Sacred Space… Sacred Home: Creating a Mindful Sanctuary

What if your home became a sacred space of inspiration, nourishment and beauty?

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How would your home be different…

How would your life be different…

The term sacred space can mean myriad things to different people. Sacred space can describe a state within you, it can refer to something religious, or it can relate to a ritual. But sacred space can also be an invocation of that which is sacred to you expressed through your home. For the past 14 years I’ve been blessed in assisting my Sacred Space Design clients in the creation of home and work environments that nourish who they are in the present and inspire their dreams for the future. Sacred space, expressed as sacred home, is ultimately a state of grace between your interior world and the external environment that you live in.

This intention is realized through sessions that combine a synthesis of my psychic gifts as an Intuitive Counselor, my interior-design sensibility, and a symbiosis of feng shui techniques. By engaging in an alchemical process of creating a dialogue between their heart and soul, their home, and the universe, my clients experience deep and meaningful changes in their lives that are imbued with practical magic.

How do you know when you need Sacred Space… Sacred Home?

The simple answer to that is that we could all benefit from a sacred space of our own — a safe haven to replenish, to rejuvenate, and to support who we are and who we are becoming. From experience, I have found that most people come to a place of creating sacred space in their homes because they are in the midst of a transition or challenge, feeling stressed, disconnected, or stuck in some aspect of their life.

But we need not wait until something is ”wrong” in our life to create our own sacred space; in fact, the act of self-nourishment as a way of life is a rich gift we can give ourselves anytime. We often can’t control our external environments, such as our work or neighborhood, but it is within our power to change our home environment. In doing so, the quality of our lives both inside our home and out in the world is enhanced and deepened.

How can you create Sacred Space… Sacred Home?

 Begin by looking at your home through new eyes. Try this exercise. Before you enter your home take a breath at your front door and set the intention to take in your home as though you were seeing it for the first time. Decide not to judge what you see, but rather to be a curious explorer. Walk through your home consciously, making note of what emotions it evokes and how your body feels moving through it (our bodies give us cues all the time as to how we are feeling). Take note and jot down impressions of the overall energy of each room and your response to it. Also take note of the specific elements in those rooms.

Here are some focus questions to help:

• Does the style of your home and the things within it reflect who you are now and the life you desire to live?
• Do you love what’s in your home?
• Does your art speak to your heart and inspire you?
• Is clutter a challenge for you?
• Does the flow of your home allow you to move through it easily?
• Does your home have a good balance of things that are symbolic of your past, present, and future?
• How do the colors and textures make you feel?
• Have you neglected to put energy into creating any of your rooms? Notice if those rooms are ”public” rooms (e.g., your living room and dining room) or ”private” rooms (e.g., your bedroom, home office, or master bathroom)?

Creating the layers of your Sacred Space… Sacred Home

Now that you have some information, write down or do a voice memo riffing on how you want to feel in your home. Don’t bog yourself down at this point with how to accomplish that; instead dwell on a clearer vision of what you desire.

For example, I often find that parents tend to put most energy into designing their living space and kids’ rooms but often put very little energy into what could be a “room of their own”…their bedroom.

Between the insights you have gathered through your ”fresh-eyes walk” through your home and your active envisioning of how you want to feel, you might find that you have a beginning blueprint of how to create more sacred space.

For instance, if clutter is obstructing your joy and peace, perhaps it’s time to buy that book on clutter clearing, enlist a trusted friend to help you, or hire a professional organizer.

In your walk through your home, did you find that your art is an accomplice to keeping you stuck in certain patterns of your life via the images reflecting back to you? If so, consider donating some art that no longer serves you and bringing in some new pieces that reflect what you wish to grow in your life.

Add vignettes, altars, and objects to your home that symbolize what you desire to feel in your life. Need some help getting clear about this? Try journaling about what you desire and create a Pinterest board (it can be a private one just for you) where you pin from the Internet your own vision board of photos and images that attract you. This can be home décor, places you love, art, or music, among other things. Be creative in translating these passions into your home.

Visit some places that inspire you and take note of how you feel there. Notice the visual, tactile, and energetic elements in that environment that you particularly respond to and be creative in bringing some of those details into your home.

Your sacred Space… Sacred Home in action

One spot in NYC that has inspired me greatly in my Sacred Space Design work is ABC Carpet & Home. I love the layered sense of meaning and vignettes of soulful beauty this store offers. I’ve tried to create my own soulful beauty by taking some awkward and overlooked nooks and crannies in our Manhattan apartment and converting them into altars of beauty and dreams.

Presiding over a family altar is a garden-statue of a goddess that was my first purchase for our home. Acorns and pinecones symbolize our family’s love of nature and our dream of having a weekend home in the country one day. Flower petals sprinkled by my daughter as a touch of ”fairy dust” remind us to make space for magic. A ticket to a play my husband and I saw for our anniversary serves as a reminder of our desire for more time alone together. Some golden paper stars found via Etsy inspire us to seek celestial help to make our dreams come true, while adding a touch of whimsy to the seriousness of what we desire.

Making space for your future

When you create sacred space in your home, you are both attracting more beauty into your life and calling on the forces of the universe to assist you. By creating a home that deeply nurtures who you are now and speaks to you of your desired future, you are literally and energetically making space for your future to greet you.

Pay attention to what happens when you embark on this process of converting your home into your sanctuary. Keep your eyes open for synchronicities in your life. By setting into motion a particular alchemy of change in your home and soul, you have enlisted the sacred power of intention and the law of attraction. The universe will respond in spades.

elanakilkenny.com

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You may also enjoy reading Going With The Flow: Using Feng Shui To Create Movement in Your Life by Patricia Lohan