Many of us have an altar or "holy place" in our homes. These domestic shrines may hold a religious statue, a Tibetan thangka or be a collection of special rocks. They may just be a quiet corner in which we light a candle or burn incense while praying. What unites them is that they are anchors in our busy lives and reflections of our inner worlds.
Tibetan thangka of the compassion deity, White Tara. Author's photo
We don't have to limit our desire for sacred space to the indoors. There is something quite remarkably peaceful, grounding and joyful about having a place in your yard that is dedicated to honoring that which you feel is Divine. For us, they are a place where we pause and focus our prayers on gratitude. As gratitude becomes a daily a way of life, we find that we visit our sacred space even more. We celebrate our good fortune, and even honor our sorrows by making offerings at our special place in the yard. It's like sharing our hearts with all of creation. It's rather like having a birthday and honoring it by getting everybody that you love a gift! It's a delicious idea that makes the event even more extraordinary.
As simple or as complex as you desire
Here are a few guidelines that can help you and your family design one of your own.
First think about where a special place would make sense. That will have an impact on what kind of space you will create. Use your intuition to "psyche out" the right location. For some, an intensely private space will fit the bill. For others, a more "public" expression of their spirituality is more in keeping with their personality. Whatever your choice, it's important that it will be a space that you'll feel comfortable actually using.
Next you may wish to think about the purpose of the space. Is it going to be a shrine to a holy personage such as Mary, Quan Yin, Buddha or St. Francis? In that case, you may be using a statue. You may want to think about what setting would be best. For instance, having a small garden around the statue might make sense or perhaps a bird bath next to St. Francis. Think about whether or not you'd like to raise the statue off the ground. What sort of foundation makes sense to you? There are no rigid rules, let your heart guide you to what will feel right and will keep attracting you to offer your prayers.
It may be that instead of a stationary focus you have something more kinetic in mind as a repository for your prayers. For instance, when prayer flags flutter in the breeze, they are radiating their messages out into the cosmos. The most common prayer flags are the ones from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
These come in several sizes, orientations and shapes--all of which contribute prayers of compassion as they are moving in the wind. Vertical prayer flags can be a lovely way to demarcate the start of a path through your yard. You can also create unique expressions of your personally sacred thoughts by making your own. (See examples in this month's Spirit Crafting section.)
These are prayer flags created by a community of people in one of our extended programs. The idea was to honor what they each felt was sacred about the Earth and create a flag which represented that feeling. We then strung the flags together and hung them up to transmit their blessings during our week-long gathering. Each subsequent week that the program met, the flags we hung up again in a community ceremony of blessing. The effect was quite powerful as the string of flags held all of the people's individual prayers for the planet.
Some cultures dedicate a special tree to sacred work. In the central Asian republic of Tuva, such trees are found across the landscape. Strips of cloth are tied to the branches as concrete expressions of a person's prayers. Each cloth then functions like a prayer flag, fluttering their energy out into the world and blessing all those who pass.
Here my mother and I are working with Tuvan shaman Aichurek to create a chalama. This is tied around the trunk of a tree to dedicate it as a special prayer tree. Author's photo
If flags or prayer ties aren't the right solution for your sacred space, what about a cairn? These are intentional piles of rocks into or onto which offerings may be made. These are common through out the world. For us living in New England they are also quite easy to actualize.
Here are Allie and I in front of one built by a group of our students. It is on the land on which the program is held. The colorful objects are the student's personal prayer bundles and objects which have been placed on the cairn to transmit their blessings. Author's photo
Ways to use your Sacred Space
There are many reasons to use your yard's special place. Here is a list of possible suggestions:
- Something has happened for which you want to express your gratitude
- You've just experienced an event which creates a need for more support
- You need guidance in a difficult matter
- You want to bring your thoughts into focus
- You are honoring a love, a family member or connection with another being
- You need to take a time out and reflect on where you are in your life
- You want to focus prayers on something you need
- You need to get clear or centered inside
- You want to strengthen your connection to the spirits of place
- You want to create something that reflects the bonds of your blended family
- You want your life to feel more rich and full
- More other reasons than there are stars in the sky
Imagine your family setting out flowers in your special spot to celebrate your birthdays with the rest of Nature. Also imagine that you make food offerings that the birds and squirrels enjoy. Imagine having a place to gather to honor the birth of a child, the passing of a loved one or to remember a special event. Imagine a place in your yard which connects you to the universe and all it's blessings. Your sacred space can be all of these things.
Spring is a great time to freshen up the yard. This year, why not add a spiritual touch as well. Get clear about your intentions, decide what you want to create in your yard and then make a sacred space.
-Evelyn Rysdyk
Calling all junior builders out there! What kind of Earth-loving sculptures can you make from your Legos®?
We'd love to see your animals, birds, plants, bugs and whatever other creative, eco-centric magic you can come up with!
We'll publish photos of your project, a photo of you with your Legos® and what you have to say about your creation. Create your masterpiece alone or get a gang together!
Ready, set, get building!!
This month's Lego® eagle was submitted by Brandon Inman of Holbrook, New York.
Send your pictures to: submission@spiritliving.org
by Tom Magadieu
"Darth Mal Kids" seeking vengance. Photo by author.
When I was a kid, emotions weren't something we talked about - especially among boys. They were something to overcome, ignore, supress, avoid. Imagine if you tried to explain to your football coach your game was "off" because you were feeling sad and confused. You'd still be running laps today.
Of course, everything I learned had to be unlearned if I wanted to develop a healthy relationship with my wife and others that I love. Even more, It took me until adulthood to discover that emotions can be powerful teachers, radar, "spiritual GPS systems."
April has been all about emotion in my house. When one isn't crying for seemingly no apparent reason, the other is trying on anger, embarassment, and fear like sweaters. A moment of mild redirection, leads to a blow-out. It's been interesting to watch the reactions. One uses it as an opportunity to claim a future of failure. The other sees it as betrayal and storms off. My attempting to engage and teach only amplifies the situation. What new phase have we entered?
It dawned on me... we spend so much time teaching kids about behavior, but how much time do we spend teaching them about emotions and what they mean?
When our children are babies, we show them pictures
of faces to teach them how to recognize emotions.
But, when do we teach them that emotions - even uncomfortable ones - are powerful tools and teachers?
If I am going to arm this next generation with the tools to have a happy and successful life, teaching them about emotions is important. And, since we're there already, why not take advantage of it? We arrived at making these...
Emotion Teacher Flash Cards
These flash cards are great not only because it allows us to discuss emotions, but also because they help children understand that emotions provide valuable information if you take a moment to reflect upon them. It helps them gain perspective. And, learn that emotions are not the endpoint, simply a waypoint to an even better experience.
We had fun building these together. Now we have a common system for evaluating emotions and helping each other. It has almost become a game. They have the fun of catching me and asking me these questions as well. We learn how to better support each other. We have fun. And we grow in our understanding of ourselves ...I think I'm feeling a bit vaklempt.
These can be good meditation cards for examining our feelings as adults too. What good questions or flash card ideas do you have? Let us know at editors@spritliving.org
Do you have a parenting tip of your own? Please send us your stories and photos. Email us at: editors@spritliving.org
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