Create Your Own Personal Sacred Space

“Sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” – Joseph Campbell

Sacred space is used for ceremonies, rituals or simple periods of meditation. It creates a container of peace and possibilities. Within sacred space, we sense a deeper connection with others both in this reality and in non-ordinary worlds.

Opening Sacred Space

Opening sacred space is most often performed in words through prayer, poetry or song. It is often accompanied by musical instruments. The invocation you choose will depend on the beliefs or spiritual traditions you hold. This supplication or prayer is directed to the Divine or to the energies in the natural world. Opening sacred space is a request for presence, support and protection.

In many cultures there are ritual prayers that serve as an invocation to open sacred space. In indigenous cultures it is traditional to open sacred space by “calling in the cardinal directions” that bring with them helpful natural elements, supportive energies and spirit guides. Ancient peoples see the world as fully animated. Therefore each direction - East, South, West and North – has a unique flavor, divine quality and spirit animals that are called upon to hold sacred space.

Often the directions of the earth (below) and the sky (above) are included in an invocation completing a six-pointed, eight-sided octahedron. Once sacred space is open, we may then reside within this spaciousness which clears away negative thoughts, making the heart connection stronger. Within this container everyone is protected and anything is possible.

Closing Sacred Space

It is important to close sacred space with intention. At the end of a session or a ceremony we close sacred space by thanking and releasing the energies that were invoked at the beginning. The practice of closing the octahedron strengthens our intention to step into and out of sacred space.

If you were to create your own personal sacred space, what energies would you call in from the East, the South, the West and the North?

What energies hold you from below? What energies hold you from above?

Create your personal octahedron of peace.