Clutter Meditation

The saying, “As above, so below,” is not only profound, it’s useful as a practical metaphor when it comes to de-cluttering.

I’m not a very patient meditator, but when I do allow myself the few moments it takes to shut my mind down to allow peace and stillness in, I find it very gratifying. I usually ask myself why I resist this wonderful process so often.

Something I recently added to my meditation was a visualization step that goes like this. . .

First, get comfortable as you would for any meditation. Now ask for help and protection in any form that comes natural for you, an angel, a prayer to your favorite deity, or a Higher Power. If that process isn’t comfortable, just visualize white light surrounding you.

Imagine a huge space, like a warehouse, stadium, or even just a field crammed full of boxes and crates–whatever feels like it would be the storehouse of all your issues, both physical and mental. These boxes represent all the feelings and experiences you feel you need to overcome. Call it karma. Then imagine each of these boxes contains something that has been a challenge for you, ie. your chronic headache, bad ankle, pollen allergy, short temper, resentment toward your brother, belief that you’re stuck with a certain bad gene or family medical issue, you get the idea. The more specific you are about the contents of each box, the better.

It’s important to pay attention to how you FEEL when you address any issue, so you can break down the process even further. If the word cancer, for example, brings up great fear, then you’d want to name a box “cancer” (be specific if possible) and another one called “FEAR of cancer.”

Go to the area of boxes. You are going to unpack and release each one (and it doesn’t all have to be done at once–there’s no rush). Before you open a box, name it. “This is the chronic arthritis pain I have in my elbow…” (Imagine letting a trapped animal out of a cage and releasing it to the wild.) Then open the box and release the contents to the Universe, God, Light, or Freedom. It should be a joyous “Phew!” See it dissolve into space. Add gratitude. If you feel a shift or have a positive feeling, give thanks again. Now you’re ready for the next box. And if you feel that elbow pain again, you might have to name some more boxes the same (elbow pain box 1 of 5, elbow pain box 2 of 5, etc.).

Try working on this daily. And see if you start thinking about your “problems” differently. Another benefit is you’ll know doubt see your physical clutter differently, more manageable. Our mind and consciousness have tremendous power we’re only beginning to know about.