“Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again.” ~Joseph Campbell
For many years my home has been my sacred space.
Since the beginning of the year our house has been under construction. We are in the process of building an additional dwelling unit for my mother-in-law and are currently renovating our kitchen. The amount of chaos, disruption, and upheaval in our home has made it unrecognizable and finding peace and quiet has become nearly impossible most days.
Living in a construction zone has required me to be more creative about finding new ways to understand and create sacred space. I have always loved the concept of creating sacred space as it infuses any experience or place with intention and meaning. Creating sacred space has been deeply nurturing to me and offers a way to engage in the world through beauty, creativity, and what is important to me. When I travel, I bring a small bag with items to create sacred space wherever I stay, and this has become an important self-nurturing practice.
In the past, I understood sacred space as physical in nature and yet it has come to represent much more to me. When I started meditating fifteen years ago, I found that mediating created more space around and within me to make choices rather than react automatically. That spaciousness felt nurturing and free and fueled my gratitude and appreciation for life. It was amazing to find I did not need to meditate for long periods of time to begin feeling more spaciousness around and within me. I could pause in my day and take ten intentional breaths and embody a sense of sacred space. Recognizing how important meditation is to my self-nurturing practice has inspired me to get up before the construction crew arrives to enjoy the quiet, breathe, and and engage mindfully in my morning.
There are so many benefits to creating sacred space in your life. To begin, as Joseph Campbell highlighted above, “Your sacred place is where you find yourself again and again.” When you choose to create sacred space within and around you, you demonstrate that you love and value yourself. This small but mighty act will connect you to yourself, provide space to listen to what you need and how you feel, reinforce that you matter, and fuel your motivation to prioritize you in your life. Creating sacred space will reinforce what is important to you and allow you to let go of what is not. As you begin to embrace creating sacred space as a self-nurturing practice, you will transform your life from the inside out.
Here are 4 ways to create sacred space in your life:
- Sacred space in your home. This may be the most obvious way to create sacred space. Choose an area of a room you spend the most time in and create a space that feels nurturing and beautiful. You can create sacred space in an entire room or on a desk, bookshelf, or windowsill. To begin, clean the area, set an intention, put some things that are important to you or symbolize what you value, light a candle or incense to bless the area, and take a few intentional breaths sending out gratitude for your life. Visit this place often throughout the day and notice how you feel when you connect with your sacred space. Where could you create sacred space in your home?
- Sacred space in your calendar. Set aside time on your calendar each day for “Sacred Self-Nurturing” to create sacred space in your day. When you put nurturing activities on our calendar you will be more respectful of your time and not schedule other things at that time. Blocking off time and space to nurture yourself elevates the experience to sacred and deepens your gratitude and appreciation of that time. Committing to schedule self-nurturing on your calendar helps you prioritize you and empowers you to be in control of your time rather than feeling controlled by your schedule. When you create sacred space in your calendar, you will set healthy boundaries with more ease and say no to things or activities that do not serve you. Where can you create sacred space in your day?
- Sacred space in your mind. In addition to meditating or breathing intentionally, being mindful of how you talk to yourself can support you in creating sacred space in your mind. Imagine choosing not to listen to the negative and critical messages you give yourself and instead begin to intentionally speak to yourself like you would a dear friend, with love, respect, and encouragement. The kinder and more compassionate we are with ourselves, the more kindness and compassion we express in the world. I love this quote from Lailah Gifty Akita, “The heart is a sacred space to dwell in.” The more sacred space we create in our minds, the easier it is to dwell in our hearts. How will you create sacred space in your mind today?
- Sacred space in your body. So many of us are at war with our bodies. We judge, criticize, and treat them poorly. We forget that our bodies are a miracle and blessing, especially when we have health challenges. What if instead we chose to see our bodies as sacred space and honor them with more love, kindness, and respect. Let’s vow to stop comparing our bodies to other bodies and celebrate our uniqueness. Creating sacred space in your body will inspire you to love, nurture, and care for your body grounded in gratitude for all your body does for you. You can befriend your body with healthy food, exercise, baths, massages, rest, and listening to what it needs. How will you engage with your body knowing it is sacred space?
Remember as Jaeda DeWalt wrote, “The calm within the storm is where peace lives and breathes. It is not within perfect circumstances or a charmed life… it is not conditional. Peace is a sacred space within, it is the temple of our internal landscape. We are free to visit it, whenever we seek sanctuary. Underneath the chaos of everyday living, peace is patiently awaiting our discovery… go within.”
The more we intentionally create sacred space in our lives, the more we will connect to peace, joy and meaning—the art of self-nurturing!
May you find many ways to embrace sacred space in your life, as you nurture peace in the world from the inside out.
Sending you peace, love and gratitude, Kelley
