Objects of Power

The existence of Objects of Power is something I only discuss with certain clients, if they seem open to that sort of thing and ready to work at that level.  Most of the objects in a cluttered home are just “stuff.”  They don’t have any particular significance; they just made it into the house somehow and nobody took them back out again.  One of the reasons this happens has much to do with Objects of Power.

Most Objects of Power are not recognized as such.  Their powers are dark.  They cause anxiety, stress, flashbacks, depression, guilt, grief, sorrow, rage, and shame spirals.  Some are so potent that simply catching a glimpse of them is enough to cast a cloud over the rest of the day.  We unconsciously work to bury Objects of Power with whatever we can find, putting things on top of them, in front of them, and around them, blocking them from our conscious awareness.

Just what are these Objects of Power of which I speak, batty woman that I am?  Collections notices.  Bills.  Scary legal papers.  Unpleasant correspondence.  Undesired invitations.  Unwanted gifts.  Possessions of former friends or housemates.  Photographs of ex-lovers.  Anything at all relating to a dysfunctional family relationship.  Borrowed items that should have been returned long ago.  Loved items that have been stained, shattered, or ruined beyond repair, only we can’t bear to admit it.  Toys of a lost pet.  Reminders of procrastination such as incomplete applications or unfinished dissertations.  Boxes we suspect are moldy or full of rodent droppings.  Medical test results.  Clothes that don’t fit the way we wish they would.  Things we couldn’t afford, bought anyway, and now can’t bring ourselves to enjoy.  Evidence of past crimes, literal or figurative.  Stuff that acts upon us exactly the way it would if it were cursed.

Stuff is just stuff.  It doesn’t actually have any power over us.  The emotional attachments and memories that exist for us are invisible to others.  We can still process our feelings without the presence of the objects we use to store and represent those memories.  We can confront both the dark feelings and the Objects of Power simply by saying, “You have no power over me.”  We can choose to move on and create a different story, one in which we resolve past issues and let them go.

We can also bring in Objects of Power with positive properties.  Weird as it is that so many of us keep things that make us feel terrible, we can acknowledge our sensitivity to objects in our environment and use it constructively.  Some smaller items such as a bouquet of flowers or a decorative tray for incoming mail can transform a cluttered area into a showpiece.  Replacing the ugliest piece of furniture with something beautiful always works.  A new bedspread or towels can do wonders.  Mirrors and light fixtures are some of the more potent Objects of Power.  We can reward our excavation efforts by replacing spooky, dark things with beauty.

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