Your Sacred Space
A Reflection by Christine Jurisich
I thought long and hard about what topic to focus on this month and changed my mind several times. Here in the United States, we are in the heat of the Presidential campaign season, and we have a polarized country. One friend recently told me she feels an extra heaviness weighing her down every time she sees a political ad or watches the news. With this in mind, the topic I feel drawn to share with you is what has been life-sustaining for me in my most stressful times: my sacred space. All this month, I am inviting you into your sacred space, whether you already have one or perhaps to create one. Not to avoid reality. Rather, to live within it and to find the strength to respond to it.
My Sacred Space
Six years ago, my dear friend and long-time Retreat, Reflect, Renew contributor Darlene Carlson gave me chimes after my son passed away. I hung them on a small tree in my side yard. When the wind blows, sweet sounds of comfort ring out like angels dancing on my heart. The chimes inspired me to put more time into making this outdoor area my sacred space. Every so often, I plant a new flower or place a special object such as an engraved stone in the space. And it’s not all serious. One of my favorite objects is a small statue of a frog in a yoga pose; it reminds me to keep my humor, a balm for my soul. In the summer, I spend every morning there during my coffee and prayer time. Winter mornings are spent at my kitchen table looking out into the calming space.
Any Place Can Be a Sacred Place
God is everywhere, both within us and around us. God can be found in the tiniest details of life, so any place can be a sacred space. You do not need a physical place to connect with the Divine, nor do you have to have one designated area. Yet there is something special about having a physical place that brings an awareness of God in a more intentional way. A designated place can draw you into a prayerful mood faster than, for example, if you are in the middle of your kitchen looking at the dishes in the sink and a refrigerator that reminds you of your grocery list.
A Sacred Space within You
A physical place or sitting with a meaningful object is meant to help you connect with the sacred space within you. This space is often referred to as the “cave of the heart.” Author Diane Millis, in her book, “Conversation: The Sacred Art,” explains the space like this:
The cave of the heart is a place deep within each of us known only to God. When we enter this cave in the depth of our hearts through various forms of prayer and meditation, we encounter the transcendent Mystery revealed in all of creation. This is not to suggest that the transcendent Mystery can be contained in our hearts; rather, this ineffable Mystery revealed in all of creation makes itself known in our hearts. [2]
A Place to Sit with Reality
A sacred space is not a place to escape or deny reality. Millis’s definition shows it to be a place to sit with and to sort out reality.
The more we practice entering the cave of our heart, the more we begin to notice that there is a conversation taking place deep within our heart. We may hear echoes of our heart’s conversation in words another says that move us deeply or in a favorite song that we love to listen to over and over again. [3]
A designated sacred place can help you remove yourself from the loud chatter of the world in order to make sense of all the voices within your head and heart. During this time in which politics is dominating the news, it can be a place to ask yourself deep questions.
Amidst all the voices loudly proclaiming what is right and wrong, what do you know to be true?
When you listen or read about a controversial issue, where do you sense, feel, or know God to be present or not present?
Your Safe Space
It can be confusing when everyone around you has different answers to these questions. There can be stress when you do not feel safe sharing your point of view. When this happens, make intentional time to go into your sacred space to have an honest dialogue with God.
When you walk into your sacred space—whether a physical object that draws you into the cave of your heart or a physical place you create—the intention is to have a space that holds all polarities of life, the questions you cannot answer, and the suffering that weighs heavy on your heart. A sacred space is like a loving container to hold all your questions in a tender way so you can feel safe and open to being present to the conversation in your heart. The intention of this space is to hold you and help you listen to who you are in all the questions and to discern how God calls you to respond.
Whether I journal, read Scripture, pray with art, or simply sit and seek a comforting connection with the Divine, there is something different in my being and in my listening when I am engaging in these prayerful activities in my sacred space. Sometimes it is the act of me doing something—the engaging of my heart, mind, soul, and body in the planting of flowers in my side yard, arranging some rocks, or deciding what picture and candle I want to place on a prayer table—that helps me open the door to an encounter with the Divine.
Whatever it is, I know that the sacred spaces I create are oftentimes a spiritual lifeline for me. During this politically loud month, I hope a sacred space—however that looks for you—will help you find a place to pray, rest in God, and know who you are, what you believe, and how you are called to respond.
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Share in a Sacred Circle
The second full week of the month, we offer a chance to share the month’s topic in Sacred Circles on Zoom and in-person.
Share below
Do you have a sacred space?
[1] John O’Donohue, The Invisible Embrace: Beauty (New York: Harper Perennial, 2003).[2] Diane M. Millis, PhD, Conversation: The Sacred Art (Woodstock, Skylight Paths, 2013), 7. [3] Millis, 8.