Has Your Collection Become an Accumulation?
Order supports serenity in Feng Shui. An important part of Feng Shui in the West is decluttering, because clutter sucks-up Chi-energy, and creates a heavy and/or scattered energy in a space. As I tell my Feng Shui clients and students: decluttering does not mean Zen-like minimalism, unless that is your style.
It is important to decorate your home with objects, photos and mementos of the people, places and event that you love most. Why? When I ask a client to tell me about a picture or object on display in their home and I see their face light-up I am seeing their personal Chi literally rising. For my client, every time she sees that memento (consciously or unconsciously) her Chi rises. This is one of the most important aspects of Feng Shui.
If you are a collector, be careful your collection does not become an accumulation. It is a slippery slope from one to the other.
Intention
A collection is intentional. It has a focus. The Quilts and Color exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is so memorable because the collectors had a focus for their collection: vibrant color combinations in antique American Quilts.
Time
Do you:
- Enjoy spending time with your collection?
- Enjoy spending time with other collectors?
- Take time to be sure your collection is in good condition and is safely stored or displayed?
- Keep the time you spend on your collection in balance with the rest of your life?
Space
- Has storage of your collection taken valuable living space in your home?
- Is display of your collection so crowded there is no “breathing room” between items? I have seen collections crammed and stacked into étagères and cabinets. If they are it makes it hard to see and enjoy your collection. This makes your collection an accumulation of low-energy “stuff”.
Having a collection can be one of the joys of life and nourishment for the soul.
Having an accumulation is an exercise in frustration and waste of:
- Time
- Space
- Money
When you collect with focus you:
- Know what to look for
- Spend money wisely
- Get what you really want.
Paul Pilgrim and Gerald Roy, the collectors of the Quilts and Color exhibition, stayed true to their focus. This meant that they passed over many beautiful quilts on the way to the creation of their collection. The result is a gathering of antique American quilts that sing with bold color combinations that are worked into inspiring designs. Not a tasteful mishmash of all things “Quilt”. A true collection, not an accumulation.
Image by Nicole Acosta