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Hoarding to Fill Emptiness: How to Tell if Spiritual Lack Is Causing Clutter Accumulation, by Alexandra Chauran

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

When I was in my early twenties, my life was as a pile of unsorted mementos. Fresh out of my parents' home and merging my childhood and young adult belongings with those of my boyfriend at the time was absolute chaos. I also struggled with the direction my life was headed, in both practical and emotional ways. When I took these burdens to a therapist, I opened up to her about all of my heart's desires. I wanted it all: A prosperous and prestigious career, a family with children of my own, a marriage from the story books, mementos from my childhood, a fabulous home furnished with lavish belongings, and more. I thought that if I could just get one or more of these things, I would be happy again. Then, my therapist told me to seek more of something that I already had, something that wasn't on the ambitious "to-do" list I'd just given her.

My therapist asked me how my spiritual life was going. I stopped and thought. At the time, I thought that my spiritual life was okay. I had fellowship with spiritual peers. I was seeking and learning all the time. But it occurred to me that I wasn't devoting my time and efforts to spiritual pursuits as much as all those other practical woes. My therapist noted almost as an afterthought that spirituality is all that really matters in the end, and that people are often unhappy after they achieve those things I was seeking, like a family and a career, because they're still trying to fill that "God-shaped hole."

We all know that there are unsatisfied people who would seem to have all the wealth that anyone could ever need. The words from my therapist percolated in my brain. I read the writings of the Peace Pilgrim, who renounced her worldly possessions to carry a joyful message for God. I listened to the words of Amma the "Hugging Saint" from India, where she spoke of finding the joyful and spiritually satisfied amongst even the impoverished. The reason that I was having all of these first world problems was because I wasn't giving proper weight and value to my spiritual needs.

Now, this isn't to say that spiritual lack is what's wrong with everybody who lives in a cluttered or hoarded home, or who is dissatisfied with life circumstances. It's okay to look around at life and say, "Hey, this sucks!" I observe that there are some people who are naturally more spiritually hungry than others. Some might live their entire lives satisfied as atheists or agnostics, while you might feel a constant yearning to discover the mysteries of the universe and the divine. Or, you might have run into a spiritual awakening later in life that threw you for a loop. If you feel a calling and ignore that call for whatever reason, you'll subconsciously continue to attempt to fill that void. In our culture, that sometimes means filling your home, office, and car with stuff.

Here are some signs that you or a loved one might exhibit that indicate a physical or mental clutter problem caused by spiritual lack.

• You believe that objects have energies to which you can cling for comfort during times of need.
• When you are stressed, your calendar is still full of obligations, and you find yourself adding more.
• Loved ones reach out to you to try to help you clean or organize your house, or refuse to come over due to the clutter.
• When one thing in life is going wrong it feels like everything is going wrong.
• When you try to get rid of things you no longer need, you move them to other areas of the home instead of actually throwing them away.
• You believe that you need to keep objects that were once owned by the deceased in order to keep their memory alive.
• Your computer is full of electronic clutter, with unsorted photos clogging up all the space and your email Inbox kept full of reminders of things you intend to someday do.
• Self-doubt and low self-esteem keep you from doing the things that you want.
• Every time you clear the clutter in your life, you end up filling up those spaces with clutter all over again.

If these characteristics sound like you and you're also a spiritually hungry person, it's possible that you are trying to quench the yearning for spirituality with physical things and a busy life. Make no mistake, there can be other factors at play here. If you have a true hoarding condition, you may have psychological and emotional issues that can't be solved by any prayer or worship group. If your hoarding is affecting your health and safety or making you unable to function in everyday life, you'll need to talk with a doctor and therapist about brain chemistry and coping skill issues that may be in play.

If, however, you're otherwise healthy and suspect that a neglected spiritual life is part of your problem, this can be remedied with careful attention to your physical, mental, and spiritual health. Think of these as the three legs of a stool. You'll need to carefully nurture these things in balance. This may seem counter-intuitive, if clearing out all the clutter seems like the most pressing need. But remember that if you don't fill the void with something intangible and more meaningful, you'll just fill those spaces right back up again with stuff. So, examine your barriers to spirituality in your life. It's possible that you're being prevented from following the spiritual path that meets your expectations. However, nobody else holds dominion over the inner workings of your heart and soul. Once I discovered how to integrate spirituality into my everyday life and even household chores, the order of the rest of my life seemed to just fall into place. I pray for the same success for you and for any of your loved ones who may struggle with accumulated clutter. I encourage you to address the lack, rather than simply the over-abundance, then allow your life and your excesses to become a blessing to others and an offering to Spirit.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015. All rights reserved.

When I'm sleeping in my apartment, I sometimes feel something touching my feet. Then two weeks ago, I felt something next to my bed lean over me and give me a kiss on my cheek. This also happened at my sister's house, so it doesn't seem to be centered in my apartment. I think it's a man, because he got on top of me. I don't see faces or anything, I just feel these things, and I also tell him to go away. What do you make of this? Can spirits and humans interact in romantic or sexual ways? What should I do? My birth date is March 28, 1944.

- Gloria

Dreamchaser:

It is not normal for "ghosts" or "spirits" to have sexual interaction with humans. I have heard of spirits lovingly kissing a forehead or cheek, and I have heard of them tucking people in or tenderly stroking a hand, arm, leg or foot. However, when we get into the realm of sexual activity, we are speaking of another sort of being altogether.

Have you ever heard the terms incubus and succubus? An incubus appears to be a male being that visits human females, and a succubus is a female being that visits male humans. They are negative entities whose aim is to have sexual intercourse with humans.

Stories of these beings go all the way back to the beginning of human history. There are writings from early centuries by priests and nuns that describe encounters with these creatures. Some say they are imaginary; some say they are a result of some paranoid delusion; others say they are real. There are various viewpoints on whether these beings exist and walk among us.

Others might say you are being abducted by aliens. I know this is something you would consider far-fetched, but there have been many stories of "abductees" who tell of sexual intercourse with alien beings.

Whatever you believe and whatever type of being you believe this is, it is still very negative and should not be around you. I strongly advise you to follow the instructions I am about to give you to clear out your space and free yourself from whatever is following you.

I want you to get a sage bundle and light the end and get it flaming. Blow out the flame, but make sure that the end is still in embers and glowing. Walk around every room of your house, including the closets, shower stalls, etc. Let the sage smoke filter into every corner. Literally walk the perimeter of each room so that each wall and corner gets hit with the smoke.

When your whole house has been saged, it's time to go to work on you. Get in your most comfortable place, be it your bed, a favorite chair or wherever you feel most comfortable. Once you get settled in, take 10 very deep cleansing breaths. Breathe in for four counts, hold it for four counts, and exhale for four counts. Focus on your breathing and feel yourself come back into balance. Then I want you to repeat the following prayer:

"God, please expel and protect me from any being that is not of love and light. Thank you." Then you will be free from this experience.

I wish you peace-full sleep.

*****

Astrea:

There are hundreds of stories about men and women interacting sexually with discarnate entities.

Most of these stories involve a succubus, which is female, but there are many that refer to an incubus, which is male. In those tales, they come to the person to drain their sexual energy. I'm very glad that this is NOT what is happening with you!

The creature "haunting" YOU is a big, fluffy, grey tabby cat! I see him CLEARLY around you. He rubs against your legs when you're awake too, even though you're not aware of it.

He tells me that his name is Yuri, and he loves you SO MUCH. I suppose he could have been your pet in this lifetime, but I believe that he was a pet in a former incarnation. This was somewhere in Russia between 1830 and 1875.

Everywhere you went, Yuri was with you. He came to live with you when you were about ten years old and stayed until he died, which was around the time you married. He has been waiting for you in heaven ever since.

About a year ago, he just couldn't stand being away from you anymore, so he got special permission to come to Earth to be near you in this incarnation. You were EVERYTHING to him and you rescued him from a very horrible death by drowning. He remembers all of this, and now he's trying to keep you company in THIS Incarnation. You're very lucky to have such a devoted friend.

You were inseparable in that past incarnation, but he wasn't able to come into a body in this one to be physically present with you. He tried many times, but was never able to enter as the soul of a new kitten. Partly that was because he never felt there was a new kitten being born here that was "GOOD ENOUGH" for him to be.

You see, in that former life he was very fat, very spoiled, and VERY smart, and none of the kittens around you in this life have appealed to him in the least. He does rub around on your feet at night, and he does give you little kitten kisses, and he ABSOLUTELY gets on top of you! In life, he weighed about 25 pounds; he was a VERY large and lovely cat.

He's been leaving you little tufts of fur, so if you look around for that, you'll find it in the most unexpected places. I hope that he's not BOTHERING you, for that would upset him no end!

As soon as you acknowledge him, he'll let you sleep better at night. Just say, "Dobro Gata" (Sweet Kitty), and he'll lie down beside you and go to sleep.

How wonderful to have the love of a pet span almost 200 years!