Sacred Sanctuary

Friday morning musings... Sacred Sanctuary

These two words conjure a spatial sense of what can mean most holy to us. What we define as “holy” is defined differently by every individual on this planet, and while a Sacred Sanctuary could mean a religious gathering place for the masses, it may also be a quiet, secluded spot for one individual to find peace and solace.

The recent fire within the Notre Dame Cathedral has prompted an incredible outpouring of sympathy and support offered by many around the world. Why? Because it represents for many a Sacred Sanctuary...a place of solace, of prayer, of soul, and the connection to the Divine.
Amid the support pouring in, there has been incredible backlash because of the immediacy and amount of available funds made available so quickly, to rebuild a structure housed within one of the wealthiest organizations in the world. "Why can we not support other more worthy causes?" many are rightly asking?

It is because of collective perspective.

Through the last two millennia, so much thought and energy has been directed toward building Sacred Sanctuaries celebrating the solar religions...those religions that are based upon a Father God and Holy Son/Sun. For those who follow the collective perspective of celebrating solar religions, there is great meaning in these structures, Notre Dame included. These structures contain profound energies – the hopes, dreams, and prayers of the masses. They also contain the searing pain and suffering of many. For a structure as old as Notre Dame, housing more than 850 years of this energy, the awareness is tremendous. The live coverage of the fire quickly became a world-wide event.

While I personally do not participate within a solar religion, I still felt the pain and heartbreak so many experienced, as a sacred structure gave way to the powerful fire element. I have felt enlivened this week also to witness how so many who share a similar collective perspective can come together to support what they believe in.

This does invite a question within my own self though, one I sit with often. How do we successfully build collective perspective around other worthy causes, especially those that will help to mitigate the suffering of so many on our planet – including our planet itself? The profound triggers felt by so many this week – the fire itself, and especially the backlash of support for the rebuilding of Notre Dame, are in part a direct example of the wounds we carry deep within and are housed at the center where our own perspective resides.

I ask, how fair is it we judge and persecute anyone who chooses to passionately support what they believe in if it is to help lift the vibration in one way or another? What if their beliefs are very different than ours? Who is right? Who is wrong?

These are perennial questions, and while I do not have a quick answer for these thoughts and questions, I can offer an overriding sense that we collectively and desperately do need to come to a place of gentle conversation and understanding. Force – whether it be through physical, emotional, or spiritual means – is no longer appropriate, no matter within what issue you find yourself passionately involved.

The two images in this post were taken in two incredibly different, yet distinct Sacred Sanctuaries while my daughter and I were traveling in England this time last year. One is of the interior of the astonishing Salisbury Cathedral (whose construction began in 1220, just 57 years after the initial construction of Notre Dame) and the other is of Stonehenge, built many millennia prior.
Emily and I very deliberately traveled to this area in England to visit these two structures, as they are located less than 10 miles away from one another. Both offer astoundingly different energetic experiences, yet each represent the remarkable collective energy and perspective that has been placed within and around these monuments dedicated to celebrating the soul.

Regarding the fire at Notre Dame (French for "Our Lady"), I’ll add one particular aspect I find fascinating this week is the uprising of information dedicated to celebrating Her story in connection to the Divine Feminine and the pre-Christian origin stories. If you have not yet seen this information passed through your own channels, please do dive in. There is much to learn from this fire. I already know it will be an honor to witness what will rise from these ashes.

As we sit within this holy week celebrating the resurrection of the Son/Sun, and as we sit within the power of this full moon energy, may we all gather in support and celebration of our own innate Sacredness, no matter where and how we find Sacred Sanctuary.