FROM THE ARCHIVES - REPOSTED FOR ubitiqous Spring cleaning.I’ve remained tight lipped about the Kondō convos for a while now. But I’ve been prompted to chime in from a feng shui perspective. Disclaimer, I’ve not read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up book by Marie Kondō but I’ve watched her Netflix series and encountered the KonMari social media frenzy. Admittedly, I tend to rebel against mainstream crazes, but when conducting my own personal annual preparations for the Lunar New Year (17 Feb 2026), I decided to check out the best selling author.
The reason I took a look at her Netflix series began with me trying to get my then eight year old son to keep his room tidy. So, I employed the services of Marie Kondo’s TV series and sat him in front of the box to learn how to fold clothes! And guess what, it worked. Far more effectively than me showing him, or paraphrasing a philosophy from a book. The visual ‘show and tell’ by someone other than Mum worked a charm. It’s fair to say, I’m a Kondō folding in thirds fan.
Before Kondo there was Kingston
Most people have a good old Spring clean annually and as the Chinese Solar New year aligns closely with the beginning of the Chinese Spring festival hence why Feng Shui consultants encourage de-cluttering in early February (regardless of season as well as August/September for S.H peeps). But some people suffer from paralysis by analysis when purging their possessions, so it’s wise to apply a resource or method that speaks to you, then the method is retained and repeatable.
Now any Feng Shui consultant worth their salt encourages the use of whatever method of decluttering that resonates. But before Kondo there was Kingston - Karen Kingston of ‘Clear your clutter with Feng Shui’ fame. Also a best selling author who’s credited with coining her own catch phrase ‘space clearing’. Kingston has always resonated with me, with the exception of one or two minor opinions - her views on how we interact with space and how effective feng shui works when a space is clear of clutter, is faultless.
Systems
Kondo equally has her place in the modality of how we occupy space. Hats off to her, she is a best selling author. Of course there are countless other authors writing in the genre. But Kondo’s ubiquitous catch phrase - spark joy - is what sets her apart. You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s marketing genius. But the turn of phrase is rooted deeply in Shinto values. The ancient Japanese religion of Shintoism, assumes nature is on a par with humans, and is therefore respected. Devotees of KonMari method of tidying up are encouraged to purge their possessions by means of holding an item and evaluating the level of want, desire, need or appreciation and calculate if the item stirs joy in you. If it doesn’t then it’s respectfully thanked and disregarded. The act of purging is carried out regardless of monetary and sentimental value or environmental impact. And with respect, the later is where the KonMari method slightly irks me. There was was little guidance or talk as to what to do with the actual disregarded pile of unwanted items, that I could see from the TV show (maybe the book says different?). No encouraging sustainable systems promoting recycling, giving to charity or reselling - for the most part just bags of rubbish.
image credit :: zero waste collective
Unfortunately, this is the aspect where many clients get stuck. The mountain of items you’re parting ways with grows into Ben Hur and then there’s nothing but bags of rubbish heading to landfill. When there’s no system, everything becomes over whelming and the task isn’t completed. If you don’t start the decluttering process with a methodical system, then items will couch surf around the house and you’ll be back to where you started in no time. While Kondo has an admirable no judgement approach to what you wish to keep, perhaps a suggestion on adopting a Zero Waste approach in the kitchen paraphernalia department for instance, could lead to no need to de-clutter in the future?
Big Clean ups
Now I’m not blaming tidying up adoptees but the disposal of items from de-cluttered homes is fast becoming alarming. All across suburbs in Australia, council clean ups happen at least twice yearly - five in my suburb. Households can place one sq. mt. of unwanted items at the front of your property for a free collection. However some folks accumulate mountains of unwanted items, storing precariously in dilapidated trailers that act as perpetual rubbish skips all year round in wait for the next free pick up. Granted there are some merits to these clean ups, with ‘one man’s rubbish being another man’s treasure’. And scoring curb side classics that no longer bring joy to it’s former owner is an admirable reuse example.
Feng Shui Implications
Through the lens of a Feng shui consultant we’re always curious as to what sector of the home rubbish and clutter accumulates, as it indicates telltale insights into aspects of life that need harmonising. This doesn’t necessarily mean that if your child has a messy bedroom that it relates to issues with said child. In Feng Shui the child’s bedroom could correspond to relationship issues, career or the wealth sector of the home. But in the main a Feng Shui consultants grip with clutter is that it impedes future opportunities. Clearing the space of necessary clutter prevents stagnate Qi from accumulating. You begin to view things differently and in turn opportunities arise.
From anyone’s vantage point rubbish brings no one joy, especially should it be in your line of sight. From a feng shui perspective, if a beloved neighbour parks their dedicated rubbish trailer in the Facing Direction (Facing Palace) of your home then its implications can be pretty dire and unsightly! Clutter brings yin, stagnant Sha Chi that shadows opportunities, if located in the North East for example, it can relate to themes of Knowledge & Self Betterment; therefore blocking and hindering access to these opportunities. While on a karmic level, a trash hoarder that mires another households vista while retaining their own pristine facade, will be dumping rubbish in a sector, relative to their own homes external feng shui. To follow the above example — sectors left and right of NE are East and North - which would likely impact their family relationships and their health or their career if in the North. I’ve observed a similar scenario unfold in my own neighbourhood.
A few years ago a new build with the blueprints online and a compass direction determined remotely shows the sector where building trash was dumped, it related to Family relationships and health. Layering this with ‘flying star’ (information at the time of writing) an activated #5 yellow star resided in a destructive star combination. In the main a malefic #5 star could impact negatively to the related sector dynamics for the occupants of the home. In lay terms, this new homeowner’s actions could trigger future health or family relationship issues - triggered in a specific month, when the Monthly #5 star reinforces the point.
Remember a house with the greatest curb appeal, receives the most benefic Sheng Chi — but dumping on rubbish in your neighbour’s patch will likely bring its own karma.
bottles Beach in Ashdod by Pinhas stern CC4.0
Bittersweet joy
It’s bittersweet to see the river of refuse disappear from a previously cluttered street vista, especially when it negatively influenced the feng shui, of another person. But the grave yard that is landfill, continues to grow - un-harmoniously with the environment. So a word to the tidying up, clutter free devotees let’s all try to be mindful during the de-clutter phase of where our rubbish ends up. Fill land with joy, not landfill - that brings no joy ⧇
Updated 2026 - ⓒ FENGSHUIISM
“Living eye to eye with environmental wisdom ”
