15 
years ago I moved to Sonoma County with my four year old son (and my now ex-husband) to be part of the FrogSong Cohousing community in downtown Cotati. I have lived there since it was completed 12 years ago, but now feel called to move to the country. I have found a beautiful property a mile away. As with any transition, it feels exciting and challenging to leave behind my old life and create this fresh beginning with my partner.
Leaving a house after 12 years is like leaving a relationship. The house is filled with memories of good times and bad. It is filled with the personal touches that I added to it and the gifts from friends. It is filled with the hopes of what it would be like and the realities of what it was actually like.
Moving gives me the opportunity to clear out the old energy that has been blocking my creativity. The new house seems to rejuvenate me. I am excited about the opportunity to start a new life in a retreat-like setting on a hill with fabulous views, but it also seems strange to be moving to a 35 year old house from a house that was new when I moved in. I want to be living in the new house now, but the house still needs some remodeling, and I haven’t even started packing.
I am finding it challenging to think about packing and moving. What memories from the past do I want to pack and take with me? What still serves me? Each time I have moved, I have gotten rid of more and more of my past, but 12 years of living in the same home has allowed more to accumulate. Many things are useful and worth bringing with me. Other things are simply old baggage that it is time to let go of.
Just like in life, it is important to let go of attachment and live in the present. Do you really need all the books, clothes, gadgets, gifts, and pretty objects that have been accumulating over the years? Do you really need all the judgments, beliefs, and attachments to what life should be like? It’s your choice what you choose to hold on to, and nobody else can make that decision for you.
You don’t have to wait until you move to clear out internal or external clutter. Feng Shui practitioners say that you should get rid of anything that you haven’t used for a year (or 6 months or two years depending who you talk to). Space clearing moves out old energy to make room for new. If something isn’t working in your life, perhaps it is time to look at what internal or external clutter is keeping it from manifesting.