Sunday, August 24, 2014

Lately I have been dealing with rude and selfish people. They are all over the place, right? They blast their loud music or shoot off their fireworks or scream and yell in front of you. I recently went out and encountered two separate families getting into screaming matches. They acted as if there was no one else on the planet as they screamed at their children. Perhaps they forgot? Perhaps they were just too caught up in their emotions to realize that PDA (that’s Public Displays of Anger) need to be curtailed. Maybe they were never taught to count to ten or take a few deep breaths? Whatever is the case, I am sure you have run into it as well. The world seems to have some raucous energy right now. Where do you go to escape that? How do you recoup from a day of dealing with such stress? Do you have such a place? If not, maybe I can help. Today we will discuss creating a sacred space.

We all need that bit of space, that sanctuary, that we can go to when we are down, stressed, or just plain ole grumpy. A sacred space is a place that is all our own. A place of comfort and safety. A place for some down time. A place to unwind and let go of the world’s chaotic menagerie. But how do we do that? Let’s discuss some ways to make such a place…………

A sacred place can be anywhere. You could use nature if you desired. Often one of my favorite ways to decompress from a day of aggressive people, is to go for a hike. Nothing clears my mind and soothes my soul more than being out in the forest. I listen to nature. Reconnect to it. Clear out the yuck of the day. I especially love walking near bodies of water, be it a little bubbling brook or a large lake, to clear my mind. So if an actual space is not obtainable in your own house, explore the outside and find that favorite sanctuary. Use that favorite spot as your sacred space.

If you have the room in your dwelling, creating your own sacred space can be very helpful and handy. Perhaps a little spot in your den. Or maybe a little corner of your bedroom. Or even a little place in the basement or garage. Wherever you chose to put it, make sure it feels like the right space to you and that it can be yours to go to when needed. Remember, this should be your area to clear your mind, renew your energy, and dispel the ‘yuck’ of the day.

There is a wonderful book called, Sacred Space by Denise Linn. In it is all kinds of information for creating a wonderful space for yourself. The author touches on everything from numerology to furniture arraignment. She also touches on color and their effects on moods. I really enjoyed that because back when I was attending high school, I had a teacher explain to us an article she read all about colors and how they affected people. My teacher had the classroom painted a specific color to keep the students calm. So if possible, you may want to experiment with wall colors or window treatments. With this book, you can get as detailed about your space as you want to. 🙂

If books aren’t what you had in mind, simply winging it always works. Create a space that is calming. This means no video games, no loud thumping music, no electronics, etc. Your space should be about calming and soothing. My personal space has a lot of candles. And because I love nature, it also has a tiny water fountain and plants. I enjoy instrumental music as well, so I usually listen to that or nature sounds. Experiment and find what things, what sounds, help you relax the most. The entire point of a sacred space is to find that sanctuary when the outside world decides to throw down the gauntlet. A few deep breaths as you enter or a little shake to clear out the stresses, are really good practices to get into. Keep it simple, keep it calm. And remember when you enter your space, you are leaving the stress at the doorway. Now go create that space! Deep breath in…… stress releasing breath out……. ahhhh, isn’t that better?

Enjoy!

Posted by Stepping Stones Holistic Health at 5:37 PM