Sacred Space, Sacred Time and Self Expression

The concept of Sacred Space

Today, I was thinking of the concept of Sacred Space.  I wasn’t thinking of the concept in religious terms, but more of a concept of holding space for yourself to be who you need to be. Isaac Newton wrote about this in his book, Philosophy of Sacred Space and Sacred Time, which I learned about in college at Georgia State University.  In my town of Decatur, GA, for instance, I can be who I am with my positive views on gender identity and my secular orientation.  When I am in my city and my home, I feel more comfortable to express myself and my desires for social justice and just be who I am.

Hopefully you hold sacred space as well.  As a concept, I am referring to that space and time you have for self-expression in the way that you most desire to express yourself.  This could mean being your affirmed gender, or using the correct pronouns.  This could mean a space and time that you take for yourself to reflect or meditate.  This could mean being able to express your political views without fear of being called out for them.  Having sacred space and using sacred time, allows you to set aside

Scared Space for self-expression

There’s many ways people choose to have and keep sacred space and time for self-expression.  There are meet up groups, forums on the internet, Facebook groups and therapy and support groups. Having a place that you can be in your correct gender or be gender fluid without the anxiety that may come from that in the beginning is incredibly important to your growth as a person. When you can express yourself, be it in your bedroom, in your home, with dinner with friends, or on a daily basis you have created sacred space for yourself.

Claiming Sacred Space

So how do you create sacred space for yourself, especially if you are a busy person, have a family or are still stealth? One thing you can do is take back to time you are getting ready for and driving to work in the morning.  Most often that is alone time during the day that you can be with your thoughts and be who you are for those moments. There are other ways to carve out scared space.  It’s perfectly acceptable for ask for time alone, or if possible, lock your bedroom door. You can plan to have this time.  If you put on your calendar that every third weekend is going to be your time for self-expression, hold yourself to it.

What do you do when you are in your scared space or time?  Sometimes it’s frightening to have space for yourself.  If you are anxious about spending time alone with yourself, call up a trusted friend or meet with a trusted group of people that allow self-expression.  The main take a way for your sacred space and time, is that it is yours and yours alone to enjoy.  That means that you get to decide how you live in and what you do in your sacred space.

I hope that you find yourself with or carve out some sacred space for yourself.  It can be relaxing or thought provoking, depending on how you approach it.  What do you do for your sacred space?