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What's This Sacred Space Stuff?

© Cheryl D. Tracy

Not everyone has a spare room to use for themselves, let alone to devote to a single interest. This is one reason why there are millions of households across the country that have secret altars. We don't all openly share our spiritual practices, for countless reasons, but most of us who do have a spiritual practice nearly always have the implements that accompany that practice. It might be books, or tarot cards, figurines, herbs, or sewing needles, but we do have them. And yes, sewing needles are just as spiritual as wands and crystals. Spiritual practices might make you think of 'churchy' kinds of things like incense and candles and the such. The truth, however, is that anything that you do to give yourself joy, peace, personal growth, and/or well being, are spiritual practices, so 'hobbies' are included. And chances are, that you have some physical object that represents that interest.

Once you begin to identify what these 'things' might be, it really isn't any trouble to set them up in a sacred manner. By putting all of your implements together, even if it's just on a shelf in a closet or a cardboard box covered with a sheet, you've set up a secret altar. This is the place where you pay tribute to whatever it is that gives you joy and healing. The next step is simply to honor this awareness consciously.

In the case of journeys, some of your tools might be books, drums, rattles, tapes or CD's, feathers, rocks, gem stones, and pictures or figurines of animal and spirit helpers, Gathering these things together and setting them up in a way that is pleasing to the eye, honors them as the tools that they are. For years I used a tiny book shelf that I decorated with pretty cloths or scarves, stones, bric-a-brac, notebooks, and books. To everyone else, it was simply a book shelve with lots of 'junk' on it. To me, it was my secret altar.

There's something healing about having all your 'stuff' in one place. On those days when you're ready to pull your hair out, you can go stand before it, run your eyes over the area, and trace the steps that have made up your path. Reviewing your history in this manner often will provide you with clues about any problems you're currently having. Perhaps, as you're looking over your things, you'll realize you 'meant' to do that exercise in that book. Or you 'were going to' finish that meditation as soon as you got a chance. And by realizing something like this, you might discover that the reason you're blocked is that you had forgotten to complete some step as directed and now, by going back and doing it, you'll free the energy to move ahead.

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