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I once heard a speaker say that a workshop on sacred space is difficult to lead because each person’s space is personal.
One of mine is the view in my shower – a shelf of shells. My favorite is one with a blue stone in it. That shell reminds me daily of the gift of baptism and the baptismal promises made for me as an infant. When I think of how I live out those promises every day, I envision water washing over me, cleansing and renewing.
A second sacred space is my porch swing. It faces the morning sun and warms my soul on days when I’m not up to facing the world. It helps me to re-focus.
The final sacred space is my office and the special items it holds – like prayer shawls given to me when I needed prayers to wrap me and hold me tight. I couldn’t survive each day without the sentiments they hold. Then there are the mementos of many women I’ve met in my life.
Where do you find a space that is close to your heart?
This message is excerpted from “Sacred spaces are personal, peaceful” by Syd Brinkman from the August 28, 2017, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today we commemorate Florence Nightingale, 1910; Clara Maass, 1901; renewers of society.