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Sanctuary Is Where You Are Now

by Mark on 7-21-2013
What is your idea of "sacred space?" What do the words mean? To me, sacred space is a state of consciousness, one that may be different for each of us. It all depends on our history of spiritual practice.

For example, consider these instructions on Casting the Circle from The Gardnerian Book of Shadows by Gerald Gardner (go through the link for a free download of this educational work) sacred-texts.com The author is describing the creation of sacred space from the perspective of the Wiccan practitioner. But this ritual has similarities to other protection rituals I've seen, from other spiritual practices. I'm sure you could also note similarities between this Casting of the Circle and what you do to secure your ritual space.

Of course, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating," as they say. In other words, what is important in these Rituals of Sanctuary are the effects, the positive emotions generated within consciousness. Seth has a favorite comment about these effects: "You feel as though you are wrapped in the arms of a Loving mother." That is a pretty tall order, as far as effects go, in my opinion. Yet Seth maintains that, even those who have not experienced this state of consciousness, of being adored by a Loving mother, can IMAGINE it. Using what Seth calls the Inner Senses, the seeker of Sanctuary can fill-in-the-blanks with their imagination, and experience the ultimate in protection and Love.

Sanctuary is the baseline emotional state for experiencing the Seth Teaching. It is from this ongoing created state that all of the other gifts are born. It makes sense, I think. If we are to undergo the personal revelation of the Soul, under the auspices of whatever Teaching, Seth's or others, it is necessary to create protection. To be open to what the darker aspects of consciousness have to tell us requires vulnerability and a diminishment of the ego/intellect. It requires a safe place for working on our Issues and learning our Lessons, as Seth calls this practice of conscious co-creation and awakening. With these revelations from the dark side come the moments of shame, terror, and repulsion that may require cathartic responses such as crying, hand wringing and laughter. In the Ritual State of Sanctuary ALL of the negative events of the past can be accessed in safety without the risk of being washed away in the deluge of remembering.

So Sanctuary is a healthy creative expression of the personal consciousness. It is not something bestowed upon us by a government, or something we earn by being good citizens or even good spiritual practitioners. Sanctuary is that space that identifies our connection to the higher Gestalts of Consciousness some call the Divine, the gods and goddesses and All That Is. It is a remembering and a reclaiming: It is a remembering, for in Sanctuary we are reminded of our secure connection to Everything. It is a reclaiming, for it is a state of consciousness that we are invited by our authorities to forget. "We will take care of you," is the consoling cry of authorities everywhere. But in the exchange, we surrender our rights as individual reality creators. Better we should resist, I think. "No thanks, I can take care of myself." All is well...

This post is based on Seth's concept of Sanctuary that you can read about in his latest books.