Sacred space and sacred time and something joyous to do is all we need. Almost anything then becomes a continuous and increasing joy

Joseph Campbell

Sacred space

Sacred Time

Something joyous

Are those the three keys to a happy life?

I have routines and traditions. There are things that I do on a consistent basis, as there were things that my family did on a consistent basis. These things were sacred to me, this time spent in a certain way. These things were joyous…

Is that all I need for a happy life?

I admit my life is pretty good. If you ask my daughter, she will tell you that the biggest parenting fail my Husband and I made was giving her a really nice childhood…(no- there are no parenting wins FYI)

Of course, my routines have evolved over the years as my interests have changed. I’d say the hardest thing about pandemic, for me, was not being able to have routines and continue with things that I love.

So yes, I think Campbell in onto something…

My sacred spaces are my desk in the living room. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Movie theater- especially Film Forum.

My sacred time is the morning when the day is filled with endless possibilities. I also like 10-11pm where the world is a cup of tea, the New York Times Crossword for the next day, and a chapter or two of a book.

Joyous? Books, film, art, tea, flowers, words…

What are yours? Your space, your time, your joy?

What is all you need?

52 thoughts on “Sacred Space”

  2. My sacred space time is learning Hebrew and daily Bible reading along with prayer and listening to God’s voice. Hear His voice and obey His commandments. His will be done. As Micah puts it, act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with the Lord.

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  3. I love this thoughtful post – perfect to start the week with! And I love your parenting fail. I hope I fail in the same way. 🙂 My sacred time and space are lighting candles in my family room and sitting on my meditation cushion in the morning having that intentional time before my kids get up. And something joyous to do is definitely raising my kids.

    And I agree that books are also on the list. Deep conversations with others. Spreading warmth and kindness in any conversation. And dogs and dog walks…I think dogs have to be on the list.

    Such an interesting post. I know I’m going to ponder this for the rest of the day. Thank you, LA!

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  4. My home is my sacred space. Because I had to be inside of it so much during the pandemic, I’ve learned how to respect it.
    My sacred time is first thing every morning. I give myself at least 30 minutes to an hour of “quiet time.” It is my favorite part of the day because I can read, journal, listen to soft music, light a candle, or burn incense.

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  5. My sacred time would be early mornings, when I write and draw. Not every morning, but that’s usually when I do those. And my sacred space would be the creek in the neighborhood, which has a walkway next to it. The sound of the creek, the trees around — it’s a lovely place to walk.

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  6. I’ll admit I envy much about your life, although I suspect that maxim about my being the problem is the truth -I’m likely to not feel calm or joy in any situation but must choose to.

    I love early starts or calm evenings, alone, as well. My happy place is music.

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  7. Mine go hand in hand: the time that I can get outside and walk, typically early morning but now that will probably change as we move through fall and winter. I know this process brings a health benefit, which is why I began. Walking has become my renewal time, my time to close off from the world and just listen and observe. My brain stops and I can just be. That brings me joy.

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  8. Your daughter’s disapproval is a wise observation, would I be guessing correctly parents raise their child with the phrase ‘don’t tell the children’ always on their minds? My sibling and I enjoyed a wonderful childhood with two loving parents, but perhaps they weren’t totally honest with us in not saying how upsetting life could would and might be. They omitted there’d be pain, they kept from us the money problems and the rest, the awful consequence when a child hits adulthood they hadn’t expected life is rarely as good as they hoped it to be. But do you tell them the truth so spoiling that Mary Poppins illusion?

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    1. Oh god know. We were very real, and remember she grew up in nyc. When she was in pre k we were at the playground and there was a drug deal take down…twenty armed police and drug dealers…then there’s the method one clinic around the block, and the assortment of people who go there. Plus the homeless guy who used to shower in the sprinkler at the playground. I could go on with the things she’s seen in her life. She meant that we had family dinners at least a few nights a week, and there were traditions and fun things sprinkled in with the hard stuff. That I attended every concert, every game, every single event that she participated in. We were also real about money because lots of people had lots more than us. When she took tennis lessons, all the other kids were in private school and most of them had things like private planes and three houses. But she also went to school with kids that literally had nothing.

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      1. 🙂 yes very real and remember I’ve read your blog for several years. I was perhaps thinking a little more generally, my brother as teenage children and I know they are hard work, perhaps wistfully he wishes my mother would have told him how frustrating parenthood could be?………I remember the showering homeless guy anecdote. I’d guess that’s one she’ll remember. (The Mary Poppins bit wasn’t lol directed at you!!!!!!)

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  9. My sacred space always has people of all ages, both in the flesh and on the monitor. Words float around among those people, waiting to caress them, laugh with them, cry with them, congratulate them. Music is in the frame around my space, and God holds it all in his loving hands.

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  12. Sacred space has to be my studio and sacred time is any time I get to be in there! I also love tea and reading before bed. When the kids were little, getting out to the grocery store by myself was my sacred time – LOL.

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  13. My sacred space is usually in my living room, where I “create.” Art has become a new way to express myself, heal, and grow as a person. But it’s also found outdoors, particularly in the woods or when I’m watching the sun rise. They bring me such comfort and peace.

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  14. I guess I need to develop a definition for sacred that fits me. I’m also a morning person and that is a special time for watching the sunrise and knowing the day half’s many possibilities. Place is out in my yard or walking my dog in our neighborhood, sometimes greeting the few other people and dogs (though more often we see no one).

    Joy is…bacon! 😊 or any other favorite food.

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  15. Hmmm. Out for a walk in the forest just after sunrise or before sunset, at the beach at any time, sitting in silent meditation, being with those I love, cherishing a wonderful meal, writing what comes up from my heart. There’s a few…😉🧡

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  17. Sacred space – the beach. Walking along it or just sitting and listening to the waves. The way that the beach is always different each time I go. Sacred time is both the quiet time I spend reflecting. I use my walks to mull things over. And now my joy is the time spent with my adult kids. Each moment is precious.

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  22. Well, I know what they USED to be, when I was in a happier place and the world was in a happier time! My place is in flux right now, due to circumstances beyond my control, though there is i to end up sooner or later in a new happy place. Fingers crossed the world (or at least the USA) will be in a happier time maybe after the first of the year. If so, there’s potential for me to find a happier place where I am now temporarily planted.

    I want to give some thought to the questions you’ve posed here, at least in relation to my former routines. I hope I can remember them! Meanwhile, I just discovered that my site identity previously linked folks to my now defunct blog site. I have actually finally written a few things for a new blog this year so feel free to check out where I have been recently!

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