Where Is Your Sacred Place?
W
e all need our personal spaces, or what I call sacred places, in order to escape the confines of a busy and noisy world - a little corner of the world for ourselves where we can celebrate, mourn, or explore some aspect of self. When things become too hectic, most of us escape to our quiet corner and surround ourselves with objects that empower and heal us from the battering of the world.
I find solitude in a shadowy corner of my bedroom. Under the window there is an antique table covered by a tie-died drop cloth stained with splatters of candle wax. There is a faded photograph of my grandmother who was the matriarch of the family. I keep her there to remind me of where I come from. There are heaps of books, writing paper, and writing journals with inspirational quotes that celebrate the goddess within. Above this altar-like arrangement is a mirror; it is symbolic that all in life is a reflection. This shadowy corner is intensely personal, and can be described as a sanctuary of inspiration and self-discovery.
A sacred place may be a place of solitude where you write, a room with a beautiful view for daydreaming, or a basement with tools hanging on the wall. Some people light candles and incense, while others surround themselves with photographs, inspirational objects or keepsakes. Look at any teenage girl’s bedroom, and you will see a shrine to her personal growth. The poster collection of the latest “hotties” and female “icons” are meaningful to her. In her sacred place, it symbolizes the awakening of her being.
When I was a child, I found peace and quiet in my grandfather’s Morris chair in the sitting room decorated with family photographs. It was in a dark, cool corner of the house, and I would fall asleep in that chair at three o’clock in the afternoon as sure as the sun would go down. That was my hour and place of contemplation as I looked at my mother’s faraway face in photographs. It was my sanctuary away from the adult worries that were taking place in my young life. It was where I had dreams that my horizons were bigger than my own backyard.
For me, submerging into my room is necessary to find balance. Many people will tell you that it is almost a primal need to carve out a place where we can replenish our spirit and redefine ourselves, and we, alone, define our personal or sacred place. My husband uses the cellar as his sanctuary, to which all rules of clutter and tasteful design do not apply. In these personal spaces, unconsciously, we arrange the pieces of our lives in a particular order, and stand back and look at its manifestation in order to better see ourselves. It is unraveling the deep mystery within our souls.
Whatever place you create, you will know it is your own because of the calmness and personal power you feel when you are there — surrounded by what is meaningful to you. It is any place that you can find a moment of peace to pause, take a deep breath and find your center. People will always create these personal spaces and their reasons are fiercely personal, and no less meaningful than the next person. It is the answer to our primal need of purifying ourselves away from a chaotic outside world. Our Sacred place is where we try to define or hear our inner voices. Where is your sacred place?
Copyright@2005 Dawn G. Prince | Copyright@2006 Sure Woman.com
Copyright ©2006 - 2007 Sure Woman.com.
Not to be reprinted without expressed permission.
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