My Sanctuary

[clancy!]

Hi Guys,

I thought Id tell you about my little spiritual sanctuary that Ive made in my house....I converted the spare room, as it never got used, but is a lovely,high ceilinged, light airy room.I got rid of all the cluttter and painted the walls a light warm cream (very restrained for me, my other rooms are purple,red,forrest green,midnight blue and terra cotta....I adore colour!!)

I have nice striped pine boards so i just left them and put down lots of colourful rugs and pillows from my travels in the middle east and asia and made a good place to practise my yoga. The Center point of the room is my personal altar where I keep things that have power and signifigance to me..mostly things from the natural world like plants, fossils, stones, crystals but I also have have a little statue of white Tara ,the Buddhist Godess of Compassion, and photos of people who are inspirational and important to me, and a skull of a bat I found, to remind me of the fleeting nature of the flesh.
In here I do my spiritual voyaging....Yoga and meditation, guided visualisations, and reaching out to my guides for spiritual sustenance and help. It is wonderful having this place....I dont get nearly enough time here!

I try to keep the atmosphere special by never wearing shoes inside, or letting 'mundane' objects like mugs build up (hard for me with the amount of tea ive consumed since I started my recovery!!) I keep scented plants like jasmin and hyacinth in here,burn tibetan incense and countless candles and have an aromatherapy burner where i like to burn frankinsence and sandalwood oils. The fragrances greet me when I walk into my room and I ring a large bell I bought home from India to signal the start of 'me' time.

As well as this room, I built another meditation sanctuary in my mind,just as carefully, so Wherever I am, If I feel stressed I can beat a retreat into my mental sanctuary and refresh my mind.

I got the ideas from a really cool american book called 'circles, groves and sanctuaries' by Dan and Pauline Campanelli whih had some great ideas and pictures in, as well as ideas for building tiny sancturies on shelves and tabletops if you dont got a lot of room.

Anyhow, making this place was a great excercise and has really helped me.When I awake I look forward to going in there and stretching and greeting the sun and stuff.

Anyone else have a place like this.mental or physical,they wanna share??

big hugs from clanc xxx

[namommy]

Clancy,

I don't have one yet, but you have given me a great idea.

In my bedroom there is a room off to the side where my closet is, and we have a bureau in there. I just had this vision of what I could do with this room and make it mine.

Right now, My sanctuary is in the bathroom. It is one of the few places I can go where kids, and husbands, and dogs and cats don't follow me (as long as I lock the door). I love aromatherapy and I usually light candles, and fill the tub with lavendar or Peonies scented bubbles. I take my basic text, it works how and why, or recently Chicken Soup for the recovering soul, and spend my time in there reading. After, I just relax and meditate on what I have just read. I find when I do this, my gratitude for life reaches a point that it is over-whelming. And no matter how bad my day was, it seems to wash away.

[Dan]

I love the word sanctuary.
'Cause I see in it something for everyone.
It can describe a sacred place.
Or a place of refuge.
And sometimes, it's both sacred and a refuge.
And I guess it can be anything, really. A garden, a room.
A place to go to wash away, like namommy says, what troubles us.

[clancy!]

Laurie,

I really enkourage you to make that little room your own...it really is the best fun making it up, and making it look beautiful and YOURS. You kan put inspirational sayings on the wall, and just fill it full of things that delight your spirit. After a while of meditating in there, your will find that your room takes on a lovely atmosphere of tranquility, and just passing the threshold is enough to restore you...

I try not to let visitors in to mine, that may seem mean but I need it to stay MY spase...I guard it jealously!! I'd love to hear how it goes....I found it to be very emotional making a little bolthole just for me,very healing.If we share a bedroom with an S/O we forget how it is to have a personal spase. Enjoy.

lots of love

[Ann]

I don't have a sanctuary in my house, although I have my own space where I can be alone, burn candles, read, meditate and relax...so maybe I do.

But the place I am most "connected", where I find my peace, is walking the beach. I live right next to a beautiful long stretch of beach, and through the good weather I like to walk it every day. The sound of the waves, the fresh air and birds, all help me get the cobwebs out of my mind and feel connected to something much bigger than myself. There is a spot where I often stop and sit for a while, alone with my thoughts, and just look out over the water at the clouds or stars if it is night, and it is then that my thinking is clear, my spirit is free.

In the winter, if it's not too windy and cold, I still like to walk a ways and watch the ice peaks near shore.

By Dan's definition, it is my sacred place and my place of refuge. So I guess that would qualify it to be my sanctuary.

Hugs
Ann

[larrynboys]

Wow Ann
You just reminded me of how much i like to go to the beach, I'm about an hour inland from the beach but whan i go there the waves and the sounds and the wind completely put me in a trance, i can walk the beach all night and just stare in amazement, i completely forget about everything, It is an incredible feeling.
Thankyou for a precious memory and an urge to go visit the waves.
Sincerely Larry

[wildsaffron]

Thanks for the thread, Clancy!

I believe that the home should be my sanctuary - so that I can close the door against the outside world and be drawn into the womb of my existence (she waxes lyrical, doth she!) and leave the stress outside. Very difficult if
there are other people in this "womb"!

So my bedroom is my sanctuary. It is painted a cream colour, paintings of
flowers on the wall. I used to have a small indoor fountain but it broke - I
will get another one soon. My favourite things on the chest of drawers. A place where I can write cards or letters to friends.

I have whatever poem that moves me printed and mounted in a prominent place.

I am fortunate to have a walk in wardrobe and my own bathroom - and like
Clancy I keep the clutter to a minimum....I believe the the feng shui
prinicipal that clutter drains one's energy.

I have a lamp ring in which I place my favourite oil - it's patchouli at the
moment and I also like ylang-ylang.

I always play classical music (at the moment I am in love with Jussi Bjorling!) or sounds of nature on the cd player (it is surreal to lie in bed while it is raining outside and inside listening to sounds of rain or waves on cd!)

I also don't like other people in my sanctuary - I can feel the disruption of peace - there is only one other who appreciates the sanctuary.

So here I can do my "Hour of Power", meditate, write in my journal, and emerge serene to face the world for another day.

I am fortunate to work from home so sometimes at lunchtime I will go upstairs and recharge.

WildSaffron

[namommy]

I really want to get started on my room now.

Thanks again for this thread clancy, I never would have thought of it otherwise.

Larry,
I also live about an hour inland from the OTHER ocean. I also love taking a ride to the beach and just meditating. The sights, the sounds, the smells all inspire me. I also go to the mountains alot and spend alot of time camping in the woods. I love sitting by a pristine stream and just zoning out.

[Ann]

I'm feeling very lucky and grateful today, I live about 25 steps from the beach, and can look out my kitchen window and see the water. Did I mention that the world's most beautiful sunsets are over this lake?

Hugs
Ann

[Live]

My sanctuary used to be my garden, but now I live in the city.

And, darn, Clancy, when I first read of your "church" I was about to ask for an invitation, then I read it is not shared.

I guess I would call my sanctuary now my library. Not a room, but the books of spiritual wisdom that I continually turn to.

[Live]

Larry and Ann,

there is something very spiritual about being near water isn't there?
I used to leave near a lake and loved to sit out at night next to it at the end of the pier. In the summer, I loved to float in it beneath the stars. In Florida I would go to a certain isolated point and just sit there in the dark.
You are so right, there is something very magical there.
Blessings to both of you! And thanks for sharing this, I got to take a little memory stroll to the water.

[larrynboys]

namommy & liveweyerd
I live next to a lake out of the city, I have deer and elk in my yard pretty much year round, Last winter we had momma and two baby bear in our yard and this year we have bobcats in our yard, I'm curious and looking forward to what next year will bring, that isn't including the regular peacocks, emew, horses, goats and whatever else might come tromping through. What we have an over abundance of tho is coyote, so far they took a cat and a puppy right off my front porch, but that is to be expected i guess, the only problem about the lake is in the summer there are more people at the lake than at the big city, beer cans and garbage everywhere as well as drownings,fights and accidents. we sometimes see how many life jackets we can count from here to the city LOL. I don't think i could make it for very long in the city tho. so i guess this is my sanctuary...
Larry

[Live]

This is my first time being a city girl. I know what you mean, I used to live in the middle of nature and it is the best. When I lived near the lake, I ignored the summer day times with the tourists, I went out at night to swim.

[namommy]

Larry,

I am jealous. I love that environment. I live in the sub-urbs, just outside of Philly, so we don't get alot of wild-life but a few things are around. We have to ground hogs that live in our back yard, my 6 year old yells, "mom, my ground hog buddies are out" and we watch them out of the window. We also have a skunk and a few racoons. Other than that, just alot of feral cats. My husband and I talk about someday when we are old and the kids are grown being able to move to a place like that. I hope that dream comes true.

[Time2Surrender]

My sanctuary would probably be out in the garage.I have all my tools and various unfinished projects out there.I can go and disapear for hours undisturbed.

[1Marty]

I have a Koi and some goldfish in a small pond I dug out in the backyard. It has a small waterfall, rocks, and plants. Its really nice to sit out in the summer, listen to the water trickle and watch my fish swimming all around.
But I also agree with Michael on the garage! Thats my space! Thats where I took my 6th/7th step!

[bruno123]

hmmnn...perspective..thank you all..I live in a National Forest...between 2 National Parks..among the oldest and largest(they say around here anyway) living things on Earth (Sequoias')...Paradise...sanctuary is all around..I feel I've spent enough time by myself...I could use some sober company...we may have the roads open in a day or so (10 feet of snow!!!) and I will find a meeting down the mountain somewhere..but for now...I think I will enjoy what is here while it is here..and then choose to enjoy civilization when I do make it there...Love to ALL-B

[clancy!]

How AWESOME to live where you do....wish i kould see it, and photograph it.You are blessed.

[CAPTAINZING2000]

:Terrific WE ALL NEED A BREAK FROM THE THINGS THAT SURROUND US. I GERT UP EARLY EVERY MORNING AND READ THE BIBLE IN MY BATHROOM ON THE VANITY. MY GARAGE IS TOO CLUTTERED AND MY BASEMENT TO DAMP. MOSTLY, I SPEND TIME AT HOME IN FRONT OT THE PUTER IN THE WINTER,.

I DO HOPE, YOU GET INSPIRED IN YOUR ROOM :hoo


CHRIS