How do you know you are in a sacred place? Is it the abiding sense of peace that streams through the space it occupies? A felt sense of history? Or was it intentionally built for meeting with your higher power?

While I am a big believer of meditating wherever you at—on the train, in your office or outside under the branches of a welcoming tree, there is an exaltation that bubbles up and moves us when we are in a place that has been dedicated, maybe even consecrated to just this being with Spirit. That might be your church, synagogue or mosque. It might be an indoor space that inspires with art and spiritual imagery or kept simple and uncluttered to bring you back to your most basic essence, like a yoga studio or meditation room. In Celtic spiritual traditions, it is said that a sacred place is borne in nature when the trees themselves step back to mark a clearing to honor the hallowed ground.

During the pandemic, many have prioritized getting out to breathe fresh air. The nature just beyond our windows has become venerated, as we experience it through more mindful and maybe even more thankful awareness. While it was always there in its glory, us taking notice expands our feeling of belonging to the natural world, as it manifests directly from Source.  Now the mundane is seen with new eyes, and it becomes clear that what makes sacred places is their power to shift our perception. They take us out of swiping at screens and thinking of our to-do lists because they allow us to feel the expansion of our spirit. It is here where our perspective is from the soul and where our communication with the Divine flows.

Three ways to connect to a sacred place:

  • Think of a space that you have already put your feet down within and remember what you saw when you looked around. Take your time. Then conjure the sounds of that space and then move onto its scents.
  • Think of the closest sacred space you could bring yourself to, whether its your backyard or within an hour’s drive. What would it take to go visit in the next week or two? Once you are there, allow the place to come in through your senses, letting that be your meditation.
  • Is there a sacred place you’ve always wanted to experience? Find pictures of that place. Make it your wallpaper on your computer screen, pin one to your bulletin board, or stick it to the bathroom mirror. There might even be a YouTube video to bookmark. What would it take to bring yourself there?

Note:  This is an update of a blog written in 2019. For online meditation classes and groups: Full Spectrum Wellness Calendar