Sacred Space

We live in sacred space.

Every experience arises in a space of awareness.

To have an experience requires a space in which it can occur,

A space which gives form,

Shape and quality to that experience.

Awareness itself is prior to these spaces of experience as that within which they arise and that by which they are known.

Otherwise there would be no experiences at all.

As an individualized point of view,

You are such a space,

A point of view within awareness itself,

Through which experiences arise and are known.

Every experience you have is the result of where you are coming from at this moment,

The space you are occupying,

The point of view you are inhabiting,

As well as what you are focusing on in this space and how you are relating to that.

All of these factors shape the experiences you have.

Every space is a sacred space for experiencing something.

The one consciousness that we are forms spaces to have experiences.

For example,

The space of your body is an open space of experience.

There are spaces like home and work that grant different experiences.

There are natural spaces,

Relational spaces and group spaces.

Each space provides different experiences.

So in this meditation,

We're going to explore different spaces and realize how every space is a sacred space because every space gives access to different experiences.

Every space is an opportunity for awareness of something.

Your essential being is vast,

Open,

Spacious awareness within which an infinite variety of spaces arise for an infinite variety of experiences to be had and known.

Realizing this transforms how you relate to who you are,

To others,

And to the infinite variety of experiences that occur.

You,

Like every other being,

Are an open space of experience,

A space where the light of awareness shines through so that different experiences can be had and known.

Let's prepare for meditation by sitting comfortably upright with your feet firmly on the ground,

If that's comfortable for you.

If you're sitting in another upright position,

That's fine as well.

Rest your hands cupped in your lap,

With the tips of your thumbs touching lightly.

The open space inside your palms represents the open space of awareness within which experiences of all kinds arise.

So,

This hand position represents a sacred space,

An open space of awareness.

Once you're settled in your seat,

Lightly close your eyes.

Take a moment to settle in this space right here,

Right now.

Notice anything that's present in awareness.

You may hear sounds.

You may notice thoughts,

Feelings,

Or sensations.

You don't need to stop,

Fix,

Or change any of that.

Just notice what is present.

Each thought,

Feeling,

And sensation gives shape to the space of your experience,

To where you are coming from at the moment.

So,

Just notice the thoughts,

Feelings,

And sensations that are present,

Noting how they impact the experience you are having.

Now,

Feel out into the space all around you as a sacred space.

Right where you are,

Right here,

Right now,

Is a sacred space,

A space of awareness.

A space where experiences are arising and being known.

As you feel the sacredness of this space,

Allow it to embrace you.

There's a sacred presence of awareness here,

Now.

Consider your intention for this practice.

Why is this important to you?

Maybe you've experienced what you would call sacred spaces or sacred moments of experience.

Perhaps in meditation,

In relationships,

In art,

In nature.

What if every moment is sacred as a moment of experience,

A moment of awareness?

Let's explore that possibility together in this practice.

Let's dedicate it to all beings,

That we all might come to know the one consciousness that we are through the recognition of the sacredness of each moment,

Each being,

Each space of experience.

Now,

Let's move into a deeper sense of embodied presence.

Focus down into feeling the sensations of contact of the soles of your feet on the ground.

Awaken sensory awareness in your feet and your toes.

Allow your feet and your toes to soften and relax.

As if they are melting deep down into the earth.

Feel the solid support and grounded presence of the earth underneath you.

Your feet and the earth are sacred spaces.

Through your feet on the ground,

You can experience standing,

Walking,

Movement of all kinds,

And the space of the earth on which to move.

Feel down into this sacred space of your feet and the earth.

Feel the quality of grounded presence of the earth flowing up through the soles of your feet,

Up through your shins and calves,

Your knees and thighs,

Into your hips and pelvic bowl,

Resting down in your seat.

Feel the weight of your body resting down in your seat,

Resting down on the earth.

This weighted space of your body gives you the experience of being rooted and grounded in this moment,

In this body,

On this earth.

Focus into your hands resting cupped in your lap.

Awaken sensory awareness here in your hands and allow your hands to soften and relax as if they are melting down into your legs.

Feel the soft openness in your hands.

This sacred space of your hands enables you to sense,

Touch,

Embrace,

Hold on,

And let go.

Feel the soft openness in your hands connected to the soft openness in your heart.

This sacred space of your heart connects with your spiritual core,

With your deepest soul desires.

This sacred space of your heart enables you to feel connected with others,

To feel compassion and care for them.

As you feel into your heart and hands,

Allow them to soften and relax even more.

Allow your arms and shoulders to relax down,

Releasing any tension in your shoulders,

Neck,

And your head.

Imagine and feel as if a string is attached to the top of your head,

Drawing your spine gently upright,

Like a string of luminous pearls.

Feel your spine gently stretched from your perineum and tailbone,

Right up through the top of your head,

Like a stream of light flowing upwards up through the sacred space of your spine.

Your spine is a channel of light communicating energy and information up and down between your abdomen,

Heart,

And brain,

As well as above and below.

Feel this whole sacred channel alive with energy,

Presence,

And light.

Now feel light flowing down from above and up from below,

Into the center of your brain,

Into a sacred chamber there,

The pineal gland,

This liquid crystal transducer of light.

Take a deep breath in through your upper nasal passages,

Right into the center of your brain,

Into your pineal gland.

Feel that liquid crystal light up.

Breathe in and out through the pineal gland in the center of your brain,

Amplifying the energy in this sacred space.

Allow this light to shine out from your pineal gland through the whole space of your brain,

Shining out through your forehead,

Your eyes,

Your temples,

The top of your head,

The back of your head,

Your ears,

Your tongue and teeth,

All these sacred spaces are home to a variety of sensory experiences,

Sights,

Sounds,

Tastes,

Smells,

As well as visions,

Insights,

And inspirations.

Feel all these sacred spaces lit up with awareness,

With alive presence.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and feel the flow of oxygen down into your lungs.

Feel the energy,

The life force,

In your breath,

Filling up your lungs.

As you breathe in,

Energy as oxygen is shared with your heart,

Which lights up with sacred aliveness.

Your heart shares this energy with your blood,

Which carries it to every cell.

Every cell is a sacred space,

A space where the energy of awareness dwells and is known.

Every cell has its own function and point of view.

Each cell adds to the function and point of view of the whole.

As you breathe in,

Feel every cell lit up with awareness,

Aliveness,

The one life we all share.

Feel the sacred space of your whole body shining with light,

Shining all the way out through the pores of your skin,

Into the space all around.

It might be hard to differentiate what's inside and what's outside your skin.

It's all sacred space,

Aware space,

Energized space.

Space filled with the sacred presence of awareness,

The one consciousness we all share.

Feel the sacred space within and all around.

Imagine that the walls of your room dissolve and this sacred space extends infinitely in all directions,

Including all beings,

Our whole planet,

Our solar system,

Our galaxy,

The whole universe.

It's all sacred space arising in one vast sacred space of awareness.

Everyone,

Everywhere,

All at once,

Filled with the light of awareness.

There is only sacred space arising in and filled with the light of awareness.

Seamless light.

Feel the energy of that.

Sensing beyond points of view.

Sensing the whole space at once.

Everything,

Everywhere,

All at once,

From every point of view.

Luminous space without beginning or end.

Now,

Sensing beyond space and time.

Sensing that within which space and time arise.

Vast stillness.

Here.

Now feel the space of your body within the vast sacred space of awareness.

It's as if your body suddenly appears again as you bring awareness to it.

That's how spaces arise,

By bringing attention to them.

Your body is not separate from the space of awareness.

It's a location of awareness.

A sacred space of experience.

A point of view that makes experiences possible.

In this body,

Awareness itself has a variety of experiences,

Just as it does in every other space,

In every other being,

In every other location within itself.

They're all sacred spaces because they're places where the one consciousness knows itself in the play of forms.

The play of opening spaces to have experiences.

And this goes on endlessly in an infinite variety of ever-expanding ways.

All moments of experience,

All spaces within which they arise,

Are equally sacred.

We live in sacred space,

Filled with grace.

Now feel the light of awareness flowing down from the sky above,

Down through the top of your head,

Down through your brain,

Down over your face,

Down the back of your head,

Down through your neck,

Shoulders,

Arms,

And hands,

Down through your chest,

Heart,

And back,

Down through your abdomen and lower back,

Down through your hips,

Legs,

And feet,

And down into the earth.

All these sacred spaces light up with awareness,

As if they appear out of nowhere when the light of awareness shines through them.

Now,

Staying still,

With your eyes still,

Feeling the sacred space of your whole body,

Very slowly begin to open your eyes and take in the feeling of the sacred space all around,

Together with the sacred space inside as one sacred space of awareness,

Filled with alive presence.

This arises in awareness and is known by awareness.

There is nothing but awareness,

Appearing as an infinite variety of sacred spaces to have an infinite variety of experiences.

When you know this secret,

It transforms the whole nature of experience.

Everything becomes lighter,

A grand play of light and form without end.

Take this realization with you wherever you go,

Seeing the sacredness in every space,

Every place,

And everyone.