Healing (12): Sorting out the clutter

In your dream of the womb there is Someone Else who was once alive and responsive. If there was no miscarriage, then the Someone Else turned into Something else. If you have a cluttering problem, then you are trying to reconstruct a lost dream of your wombtwin who died but remained there alongside as lifeless human flesh.

There are three aspects of the Dream that are reflected in this style of symbolic behaviour: the body of your wombtwin is reflected in the things you gather around you; the relationship that once was and is gone for all time is now an impossible dream; the tiny life that was so soon snuffed out is reflected in the projects that remain unfinished.

THINGS
In the womb the body of the dead embryo may deteriorate and gradually disintegrate. This is re-enacted in a slow accumulation of items that are left scattered randomly and carelessly to disintegrate slowly into a pile of rubbish that is no use to anyone any more.

In the womb, the embryo may develop sufficiently to have a skeleton, and despite some deterioration, it remains in the womb as a foetus papyraceous. This is reenacted in an accumulation of items made largely out of paper, which is kept carefully to prevent, or at least delay, any deterioration.

DREAMS
The relationship you had with your wombtwin was all too brief, but it feels as if it is still continuing here and now, because in the Dream there is no sense of time or place.

If this relationship was intense and reciprocal and quite suddenly over, then the sense of loss and abandnoment will be acute. Your impossible dream of reviving that relationship drives an attraction to certain items that are unwanted or abandoned, in an attempt to “rescue” them and bring them home where they will be safe. People who collect animals are re-enacting the impossible dream of saving all the living things in the world from being abandoned.

If the relationship between you and your wombtwin was less intense and fitful because your wombtwin was sick or developing abnormally, then a deep impression of constantly dashed hopes will be re-enacted in dreams of “at last sorting out all the clutter, once and for all” which soon die the death.

There is a real desire to let go, but despite your initial enthusiasm, the sheer exhaustion that results, soon leaves you overwhelmed and immobilised. The life rapidly drains out of you, just as it did from your wombtwin.

UNFINISHED PROJECTS
In your mind the abbreviated life of our wombtwin was left unfinished and unresolved. The Dream is outside of time, so all the events feel as if they are still happening all at once. It feels as if your wombtwin is still alive now, but they are also dead now and alongside now and also gone forever. This is a confused and illogical picture that is hard to resolve. A pile of unfinished projects fulfills the task superbly.

The projects fall into to three categories: Firstly, there is the thing you are going to create, such as a new book case. You rush out in a fit of enthusiasm and buy at least some of the necessary materials, and you may even make a start, but then other duties intervene and you never get round to finishing it. In your dream, a brand new little life never gets off the ground.

Secondly, there is the thing you are going to repair. You keep it carefully and dream of it being restored once more to its pristine state. It remains in the box or the drawer as a source of guilt and constantly diverted energy: it’s the might-have-been that was the life of your wombtwin.

Thirdly, there is the useless object that you are going to make useful again. It may be an old car or a cracked plate, but you hang on to it in case one day you have the time to repair it, and of course this dream never comes true.

Healing clutter
Once you recognise the symbolic nature of the clutter in your life you will notice that things, dreams and unfinished projects do not matter quite as much as you once imagined. Let go of your womb twin, and the clutter will no longer be needed.

Say this often:

I am totally responsible for the effects of my cluttering on the lives of other people and I will always remain compassionate towards them as I seek healing. I now hand over total responsibilty to the people close to me for their own things, impossible dreams and unfinished projects and I will remain compassionate towards them as they seek healing.