To see a World in a grain of sand
And a Heaven in a wildflower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
William Blake
Ours is a world ever more impoverished from that which is sacred. In these neon times we falsely ascribe meaning and value to the fragile promises of material wealth, eternal youth and an ethic of overbusyness that have become the popular narrative of our epoch, and the very measure of our worth and personhood.
The consequences of such a culture are evident throughout society. Never before have we faced such an epidemic of mental and spiritual suffering. The prevalence of disorders such as attention deficit, depression, chronic pain, burnout, anxiety, addiction and discontent are the inevitable result of being disconnected from the sacred in ourselves, in each other and in the natural world in which we live.
Sacred has been defined as that which is “worthy of awe, respect and dedication”. It is our connection to the transcendent, beyond the limits of our material world. It is the realm of Spirit. Since the dawn of human existence, our ancestors have found solace and sanctuary in relationship to that which is sacred. Ceremony and song; dance and prayer; art and story have been the foundations of human cultures throughout the world, honouring the mystery of the Divine, and rooting ourselves in belonging. From animist cultures to polytheistic, and monotheistic, religions, our faith traditions have pervaded society with ceremony, community and a clear ethic of being, imbuing the sacred into all aspects of life. WIth the secularization of society we have lost the signposts, but not the hunger, for a relationship to Spirit. Without such a connection to this basic human need our inherent challenges, sufferings and frailties become bereft of meaning, and we drift upon the turbulent waters of existence without anchor or sail.
Indigenous cultures across the globe maintain this connection to sacred in their awareness of Creator in every aspect of life and being. Amidst the blessings and hardships of day-to-day existence lies a deep recognition of meaning and grace that is the foundation of indigenous culture and identity. The stories, traditional knowledge and healing arts of indigenous peoples have arisen from an intimate relationship and respect for the natural world . The poignant phrase, “All My Relations”, often used by North American indigenous peoples, breathes this humble understanding of connection and interdependence with animals, trees, plants, insects, sun, moon and all of life — recounting a story of kinship and connection.
In the book, Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley describes, in eloquent detail, his own personal psychedelic experience under the influence of mescaline in May 1953. Entrenched within the eternal moment of his sensory awareness, Huxley becomes enraptured by the form and nature of a chair, a painting and a flower, writing, at length, of the depths of beauty and interconnection within each object — the suchness of each thing which contains all things. He famously wrote, “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is,… infinite.”.
Rediscovering the sacred in ourselves, and in our world, requires a return to that which has always been. This journey home invites each of us to, as David Whyte asserts, “put down the weight of our aloneness, and ease into the conversation”. This reconnection begins in the body. In our fast paced and overstimulated culture we so often live in our head and can easily become estranged to our own body, which is the gateway to sacred. As we slow down and begin to quieten the mind and body, we awaken from the slumber of our perceived separateness, and can once again allow the blessed gifts of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell to re-enchant us to the aliveness of this moment, and to the Oneness that interweaves it all.
Your very life is an invitation to cultivate an awareness of Spirit. Look deeply into any thing and you will encounter an ineffable mystery of paradox and interdependence. The texture of a flower, the shape of a cloud, the nature of subatomic particles, or the touch of a hand all carry infinite opportunity to recognize the beauty, wonder, and joy that are the hallmarks of sanctity. Mindfulness is a practice that allows us to rediscover the sacred in our lives. As we learn to quieten the mind and soften the body, we are better able to perceive and allow each moment as it is. In the spaciousness of loving presence we can recognize, again, the blessings and grace that abound, and begin to heal the trauma, fear and hurt that distance us from a sense of joy and peace that is our birthright.
Stories are important. Every culture and people throughout time and place believed in their stories as a guide to navigate and relate to this world and its mysteries. What might seem like myth and folklore through the arrogant lens of history and progress, is simply a narrative developed to understand life and all in its fold. We are no exception. Our stories of science and materialism are simply another way of explaining the world around us, and our place in it. This story is no more right or wrong than English is more ‘right‘ than Cantonese. However, the stories we tell have power, and influence how we speak and act with ourselves, each other and the natural environment of which we are dependent. Perhaps it is time to adapt our story? Perhaps now is the time to re-invite a narrative of sacred into everything we speak and all that we do… so that it matters.