My immediate response to these disparate thoughts is something like, "Yea, yea, yea! So what?" Then I go into "Ignore Mode" and turn to something I think is more important, like writing this blog. I am certain this chronic behavioral pattern keeps me stuck to my clutter.
I've discovered there's more to my stuckness than I initially thought. A whole subconscious subtext is playing 24/7, and I didn't even know it. It's not just what I am consciously thinking that impacts my life, but what my subconscious is thinking, too. In The Power of the Subconscious Mind (Reward Books, 2000), Joseph Murphy writes about the dual nature of the mind:
"A wonderful way to begin getting to know the two functions of your mind is to think of it as a garden. You are the gardener. You are planting seeds of thought in your subconscious mind all day long. Much of the time you are not even aware of doing so, because the seeds are based on habitual thinking. As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap in your body and environment...If you sow thorns, will you gather grapes? If you sow thistles, will you harvest figs?"
No wonder it's been so difficult to release my stuff--not just physical, tangible stuff but mental tirades and emotional flagellations, too. While I've been sowing clutter-clutching thoughts and rationales for years and expecting a clutter-less life in return, I never seemed to get as far as I would have liked.
Now more aware, I've been searching for ways to wrestle these self-sabotaging, often subconscious thoughts to the ground, I've found two techniques to share--writing with your non-dominant hand and a Hawaiian clearing method called Self I-Dentitiy Ho'oponopono. I'll give a quick summary of both along with links so you can explore them on your own time.
Writing with Your Non-Dominant Hand
A friend of mind introduced me to Lucia Cappachione's The Power of Your Other Hand, A Course in Channeling the Inner Wisdom of Your Right Brain two years ago. Wow! I got excited when I read Lucia's compelling argument with the non-dominant hand. By slowing your thinking and unlocking the secrets hidden in your right brain, you can get creative solutions to questions you've been asking yourself for a long time. I have practiced writing with my left (non-dominant) hand many times and always discover a soothing, compassionate voice I rarely let myself hear. Consider exploring your blocks to clutter clearing using this technique. I bet you'll get an understanding you haven't had before. For more information: http://www.luciac.com/.
Self I-Dentity Ho'oponopono
Double-Triple Wow! I stumbled upon this technique when I ordered Nightingale-Conant's The Missing Secret by Joe Vitale. This Hawaiian technique helps to heal your subconscious, simply by saying the following four sentences, "I love you. Please forgive me. Thank you. I'm sorry." Before you jettison this idea out the window, because it sounds unbelievable, consider this: Hawaiian psychotherapist Dr. Ihealeakala Hew Len healed an entire ward of ciminally insane patients by simply reviewing their files and stating these sentences over and over again. He never saw them or worked with them face-to-face.
I believe the reservoir of our subconscious is one reason why we can't seem to clear our clutter. This clearing method is a great way to pierce it. For more information: http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail~product~missing_secret.aspx. Also, consider reading Joe Vitale's and Ihaleakala Hew Len's zerolimits, The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace & More (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007).
When clutter clearing seems impossible and you feel you've hit a roadblock, I encourage you to start writing with your non-dominant hand to shine a light on what lies under your clutter. And, if inspired, take time to investigate the Self I-Dentity Ho'oponopono clearing method. I've used it many times and found it shifted my perspective quickly.
