After closing the hotel last month, we moved all the equipment and furniture to our home for safekeeping. In Bali this is done using the kind of trucks that are normally used for hauling rocks and sand. Our home is an hour away from the hotel and it took 30 strong men 3 long days to haul 25 truck-loads here.

Of course the contents of a fully equipped 10-room hotel and conference centre with 2 restaurants and 2 kitchens doesn't fit easily into an already furnished 2-bedroom house, so we've had to stack it in our lounge, hallway, outside terraces, carports, storerooms and under temporary tarpaulins erected in the gardens.

There was someone who was seriously interested to buy the entire hotel property, vacant land, equipment and even our private home, so we figured we would only have to keep the equipment for a week or two. But that didn't pan out so now we are living surrounded by mountains of stuff and face the arduous task of selling it all off piece by piece. It's all good quality equipment in good condition, but it's nevertheless clutter because there is just too much of it in too small a space and we don't need or use any of it ourselves. The photo above shows our front terrace with my husband, Richard, fooling about behind the conference centre white board (we haven't lost our sense of humour in all this).

The effects of clutter
One of the things that has always held me in good stead as a Space Clearing and Clutter Clearing teacher and author is that I've lived in many different situations. during the early years when I first lived in Bali I would visit England once or twice a year to teach workshops and stay for months at a time in rented or borrowed homes, sometimes making do with with hardly a stick of furniture at all, and sometimes contending with all the owner's furniture and possessions filling the space. I gained invaluable insights into the effects of clutter and how to deal with it. Sometimes Space Clearing helped and sometimes the only solution was to move to a less cluttered place.

Here in Bali, Richard and I have very few personal possessions. Even though I've been here for 20 years all we'll be taking with us when we leave is a couple of suitcases full of clothes and personal things each, our laptops, and probably a small crate of books and a few household items to be sent on later. So living with such an obscene quantity of clutter for a while is a fascinating opportunity that we will probably never have in our lives again.

At first it was no problem. We've kept the rooms at the back of the house - our kitchen, meditation room and bedroom - completely clear, so that we still have areas that feel like home. And we've categorized and stacked everything neatly in piles and made an inventory, so that it all feels ordered rather than just the chaotic mess that came off the trucks.

But after a week we noticed the creeping stagnation. The first sign was that the space began to feel heavier. Then we started to feel restricted and frustrated. After two weeks, everything became more difficult to do and we started to lose momentum. Eventually, we started arguing (very rare for us) and we had to go away for a couple of days to stay in a hotel just to get a break from it all and regain our clarity and perspective. Now we're back with renewed enthusiasm, seriously focused on selling everything as quickly as possible to get our living space back.

Every object we sell lightens the energy, and it's like a race against time to sell enough each day to offset the effect of the deepening stagnation. We also have another trick up our sleeves - just moving stuff around helps offset this as well, so when necessary we do that too. So we're doing OK now but, my God, it's hard work having clutter!

Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2009

Comments

Kim P.

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Hi Karen,

With your permission, could we have an International Bell-off to celebrate your upcoming move?

Anyone with a space clearing bell anywhere in the world could ring their bell once in your honour to both as a beacon of gratitude, and to welcome your journey to North America.

Is this appropriate? I'd like to help with your transition somehow, but I don't want to do anything intentional without your consent.

Cheers, Kim P.

Tuesday 08 September 2009, 18:48

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Karen Kingston

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Thank you for the thought, Kim. We have a practice called 'belling in' that we do when a trainee Space Clearing practitioner reaches registration level. We take them by surprise, form a circle around them, and ring our bells deafeningly loudly to celebrate their success. It's earplittingly good fun, and a wonderfully fiery way to welcome new practitioners to their new profession.

An International Bell-Off to celebrate my arrival in the US would be very much in keeping with this, although I don't yet know when that will be because I haven't sold the hotel yet. But your idea has given me an idea. Instead of hundreds of solitary bells ringing around the USA, how about a group 'belling in' at a special Space Clearing event that people can bring their bells to? Now THAT would be amazing!

Sunday 13 September 2009, 22:27

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Ali M

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Dear Karen,

I read "Clear Your Clutter..." about 10 years ago, and our life took a change at the time, we even moved from Florida to California, almost starting fresh again. Now I find myself again surrounded by clutter - mainly magazines, books, files (to be filed and to be disposed of). I don't seem to have the energy to get rid of all this and don't know how to go about it. Any input? All the best, Ali M

Sunday 13 September 2009, 18:26

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Karen Kingston

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Many people tell me that the best remedy for this situation is to re-read my book :-)

Sunday 13 September 2009, 22:31

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Tina H.

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Dear Karen, Thank you for your motivating books and this blog. Your books have helped me to be conscious of my life long clutter habits, and your inspirational description of the way that you are dealing with the latest challenge to arise in your life and the consequences of the arrival of unexpected clutter and its effects on you and your husband have prompted me to reach for the bin liners (yet again!) Thank you and good luck in your new venture.

Monday 14 September 2009, 17:11

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Teresa M.

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Wow!!! do I know that feeling!!! I have been trying to clear my clutter of the last 20 years for the past few months and it has been draining... and ongoing! I get rid of some stuff as I attempt to sort through my belongings but mostly it feels like I just shuffle it around. It is frustrating. When I throw out things, it feels satisfying but that feeling doesn't last very long before I become overwhelmed by my apartment again.

Friday 25 September 2009, 19:27

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Cris P.

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Hi Karen, I've read your book, cleared my clutter, but in the living room (even after cleaning, dusting and no existing clutter anymore) there is still a heavy smell of dust and I can feel the stagnant energy in there. What shall I do???

Thursday 29 October 2009, 12:59

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Karen Kingston

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If there is still a dusty smell even after cleaning and clutter clearing, and you have tried opening the windows to let in fresh air, then the most likely cause will be books, soft furnishings or even the furniture itself. My advice is to discard any musty smelling books, deep clean any curtains, carpet, upholstered furniture & cushions, and perform a Space Clearing ceremony to clear out the stagnant energies from the room and the furniture. There is a very brief description of the 21 steps of the ceremony in some editions of my 'Clear Your Clutter' book, which will give you an idea what it is like. If you decide to do it then you will need the more detailed information in my first book, 'Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui'. Hope this information is helpful.

Friday 30 October 2009, 01:31

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Cris P.

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Thank you soo much... I will perform the Space Clearing ceremony.

Friday 30 October 2009, 13:18

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Rita

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Have you considered donating some of the hotel furniture?

Tuesday 16 February 2010, 11:13

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