A sacred space is a place where I can find myself again and again.
Joseph Campbell says you don’t have a sacred space, a rescue land, until you find somewhere to be that’s not a wasteland, someplace where there is a joy that comes from inside, not something external that puts joy into you. A place that let’s you experience your own will and your own intention and your own wish so that, the Kingdom is there.
Campbell thought everyone needs such a place, whether they know it or not or accept it. I went to my sacred space today, it is a private place, I am not able to share it, there is something sacred about it and to photograph it would be a blasphemy. I believe as I share my life so openly that I need one place that is mine alone.
It is fashionable in our culture to bemoan getting older as a time of loss, generation and disorientation. Aging men and women in particular love the old days, when the world was perfect, children were polite and worshipful, there was no cable news, the center was bigger than the left or the right, health care was rarely mentioned, and life was secure and dependable.
Nostalgia is our own personal sinkhole, we can slip into it without even thinking.
Every person who gets older faces an inevitable personal odyssey as they tire and so many of the bad genes simply die off.
Is aging a loss, or is it just possibly a radically new, fulfilling and joyful time marked in love and generosity, the blossoming of life. In my sacred space. That is how I feel it, that is how I see it. When I was young, I had no idea who I was and where I was going. Now I know who I am and am only too aware of where I am going.
In part, I realized in my sacred space, the older man is a kind of receptacle, people can cleanse and heal themselves by bring me their anger and confusion. That is perhaps one of the gifts of our new technology.
Sacred space, says Campbell, and sacred time and something joyous to do, are things we all need, I think. Older people play with life experiences and realizations or with thoughts that they like to entertain, sometimes secretly.
The great thing about growing old is that nothing is going to lead to anything, everything is of the moment.
In my sacred space, I was trying to decide if I will resume my writing class in September, there is so much going on in my life now. I am drawn towards doing it, this class has been with me for more than three years, they are like family now, and they are doing wonderful work.
When writing, I told them last year, don’t criticize the words or thoughts coming out. Just let them come. Let go of the critical voice in your head. Don’t worry about making money, or wasting time, or if you are any good? I tell them this ever year, and once in a while, they listen.
The creative adventure is always reckless.
Earlier, I posted a photo of a new frog “Conductor” tile Maria bought me Saturday. Peggy Ormasen sent me this message:
“If Frog is your Animal Totem;
You are a great listener and advice giver. You know how to relate to others and always know exactly what to say. You have genuine empathy towards others and always do your best to provide healing for those around you by allowing them to release old negative energy onto you in order to help them cleanse and renew their lives. Often travelers use this totem to give them a little reassurance while traveling.”
