Clutter Clearing for Samhain? Absolutely.

Here’s why getting rid of clutter at Samhain season makes sense, along with simple tips to help you get started.

“Ancient Pagans often prepared for Samhain with intense cleaning and organizing. This was to honor their visiting ancestors by presenting themselves at their best. It likely also made the winter work all the easier to do, as they had just reviewed where they put everything!

Nowadays, Samhain is still an excellent time for house cleansing and blessing. It give you a chance to scoot out stagnant energy, and to weave in protective wards and blessings throughout your home.”

~ Diana Rajchel in Samhain: Rituals, Recipes, & Lore for Halloween

If you’re the least bit familiar with my work, you know that I extol the virtues of clutter clearing every chance I get.

That’s because clutter clearing is a panacea.

When you let go of physical stuff that you no longer love, use, or need, there is a corresponding release in the invisible realms. In other words, once you clear your clutter, you naturally begin to shed the old thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and energetic conditions that are holding you back.

You may have less stuff, but you feel more joy. You become more energized. You create more clarity and you even seem to magically have more time for the things you want to do.

And, you heal old wounds and bust through blocks so you can attract beautiful new blessings into your life.

With all this in mind, there’s clearly no bad time to clear clutter. But there are certain times of year when clearing clutter feels especially powerful and right. And believe it or not, Samhain – also known as Halloween – is one of those times.

Why Should You Clear Clutter at Samhain Season?

Here are three answers to this question that illustrate why clutter clearing is a natural fit for Samhain.

To Welcome Your Loved Ones from the Other Side

As mentioned in the quote at the beginning of this post, at Samhain, your deceased loved ones are coming by for a visit. So make things nice for them! Get rid of junk and clean out the cobwebs, just as you would if you were preparing for a visit from a loved one on our side of the veil.

Here’s a post about how to create an altar for your ancestors at Samhain.

To Clear Out Unwanted Energy from the Previous Yearly Cycle

For the ancient Celts, there were only two seasons: summer and winter. Samhain translates to “summer’s end,” and it’s the final day of the Wheel of the Year. In other words, it’s the Pagan New Year’s Eve, and November 1st initiates a brand new cycle. So clearing clutter at and just before Samhain is a way of releasing baggage from the previous cycle that you don’t want to carry forward into the new year.

Think: autumn trees shedding their leaves.

To Allow the Past to Die So the Future Can Be Born Anew

One of the reasons clutter clearing can be so difficult is because it’s often about letting go of the past and past conditions. For example, looking at a photo of yourself with a former romantic partner can be challenging. While you may not have any designs on getting back together with that partner, you may still not want to pull the photo out of your closet or basement because it will require you to partially relive the relationship’s painful end.

The paradox, though, is that when you let go of the photo, you’ll also be letting go of corresponding emotional baggage. And that will help clear the decks for more positive romantic conditions in the future.

Samhain is a time when we contemplate death, and when we recognize it as a vital aspect of the entire cycle of human life and the Wheel of the Year. This cycle includes birth, life, death, and rebirth. Without any one of these pieces, the cycle cannot continue. In our homes, we can channel this wisdom into letting go of old keepsakes and other items that no longer serve us. It may not always be easy to let go of the old, but it’s something we must do if we want to make room for the new.

Here’s where you can grab a copy of Magical Housekeeping

How to Clear Clutter at Samhain

On this site, you will find no shortage of clutter clearing inspiration and advice. But here are some clutter clearing considerations to specifically help inspire you at Samhain season.

Focus on Quality over Quantity

Listen, when it comes to clutter clearing, I want you to value quantity. I do. I want you to clear clutter from everywhere: garage, basement, storage space, the trunk of your car. But if you focus on the whole picture instead of the single drawer you happen to be going through at the moment, you are likely to get overwhelmed before you even begin.

So eventually, sure, get to everything. But in the moment, you’re just clearing out a single drawer (for example). So focus on that drawer. Make it into a meditation. Look at each individual rubber band or dish towel or old receipt or whatever. Take everything out, one at a time, and decide what pile it will go in: recycling, giveaway, throwaway, or keep. Then, once the drawer is empty, dump out the dust or vacuum it with a handheld vacuum, and then wipe it clean. And only put back the stuff you want to keep. Then move onto the next spot: closet, cupboard, whatever.

In this way, your clutter clearing practice will become a meditation. It’s like a long hike that is made up of one step at a time, or a meditation made up of one inhale and then one exhale, again and again and again. Showing up repeatedly, with present moment focus – clearing out one spot and then another and then another – is the only way to properly complete the job. (For now. Until next time.)

Let Go of Old Books and Oracle Decks

Books are one of my very favorite things about life. But that doesn’t mean I hang onto old mystery novels I’m never going to read again or self-help books I haven’t opened for more than a year. And if I don’t love an oracle deck or I haven’t wanted to do a reading with it for a good long while, I donate it and don’t look back.

Creating more space on your bookshelf creates more clarity in your mind and it clears the way for fresh perspectives and ideas to flow in.

Say Goodbye to Keepsakes

Perhaps you truly experience joy when you look at birthday cards you received ten years ago or ticket stubs from concerts you attended in the distant past.

It’s hard for me to believe, but I’m not ruling it out.

For me personally, no. I prefer not to haul stuff like that throughout the decades. It’s just more trouble than it’s worth.

Still, everyone’s different. So I can’t tell you what’s clutter for you and what isn’t. All I ask is that you’re honest with yourself: do you truly want to hang onto dusty, faded old stuff that vaguely assists you in recalling past relationships and experiences? If so, do. Otherwise, see if you can persuade yourself to let it go. And then see what fresh new energy and experiences flow in.

Let Go of Gifts You Don’t Like

If someone gives you something you won’t use or don’t like, and you’re hanging onto it anyway, why? Because you don’t want to hurt their feelings, or because you think it would be rude to let it go? If so, that’s guilt. Or obligation.

When you hold onto something, you have to house it. You have to dust it and let it take up actual real estate that you’re actually paying for in your home. Not to mention the space it takes up in your mind, just knowing in the back of your mind that it’s there in your house, and that it’s your responsibility. And when you’re hanging onto it because of guilt or obligation, you’re hanging onto those qualities as well.

Donate the item and you will simultaneously be clearing the motivating factors of guilt and obligation out of your life. That’s a way of calling back your power.

Here’s where you can check out my new book.

I hope this post got you fired up about clearing clutter at Samhain season, and gave you some inspiration to get started.

Once you’ve cleared the clutter, I suggest clearing the space in your home and performing a Samhain home blessing ritual. Here are a couple of posts to check out when you’re ready to do that:

How to Clear the Space in Your Home in 5 Simple Steps

Home Blessing Ritual for Samhain Season

Do you have any questions, feedback, or additional ideas for Samhain clutter clearing you’d like to share? Please speak up in the comments below.