When the Muse blows through ...

I chase her message on the wind, running after it until I catch bits and pieces in my hands and then scramble to decode it, craft it, and produce something worthy of the word "inspired." This summer the Muse blew through me and I caught her message; she prodded me day and night, in waking and dream states, sending me the poetry for these beautiful candles and the teacher I needed to arrive in order to learn to make these in the Old Ways. Here, a photo of manifestation - each candle and message was first a dream, or a flash of an image in my mind, or a painting or print that inspired me, and slowly the process unfolded - color correspondences, sacred oil blends to dress the candles all hand blended by me at the full moon, stones of significance to each goddess wrapped within - until at last the final products sit here, waiting to be sent to their rightful owners. Now I just need the time and space to create the Etsy listings. Four have been purchased even without the etsy listings yet live. These are moving away from me even as they sit in the basket - a product of my hands, the end result of much love and harnessed intuition, ready for the world. All the work of the Muse, blowing through me like the wind, waiting for me to chase her and read the signs.

Sacred spaces at home and at work

Sacred Space - that corner of a room or hallway, entrance to or exit from a home or business, where the air just feels a bit lighter, the energy brighter, where you come to relax. Growing up, I thought only churches held sacred space; later as an adult I came to understand that the word sacred is not synonymous with religious. The root of the word sacred is the Latin sanctum, which simply means "set apart." Thus I take sacred space to mean any space you designate as other than your normal living space, set apart because of its special meaning to you and the deliberateness of choices you make about what to include there. For many of us, sacred space must be confined to corners and elevated nooks because of small children with curious tendencies who are instantly drawn to bright, shiny objects. I have adapted my own spaces to reflect this challenge. I am also teaching my children, at the same time, to respect beautiful things that are sacred to others - to ask permission to see and hold them. My son already has a "favorite stone", rose quartz, and he knows what it represents. He asks to hold the stones on my altar space each night, and is careful to put them back where he found them once he's done. Below is an image of my personal sacred space, located in my bedroom; the photo at the top of this post is of my home office sacred space that contains items I associate more with my professional identity and development. The items below are much more connected to my home life and personal sphere. It's also divided into light and shadow, which I imagine is clear to see; thus it holds both aspects of my self, the inner and outer, the visible and the invisible, the known and unknown, at once. And because it holds both, it not only allows me to feel fully present in my home, it reminds me when I error too much on one side of being versus the other, which is a common occurrence for most people. Rarely are light and shadow in any kind of proportional balance, nor should they be (a topic for a future post!).

So how might you think about creating sacred spaces in your home and office if you don't already have them and what do you need in order to deeply personalize these spaces to your own essence such that they speak to you on many conscious and subconscious levels? Here are three ideas to inspire you:

1. Sacred space should be truly special to you. When you look at it, you should immediately feel at ease and embraced. Thus, small and large items can be included, and you should also consider the use of elemental themes such as water, fire, and earth. A candle for fire, for example, can be combined with paua shell for water, sand or stones for earth, etc.

2. Ritually speaking, you should not barter or ask for discounts on any items you use in your sacred space. Artisans should be paid for their work, and so if you include items that you purchase you are guided not to do so by negatively impacting others along the way. Gifts are wonderful inclusions, as they represent not only you and your essence but the thoughts and warm wishes of the people who gave them to you.

3. Remember that the ultimate purpose of sacred space is to raise the energetic vibrations where we live, work, sleep, play. Things that make you feel good and loved, that remind you of happy times and special places, hold high vibrations, as do gemstones and crystals. What you do not want in a sacred space, ever, is clutter or junk. Clutter actually lowers the vibration in any space. Have you ever walked into someone's cluttered office or home, or an antique store for that matter, and felt your pulse quicken, the sensation of wanting to run versus wanting to stay and relax? Energetically, clutter is suffocating. Choose 5 things rather than 10, or 10 rather than 20, and make them count. This is not a space for your collections of items, in my view; one amazing gem versus 40 in a row, is actually more soothing to your eye and to your soul.

Most of all, enjoy the process. As with everything in life, it's about the journey and not the destination. Creating sacred space is just as fun as enjoying it afterward. And finding new treasures along the path of life is an amazing bonus. If you introduce the concept to friends, family members, and your children you will also be doing important work of teaching others about the value of sacredness in their lives as well.