What is your sacred space?
"You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day."
“You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”
―Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
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Quiet Life friend and luminary
sent this video to me yesterday, and I knew I had to share it with you.For me, the various cafes from which I write to you are my daily sacred space.
This is why I find them, and write to you from them, even on vacation.
I’ve been doing this almost daily, since I left my law firm job in 2001. I used to try giving up my cafe hours on vacation, because I labelled them as “work” rather than as “sacred.” And I knew that on vacations, you were supposed to “totally disconnect”.
But then I realized what my cafe hours really meant.
How about you?
Do you have a daily sacred place or hour?
If not, would you like to create one? (It doesn’t have to be a full “hour,” if you’re in an especially busy season of life. Try fifteen, ten, five minutes, if that’s what you have.)
What does it look like, what WOULD it look like?
P.S. Along these lines, you might also enjoy my Bittersweet: Practices & Reflections course (if you haven’t taken it yet). It’s a 30-day class that you take via your phone; every day, I send you audio teachings and meditations, reflections on art and music, and other exercises.
Mary Friedel-Hunt
I have had a sacred space for decades. As a therapist for 50 years, I always asked women if they had a sacred space reminding them of reasons to do that including the fact that for a woman, her home was her nest. My space is a spare bedroom which I also use for guests but in reality I have very few guests that sleep over. I have my mom's ancient cedar chest in this room and on it are the pieces of my "altar". Special items, candles, bell, a few pictures, mala beads and more. I have a chair that I only sit in when I meditate....my body instantly goes into a meditative state when I sit there. A music source, books, and a basket containing my late husband's poetry and love letter. (Long story...very painful even now). I also have an art studio with a corner reserved for meditation and overlooking my back yard. I encourage everyone to have their own sacred space in the house or in the woods wherever.
My sacred place is sitting up in my bed, propped with pillows behind me, when I first awake in the morning. I call it my Zen Den/Cocoon. This is where I meditate. Sometimes, I may fall back to sleep, sometimes not, but I get into the zone so nicely, that my extremities don't even feel that they are a part of me! I am always amazed when that happens, and I love it! Usually, I'm there for 45 minutes to an hour, with no alarm set. Pure bliss.