Finding the Sacred Self

Finding the Sacred Self

Oh, my dear, sweet you. I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to take a few minutes to sit with yourself today. I want you do ask yourself, “How do I know I am sacred?” and I want you to feel the answer. I want you to feel your special-ness. I want you to feel a sense of your contribution to the world. I want you to feel love for you; this amazing, brilliant organism who, in the whole history of humankind, and in the whole future of humankind, will not be repeated.

While we often find a moment to feel love for our partner, or our children, or our pets, or nature; while we often find a moment to appreciate the lovely events and people who made up our day, we frequently don’t remember to appreciate our own special self.

While we often fill our days with work tasks, and chores, errands, and distractions, we frequently forget to remember that adding a few activities that are sacred to us will help us connect with us, deep inside.

I am not necessarily speaking of religious activities, but, rather, activities that connect us to our sacred self, our core self, our perfect self.

Over the years, I have cultivated a bunch. My top one is sitting on my porch, with awareness. Not thinking about anything, but observing everything I can; my breath, my body, my physical sitting self, what I see, what I hear, what I smell.

Another one I love is leading my meditation groups.

Writing to you everyday is another.

Walking or dancing or practicing qigong mindfully is another.

Sitting quietly with my father while he is dozing is another.

I used to think that sacred and suffer were synonymous. I used to think that I had to be in deep pain to experience my sacred self. Poor little me. I was so focused on suffering. I didn’t realize that it was all about learning to transcend suffering. I didn’t get that it was about releasing my negative moral judgements about stuff, and just letting it be. I didn’t realize that it was about connecting with our core selves, not our stories, not our pain.

I didn’t realize that I was sacred, too.

That’s why I want you to take a few minutes, and go to that space, that place inside you. I want you to go there with full permission to experience your sacred self, to transcend your pain, to release your negative moral judgements, not only about us, but about your own self.

As we are able to step more deeply into that place of self-respect, self-honor, and self-love, we find that it becomes way easier to feel respect, honor, and love, for them, whoever our “them” is. As we practice going to our sacred space inside, we find more and more activities that take us there; more activities in that space that help us take care of each other.

How have I changed from feeling small inside to valuing my own sacredness?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 06202013