Part 2 of 2 *
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Physical clutter is only part of the problem
Although people most often reach out to me for help with physical clutter problems, it’s only a matter of time before the other types of clutter start to show up: emotional clutter. Mental clutter. Energetic clutter.
Like a contractor summoned to fix some drywall, but who ends up pointing out a crack in the foundation, I constantly find myself breaking the news to my students: physical clutter is only part of the problem.
As a space clearing practitioner, I specialize in the dimensions of clutter that often get overlooked: the emotional blockages, the unfinished business, the stuck energy. An overload of clutter in any of these areas can leave you in a permanent state of fight-or-flight, your nervous system struggling to keep up with a constant stream of alarm messages, pangs of guilt, and other bits of information. Drowning in clutter of any kind can make you feel tense, contracted, anxious, defensive, or defeated—so it’s important to address clutter at every level.
The Spacious Solution… (in a nutshell)
The antidote to all types of clutter is spaciousness—a state of ease and expansiveness in which even the most serious clutter challenges can be apprehended with compassion and skillfully defused.
Spaciousness is like a gentle solvent in which our old patterns of holding and hoarding can be safely dissolved. Cultivating spaciousness allows us to make deep changes and heal the old patterns that caused so much physical, mental, emotional, and energetic clutter to build up in the first place.
So what do I mean by spaciousness?
Spaciousness is my word for a state of being that spiritual traditions around the world have been attempting to describe since the beginning of time. Some call it inner peace. Some call it mindfulness. Some call it being in the pocket, being in flow, or being at one with life. Spaciousness is a state of effortless ease, in which nothing sticks, jangles, rankles, hurts, or perturbs. Sometimes, we stumble upon it by accident. Other times, we experience it as a result of careful cultivation. One thing is for certain: when you have experienced spaciousness once, you will want to have it again and again.
Spaciousness cannot be forced, and it cannot be achieved in one monumental clearing binge. On the contrary, it is a state of being which grows bit by bit, day by day, nourished by gentle intention rather than strenuous effort. It is through your day-to-day engagement with your clutter that you will learn the greatest lessons and receive the most precious gifts, not by reaching some imaginary endpoint. The “slow drip” method of clutter clearing teaches that it is the journey, not the destination, that really matters.1
Ahhh…
and that is just is the beginning 🏡
* PS, in case you missed it, here’s Part 1:
There’s More to Clutter Than Meets the Eye
Clutter. It’s not what you think. And then maybe it is 🤔 (Part 1 of 2)
Thoreau-ly Spacious
My Walden Pond book signing
What you’ve just read above comes from the expanded and updated 10th Anniversary edition of my first book Your Spacious Self: Clear the Clutter and Discover Who You Are.
You can see it in photo above at the Shop at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts where I was invited recently to sign copies.
Signing books in the spiritual center of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other remarkable Transcendental visionaries felt like an anointment of sorts.
What a power spot to welcome and bless this beautiful book!
As you can see in the short clip below, it was fun too!
PS… If you do end up reading Your Spacious Self and liking it, please help me get the word out by leaving a review on Amazon. Every little bit helps build the energy to creating a more spacious world. 🙏🏼
Excerpted from Chapter 1 — “Four Levels of Clutter,” Your Spacious Self: Clearing the Clutter and Discover Who You Are (10th Anniversary Edition) by Stephanie Bennett Vogt © Hierophant Publishing, 2023
This is the best, most useful email I have received in a long time! Thank you Stephanie. I am now going to seek out your book. I love this excerpt and am finally ready to begin the journey with your help! Love from Australia
I’m glad there is no end point - because what a beautiful journey we are on. 💓💓