The sacred is not in heaven or far away. It is all around us, and small human rituals can connect us to its presence. And of course, the greatest challenge (and gift) is to see the sacred in each other.
~Alma Luz Villanueva
The Sacred can be found in all things, in all areas of our life; from the tiny ants busily working to the healing kiss to a child’s skinned knee. We see and experience through the lens we choose each day, and what we give our attention to, gets tended to. In a time when there is so much discord and disruption, uncertainty and misunderstanding, it is even more imperative that we make use of our greatest gift, our ability to choose who we want to be and how we engage with our world. It is how we come back to our inherent power and access to our Divine Nature.
One of the ways I choose to exercise my inherent power is to choose to see, experience and express the Sacred in my life. And I am the first to tell you this is not a ‘perfect’ practice, but it is something I am actively engaging in as a practice. And it is in this practicing that I get to experience the impact it has when I am actively engaging and what occurs when I move back into old habits and behaviors. I collect meaningful evidence that proves to me the ‘why’ behind my actions.
What does Sacred mean, anyway?
What is considered Sacred, is also considered holy. These words move in a flowing dance of meaning and it is easy to lose sight of where one begins and the other ends. The word ‘sacred’ is based in the Latin ‘sacre’ which means holy. And the world holy, is Germanic from the world ‘helig’ meaning ‘whole, uninjured, sound, healthy, entire and complete’. What is sacred is holy, and what is holy is whole and complete. Beautiful, right?
Learning to honor this sacred and holy experience in our lives is a way of acknowledging the Divine that is present in all things. Taking a moment before uttering words like, “Namaste”, can we for a moment take a pause to consider the sacredness and the holiness that is embedded in the message of the word? Can you imagine the power that comes from consciously choosing to be present to the meaning of the word, the meaning of the message you are sharing, the blessing contained therein, and the experience of the recipient in being honored? Indeed, powerful.
There are many ways that we may not be honoring the sacredness that is present in our language, in our engagements in the world, in our own inner dialog, or grievances with ‘others’. However, when we make a conscious effort to engage in the sacred, to connect to what is holy in our world, we too open ourselves to being sacred and holy, ourselves.
Other ways we can bring our attention and honor what is sacred:
- Blessing someone, including uttering, “God bless you!” – consider what a gift it is to bless, and the vibration of the Divine that moves in and through you in this holy and sacred act.
- Praying for someone, taking the time to breathe and honor the sacredness of your prayer and what you are praying for/with
- Having gratitude, taking a moment to really embody the feeling of gratefulness in your heart and seeing it expand outward into the world
- Saying ‘thank you’, taking a moment before typing or uttering the word to bring into your heart the feeling of thankfulness and gratitude.
- Saying “Namaste”, taking the energy to connect with what is Divine in the person/group, and also connecting to what is Divine and holy within yourself.
- Honoring yourself – acknowledge that you are a blessing, and that you are hear to bless the world, you are a child of God, you are Divine and holy.
- Being in the world (walking a trail, riding in a car, etc) – consider those who planned the road you are driving on, those who worked on it, those who maintain it, the other drivers who use it and who choose to follow the laws, letting your heart fill up with all that is given to you, provided for you, and honor it as sacred and holy work.
- In social media, take a moment to engage in the energy of your symbolic response of a ‘like’ or ‘sad’ or ‘support’. Allow your response to be infused with what you want to convey.
Reflection Practice
Consider for a moment what you consider to be sacred or holy in your life? Perhaps it is a ritual or a practice, a phrase, a person, a thing or even a place, what ever it is for you, take a moment to really bring it into your mind. What makes it sacred or holy? What ways do you acknowledge and honor that holiness/sacredness?
Action
What is one action you can take this week to honor and embrace what is sacred and holy to you?