by Nancy Robbins
This article will help you reflect on your own “place of grace” or sanctuary where you can meditate and do soul exploration. Whether you have an existing sanctuary or realize you need one, you will find helpful perspectives on the importance of such a personal space for your empowerment, and suggestions of what to include in your own creative space. It is your special place where you can embark on your ascension journey.
Why create a place of grace?
There are times when we need to be alone, to be in a refuge or sanctuary where we can just be ourselves where we are our own company. We can strip away the need to act out the role of friend, mother, or lover, and we can be with our own soul. For this purpose, we not only need a space we can go to, but we need to give ourselves the time to be in this space! Admittedly for some people it is difficult to stop our busy-ness and be alone with ourself to face our true soul.
We need to follow the wisdom of the past where sanctuaries were abundant. Creating a retreat for ourselves – a healing haven, a sanctuary, a temenos – is essential to cope with our modern life. Temenos to the ancient Greeks was the precinct of a god/goddess or another spirit, that could have a beneficial effect on human life. In such a place we can commune with our own divine soul and learn more about it. Having a greater understanding and perspective on your soul’s qualities, gifts, skills, and purpose will bring great value and clarity to your life.
In this time of chaotic changes understanding your soul and purpose is the foundation and bedrock that gives you centered calm during the “storms of change” now occurring. Furthermore, we are all looking to make this a better world. The best way to accomplish this is to first learn about ourselves – clear away old energy beliefs and mis-information, heal old wounds, clear old karma, and transform ourselves into our higher potential. When we accomplish this – our higher vibration radiates into the world and our intentions powerfully affect the world – causing transformation. Imagine what this world would be like if we were all fulfilling our higher potential? It starts with – “know thyself.” In order to do that, we need a “place of grace” to help us achieve it.
The State of Grace
This place of grace is one where we can achieve a “state of grace.” Being in a “state of grace,” is when your soul’s energy intelligence flows in sync with the universe’s energy intelligence. Being in a “state of grace” is when you are under the divine influence of being relaxed and awakened to the gifts of life and love. You possess a free and relaxed mind, a joyful and compassionate heart, and a body full of vitality. When you awaken to grace, you automatically become aware of what you love, and your love becomes your priority and hence your purpose. Your soul’s intelligence is connected and “in the flow” of divine energy and intelligence – both of the earth and the cosmos.
Your “Place of Grace” sanctuary can be real or virtual
Your sanctuary and place of grace needs to feel safe, utterly comfortable, clear of disruptions, a place where you can control temperature and amount of light, a sensory place inviting to your soul where you can move into stillness and be at peace whether it is a virtual or a real place. It can be a virtual place of visualization, like your heart sanctuary (see my heart sanctuary meditations) which can be an indoor room or outdoor space. This space reflects your soul’s qualities and is great for self-exploration and spirit communication and connection. A handy place to go when you are traveling or need a spur of the moment get-away. No items required, just your visualizing abilities of your imagination.
A real place can be a retreat, a chapel, a special location outdoors, a garden, a forest glade, or a space in your home. If you have a room you can dedicate to creating a “grace place” all the better, but even a shelf or table to create a spiritual altar – a focus for your time with your soul, or a corner of a room will do. This sanctuary can be as budget friendly as you like. It can be an uncluttered, Zen-like space, or simply decorated with meaningful images and tools. This space wants to allure the soul and not to enliven the mind – it is a sensory awakening environment where the analyzing left brain can rest, and the intuitive and creative right brain can engage with the spiritual.
Here are some things to consider as you create a space for your soul meetings:
- Color – Color is symbolically powerful and will affect your space and mood. Choose colors that nurture your soul and create a calm, serene environment. White is pure and simple. Pink is associated with love energy and the heart. Shades of orange bring joy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Shades of yellow remind you of sunlight, new beginnings, inspiration, enlightenment, and golden qualities. Shades of green represent harmony, growth, health, and nature. Shades of blue are peaceful and serene and represent the Throat chakra energies of expression, communication, and listening. Shades of purple and blue-purple represent the Brow chakra energies of intuition, perspective, vision, and psychic abilities. Violet and lavender represent the Crown chakra energies of spiritual connection and communication.
- Devotional/Spiritual Art – images that symbolize your soul, or represent a helpful spirit guide – be it angelic, ascended master, animal spirit guide, star being, nature spirit, or Higher Self – will help to focus your energy and connect to that spirit as a visual aid. Your art can also include a beautiful location in nature, flowers, or a colorful mandala or sacred geometry.
- Elements of Nature tools – in order to create a place of etheric/spiritual harmony, you can place an item from each of the four elements of nature.
- AIR – Air is about new ideas, inspiration, communication, new beginnings, and breathwork. Smoke that travels in the air is considered by native cultures to deliver messages to Spirit. Smudging with herbs can help purify your environment and set the mood for meditation. Aromas travel in the air too – create a nurturing environment with aromatherapy with essential oils or energy sprays. (I have four great channeled energy sprays for clearing and enhancing the energy in a space!). Sound can not only calm, but uplift you with its vibrations into higher frequencies. Having meditative music, crystal bowls, drums, Tibetan bowls, bells, tuning forks – all contribute to create a serene and higher vibrational environment.
- WATER – Water is cleansing and purifying. It represents your emotions, intuition and the divine feminine. You can have a bowl of scented water, a gentle trickling fountain, holy water, an energy clearing/enhancing spray, or charged water with intention (to drink) or solar/lunar charged water. A shell from the ocean can also connect you to that vast body of water.
- FIRE – Fire represents the divine masculine and the sun, and it activates transformation. It signals a time of connection to spirit and represents Spirit. A candle of a symbolic color, or even a battery candle can be used to set intention and its primal glow is comforting and provides focus. You can also use a salt lamp. Light of any kind represents divine light. Bring sunshine through a prism, a focused electric light to illuminate a meaningful image and create focus.
- EARTH – Earth is our foundation and physical health. It is the ground we anchor into from which we can grow towards the Light – literally and figuratively. It relates to our comfort in our earthly connection. Speaking of comfort – your space needs to be comfortable so you are willing to spend time there! Have a comfortable chair, plump pillows, cozy rug, cushions, or rocking chair. Bring in nature’s treasures – a beautiful piece of wood, a bowl of earth or sand art, fresh flowers, a feather, or stones and crystals. Crystals and stones have different properties that can assist you in your soul connection and meditation. You can connect to the spirit of a crystal from your heart and gain great information. The color of the stone often indicates its qualities: Black stones can help you clear energy and bring your protective energies. White stones are purifying and uplifting. Red stones help you connect to passion, courage, strength, and are grounding. Orange stones enhance creativity and enthusiasm. Yellow stones stimulate higher consciousness and mental faculties, bringing enlightenment. Green stones connect you to your heart and the heart of the Earth bringing harmony, hope, growth, and abundance. Blue stones aid expression, communication, inner truth, and serenity. Purple and Violet stones enhance psychic abilities, expand awareness, and aid intuition.
- Keep technology to a minimum – keep television and video out of the picture. Clear away any of these technological distractions so that you can explore and “be” uninterrupted. The soul often makes itself heard in silence. You also don’t need the EMF negative energy either.
- Give yourself time – Allow yourself time to connect and explore your inner self in your space without the stress of expectations. Allow divine timing in your own realizations and discoveries. Don’t pressure yourself with the expectation of immediate enlightenment. Allow the unexpected.
- Spiritual altar – You can simply set-up a spiritual altar or series of altars around your home, or outdoors. The word altar tends to conjure up images of High Church or pagan rituals, but an altar is simply a place of spiritual focus. It is a small place to create a state of grace and energy connection. An altar can be made on a window ledge, a tabletop, a part of your desk, or a bookshelf. An altar is a place of focus that makes you want to stop, pause, ponder, say a prayer, connect to a guide or your Higher Self, or remember someone with love. What you put on your altar is unique to you and your Soul. Below are a few images for inspiration.
Check out the many products on my website that are great tools to use in your own special place of grace! Great spiritual images with shadowboxes and goddess/lady master cards; chakra sprays and aromatherapy roll-ons; channeled energy clearing and enhancing sprays; crystal kits and crystal grids for home and body; channeled card decks for spiritual guidance and divination; energy mandala boards; incense; divine rays aromatherapy roll-ons, and more!