Many people I know associate the word sacred with the places they worship. One of my most memorable spiritual experiences was far away from my own place of worship: I was in Glacier National Park. As I walked up a glacier, hiked through the park, and drank from a pond, I knew I was in a sacred place.
The devout people I've encountered are fortunate; many places are sacred to them because of their profound faith. A few of my friends have told me of pilgrimages they've made to holy cities like Rome or Jerusalem and how just being in those places put them in touch with the divine. I am not devout. I have not made any such pilgrimages. But the times when I have been in places that felt sacred, a sense of quiet comes over me and I feel small and infinite at the same time. What happens to you when you are in a sacred place?
And how closely related are the sacred places to the state of grace we're in at the time?
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
I am learning that a sacred space is or can be in any moment in any place at anytime. As much as traveling to experience extraordinary organic and man made beauty can be wonderful, it is not necessary, to do so, I believe, to feel the sacredness of life. It is easy for all of us to be drawn to what is out there in search of that feeling. Sacred is the moment in which I can take this breath, see out of these eyes, hear nothing or chaos.. each moment of each day, can be sacred, if witnessed and not seen as a barrier. As part of my regular routine, I look up at the sky. I consider the sky a painting God creates for us each moment of each day. Art in motion.
ReplyDeleteI like your Blog, Pat.