Ah, clutter! Most of us have pockets of unsorted, unfinished stuff. Let’s explore one common dynamic of clutter.

In a beautiful, 1930s bungalow-style Denver home, the main floor is filled with a tasteful, eclectic array of art, artifacts, and furniture. The basement of the house, however, has three rooms dedicated to storage. These storage spaces open into an office that is covered in photos that chronicle my client’s journey through this lifetime. It is obvious at a physical level, in the layout of the house, that my client has been sifting though experiences in order to uncover meaning, value, and beauty in her life.

As it turns out, many of her family members have passed. Much of the stuff that fills the basement is inherited. My client’s clutter is a reflection of the unresolved relationships she has with her family members. She is healing these relationships by gradually sorting through the inherited belongings.

What is involved in this healing process? Why is it so difficult for her to let go of these possessions? My client continues to prioritize caring for her family– by tending to their stuff– over caring for herself. The fact that her family members have crossed over does not, in itself, alter this dynamic. If my client put her family’s needs above her own while they were living, their passing will not affect her (in)ability to care for herself. My client’s clutter reveals the ways in which she has not yet been able to assert her own value relative to her family’s wishes. Similarly, clutter generally can show us what interferes with our abilities to take charge of our lives.

Let us consider the example of her brother’s favorite book. He set the energy of the book with, “This is a great book.” When my client decides to purge the book, she picks it up, unwittingly senses its energy, and thinks, “But this is a great book”—even though she has not read it and has no intention of reading it. At this point, she returns the book to her shelf. She is not senior to her brother’s energy in the book. My client had decided to get rid of various belongings several times, only to revoke her decision, and reabsorb the possessions into her home.

We all have areas of our lives where it seems that it would be easier to sacrifice our own interests in order to keep the peace. However, now might be a good time to revisit that conviction. Try celebrating being you by releasing some of the objects in your home that do not align with you in present time.

Everyday is a good day to embody yourself!

Written by Heidi Szycher, a staff member at the Boulder Psychic Institute. Check out her personal site at healings.biz.