Virginia Woolf said that every woman needs a room of her own to be able to write. I would go further; everybody needs some sacred space of their own to survive daily life. We all have to retreat from the mundane at times and get in touch with our Spirit. As a child, I always wanted a treehouse. It seemed like the perfect sanctuary to me, high up and hidden away from sight. In my imagination, I decorated my treehouse with exotic wall hangings and huge fluffy cushions. Unfortunately, my father had two left thumbs and couldn’t put up a shelf, let alone embark on a dwelling, however minor. Ever the resourceful child, I looked for the next best place and found it behind the Freemason’s Lodge. Nobody ever went there and it seemed sufficiently magical to qualify as a sanctuary. I spent a lot of time just sitting and dreaming and also set up a graveyard for dead birds there. I particularly enjoyed holding funerals for the poor birds. My mother called me a morbid child…
When I hit my teens, I had to go to school camps a couple of times a year. I hated communal living and always carved out a space for myself in the room by throwing an Indian shawl over a chair and setting up some kind of altar. I usually had some incense and a little figurine of some kind. The centrepiece in those days was a little box where I kept my illegal “mind-enhancing” substance …
Even as adults, we need a sanctuary from the world. A place where we can retreat and heal ourselves by getting in touch with our souls. A place to meditate and relax, to get in touch with the Divine. A physical spiritual retreat centre.
This place can be indoors or outdoors. It can be difficult to create a place of your own if you are living with others, but it is possible. If you have a spare room or a basement, consider turning it into your spiritual sanctuary instead of a guest room. If you’re more pressed for space, even a corner of your bedroom, perhaps partitioned off with a screen or curtain will do. If you don’t even have enough room to swing a cat in, a cupboard or a shelf can serve as sacred space in form of an altar. Even the tiniest space can be a focal point for your meditations or prayers.
An outdoor sacred space could be a flat rock situated in a grove of trees, a sheltered part of your garden or a corner of your balcony. A large or small Zen garden might give you peace and tranquillity. Sacred space “on the go” might be an impromptu altar on a tree stump in the woods or a rock on the beach.
Decorate your sacred space with an image that symbolizes Divinity, some candles, a mandala … whatever your intuition tells you to put in the area. I usually like to represent the four elements of fire, water, earth and air as well as Spirit. Then I’ll add on bits and pieces that I am intuitively guided to place there. Also, if I want to manifest something, I will put a vision board or something representing my desire on my altar.
Some people like to consecrate their sacred space with a ritual. I personally feel this isn’t necessary; the intent and setting up is usually enough consecration. Spending time in your sacred space also adds to the energetic charge of the place. Try and take a few moments to meditate or just “be” in your sanctuary every day.
And who knows, you might even get inspired to write a book or two in your room of your own…
