Sacred – womanspiritspeaks

Embodying the Sacred

Chopping wood, carrying water, walking barefoot in the grass, listening to birdsong, holding a wriggly puppy – these are the things that ground us in the body while opening us to the eternal.

Goddess Inspired

August 12, 2022

Tagged Embodiment, Intellectual, Ordinary, Sacred, Theology

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I am a person who lives in her head. My mind is constantly thinking, flitting from subject to subject, worrying, contemplating, or just having random thoughts. I can easily think about a myriad of things. I know concepts in my head and grasp ideas quickly. I make connections that others might not see. What I don’t do is listen to my body.

Patriarchal religion has a history of denying and denigrating the body. Early Christians denied and mutilated their bodies, and certain religious rites, even today, involve scourging and body mutilation. Everything of the body was of the earth and darkness, or more precisely the feminine. As science came into prominence, the world of ideas became the primary way of knowing, while the instinctual and the body’s way of knowing was relegated to the realm of superstition. Consequently, we have lost a primary way of relating to Source. We think we know things in our head, but we don’t know how to embody those things in our hearts.

The great religious teachers came to earth in bodies. They had all the bodily functions, emotions, and desires of any human being. They were intimately acquainted with the human condition because they were human. But our religions have tended to separate the spirit/mind from the body, and we ignore the not only the connection between the two, but the body itself.

In my mind, I can theologize, philosophize, debate, and discuss concepts ad infinitum. For example, I know in my mind what forgiveness means, but until I can move the concept to my heart and feel it in my body, I cannot forgive. Intellectually I know that I need to be love in the world, but until I feel it in my body, I can only talk about it, not actually be it. I know in my head that I am enough, just as I am, but until I bring that concept into my body, I will forever be striving to earn approval.

An ancient Zen Koan says that before enlightenment one needs to chop wood and carry water. And after enlightenment one needs to chop wood and carry water. What that means to me is that enlightenment comes from the body and from living life in the body. Chopping wood, carrying water, walking barefoot in the grass, listening to birdsong, holding a wriggly puppy – these are the things that ground us in the body while opening us to the eternal.

All the great philosophies are nothing if they remain in my head. I come to Source as a body, as a human experiencing the world through my senses. I must open myself to feeling in my body what I am experiencing in my head so that I may truly experience the divine.

This morning the moon was gloriously full during my early walk. I marveled at the beautiful radiance shining down on me and the dark earth. It felt in my body like I was being held, and I was filled with gratitude that I was able to experience such a moment. All the theology and philosophy in the world meant nothing in comparison to that moment when I felt the deep love of the heavens in my body.

Barbara Garland
August, 2022

When Does the Spiritual Become Political?

Say “Yes” to the Presence of the Sacred in All Things

Saying “yes” to the presence of the sacred in all things means saying “yes” to the presence of the sacred in myself.

Goddess Inspired

November 20, 2020

Tagged Life, Sacred, Service, soul

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Say “Yes” to the Presence of the Sacred in All Things

I once had a dream in which I was defending my dissertation before a panel of women. The leader was a beautiful black woman who pointed to me and said, “I know what you are. You are an Animist.”

When I looked up the word I found it meant one who believes that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls. It follows then that an Animist believes that everything, because it has a soul, is Sacred.

That dream occurred very early in my quest for the Sacred Feminine, but it has resonated with me for many years. The more I learn, the more I understand that there is something Sacred about everything. If I can look through the eyes of the Goddess, and see the sacredness in everything, then it changes my perspective. It causes an enormous shift in my outlook. But it is not an easy leap.

Accepting the presence of the Sacred in all things means that I see holiness in everything, from the smallest insect to the mightiest tree. I know, not just in my head, but in the deepest depths of my soul, that all life is to be cherished and held in holy esteem.

Seeing the sacred in all things means more than seeing the sacred in life. It also means seeing the sacred in the inert, in what we judge as lifeless. Rocks, rivers, mountains, the earth herself – those too are sacred and holy creations. In seeing them as such, I become much more cognizant of how I relate to them. That one small change in perspective makes all the difference in how I treat our Mother, the earth. If everything is Sacred, then it is much harder to use up or exploit nature. It makes the task of tackling climate change a real priority, rather than a political issue. It makes a difference in how we approach issues of sustainability and of materialism. Our perspective moves to how we might honor the natural world, instead of how we are tempted to use it up.

Really embodying the concept that everything is sacred also leads to the idea that I, myself, am sacred. Accepting oneself as sacred goes against the Patriarchal story that we are all flawed and less than. It means that I no longer denigrate and put myself down. It means that I no longer let myself be used or abused. It empowers me to be more, to love more, and to accept myself in a deeper way. And when I accept my own self as holy and sacred, then I can more easily see the sacredness of others.

If I see the Sacredness of every human being, then it becomes very difficult to make that human into the ‘other.’ I can no longer judge or describe that person as less than. I can no longer treat him/her as expendable or see a life that is any less valuable than my own. It opens my heart to see that other people are truly made of the same stuff as myself. It allows me to more fully embrace the idea that we are the same – cells of God/dess’ body, whose purpose is to love one another.

It naturally follows that if we truly love one another as sacred souls, we no longer make war. We find ways to peacefully resolve our differences. We honor each other’s gifts and help each other find healing. We stand together, not apart.

Even as we look at the earth, at life, and at the natural resources with which we have been blessed, we can also see the sacred in human-made things. The Holy comes through in beauty – beautiful art, music, the written word. All the many things that inspire or that bring pleasure through the senses, become sacred artifacts that lead us to joy and peace.

However, I would also posit that there is also something sacred about the less-than-perfect. As humans strive for perfection, their failures are also sacred monuments to making an effort. Those things that seem tragic can be the holy building blocks of evolution and growth. For no birth can come without the gestational period of quiet and darkness, even pain.

If I truly listen to the voice of the divine, then I am saying ‘yes’ to the presence of the Sacred in all things; if I am mindful, grateful, and in the moment, I am saying ‘yes’ to the presence of the Sacred in all things; if I wait in the silence, if I open my awareness, even a little, I am saying ‘yes’ to the presence of the Sacred in all things.

As I begin to say that ‘yes’ to the Sacred Presence in everything, I expand my awareness to all things. I open my eyes and truly say ‘yes’ to all of creation. I begin to relate to everything in a way that is deeper and more open, in a way that is not about how something can serve me, but about how I can serve.

How can I serve today?

Barbara Garland
November 20, 2020

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