The Sacred

The above photo is from a small town in Texas called Leakey. Leakey has a population of 399 (at least the last time I read the sign!) and sits on the Frio River. The Frio is a long river that moves through the Texas Hill Country, surrounded by sweeping Cypress trees and rolling hills. My family has been vacationing in Leakey for close to 20 years, and it is a sacred spot to me. When I arrive on the banks of the Frio, I feel calm. I dip my feet in and am flooded with memories of family, laughter, food, and fun.

We live in a time where there is little that is sacred anymore. We are so rushed in our obligations that we forget to notice all of our opportunities connect with something beyond ourselves, which is what I think of as the sacred. When was the last time you said a blessing or thought of what you were grateful for before a meal?  When did you last spend a few minutes in the morning stretching your arms and legs, feeling thankful for all they allow you to do? What rituals are part of your day that, when you really think about them, start to seem sacred to you?

As a therapist, I feel like I have the honor of participating in a sacred profession, where I can hear and hold other people's stories. I talk a walk each morning that feels like a sacred time with myself, where I can think, look at the trees around me, and start my day centered rather than haphazard. Certain books and poems are sacred to me. Dinner with my husband over a candle is a sacred time for us to reconnect.

In the wonderful book The Slow Down Diet (2005), author Marc David talks about how a connection with the sacred helps with all aspects of life, particularly metabolism and physiology. He writes this about how to slow down and feel the sacred again: "Allow your body and your outlook to be new again. Let the journey be what it is, because that's what it will be anyway. When uncertainty reigns, let it be your guide. When your inner knowing issues forth, follow it with trust and self-respect... Before you limit yourself with a diet, expand yourself with love. Before you lose a pound, gain an insight. Before you exercise, be still. Before you attempt to cast out a bad habit, thank it for its teachings. Before you harm yourself in thought, word, or deed, pause... Before you seek advice, remember your wisdom. Before you speak, make sure it's an improvement on silence... Before you eat, give gratitude. Before you sit for long hours, dance. Before you arise, bless everything. Before you sleep, do the same. Before you live another day, agree to be here in your fullness." (pgs. 186-187)

Some text (marked with quotes) taken from David, M. (2005). The Slow Down Diet. Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press.