What Does "Sacred" Even Mean?
“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.”
- Joseph Campbell
The word sacred is thrown around a lot, (especially by me), and I wanted to speak more specifically about what I mean by this term.
In the dictionary sacred can be defined as “something regarded with great respect and reverence by a particular religion, group, or individual.”
Wikipedia says “sacred describes something that...is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers.”
Combining and elaborating off these definitions, what sacred means to me is:
Something awe-inspiring, to be regarded with respect and reverence, worthy of spiritual devotion. It is a place where our truest, most ancient and wild nature resides, in communion with the spiritual nature of life. It is the experience of loving the world, and being loved back.
As Joseph Campbell so concisely says above, it is where we find ourselves. Where we find home within ourselves. Where we find a sense of belonging to a wider whole.
This is why the Earth herself, in all her unfolding, rhythmic beauty and wisdom is a sacred sanctuary to me.
Sacred is also a word I’d use to describe our bodies. Where such truly wonderous alchemy happens every moment within us, and between us and our surrendings, that keeps us alive and in conversation with the world around us.
When I speak of the sacred, I’m not referring to anything religious. I’m talking about the utter magnificence of Life, and the magical quality of our existence.
What feels important in my work is to blur the lines between the sacred and the mundane. Opening our eyes to the fact that all of life can be felt as sacred, given the right perspective and intention.
That we can imbue our days with feelings of awe and wonder.
That we can look at our homes, our lives, our bodies, the Earth as things/persons/entities that deserve great respect and reverence. (It pains me to use things to describe these!)
That we can cultivate the lens of fascination and amazement in how we perceive something as commonplace as our body.
Something as mundane as the soil, the dandelions, the air we breathe.
Is it not all sacred? How could it not be?!
To me, the only difference between sacred and mundane is our perception. The only difference between sacred and mundane is our willingness to find the magic within it.
To discover a plant ally to help you remember your connection with the magic of life, check out my free quiz, Which Plant Spirit Can Best Support Me Right Now?
