"You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don't know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don't know who your friends are, you don't know what you owe anybody, you don't know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something will eventually happen." ~ Joseph Campbell
Dear Aspen Chapel Families,
This is such a sweet reminder for us, as parents. Can we possibly find a time in the day to forget the appointments we need to make, to ignore the texts and emails, to not worry about our children or the world we're raising them in? How can we be our most divine selves if we don't give ourselves the gift of quiet in a sacred space? How can we really know what to do in our daily matters if we don't listen to the still, small voice within, which is the voice of our highest consciousness?
This past week we had company in our house, which meant double the house work and half the time for oneself. All spaces were filled with conversation and time was filled with rushed efficiency to ensure all mouths were fed and bodies hydrated. I found myself toward the end of the week spiraling into self-doubt and anxiety about the growing and impossible to-do lists and anticipating the piles of sheets and dirty bathrooms. But last night I treated myself to a yoga class where time literally stood still. The pace of this class was so slow with very little music...maybe a tap on a healing crystal bowl. In that hour and a half I found my equilibrium again and walked out feeling like everything was possible again. Truly, we need the gift of sabbatical every single day.
Parenting often feels like a race track with multiple obstacles to jump over, roll under and dodge almost every day. We can't possibly tackle the demands unless we calm our nervous systems by finding a sacred space where we can breathe, silence the noise in our heads, silence the noise of the world, and to find our inner light and stillness which will keep us upright when circumstances push us off balance. Equally important is to equip our children with the same daily practice: taking a daily break from music, screens, friends, camps, and all stimulation and bring them back to themselves, which can only be found in stillness and silence.
This Sunday we will continue to explore the idea of sacred spaces. We'll look at images of sacred spaces people use for worship, both indoors and outdoors, and discuss the qualities we look for that make a place special for us. Children in Sunday School have shared certain places that feel sacred: their bedrooms, the ocean, next to a river, and even within their classrooms when they need a break to be alone. Hopefully as parents we can model self care and the importance of silence for ourselves. Perhaps this will motivate them to create a special place in the home where they can retreat when their sensory systems are overloaded. And by fostering the importance of being still in sacred spaces at home, our children will seek out places in nature and/or places of worship or spiritual practice. The overall lesson is that the most sacred space lies within each and every one of us; but that sacred spaces can facilitate or help us access that space more easily.
Have a wonderful weekend, enjoying this glorious summer weather and I hope to see you and your children at the chapel this Sunday!
This is such a sweet reminder for us, as parents. Can we possibly find a time in the day to forget the appointments we need to make, to ignore the texts and emails, to not worry about our children or the world we're raising them in? How can we be our most divine selves if we don't give ourselves the gift of quiet in a sacred space? How can we really know what to do in our daily matters if we don't listen to the still, small voice within, which is the voice of our highest consciousness?
This past week we had company in our house, which meant double the house work and half the time for oneself. All spaces were filled with conversation and time was filled with rushed efficiency to ensure all mouths were fed and bodies hydrated. I found myself toward the end of the week spiraling into self-doubt and anxiety about the growing and impossible to-do lists and anticipating the piles of sheets and dirty bathrooms. But last night I treated myself to a yoga class where time literally stood still. The pace of this class was so slow with very little music...maybe a tap on a healing crystal bowl. In that hour and a half I found my equilibrium again and walked out feeling like everything was possible again. Truly, we need the gift of sabbatical every single day.
Parenting often feels like a race track with multiple obstacles to jump over, roll under and dodge almost every day. We can't possibly tackle the demands unless we calm our nervous systems by finding a sacred space where we can breathe, silence the noise in our heads, silence the noise of the world, and to find our inner light and stillness which will keep us upright when circumstances push us off balance. Equally important is to equip our children with the same daily practice: taking a daily break from music, screens, friends, camps, and all stimulation and bring them back to themselves, which can only be found in stillness and silence.
This Sunday we will continue to explore the idea of sacred spaces. We'll look at images of sacred spaces people use for worship, both indoors and outdoors, and discuss the qualities we look for that make a place special for us. Children in Sunday School have shared certain places that feel sacred: their bedrooms, the ocean, next to a river, and even within their classrooms when they need a break to be alone. Hopefully as parents we can model self care and the importance of silence for ourselves. Perhaps this will motivate them to create a special place in the home where they can retreat when their sensory systems are overloaded. And by fostering the importance of being still in sacred spaces at home, our children will seek out places in nature and/or places of worship or spiritual practice. The overall lesson is that the most sacred space lies within each and every one of us; but that sacred spaces can facilitate or help us access that space more easily.
Have a wonderful weekend, enjoying this glorious summer weather and I hope to see you and your children at the chapel this Sunday!
