the most is . . . (and ways that I could reduce its size and impact on me might be . . .)

  When I insert awareness into a clearing exercise (versus just “doing” the exercise) I notice . . .

  DAY 69

  “I HAVE NO TIME!”

  The time thing is a conundrum. Whatever you're clearing or moving around takes time.

  Here's the thing: It's not about having no time. It's that we make other things more important. If we turn the task of moving things around into a daily practice that promotes well-being, it will never feel onerous. The more a task feels good, the more we'll want to take the time to do it.

  In the case of my purse, making strategic transfers from one bag to another takes me one minute. Two, tops. And when I slow down even more (on purpose), and insert awareness, the task actually feels meditative and good. It helps me gather the loose ends of myself and feel better.

  What are you making time for that is not useful or nourishing? What could you do instead with that time? What is holding you back?

  Explore

  Things I've made time for that are not useful or nourishing are . . .

  I could instead do . . .

  Resistances that come up when I consider making a pivot are . . .

  DAY 70

  CHECK IN—PARING DOWN THE PURSE

  The focus this week was to use that thing we lug around everywhere we go—our handbag, wallet, computer bag, backpack—as a practice tool in letting go. When we make it a priority to slow down, simple practices in sorting, pruning, and moving things around have the added benefit of promoting well-being.

  What has your handbag taught you about you? In what ways does inserting awareness into an everyday task feel more nourishing (or less onerous)?

  Explore

  My bag has taught me . . .

  Inserting awareness into daily pruning feels . . .

  WEEK 11

  SENSING ENERGY IN THINGS AND SPACES

  There's a reason they built those cathedrals. Pick your place, on purpose.

  —Seth Godin, “The Space Matters”

  DAY 71

  NOT ALL SPACES FEEL THE SAME

  Have you noticed that not all spaces feel good—even the brand-new, empty, and clutter-free ones?

  Since I was a little girl, long before I knew what space clearing was, I would go into certain homes feeling just fine and come away feeling like I'd been hit over the head with a sledgehammer. My beloved uncle's house, the seaside home of a friend in Maine, some of the centuries-old homes in my childhood neighborhood of Mexico City—all had a similar effect: they made me feel ill or uneasy whenever I stepped into them. Stomachaches, waves of nausea, and even the flu were common side effects. It didn't matter if the space was a jaw-dropping mansion or a spartan studio apartment.

  I didn't know what was going on at the time, of course. Nor did I have a means to consciously process and detach from the sensory overload. If there was something funky going on, I would soak up the unsavory energies and take them home with me.

  Whose home(s) do you love to visit, and whose do you avoid? Which commercial spaces (warehouse stores, doctors' offices, airport terminals, libraries, city parks, etc.) feel good to you, and which do not?

  Notice if your mind is searching for reasons for why some spaces feel good while others do not, and why it matters. Use this exercise to simply observe and allow any queasiness that arises.

  Explore

  Spaces that feel good to me are . . .

  Spaces that don't feel good are . . .

  DAY 72

  ENERGY IN THE ROOM

  Are you aware of the energy in the room you're sitting in right now?

  Are you aware of your breathing?

  Are you aware of being aware?

  Again, nothing to do but notice, breathe, and allow.

  Notice the spaces you go into and out of during the course of your day. Notice the ones that feel good to you. Witness the contracted ones without passing judgment.

  Explore

  What I notice about the space I'm sitting in . . .

  The spaces that I have gone into and out of today feel . . .

  DAY 73

  FIVE SIMPLE TRUTHS ABOUT ENERGY

  After years of clearing the energetic equivalent of clutter in people's living spaces and workplaces, here's what I know, distilled into five simple truths:

  We are energy beings.

  As energy beings, we are connected to everything and everyone. There is no separation.

  Fear and attachment vibrate at a lower frequency than love and joy.

  Limiting beliefs and negative emotions can stick to things, people, and spaces.

  Not everything we feel is ours.

  Which of these statements got your attention and why? Spend today seeing everything as a form of vibrating energy: your home, possessions, relationships, coworkers, challenges, guilty pleasures, trees, rocks . . .

  Some forms of energy are denser and more sluggish than others. Can you tell the difference?

  Explore

  The simple truth that got my attention was . . . (because . . .)

  I'm able to discern energetic differences between . . .

  DAY 74

  ENERGY IN THINGS

  Are you aware of being drawn to certain possessions in your home, and discomfited by others? Things like jewelry, antiques, family heirlooms, photographs, furniture, rugs?

  Try it: Choose an object that does not feel good, preferably something old or antique that hasn't been used or looked at in a while. It could be your great grandmother's engagement ring, an old photo album, a set of china teacups.

  Take a minute to hang out with this item and allow all sensations to arise without judging them. (Note: If you start to feel any intense “weather” moving in, stop the exercise and do something that feels good instead. You'll get to revisit this exercise again tomorrow.)

  Explore

  The object that I tuned in to today that doesn't feel good . . .

  Sensations that I noticed when I tuned in to it . . . (Feel the thing, don't analyze it.)

  DAY 75

  GOOD JUJU, BAD JUJU

  Can objects have bad juju? You know, like the beautiful heirloom that doesn't feel quite right? That antique mask you got really cheap at the consignment store that smells funny? The sixteenth-century Chinese chest you saw at the museum that made you feel dizzy? If so, what is the best way to clear these things?

  I get questions like these often in my line of work, like this one:

  I was given an African fertility figure from a relative many years ago . . . Whether real or imagined, I feel it may have a deep and dark, negative effect for those who touch it. I would like to get rid of it. Throw it out, burn it. How can I get rid of this and be done with it safely? It seems silly, but for some reason I feel compelled to be careful in how I dispose of this piece.

  I know the impulse to “get rid of, throw it out, burn it” very well. When we humans are confronted with a situation that scares us, pushes our buttons, or doesn't feel very good, the natural reaction is to contract and
flee. That stress response, once unleashed, makes clearing it much harder. Being attached to a particular outcome, or being attached to the belief that there is something “bad” that needs getting rid of, does not restore balance nor bring about lasting change.

  This is why I recommend trying a different approach: a daily baby-step approach to clearing that will help calm the fearful mind and reduce the disturbing effects of any thing or issue that plagues you—be it an object like your African fertility figure, a funky corner of the closet, or a challenging relationship that rattles your cage.

  Tune in again to the object you worked with yesterday. Do you notice any shifts in how it feels today? Have the sensations subsided, eased, or intensified? Do you notice it looks clearer (more sparkly, less dull)? If this object could talk, what would it say to you?

  Explore

  When I tune in to the object that I worked with yesterday I notice . . .

  If this object could talk, it would tell me . . .

  DAY 76

  THE SPACE MATTERS

  At the end of the day, choosing where we spend our time can make all the difference in how productive we are and how good we feel.

  In his blog post “The Space Matters,” thought leader Seth Godin gives us a good reason to think twice before picking a spot:

  It might be a garage or a sunlit atrium, but the place you choose to do what you do has an impact on you.

  More people get engaged in Paris in the springtime than on the 7 train in Queens. They just do. Something in the air, I guess.

  Pay attention to where you have your brainstorming meetings. Don't have them in the same conference room where you chew people out over missed quarterly earnings.

  Pay attention to the noise and the smell and the crowd in the place where you're trying to overcome being stuck . . .

  Most of all, I think we can train ourselves to associate certain places with certain outcomes. There's a reason they built those cathedrals. Pick your place, on purpose.

  Which spaces serve you best to do what you do? Which do not?

  Explore

  I need to spend more time in . . .

  I need to avoid . . . (because . . .)

  DAY 77

  CHECK IN—SENSING ENERGY IN THINGS AND SPACES

  The focus this week was to fine-tune our sensing abilities: to tune in to energetic frequencies of different spaces and objects so that we can become more discerning where we spend our time and with what we choose to surround ourselves.

  Were you able to distinguish energies that feel “off” from those that are more sparkly and coherent? What does the impulse to “get rid of” feel like, and what can you do differently when it comes up? In what ways do you feel more discerning now?

  Explore

  Practicing tuning in to spaces and things this week has taught me . . .

  Next time I feel an impulse to “get rid of,” I will . . .

  I feel more discerning in these ways . . .

  WEEK 12

  CONNECTING WITH HOME

  Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do . . . but how much love we put into that action.

  —Mother Teresa

  DAY 78

  WHAT HOME MEANS TO YOU

  It doesn't take much for me to feel at home. Give me a comfy chair, surround me with beautiful objects, simmer me a pot of soup, soak me in a hot bath at the end of a long day, and I'm in heaven.

  Home is not just a physical structure, but the sense that comes built into our human experience of feeling safe and whole. Home is what informs and gives meaning to our lives. Home and well-being go together.

  As I see it, homes are not just these empty boxes that we fill with collections of stuff, life experiences, and unique personalities. They are alive and dynamic places that respond directly to our attentiveness (or lack thereof). Our homes and workplaces are extensions of us: they affect us, reflect us, support us. There is no separation.

  What does home mean to you?

  Explore

  To me, home means . . .

  I can improve my connection with my home by . . .

  DAY 79

  YOUR WEATHER MAP

  Imagine that you are the weatherman on TV describing the weather patterns of your home. Would you describe it mostly enjoying fair and sunny skies, or cloudy weather and storms?

  Do certain spaces feel cold, prickly, unsettled, chaotic, queasy, depressed, oppressed, noisy, constricted? Do others feel calm, warm, open, settled, coherent, quiet, alive, spacious? Do you notice yourself being drawn to some rooms or spaces more than others?

  Yes, these patterns can all coexist under the same roof.

  After you've had a chance to tune in to the weather map for your home, bring your attention to one or two rooms or spaces that feel “calmer” to you. What makes them feel calm in relation to others that don't feel so calm?

  Use today to simply notice and not judge.

  Explore

  The weather patterns of my home look and feel like . . . (and areas where I'm inclined to spend most of my time . . .)

  I notice these differences between spaces that calm me and those that do not . . .

  DAY 80

  TOUR OF THE HOME MEDITATION—PART 1

  Today you will be taking a virtual guided tour of your home. This exercise is a favorite among my students because of how much it reveals. And the more you do it, the more you'll get out of it.

  Close your eyes. Take an easy breath in, and a slow, emptying breath out. Breathe out all thought and tension. Breathe in pure awareness and possibility.

  With each out breath, expand your personal energy field outward—that invisible part of you that radiates out from the physical body. Ask that your energy field be clear and unattached.

  When you feel ready, imagine your expanded self standing at the front entrance of your home or apartment—whichever doorway you use the most. Before stepping over the threshold, take a moment to notice what it feels like here.

  Now take a step inside. What is the first thing that catches your attention? Perhaps it is an object, or a smell, or the way the door opens . . .

  Take a few minutes to wander and explore. Open doors and closets if you need to—just peek and poke around. Allow yourself to be guided and receive whatever information comes through your senses. Note: This meditation is purely a data-gathering mission. There is nothing you need to do other than notice the thoughts, feelings, and judgments that come up.

  Notice smells, sounds, colors, temperature changes. Notice prickliness, smoothness, heaviness, lightness. Notice the spaces or objects that draw you in or repel you. Notice the things that you hadn't noticed before. Be aware of any dips in your energy level as you enter each space. Pay particular attention to any auditory, visual, or kinesthetic messages from your body, and trust your expanded self to recall these details when it's time to reflect on the experience in your journal.

  When you feel complete, return to the doorway where you first entered.

  Bless your home by surrounding her with love and golden light.

  Step back out over the threshold, and open your eyes.

  When you feel complete, take a few minutes to reflect on the experience in your journal using the prompts that follow.

  Explore

  When I stood on the threshold of my home, I felt . . .

  Some of the spaces (objects) that drew me in right away were . . .

  Some of the spaces/objects that repelled me were . . .

  To bless my home, I . . .

  When I connect with her in this way, it feels . . .

  DAY 81

  TOUR OF THE HOME MEDITATION—PART 2

  Today you'll have an opportunity to fine-tune yesterday's data-gathering session of your home: You'll identify certain areas that could use some love and attention, learn what your home has to tell you, and outline specific steps you can take to support your home over the coming week.

  Repeat steps 1–6 of the Tour of the Home—Part 1.

/>   Be guided to one area in your home or apartment that might register as contracted, stuck, tight, or tentative. You might resonate with it or be repelled by it. Trust your fully expanded self to know exactly where to go.

  Take a seat in an imaginary chair that has been placed for you in this space.

  Be aware of your comfort level, knowing that you are completely safe right now. Notice your breathing and your heart rate.

  Listen closely—this space wants to let you know what is working for her, and what isn't. Don't try to explain or defend; just listen unconditionally. Give this some time.

  Thank the space for being honest. Tell her what you will do specifically to support her every day this week. Make your offer simple, doable, and heartfelt.

  When you feel complete, get up from the chair and return to the doorway where you first entered; bless your home again, and step back over the threshold.

  Were you surprised to land where you did? Give yourself a little extra time today to reflect on your second Tour of the Home using the prompts that follow.

  Explore

  Walking through my home the second time felt like . . .