The healing power of a safe haven and how to make one.
Life is full of things that draw us away from our center—doctors’ offices, infusions, not feeling great, other people’s opinions. All of these things pull us away from ourselves.
A sacred space is anywhere that you can find yourself and come back to your center. It is any item or experience that reaches into you and says “I’m here.” It’s not religious—though it could be. It’s something that gives you comfort and the freedom to be absolutely you. It is someplace or something that lets you release some of that tough energy, fear, or panic that plaguing you.
Sacred spaces let us rest. They’re about releasing control. Authentic comfort and peace will take you much further in your journey than any fear or panic or trying to control the situation will. The whole point of a sacred space is to be able to come back to yourself.
My sacred space.
My sacred space is my bedroom. I’ve learned that, for me, it’s a physical space. It makes sense—I was an interior designer for 24 years. I go there any time I feel that I need a little extra support. No matter where I look, I see something I love. That feeling of being surrounded by what I consider beautiful and calming puts me in a place where any of the stressors that I am experiencing get much softer. They release their tight grip.
For me, it started off as a pillow. I knew that whenever I put my head on this one particular pillow, a giant “Ah. Yes.” came out of my body. In that release, the world started to be right again. Since then, I’ve expanded. Now, my entire bedroom is my sacred space. It’s my quiet respite where I can do my work, where I can dream, where I can come back to my heart as opposed to my head.
In my space, I’m surrounded by items that cause me no distress. There’s no ugly lamp or a picture I don’t like. I have an orchid. I have a table. And I have my bed. And from that bed, I can do anything. I’m strongest when I’m in that space. When my tumor markers spiked a couple of weeks ago, I went to my room, and I stayed there for three days. During that time, I let the fear, panic, and distress that I was feeling release. It was quiet. It was private. And I could be as scared as I wanted without anybody imposing what they thought was the right thing to do. I needed to figure it out for myself. In my sacred space, the only person I’m accountable to is myself.
How to find your sacred space.
There’s nothing that qualifies it other than it’s something that you know—that you can feel in your body— that brings you joy and peace. And when we are going through this journey, there are few things in our external world that do this. A sacred space helps you to bring yourself back to you. Whether you journal, whether you sleep, whether you dream. It’s any place or thing that brings you comfort.
Although I have a physical space, some people find their sacred space in their craft. Many dancers, singers, athletes, etcetera find their sacred space in action. It is the only place they feel completely at peace or free.
So I encourage you to find something or somewhere—be it a walk, corner, memory, or piece of music — that brings you right back to your heart. Because from your heart, there’s power to heal.
More resources on sacred space:
Creating a Healing Environment by CancerChoices