Creating a Sacred Space
We spend so much time in our homes. In many ways they reflect who we are. That is why it is important to have a sacred space within your home; where your mind, body, and spirit can connect and simply be.
There are many ways to create this space, and it all depends on your personal experience: what you have collected, when and where you feel most at peace, and which senses you are most tuned into. Having a sacred space is an active decision, and it requires you to first form cleaning habits in order to maintain your practice effectively and with diligence.
To start, it’s important to minimalize your space as much as possible by going through your belongings and asking yourself if each item is purposeful, meaningful, or joyful. When you practice simplifying the physical substance in your life, you automatically simplify your mental consumption by removing what is unnecessary in your life. This practice will prepare you for entering a mindful state in which you can truly let go of your judgments and expectations for happiness.
Once you dedicate a specific area to the rejuvenation of your spirit, find ways to enhance the surroundings so that your reminded to re-connect with your senses. In my personal experience, I’ve found it helpful to use essential oils, candles, or incense to spark sensations of comfort and peace. I’ve also found playing meditative music like mantra chants, binaural beats, tribal drums, and nature sounds like flowing water, chirping birds, and wind to be helpful in awakening my mind to subconscious negative energy and redirecting it to present moment awareness. You can enhance your space visually by making it aesthetically pleasing with objects that are special to you and arranging them in a way that is satisfying to the eyes.
Make your space comfortable by using pillows or cushions and connect deeper with your senses of touch and taste by developing mindfulness practices that bring you into awareness of yourself and your moment to moment experience. Some of practices I use involve interactive activities like playing with a Zen garden (a small sand box with rocks and various tools for raking, brushing, and designing), watering my plants, drinking hot tea, and practicing yoga. While I engage in these activities, I form habits in my mind to contemplate the different ways that I am connected to the earth through water, air, and plants. These practices will initiate a deeper desire for a healthy relationship with oneself and the environment.
There are also ways of cleansing the space and infusing it with fresh energy. By burning sage or sweetgrass in your home, you call forth the energy of peace and love and additionally combat negative energies by chanting, “cleanse, dismiss, dispel.” If smoke isn’t an option, I like to cleanse by spraying a lemon and tea tree mist. Apart from the uplifting scent, there are antibacterial properties in lemon and tea tree that treat and refresh the air.
When you take the time to create a sacred space for introspection and healing, you are choosing to connect with the light and love within your soul, and you are choosing to live at a higher vibration.
Earth your body • Air your breath • Water your blood • Fire your spirit
