What If You Don’t Have A Sacred Place?
It’s time to expand the definition of “sacred”
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It seems everyone has a sacred place. It’s a space of refuge when the world overwhelms them. A place to rejuvenate their cells when worn down. A place to restore their mental energy when stressed.
What if you don’t have a sacred place? Perhaps it’s because you’re choosing too narrow a definition. It’s common to think of a sacred place as a static physical location, but the physical setting is only one piece of the larger puzzle.
Any escape to a corner of comfort in times of stress and overwhelm can serve as our spiritual reservoir.
It can change when it loses its healing powers — sacred today and ordinary tomorrow.
For some folks, the sacred place fulfills an idea rather than a location. You might find your perfect hideaway only to realize the benefits wane as soon as the novelty wears off.
Your sacred place meets a set of criteria. The conditions combine to create the peace and rejuvenation effect. The physical setting is only one piece of a larger puzzle.
That was a lesson I learned in my quest for a spiritual retreat. I tried the usual possibilities: parks, hiking trails, and quaint secluded hideaways in nature. These were beautiful and pleasant places, but nothing compelled me to return.
It turned out that I had found my sacred place and never knew it. No matter where I lived or my stage of life, my happy place never changed. The physical location varied from time to time, but the conditions never changed.
There’s a chic little cafe not far from me. They offer a selection of loose teas and serve it in a glass tea press with an infuser (similar to a french press). They deliver it to you on an oval wooden tray with a strainer, small cup and saucer. I prefer to sit alone, but I also like to be in the presence of others.
The peaceful decor, the scent of the proprietary blends of teas, and the process of pouring small cups have a meditative effect on me.
