Creating Your Sacred Space – Self-Worth

  As I write this article, I am sitting in my own Sacred Space – my meditation room. People have often commented to me “You have your own meditation room?” My sacred space didn’t start off as a whole room. It began as a tiny corner of my bedroom that was dedicated to honoring my spirit and was a tiny place carved out just for me to sit and listen to the stirrings of my soul. I first read about creating a sacred space several years ago in Sarah Ban Breathnach’s beautiful book “Simple Abundance.” It was a time in my life when I desperately needed to slow down. I was traveling at the speed of life and had succumbed to our society’s mantra “Bigger, Better, Faster, More.” My break-neck speed pace had gotten me nowhere except on overload and in pain. Jack Canfield, long before he became famous as the author of the Chicken Soup series, once said, “Pain is nature’s way of telling you you’re off course.” Not only was I off course, but I didn’t even know there was a course to follow. It shouldn’t have to take pain and exhaustion to claim your space in the universe. But for most of us, we make choices to either get us out of pain or to gain pleasure. Creating your own sacred space can do both. But what exactly is a “sacred space?” To me, it is a chiseled out piece of the world that shouts to the universe “I have a right to be here… I have claimed this space as my divine birthright… I am a child of God and I need a quiet place to connect on a daily basis.” To begin creating your own sacred space, start by looking around your home and notice and feel areas that have good energy or that feel peaceful. Is there a corner that the sun shines through a window, or a spot that looks out to your garden? Is there a storage/junk room that has been longing for some attention and can be put to better use? My meditation room used to be my sons’ toy room, but at ages 15 and 17, their only toys now are their computers and girls! Once you have selected an area to claim as your own, clean it, sweep it, dust it, vacuum it, as that act will have a significant, energetic correlation to what will be simultaneously happening within you as you embrace this new practice into your life. The Universal Law of Correspondence “As within, so it is without” works backwards as well and as you eliminate the dust and cobwebs on the outside, so too will you be clearing your mind of clutter and debris. Next, go on a shopping spree – in your home! Go around and gather your favorite things and try to bring in all five senses: look, touch, smell, sound and taste in order to invoke the sixth sense of divine intuition, vision, clarity and inner peace. Savor this process if you can. I was frantic trying to get my space just right and I was totally missing the whole point. I had visions of God screaming at me “Will you sit still and be quiet? I’m trying to answer your prayers!” My corner began with a small table that served as my altar. I had a candle on it, some crystals, a crucifix and my bible. Each morning I would light the candle and try to sit quietly and be still. In the beginning it was very difficult and my mind would go off in a million different directions. But as Jon Kabatt Zin reassures, it is not how many times the mind wanders, but rather, how many times you bring it back to stillness that matters. It is like interval training for the mind and spirit. My current meditation room has evolved right along with my enlightenment. It began as simply a room with all the stuff from my corner sparsely positioned. Little by little I kept asking myself, “What do I need to fully relax and be still?” The next day I would find giant floor pillows. Then I’d ask, “What areas of my life need attention?” and like magic I’d come across a Japanese symbol for prosperity. So what areas of your life need – or are more likely screaming out for your attention? Perhaps add a rocking chair for those times when you need to nurture your inner child by rocking her back and forth. Or perhaps add a mirror so as you look at yourself you can reassure that insecure part, that we all try to keep hidden and locked away, “You are safe and loved.” In the beginning silence can be deafening, so maybe add a fountain and listen to the gentle trickling of water on the stones to help soothe your soul. If you’re taking over a whole room, think about bringing in your favorite colors – this is your space and traditional safe colors don’t belong here. In my room, the walls are painted coral and it has the look and feel of an endless sunset. I recently added a daybed for an overnight guest. I thought it would only be a temporary fixture until I found myself going in there more and more in the afternoons and lying on the bed to read, write in my journal or just take a nap. Although my room now doubles as a guest bedroom, be very selective of those you allow into your space. Negative people bring their energy in with them and will leave part of their essence there after they’ve gone. Annie Dillard writes in Teaching a Stone to Talk: “You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to see the stars, you will find that the darkness is necessary. But the stars neither require it or demand it.” There is no requirement that we create a sacred space. God doesn’t require it or demand it of us, but how can we expect to hear the answers to our prayers if we don’t sit still long enough to listen? In slowing down and daring to go in the exact opposite direction that society has brainwashed us to believe will make us more effective, successful and wealthy, we will find our true fulfillment and an abundance of spirit that cannot be measured by society’s standards. This is the stuff of a great life – a life lived on purpose. As we learn to chip away at the outer layers of fear, doubt and incessant worry and learn to be still and connect with the divine essence of our being – this is the moment when we move beyond doing and live a life of being fully present. This is the moment when you move beyond the thinking you into the knowing you, where your inner truth lies.