is clutter part of the poverty mindset?

[wachusettgirl]

When it comes to getting rid of things, again the principles of feng shui are either I love it (it has some sort of sentimental value, or I just love it vibrationally, i.e. can't explain why I love it, I just do...), or I use it. If it doesn't fall into one of those categories, then get rid of it! Of course getting rid of stuff doesn't necessarily have to mean throwing it out. If it's worth something to someone else then sell it or donate it. This is where you have to use your imagination, but just be brave and get rid of the stuff that you don't use or love. Ask yourself that question about everything that you own.

[persephonevii]

Feng Shui seems to get a fair mention here about clutter. I'll have a look into it.

I too possess a library of both ebooks and books on stuff. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to be without that library. To have a room with not much stuff in it. And the feeling I get... is relief, a sense of control.

I think also the clutter calls to you, demands something from you. For example: those books- they need to be read, those unused canvases- they need to be painted on, etc. It's like everything is clawing for a piece of you and that drags your energy down. Sure, you might have time but what about the energy to spend that time constructively. I think clutter also dazzles focus and priority. As in, I think the reason why clutter is associated with chaos and confusion is the endless and silent demands it places on you. All those demands, but you're no Superman or Superwoman and it becomes so overwhelming so quickly. Then you start to get confused, priorities are forgotten, energy is splattered all over the place. It's a mess inside and out!

As an experiment I left my PS2 and games at my Mum's house. Now I'm quite attached to it but I left it behind anyway and the thing is... I'm doing quite fine without it. The PS2 itself used to be a drag on my time and energy... 'you've just gotta play it soon... maybe tonight or tomorrow... hmmm?' but not anymore.

I also think clutter is about letting go, sbdiane, I certainly having trouble letting go of junk at times. Letting go cause you're afraid of loss, afraid of being vulnerable, afraid of not being able to fill your time up (which is a total myth for me anyway! I always find or have to do something), of not having enough (which is another myth again!).

Slightly OT, but I think the true value of libraries shine through here. You get to have a book for a fair amount of time but no mad collecting or cluttering. You must return it, and I think I should just substitute most of my books for the library because at least when I borrow the book I know I have to read it to get any value out of it. Instead of letting it collect dust and become more clutter.

[moonrambler]

Originally Posted by wachusettgirl

When it comes to getting rid of things, again the principles of feng shui are either I love it (it has some sort of sentimental value, or I just love it vibrationally, i.e. can't explain why I love it, I just do...), or I use it.

My problem is I love every single thing I have. I'm real good at attaching sentimental value to things. So I have a house full of stuff which ALL has sentimental value. It's wrenching to get rid of practically anything. I associate every thing with somebody I care about.

[persephonevii]

Originally Posted by moonrambler

My problem is I love every single thing I have. I'm real good at attaching sentimental value to things. So I have a house full of stuff which ALL has sentimental value. It's wrenching to get rid of practically anything. I associate every thing with somebody I care about.

You are obviously a very caring person if you can see the value in everything

But practically, yes attaching sentimental value to everything can be a real pain. I think... perhaps behind the sentimentality is the thought 'you never know when you need it'. Maybe the sentimentality is the front for a flawed way of relating to clutter. Of course, I could be wrong but still its a thought.

[moonrambler]

Originally Posted by persephonevii

You are obviously a very caring person if you can see the value in everything

But practically, yes attaching sentimental value to everything can be a real pain. I think... perhaps behind the sentimentality is the thought 'you never know when you need it'. Maybe the sentimentality is the front for a flawed way of relating to clutter. Of course, I could be wrong but still its a thought.

Y'know what it's like really -- it's like if there's a little kid with a box of 'treasures' under the bed. Only my box of treasures is an entire houseful. Like now, I'm thinking of listing a bottle of perfume on eBay. There isn't much in it but it's a rare brand and I should be able to get a little something for it. I've haven't used it in a zillion years and I don't think I'll ever use it again. But when I set it here on the table to take a picture of it, what starts happening for me is, "Ohhhh . . . I remember wearing this fragrance all the time when I lived with Debbie. And she's the one who turned me on to this one, and guys always loved this smell. And just looking at this bottle reminds me of our apartment and how much fun we used to have together." And so on. This is what I deal with almost every time I think of unloading something.

Once I sold a Matchbox Mustang on eBay which was mine from when I was a kid. I didn't feel any particular attachment to it at the moment, but over the course of the week I got more and more attached to it so that by the time I had to pack it up and send it out, I was in tears. "Ohhhh . . . I remember playing with those little cars with Davey when we were kids and how the days were long and rolled beneath the sweet blue sky and try to remember the kind of September when life was oh so mellow" and it's like all the idylllic-ness of my childhood comes pouring forth, all from a little toy car. Now I'm afraid to sell any of the toys I still have from when I was a kid.

It's like almost everything I have is touched by somebody I cared for at one time or who still is in my life or who has passed on . . . it all holds the spirit of the time and place and person.