“Sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness.”
~Galway Kinnell
Although you may not realize it, your everyday life is already sacred. Everything arises from the one source. Everything is an exquisite expression of life, of pure being.
One of my clients reported that she is starting to become more aware of things in her life she never noticed before. She loves it when someone unexpected shows up at her door. She flows through the day responding with ease to everyone and everything. And she is attuned with all her senses when she takes a walk outside.​​​​​​​
These are new experiences for her, but this deepening awareness has always been available. Things aren’t becoming more tender or sacred. The way nature appears to her hasn’t changed.
What’s changed? Her perspective.
Rather than living in the mental noise, she’s more willing to say a friendly, “Hello,” to her reactions when she’s triggered and let them be. She is slower and quieter so there’s space to see and appreciate everything.
She’s sensitive and grateful—and her heart is touched over and over.
Discovering What’s Sacred
This is the sacred in everyday life.
When something is recognized as sacred, it is known to have a quality that is beyond the material, physical world. It’s not subject to the mind’s analysis, judgment, or interpretation.
It is illuminated by grace. It may look ordinary, but as we encounter it with nothing in the way, we stand in awe of its very existence.
Recognizing the sacred all around us—which includes ourselves, we take nothing for granted. Then everyone and everything is a gift, a surprise, an expression of the light of consciousness.
Oh, the puddles of rain outside my window! I get to breathe! I get to hold my friend who just lost her husband.
Most of us need reminders—a gentle tap on the shoulder that invites us out of the mind’s noise and into the living reality of this now moment.
And this is where rituals and practices are helpful.
A friend has an altar at home that she visits in reverence every morning. Another steeps himself in books describing the exquisiteness of being present in nature. And another starts the day with a guided meditation that grounds her in presence.
Your Rituals and Practices
There are countless ways to remind yourself of the sacred quality of everything. Here are some suggestions:
- Set an alarm with soft chimes to awaken you to presence any time during the day;
- Pair a conscious breath with a common action, such as standing up or feeling the urge to check your email;
- Read or listen to something that inspires you before you turn out the light at night or just upon waking;
- Offer a prayer of gratitude before you start eating a meal;
- Go to a busy café and see the tenderness in everyone (I love this one!);
- Commit to slowing down and being aware when you find yourself rushing.
The mind may tell you that if you were really far along on your path to awakening, you wouldn’t need rituals and practices. And this is an opportunity to not listen to the naysaying mind.
Give yourself permission to do whatever it takes to absorb into the experience of being aware. Come up with actions that bring you back to the spaciousness beyond your personal self, and incorporate them into your daily life.
With each moment of consciously being aware, you’re here: peaceful, free, and utterly alive.
What About You?
What are your rituals and practices for coming home? Do you have any resistance to using them? I’d love to hear your reports and comments.
“You have the freedom, ability, and authority to love your life. Just be you, then wait.”
