SPACE CLEARING IN THE DIGITAL AGE We all need space – physical, psychological and spiritual – but in this age of information,


virtual space can become as cluttered as our living rooms or our minds. By space clearing our physical, psychological and virtual clutter, according to ancient spiritual principles – we nurture mind, body and spirit.


by Stephen Denham


“We leave this world just as we entered it – with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us.” (Ecclesiastes 5:15)


“YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU” is the more common expression of the fact that, whether we like it or not, one day we must let go of our material possessions forever – and so it’s a reminder that who you are is important, and not to become too attached to things at the expense of your being. It also speaks to us today, in the digital age, which has ushered in a whole new dimension of materialism, and where virtual or e-clutter has begun to pose some interesting challenges for us. We are all familiar with physical


clutter; it’s part of everyday life in a consumer society. However, sometimes our attachment to physical possessions can become irrational to the extent that we cannot throw anything away, and the sheer volume of it all becomes the overriding problem. This situation is graphically depicted in reality television shows about hoarding, where some intrepid reporter/investigator ventures into a hoarder’s home and encounters mountains of household objects, appliances, newspapers or bric-a-brac. Regardless of how it came about, in the end the problem is about not having enough space. Space has never been more important


for us than it is now, in this second decade of the 21st century. We all need physical space or room to move, or for personal privacy. There is also psychological space, which allows us to think clearly and/or make important decisions. Sometimes too, time and space are closely connected – for example, when we take time out or have time away – but today not only is our inner, mental world targeted and engaged by information around the clock (advertising, mass market emails, blogs, SMS, social media, news bulletins, online subscriptions and so on); we are


increasingly active in virtual space. This is where we communicate, shop, bank, trade and conduct business. On the one hand, conducting our affairs


in virtual space is highly convenient and environmentally conscientious. On the other hand, unlike living space in a room or house, which can be de-cluttered by removing or rearranging physical objects, in the virtual world there is no real limitation to how much clutter can be accumulated. It is worth noting that as the physical ‘footprint’ of data storage technologies shrinks, their capacity to store information is actually expanding. So as technology advances, more and more e-clutter can be stockpiled in less and less space. It’s the equivalent of a traditional hoarder being able to magically add more and bigger rooms to his or her house to accommodate more and more stuff. We need to space clear our virtual


world, just as much if not more than we need to de-clutter the physical spaces where we live, work and play. Traditional space clearing practice is a well-recognised, modern way of tackling the problem of physical clutter and the spatial arrangement of objects - the aim is to maximise the flow of energy or ‘qi’; an idea which goes back thousands of years to the Chinese feng shui tradition. While virtual space may not be subject to the same limitations of physical space, we cannot underestimate the psychological or psychic impact of storing, or hoarding large amounts of information. We are only just beginning to see the emergence of information-related disorders such as internet and video game addiction. Space clearing in the modern age asks


us to be vigilant in two key areas: first, in our virtual housekeeping practices; and secondly, the most sacred space of all, our innermost world of heart, mind and soul: here lies the source of our true humanity, the miracle of life itself and our potential


to become creators in our own right. But without a disciplined approach to clearing our virtual living spaces, modern life can become a mishmash of passwords, account, serial or registration numbers, usernames, multi-digit pins, subscription IDs, memberships and so on; our email inboxes can turn into unwieldy online ‘cupboards’ stuffed with things we are dimly aware of but loathe to clean out, in case one day there is something in there we need. It may be easy to play down this


overload of digital information, considering it is wireless, weightless and invisible. But is virtual clutter really ‘out of sight, out of mind?’ Evidently, online ‘convenience’ is not saving us time and energy; quite the opposite. Now so many things are easier and quicker to do, we are busier than ever. Time poverty has reached epidemic levels around the globe. The technology driven acceleration of modern-day life means we now have more to do than at any other time in history – and less time to accomplish it. We have more things on our mind than ever before. The virtual world is placing an unprecedented multi-tasking demand on our mental and intuitive capacities. If we step back for a second and take


a bigger view of this situation, however, we see that there is a wealth of wisdom to draw from to guide us forward in this accelerating, digital world. Great spiritual traditions have long recognised the significance of things that are non-physical in nature – prayer or its equivalent is an ancient practice common to religions throughout history. The effectiveness of prayer is based on the existence of what you might call the virtual realm of faith, hope and love, where the human mind has the capacity to connect with the will of the Divine. The view that we can influence what


happens to us, or attract certain events or life support of a material or non-material


december 2013 9


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