©11-3-09 by Donna Cunningham, MSW

 A dear friend has just come home from a 6-week visit with her son, which they spent clearing the clutter from his loft. She’s brought along a stalwart pal who’s volunteered to help do the very same thing with my friend’s garage—a heroic task.

 It’s crammed to the rafters with so much stuff that she’s never once, in the decade since she bought the house, been able to park a car there. It contains not only her own unwanted belongings but her housemate’s and those of another cohort we’ve seriously considered nominating for one of those shows about hoarding.

 I was thinking this morning what terrific use she’s making of the current Pluto-Saturn square. In early Libra, she has Neptune conjunct the Moon, hence the tendency toward chaos in a residence. These Saturn and Pluto aspects to natal Neptune have given her the impetus to clear away the ever-accumulating piles of God alone knows what.

(If you were born in the early 1940s, your own Neptune is in late Virgo or in early Libra, so at some point you’ll be going through a similar transit. Oh, and in case you can’t relate to the idea of getting rid of clutter—this is an article about CLOSURE, first and foremost.)

 “I must congratulate her on an ingenious use of Saturn and Pluto,’ I tell myself. Then I bring a steaming mug of Irish breakfast tea into the office and sit down to write.  As my brain pulls its scattered thoughts together, my eyes roam over the office.

It’s chaotic with boxes of books I no longer want in my life. I’m donating astrological, metaphysical, and self-help tomes and a decade of back issues of The Mountain Astrologer to my astrology group’s annual fundraiser. Collections of volumes on how to write are going to the local writers’ organization and to a group of mystery writers called Sisters in Crime. Then there are stacks of reference works on flower essences, herbalism, botany and homeopathy that will go the library of a local naturopathic college.

A pang of grief hits me for the bygone days of my life path those books represent.  I tell myself, “Relax, they’re all going to good homes. AND they’re a tax write-off. Once they’re gone, you can get rid of a couple of these bookcases.”

 I stretch and open the accordion-pleated door to my office closet, bracing myself.  For once, miraculously, I’m not deluged by precariously-perched office supplies, gift wrapping, used mailer envelopes, and arcane flower essence kits. Now that I’ve cleaned it out, I can actually see the closet floor and empty top shelves.

I’ve been purging my own belongings for a move to a much smaller place in a fun area of Portland. In the past month, I’ve donated over $1000 worth of unneeded miscellany to the Goodwill. Half a closet full of nice business clothes I no longer wear has gone to a group called Dress for Success. It’s a national organization that creates wardrobes for needy women who’re trying to get back into the job market.

That’s not all: 8 bags of paper from 20 years worth of files have gone into the recycling bin, and 6 laundry carts full of just plain junk went into the dumpster.  Ever wary of identity theft, I’ve taken a huge bin of sensitive documents like outdated tax records, credit card receipts, and client files to a secure, licensed shredding service.

 You Can Do It  too—and Why You Should

 That whole process took place during the death throes of Saturn in Virgo, going over my own Neptune.  Like my friend and I, you can use the Pluto-Saturn square to get rid of decades of accumulated STUFF.  

Most of us just have tooooooo much stuff.  We’re burdened down with things we didn’t need in the first place and haven’t used in years—if we ever used it at all.  It’s choking our houses, cluttering our minds, and complicating our lives.

 It creeps up on you if you’re not completely ruthless—as I swear I will be from here on in, I really, really will.  (Wait a minute—wasn’t that what I promised myself the last time I moved? It’s different this time–I MEAN it!) 

 Do you have too much stuff in your life?  Maybe the Pluto-Saturn transit can help you deal with it in a sound, realistic, practical way with an eye to the future. (It helps if you keep the ultimate Plutonian question in mind: “What if my kids/friends/mate had to deal with this when I’m gone.”)

 If you do it smartly, much of your junk can become someone else’s treasure in a garage/estate sale that earns you extra cash.  Since I’m salesmanship impaired, I’ve chosen to handle my discards as tax write-offs for donations to nonprofit organizations. Art work and antiques that are  too valuable to donate, friend Lynne is selling for me on Craig’s List for a split of the proceeds.

 STUFF for You to Think About–from Clutter to Closure

 Guess what. The process of clearing out clutter isn’t JUST about rediscovering those long-lost closet floors.

It does more for you than freeing yourself of an outdated wardrobe that, face it, probably doesn’t fit anymore. What it makes possible is a very valuable type of life review. You’re going to discover that each item you touch has a set of memories and emotions attached to it that you’ll relive and process.   You might just find it a heady process because of ways it frees you from the past. You may shed a tear or two—it’s sometimes an emotional purging as well. 

Sorting through unwanted possessions helps you sort through phases of your life that are well and truly over—or darned well ought to be. As you dust off belongings that have outlined their usefulness, you’ll find yourself thinking about: 

• People who aren’t part of your life any more, and the role they played in what happened back then.
•  Decisions made years back, and events and situations resulting from those decisions.
•  Choices you made that perhaps weren’t the wisest and that you might want to rethink today.
•  Priorities you set because you had to—and whether those are still worthwhile priorities for today.

Based on the insights you gain,  you may very well take this purging process to a deeper level–from clutter to closure.  Are there people, places, or pastimes that are eating up your time and wasting your energy? Do you want to allow them to keep on doing that? Is it time to end a phase of your life?

Share your decluttering experiences with us in the comment section if you like—or, if you’re finding other positive ways to benefit from the Pluto-Saturn transit, let us in on that.

More Posts for your Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit:

• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—an Overview of the Series
• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 1 (Houses and Areas of Life Affected)
• The Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit—Part 2  (Best Case/Worst Case Scenarios)
• Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #3 — Taking Concrete Action to Change your Life
• Pluto-Saturn Preparedness Kit #4: Key Players in your Drama
• People who Misuse Pluto and Saturn—Don’t be Fooled by Scare Tactics!
• What Makes a Person Controlling? How Can It Stop?
• How the Pluto-Saturn Square may Affect People born with that Aspect
• From Clutter to Closure–Using the Pluto-Saturn Square
• Internet Find of the Week: New Resources for Healing Grief and Loss

 Related Posts for Using the Transit to Change Unwanted Patterns:

• Cash in on the Hidden Gold Beneath Your Fears
• Saturn Transits—What do They Mean to your Career?
• Healing Tools For Plutonians: Transforming The Self And Others
• Understanding Healing Reactions or Healing Crises
• Purge Yourself of Pluto’s Negativity—Get Free of Bitterness
• Stuck For What Seems Like Forever? Maybe Areas of Unforgiveness are the Cause
• In a Crisis? Rescue Remedy Can Help You through It
• Hope for Those in the Dark Night of the Soul

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