Sacred Places - A Potent Anchor For Every Day
The idea of sacred places can be found in all cultures and in all places throughout all times. A sacred space in essence is no geographical place - although it can totally be your favorite place in the woods too, where you go for solace, grounding, ritual and ceremony. A sacred space, such as an altar in your home, is more of an energetic circle that you can intuitively go to and open and close and that connects you to yourself again and again. It serves you to invite higher support and guidance. In this space you are respectfully asking for grounding, healing, guidance and protection on all levels and through all times. These energetic anchors can be highly beneficial for each and everyone of us and I very much feel them to be transformative portals where you can invite and weave in just the energies and frequencies that you want to welcome into your life and being. This conscious weaving of an energetic bubble, can be a true game changer, a place of soul retreat and a very potent energetic hygiene tool that allows you to connect to your intentions, wishes, needs and wants (yes, we are allowed to want things too..) on a daily basis.
Your external environment is a reflection of your internal environment.
And in essence every moment is a ritual and every moment is a ceremony, if you are willing to invite it as such. In order to make ritual and ceremonial work an anchor in your every day life, devotion and intention are key. Once your interaction with your sacred place becomes a habit for you, it will signal safety to your brain every time you sit with yourself in it. Your sacred place therefore can be a powerful tool in anchoring yourself in the present moment and it can help you in unloading the worries of your day too. After a while your body, mind and soul will know that when you go and sit in front of your sacred place, your power place, your altar, it is time to pause, to breathe deeply, to recharge, and to listen to nature, to the elements and to that voice within. Having a power place and working with it energetically with clear intentions also signals to Spirit/ God/ the Universe that you are engaging in sacred, spiritual work.
Finding your power place and setting up your altar. As in all energy work, there is no prescription or set way of doing things, but to be open to yourself, your intuition and to the guidance that you are receiving. Being mindful with regards to setting up a sacred place is advisable though, as you are inviting Spirit/God/the Creator/Universal life force to enter your space and life. You also don’t have to limit yourself in setting up only one sacred space in your home, but you can set up as many as you like and feel aligned with. They will anchor and ground you in the present moment whenever you consciously engage with them. Sometimes just walking past and taking a moment to deeply breathe next to one is enough.
Let’s start with setting up your power place(s). It can be a table, a window sill, etc., so any space that invites you to be with yourself, to meditate and to dream. It’s always a good idea to look for a place that you are naturally drawn to and that you like being in. You might also want to consider a place that is relatively undisturbed – if you have cats like me, you do want to make sure they are not picking your treasures apart. You are just as free with the things you put on your sacred place. It can be fun, intuitive and creative all the way. I, for example, love intuitively picking things up on my daily walks, such a leafs and feathers and to put them in my power place. You can start by picking a piece of cloth or something similar that you love and that feels beautiful. I personally don’t use a cloth most of the time, so again you can go with your instincts here, but it can be a nice way to start with. There is literally no limitation in size, place, or what objects you should put on your altar. The objects should, however, reflect your current intentions and where you are in this moment in time, so you can actively enagage and work with your energy. Another nice way to start working with your sacred place is to find objects that are standing for the four elements and place them on your altar in four different directions.
Examples from my own power place are:
Earth – wood or stone, some soil or a plant – I love using a beautiful piece of fossilized wood that really grounds me.
Water – a glass or a small bowl of water.
Fire – a candle, incense sticks or herbs to burn.
Air – Any kind of feather – I personally love using a sustainably harvested eagle feather that was gifted to me and that I am really connected to.
Opening and closing your sacred space.
Energy doesn’t work according to the principles of space and time, yet intention is an important one when engaging with any kind of energy work. So whenever you turn to your sacred place for anchoring and healing, it is a good idea to be clear and intentional with yourself. How do you feel? What do you need? And what do you want? I also like to open and close my sacred space by announcing to the Universe that the circle is now open/closed and I ask only the energies of love and above to enter it. As everything this is a process, but you can sit back and wholly trust that the rituals, ceremonies and intentions will come to you as you need them. You just have to be willing to take the next step, set up your power place and listen..
This is not a space to be in the doing, but to surrender into the being - fully and all the way!