Before the Madness: Create Sacred Space for Seasonal Serenity!

Before the Holiday Madness overtakes your sense and sensibilities, I urge you to create a quiet, inspiring place in your home that helps you feel more connected to what's meaningful in your life. Like me, many of you already have sacred spaces dedicated for practices such as meditation, yoga, prayer, healing, or divination. But even if you do not need a dedicated place for "daily rituals", or you already have a space for these, you might want to create a space simply for "seasonal serenity".

Creating your own sacred space lets you express your deepest human need for ongoing spiritual nourishment, which transcends obligatory holiday shopping and social engagements which can be devoid of any nourishment at all. Everyone can benefit from creating places where they intentionally choose what surrounds them. Entering a sacred space is like giving yourself permission to take a moment to be renewed, to find rest, to get out of your head and honor what's in your heart. Sacred spaces feed the spirit. And, that can go a long way toward helping you feel more centered, grounded, healthy, and happy.

Creating sacred space is all about making personal choices that feel right intuitively, so there is no right or wrong way to do it. Begin by arranging objects that give you energy, inspire you, and are pleasing to all of your senses – that which tastes, sounds, smells, looks and feels good to you.

Even if you can not dedicate an entire room, you can use a corner of a room or garden. Also consider using a cushion, rug, low table, or screen to make your sacred space feel more contained, relaxing and personal. I personally love outdoor spaces, in all seasons, as nature's voice is most often what I need to hear when the Madness is calling me. I maintain a medicine wheel on my beach, and a beautiful crystal grid in my herb garden which are both large enough for me to sit at their centers. Because they are used often, they hold tremendous positive fields and are magnets to many of the sweet little creatures that also share my yard; butterflies, birds, chipmunks and more! Those creatures provide me with a wonderful connection to the Earth, and they are in fact the most important sounds, and sensually pleasing additions to my sacred spaces. Indoors, I have a traditional healing space pleasing to Oshun. The only sound is the waves of the lake caressing the shoreline.

Whether you create a space outdoors or inside, focus on aesthetically pleasing items that speak to you, inspire you, and that are meaningful to you. You might include:

• Stones and shells that hold memories from special places
• A dish garden or fountain
  
• Talismans and symbols of peace and safety
• Artwork and photographs of loved ones and special places
• Statuary and traditional symbols of divine and protective energies
• Candles, incense, scented plants and flowers
  
• Color, light, texture, fabrics, mirrors, crystals, chimes
• Poetry, sacred texts, favorite quotes and words of wisdom from any and all faiths
• Personal Divination Tools such as Runes, Shells, or a favorite deck of Tarot cards
  
• Music: Instruments or CDs
  

It all starts with a desire to make something as beautiful and as comforting as you possibly can, just for you. This space is yours. Today, honor your heart's desire to feel more connected to what's truly meaningful in your life. I wish you seasonal serenity!

May you be blessed!