Ask Rachel

Dear Rachel,

I feel as if everything of mine is dying. Two of my computers within a week of each other (work and home), my car, my bike, my houseplants, my dog. Now, I arrive at work Monday morning to find my beloved big ball that I use as a chair totally deflated. Please, tell me how to reverse this horrible juju or wretched curse I have somehow unwittingly brought upon myself. And quickly before I lose something else.

– Deflated

Dear Tom Brady,

You had me all primed for some humorous responses to your problem, until you got to your dog dying. That seems like the real manifestation of whatever energy you’re processing. Everything else is just metaphorical correlatives to the true shift happening in your life. I have no idea what that is, but I have a feeling you should move toward life. Get your hands in the dirt. Kiss a baby. Just don’t move toward the light. Any light. Just to be safe.

– Go with peace, Rachel

Dear Rachel,

Clutter is taking over my existence. I’m constantly filling boxes and taking them to the Humane Society Thrift Store, and yet, my home space isn’t becoming any more spacious. I’m starting to wonder if I have a gravitational pull for stuff. Or else there’s some Mary Poppins-style expansion of crap going on in here. How can I get ahead of the mess?

– Pack Rat

Dear Hoard-house,

The problem may be that you have emotional attachments to some of your belongings. You think you’re getting rid of stuff, but really, you’re clinging to the possessions that are truly blocking your path to spaciousness and freedom. At least, that’s my problem. I’d recommend that you get a friend to go through your things and throw out the nonessentials for you ... but I’m not ready to take that step, so why should you be?

– Burn it all down, Rachel

Dear Rachel,

I feel like the “wisdom of my elders” says that I should be able to talk to my romantic partner about everything I’m feeling about the relationship. In fact, they’d say I should talk to her, because that gets everything into the light before it can fester. But honestly, I’d rather stuff those things down. It’s easier for me to suck it up and deal with it than it is to risk all the emotions that come from expressing my feelings. Besides, it gives me an air of mystery, so really I’m just helping the relationship thrive, right?

– Silence Is Golden

Dear Silent Bob,

Oh sure. We love airs of mystery. For about a week. Then we just want to know what the heck you’re thinkng and feeling. Air out that laundry, dude(tte). Embrace the muck. Get down with your emotional self. And if your partner can’t handle it, then you’re better off taking your emotions and going home. If you repress that stuff long enough, it probably leads to your big ball chair deflating and your houseplants dying. So if nothing else, speak up for the dog’s sake.

– Thanks for the talking-to, Rachel