Home is a place in our imagination which we take with us wherever we go.

As the concept of home is being re-defined, restructured, and expanded to be multi-dimensional, mobile, and international in nature, sanctuary and creating sacred space is becoming central to our mental wellness and emotional continuity. More and more, we are global citizens; home is a place in our imagination which we take with us wherever we go. The meaning of community and our interconnectedness is also rapidly evolving to encompass a community of humankind.

Once upon a time, we lived in caves and home primarily sheltered us from the elements.  Then, in the agricultural era, we lived in cabins, bringing the concept of territory into our awareness. The industrial age brought about the conscious creation of home as a sanctuary. In the knowledge society of today, a physical home is a core hub, importantly providing a base for mobility (virtual or physical), which means that the demands upon it and the definition of home are now far more complex – and essential – than it has ever been. The need to create a home as a sacred space (whether actual, virtual, or in your heart) has never been more urgent.

A space, a place, or a feeling? 

Today, we carry our virtual home with us in the form of a smartphone, tablet, or computer.  Home is being re-defined as our society becomes even more integrated and hyper-mobile. We are a consequence of the space we create.

Home is much more than a place to live; it is our center of gravity that exists inside and outside of ourselves.

We are moving towards finding a new stronger core in the regeneration of our neighborhoods and a significant trend towards co-living and a sharing economy.

The concept we call home will, in the future, be a multi-functional, flexible base for meta-mobility that works in several dimensions. As we evolve into global citizens and fully realize our interconnectedness, a community begins to grow up around the story of our lives. And everything will change.

Creating sanctuary and sacred space means something slightly different for each of us. Yet we must have sacred space within and around ourselves. Sacred space is where we relax, clear our mind, nurture, rejuvenate, and re-define.

The core principle is to first clarify your living space by removing all that serves no purpose, to develop a sense of safety and peacefulness. This process might mean you give away clothing you no longer wear, clean out your cupboards, put everything away, and organize your space, then make a commitment to maintaining it so that it stays that way. The effort you make to do this will spare you struggling with clutter and disorganization. It frees up your mind and your time.

Begin each day in your newly clarified space, by practicing stillness (the absence of movement or sound). By doing absolutely nothing for 15 minutes each day, important information can come to you that you would otherwise miss. Keeping a journal is equally helpful because behind every thought is another thought, like your mind is penetrating to the core, layer by layer, as you write. Unconscious information and instinct reveal new ideas and hidden thoughts. The actual feeling of a pen and paper – good paper and a high-quality pen that feels good to the touch – will help immeasurably, as opposed to a screen and keyboard. Recommendation: Clairefontaine top wire-bound notebooks and a Pilot V-Ball 0.5 pen. (The pen clips nicely onto the spiral on top).

Sanctuary and sacred space begin in your private room, study or apartment, and extend to everywhere you are: a state of mind. When you feel secure in your boundaries, you can take that sanctuary with you into a public space, like a café where you go to write in your journal or to meet friends. Think of it as an orb of protection all around you.

It is not enough to create sacred space, inside and outside yourself; you must also protect that space. For example, once you’ve cleared your home, be selective about who or what you let in. When you sleep, turn off your phone and remove any electronic devices like televisions from your bedroom.

Self-care is essential in maintaining boundaries between what is and isn’t acceptable or constructive. When your space is clarified, your mind can relax, and you can see negativity (and opportunity) before it even gets to you. Divine protection doesn’t mean driving into a war zone and not getting killed. It means having the instinctive wisdom not to go there in the first place. When you clear out the outdated, the unworkable, the unwilling, and the unhappy, you make way for the new and the nurturing. You are a global citizen, and your future looks bright!