As Within... How to Know if Your Space is Sacred

The most sacred of all spaces is the still, knowing space within each of us.

In that space, we are in touch with the pulse of the universe and can access the answers to any questions we might ask.

For most of us, the search for the lasting sacred space can take a life time.

That doesn't have to be the case!

Creating a sacred space isn't a new concept. In fact, most of us seek a ‘room of our own' one way or another. Whether we are aware of it or not, we all need a space we can enter for reflection, solitude, revitalization and a conscious reconnection with ‘All That IS'—our inner and infinite SELF. How do we create or discover the right space? How do we know it is sacred when we're there?

Sit for a minute and mentally scan the diverse people you know. What do you see? Most of us know many different types of people with numerous beliefs, philosophies and levels of wisdom. From their clothing to their personal habits, they are each the picture of their beliefs and philosophies. Each of them will describe a sacred space in their own terms, based on their own beliefs and ideas of the sacred. The classic sacred space, complete with a tidy Zen garden and a nearly silent waterfall, little distraction, and a sculpture of Buddha, Jesus or Kuan Yin won't serve everyone's needs. However, our first understanding of creating the sacred space tends to lead us to the familiar or the ways of others. We assume if it works for the monks, then it is the ‘right' way, perhaps even the only way.

Try to picture your favorite cowboy sitting down to relax on a tiny round pillow while staring into the flickering flame of a violet candle. Now, in fairness, your cowboy might just do that. Not so mine! Rather than finding peace here, he might find irritation. His life and lifestyle is all about the outdoors. His discovery of perfect peace is in the midst of doing what he loves most—working with animals, feeling the sun and the wind on his face, forgetting about the external while captivated with it at the same time. His Zen moments may never be openly revealed, but they are no more or no less sacred than our own. He has his sacred space and it is a reflection of his life, his beliefs. He knows it is sacred by the way he feels when he's there.

I have a friend who has spent the majority of his life married, striving to find peace in his familiar lifestyle. At 63, he has found himself divorced and more or less homeless. Never daunted, he has moved into his place of work, a mechanical shop with a small office and a bitter cold garage. Over the last months he has found his sacred space in the new freedom he was given through divorce, and meeting the challenge of not having a home as we know it. In a recent conversation, he suggested he has more peace now than he has felt in years. He can come and go as he pleases, eat what he wants, visit his friends, watch car races, and never have to worry about the impact his choices are having on another person in his space. While his ‘home' is uncomfortable by many of our standards—too cold, too small, too exposed AND definitely not in keeping with the Jones', he knows happiness. He knows this is a sacred space by how he feels.

The point to consider here is that when we engage with and honor what we most love about life, we are rapidly shuttled to a sacred space within. Just as it is difficult to stay angry if you put a smile on your face, it is nearly impossible to be sad if you're doing what you love and being where you love to be most. Many of us have gotten out of touch with what we truly love and we may seek to create a divine space to rediscover SELF. If this is the case in your life, consider adding something to the space that reminds you of what you love. That may be a plaster cast of Buddha or a snapshot of Yogananda, but if it's not, that's ok too. How about a fresh sprig of spruce, a blank canvas for painting or??

While it is said that most external stimuli distracts us from the discovery of the sacred, perhaps it can also trigger memories that send us sailing there more quickly—IF they are reminders of what we love. As the world clamors more loudly year after year, maybe this is the year to rediscover the sacred in your life. Find it, BE it, and you will know you are there by the way you feel.

Copyright January 2004

By Molly Misetich