Sacred Space Design

I am fascinated with the power of creating our own sacred spaces.

It is so powerful to witness that; first, we shape our spaces and thereafter our spaces shape us. Creating a space for yourself to just be is the best present you can give to yourself.

“Your sacred space is the place where you can find yourself over and over again.”

What is a sacred space?

It is the place where you find yourself. It is beautiful, joyful, safe, and unique to you.

Sacred space is where one can feel alive.

Our sacred spaces are holding space for ourselves, to listen to the deep voice inside us in the journey of being whole again. In that space, one can start to listen and see the signs, step inside the circle for the inner work, and start creation to self-express.

Sacred space architecture

What is sacred? How do you design a sacred space today so that we can connect to ourselves and to the One?

There is a TED talk by Siamak Hariri, an architect who builds a big temple- Bahá’í Temple of South America, with these questions in mind. The video is showing his creative process, very inspiring.

In our own houses, while creating our own sacred spaces, we become creative architects to facilitate immersion to our inner selves. Creating sacred space is more than self-care, it is a manifestation of faith in ourselves and something bigger than us. It is about preparing a tunnel entrance for the most adventurous inner journeys.

How to create a sacred space? 

One can create her own sacred space in her own way.

It is unique to each of us. It can be a corner, a room, a house, the same place for years or just changing continuously. There is no right or wrong answer.

This is my space for now. As the kids are at home, I needed to adapt, where I can really be on my own, so right now I created additional space in our room with my husband. I would prefer to have my own space so that whenever I want to take my place, I could just be there, alone, but for now, this is what I have, a corner in a shared room.

In this space, it is important for me, to have all together with the stuff that I play lately, my books, musical instruments, my vision board, objects that I feel connected and sacred to me.

The sacred space needs to call you. You need to create it in a way that you will want to be there, spend some time there.

If you do not have an idea how to do that just ask yourself, go around, see what you want in that space to exist. Say the intention out loud. Talk to yourself and say ‘hey, let’s create the space together’. Then just trust and play as a kid. Ask yourself where space could be? A room or a corner or a little table.

I love to have in my space my vision board, my mind map, flowers, stones, doves that I find in nature, my art material, my spiritual books, my musical instruments, my paintings, my jewelry work. It is a living space, so it changes continuously as well. Your interior will say what you need to put there just trust and act.

How can you activate a sacred space? 

To activate that space, you need to visit it often. So, you would create such a space that your inner self will want to go and be there, does not matter how long. What matters is visiting that space continuously, every day.

If you do not know what to do there, you do not need to plan. Again, it is just a game between you and yourself. To start with you can listen to music or sing a song, read books, paint, dance, lie down, meditate. do some jewelry, embroidery, mandala, macramé. Whatever is your ritual to be with yourself or you like to do, just do it there. I can assure you that you can be surprised by the power of that space that is opening many more spaces, many more rituals, many more meetings with your inner self.

Sacred space signs

Listen and take the symbols and signals seriously. Look if you can see any link between the objects you put there. Check if you see any meaning in your mind map if you put one. Do not pressure yourself. Just take it as a game. Play and listen deeply.

Play in your sacred space, have fun, and still take it seriously. Find your self while you are designing your space. It is a journey. Enjoy 

It is a relationship you create with a space that makes it sacred. The consistency and the power to show up there slowly make the space sacred. You can be surprised during the journey, of how it holds a space for you. A trusted space that is crucial for our creation process, for our true self to shine.

Here is the story of my sacred space

After having my two babies I was longing for the meetings with myself. Suddenly my hands started to create a space. I did not think nor plan about it. After some time, I have realized that it was a sacred space for me just to be.

There were different things in this place. My vision board was on the wall. My hands put a big piece of paper and created a mind map. A mind map is a map of your mind drawn on a piece of paper. You can write down words, phrases, you can draw. You can create links and the only thing you cannot do is cross over anything existing on your mind map. All the thoughts, things, drawings whatever existing there has its place on that map. So, whenever I was thinking about something again and again and I was realizing it, I was just going and putting it onto that mind map.

Creating an altar sacred space

I simplified the room, by throwing/giving away objects that did not create joy to me and start including whatever my interior felt attracted to, like flowers, stones, wooden objects, doves, sage and Palo Santo, etc.

Whatever I felt like. My interior was saying what I needed to put there, and I was just putting it. I was not questioning anything.

That space began to have an attraction for me. Every night after my kids slept, instead of going to bed to read or to watch Netflix I was just going to that place without having anything in my mind to do. I was just going. Looking to the wall to my vision board for some minutes. Checking my mind map. Seeing those objects. Just having fun. And being there. Sometimes I was playing with the photos I have made, writing and reading something.

Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again

Then something magical has happened. One of my intentions was to be in connection with the universe. All those objects began to make sense as well as the mind map that I had created. I have seen that through the mind map and those objects universe was continuously talking to me. That sacred space made an incredible gift for me which was to pass the fields of doubt and just believe. Believing full-heartedly because finally, it meant to believe in me.

What did such a space bring to my life?

A little space that started as a game for me as a showing up for an interior call, has evolved. I began to work with my inner child, do shamanic journeys, meditate every day. I started a sound healing journey which was incredible to go deeper inside myself and meeting with my ancestors. I met and connected with my anger. I read many books and entered the Sufi world. I started a new business.

I think the consistency and the power that I had to show up there were thanks to that space that was holding a space for me and continues to do so. I am realizing that now my body is just flowing around changing the stuff in my home and on the walls, creating different spaces at home. Now when I look at my home, I see many places that are beautiful and joyful, which are making me feel safe and are serving to find myself over and over again.

What’s next?

If you are here reading this, it is for a reason. If your intuition is longing for this space trust it even though seems weird to you. Take it as a game. Just create your playing area. Just for your inner child, for your soul, for yourself, whatever you believe. See and experience it. Don’t take my words for granted. I am just telling my own story. Create yours.

So, what you say are you ready to start a new game with yourself? Maybe you already have a sacred space. I would love to hear about your stories. Share with us on Instagram.

Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Sacred Space Board!

Cleaning Negative Energy Ritual

We clean our physical homes and our physical bodies, and we need to do it in the energetical level as well. So below is how I clean negative energies from my home.

You feel it, sometimes you enter your home and you feel heavy or even weird. These are all signals that you need some energetical cleaning of your space. The best way is continuous cleaning, so let’s say if you have a weekly cleaning schedule for your home before the physical cleaning takes place, you can consider energetical cleaning.

Here are the tools I use to clean negative energy:

• Fire and smell: I use mostly sage and palo santo and sometimes incense,
• Sound: My voice, egg shakers, tuning fork,
• Visualization: I get the help of colors for this, will explain more below.

How does my process work?

Preparation

Firstly, I open the doors and windows of the house.

Next, I decide and prepare the tools that I will use. I choose from the list above. It is an intuitive process, I let my intuitions guide me about these choices.

Thirdly, I ground myself. Generally, I do this with a little grounding meditation, even some deep breaths or looking to your feet with the intention of grounding would work.

Fourthly, I bring up my intention, say it aloud at least once, and continue to have it in my mind and heart during all the process. Bring full attention to the process is important. The intention could be anything depending on your belief system you can ask for help or guidance. Generally, I talk to negative energies. I say, ok thanks for your service and it is time to go, so please just leave. I repeat during the process. If this sounds weird to you, then say your intention in your way, it’s your ritual, and making it full-heartedly is the important one.

Using the tools for cleaning negative energy

Fifthly, I burn some sage, having some container down of it to prevent the ashes from going all around the house, and I go around each room. Opening the wardrobes, taking care of the edges, backside of the doors.

I gently make the sage go around so the smell of it will infuse to the negative energy. If I feel like I repeat the process with also palo santo. Some days, I just burn some incense with my intention.

In our ex-house, we had a fireplace, which we were using a lot, and I have witnessed that having a continuous fire at home, is an incredibly powerful purifier.

Next, I get the help of sound, could be tuning forks, singing bowls, egg shakers, or my voice. When I feel that there were blockages of energy, then I use egg shakers to break them into little pieces. Tuning forks have the same effect as sages in the sense of purifying.

Our voice is very powerful, and the power comes from intention, so keep in mind that by singing with the intention you can also clear the energy in the place. 

Lastly, I get the help of visualization. In this phase, I use the energetical power of colors. I can do it to each room, or just one room that I want to concentrate on.

First, I imagine that there is a brown color cleaning all around, and all the negative energy is going out of the room, you can imagine the way you wish. Once all is clean, then I fill the room with rainbow colors in my visualization. That is it.

How long does this process take place?

It depends on your time and your need for cleaning. If you feel heavy in the place, if you had some illnesses, some arguments, or bad feelings at your home then you can make it a whole process, using as many tools as you wish and convert a slow ritual for you.

If you do not have a lot of time and want to make it weekly than up to you, choose the tools that you prefer to use, and go for it. Just sage would be fine, just tuning forks or just singing or visualization. Of course, all with intention. In this case, you can finish everything in less than 5 minutes.

What I could add lastly is trusting your intuition, and go for it, experience and find your way. There is not any right or wrong answer, there is only wisdom of ancestors from many civilizations. Experiment with smell & fire, sound, and visualization and add them to your cleaning cabinet.

Share your own experiences with me in the comments.

Since I have my kids in my life, life becomes more colorful and artful with spontaneous dance nights and improvised art therapy sessions.

Today I want to talk to you about our actual art corner at home. It is a living space so changing continuously depending on our interaction with space and with the objects in the space.

How this space started and evolved?

When my first kid, Ender began to play with the paintings, I bought some nice paintings with different styles: crayons, watercolor, finger paint, markers, chalks, and colored pencils.

Different stickers, papers of different kinds and colors, aprons, table cloth to use while painting with finger paint, wet wipes, little paint containers, scissors, duct tape, clay, and paintbrushes.

Suddenly there were a group of the same category items that go together, not only for the sake of order but also once you paint with a little kid, you need to set up space with table cloth and aprons than while painting you need wet wipes and once finished you need to clean and order it as quick as possible.

This is a daily activity, so best is to keep all related items together, to not to go crazy and enjoy most with the kid’s creative spirits.

First I had all the items in a big drawer, which was hard to open, so it was safe. Then while they were growing, according to their age, I was getting some items visible and some others still were hidden.

Finally now as I have both of them quite grown, almost 4 and 6, we have all the items in our art corner visible which is continuously inviting us to create when we are inspired.

What we have in the space?

Right now in this space, we have;

• Different paints: Crayons, colorful markers, colored pencils, watercolors, and finger paints
• Painting brushes
• Palettes
• Scissors, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, compasses
• Collage materials: Feathers, googly eyes, washi tapes, different colored papers, stickers
• Clay tools
• Different kind of tapes and glues
• Aprons and table cloth

Why having an art corner with kids is important both for kids and for adults?

Thanks to my kids I learned how much I love and I miss just to create for the sake of it. Sitting with them, having nice music and some candles, and just letting my hands do what they want.

I was having a 1-sec check-in with me, asking myself how do I feel, and just letting my inner child enjoy the process with my children basically.

Now having such a space, facilitates us to create being in the flow. Whenever I have some time, I love to chill out in this art corner. Everything is ready and joyfully arranged to wait for our inspiration to flow.

My children daily use this space, whenever they feel like. Sometimes for just a minute, sometimes a bit longer and some other times I find them concentrated and creating while being in connection with themselves.

How you can create a similar space at your home?

Firstly, imagine where you would like this art corner to be. In a living room, in a playroom, in a bedroom, a terrace, or even an office maybe.

Secondly, consider who will use this space and their ages. If this space is also for kids than it is a good idea not to make everything visible. The importance is creating a yes space, a safe space where you would not say ‘no’ all the time.

Thirdly, for sure you already have many objects in your home which are art-related. Bring them altogether, put in a place where you can see them all.

Fourthly, bring different containers/boxes that you can use for this art corner.

Next, categorize them in a way that makes sense to you and then put them in those boxes.

Lastly, enjoy creating your new space. Keep in mind that this is a living place, so observe your interaction with the place and be flexible for future changes.

Some years ago, we moved to a new house, so our art corner had to change totally. I also want to show you some of our lovely moments while letting ourselves be from our previous house.

By the way, if you are interested in art aprons for yourself, you should check our colorful aprons, they are great.

What about you? Tell me about your art corners in the comments. Enjoy. Most important of all, let yourself be.