4 genius ways to clear your physical space, from woo-woo guru Latham Thomas

It can be hard to let your inner light shine its brightest through the clutter (both physical and emotional) that accumulates in day-to-day life—which is why Well+Good Council member and Mama Glow founder Latham Thomas says sometimes you have to let it go in order to let yourself glow. Read on for her, ahem, sage advice. 

Refreshing your space is like hitting ctrl + alt + delete and rebooting your surroundings. It’s an opportunity to take stock of your life and all of the elements in it—and make room for what you desire. Sometimes a good closet cleanse may pose an answer to some of your challenges. Are you feeling stuck in any areas of your life? Are you ready to stir things up and make some necessary changes? Life is not about how much you accumulate but how much you release. In my new book, Own Your Glow: A Soulful Guide to Luminous Living and Crowning the Queen Within, I guide readers through exercises and reflective activities that help support clearance, clarity, and self-awareness that can open a portal to a whole new you. Below is an excerpt, which I couldn’t be more excited to share exclusively with Well+Good.

We hold on to things that often contribute to holding us back. Where might you be storing the physical manifestations and energy of the past in your present life—be they traumatic, harmless but just taking up space, or just no longer fruitful? Clearing the physical space is an important step in excavation.

The things that take up space in your life have an impact on you.

Sometimes you’re holding on to things that would be a blessing in someone else’s life. My friend Mara Brock Akil [AKA the megawatt screenwriter and producer behind shows like Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane, whom Oprah Winfrey just tapped to create a new TV series on OWN] told me once that she used to hate cleaning out her closet and avoided it at all costs. She finally cleared her closet and there was a beautiful purse that was nearly brand new that she knew was no longer meant for her; it was meant for her assistant. So she gifted her assistant the purse, and something about that transmission of energy flipped a switch for that young lady.

Whether it’s your bedroom, a cluttered closet, an old purse, your desk, or a vintage sofa, the things that take up space in your life have an impact on you.

Here are 4 things you can do right now to declutter your life and create more space for what’s to come. 

1. Clear out old relationships

Remnants of past relationships still perforate the present, and their lingering energy requires that you take some practical action. Are you holding on to nostalgic pieces of days past? Do you still have your ex’s old T-shirts stuffed away somewhere? Clean them all out!

2. Clean out your closest

Move through your bedroom and closets, and let go of remnants of the past. Only keep the clothes or special items that bring you joy. If you find something you haven’t worn in nine months, give it away. My fiancé always says, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Or you can bless someone else with your old items. Clearing them is essential for you to create more space for what’s to come.

When you carry only what you need to feel and look radiant, you’ll begin to mirror that energetically.

3. Downsize your purse

Carry a smaller handbag. It trains you to carry only what is essential for your well-being and what you truly need for the day. When you carry only what you need to feel and look radiant, you’ll begin to mirror that energetically.

4. Smudge

Smudging [or ritually burning sage in your home to reputedly clear negative energy] is used to purify tools and people, to “wash off” the influences of the outside world before important spiritual ceremonies. It can clear sacred spaces and provide an opening in the soul before summoning spiritual energy. Objects or spaces are likewise washed off with sage-medicine smoke to rid them of unwanted energies.

Latham Thomas is a master manifestor and the founder of Mama Glow, a healthy gal’s guide to actualization in the modern world. Her second book, Own Your Glow, was recently published by Hay House Inc. 

What should Latham write about next? Send your questions and suggestions to [email protected].