Before you walk around your space, take a moment to stand in one place and imagine that tree-like roots are connecting your body to the earth and that you are being supported, grounded and nourished. When you feel ready, simply take your time to walk around and identify the one place you’ll be able to hang out in whenever you need that Inner Beauty boost.
Once you’ve found your perfect spot, the next step is to cleanse the unwanted energy that may be in this place. Have you ever walked into a room and felt an uncomfortable sensation even though nobody was there? Emotional and spiritual energies can be left in a place; they can reside in material objects like floorboards and furniture and can even linger in the air. This is why many ancient traditions use cleansing to purify the energy in spaces. Some tools with which you can cleanse your sacred space include sound, herbs, oils and certain woods. We’ll look in more detail at energy cleansing tools a little later.
CHOOSING OBJECTS FOR YOUR SACRED SPACE
Once you’ve found and cleansed this place, the next step is to choose the objects that will come together to make your space truly sacred. The best objects to use are those that have a special meaning for you, those that help to remind you of your highest qualities – like compassion, creativity, peace and love. Before buying anything, I recommend taking a mindful look around your home or garden, just to see what things you already have. It’s important that you’re in a peaceful headspace and connected to your heart before you walk around, as it’s only from this place that sacred objects will call out to you clearly. Maybe you have some objects that you brought back from a special day or a special trip, like pretty shells from a beach or a souvenir from a special moment? As you walk around on your sacred treasure hunt, keep these questions in mind when you consider objects: what feelings, thoughts or sensations does this object evoke for me? Are these feelings, thoughts or sensations something I want to have more of in my life? If the answer to the second question is a definite ‘YES’, then this object could be a perfect companion for your sacred space. Don’t worry if you can’t find anything obvious in your home, as you look through the different Inner Beauty tools in this chapter, you’ll get more of a sense of what kind of things might work best for you. You can definitely find lots of inspiration online too, or on my ©thecolourfuldot Instagram page.
CREATING AND NURTURING YOUR SACRED SPACE
Creating your sacred space is a meditation in itself. When I arrange the objects in my own sacred space, it’s a form of sacred art. And making my sacred space look beautiful always makes me feel more beautiful on the inside. When you’re happy with your own sacred art-piece, it’s a good idea to set a general intention for the space. What one single quality would you most like to be reminded of every time you check in with this space? It might be that you want this space to remind you to be peaceful or loving or forgiving. Whatever it is for you, you can write down your general intention on a small piece of paper and leave this on display in your sacred space.
But, creating the sacred space is really just the beginning. Once it’s created, I find it really helps to nurture this space on a regular basis. Remember, your sacred space is a garden for growing your inner goddess. For some tips on how to nurture your sacred space, tap here.
Sacred Space Meditation
I love spending time in my sacred space. The great thing about hanging out in a beautiful sacred space is that it makes meditation easy: sometimes I just leave my eyes open and let the beauty before me cheer up my soul. Sometimes, I’ll take in hand one of the objects from my sacred space and use that as the focus of my meditation. So if I’m feeling the need to nurture my heart, I’ll take a Rose Quartz crystal in my hand (Rose Quartz is associated with love), close my eyes and gently bring my attention to follow my breath. As I breathe in, I bring the word ‘love’ to mind and feel my heart expanding and I visualize my body filling out from the centre with a soft pink light. As I breathe out, I imagine breathing out unwanted energy.
If you are the sort of person who finds the idea of formal meditation a bit too full-on, then no need to fear. The very act of creating and regularly nurturing your sacred space is honestly an amazing meditation in itself. The most important thing about sacred spaces is that they’re a window to your Highest Self, your inner goddess. As long as you keep polishing these windows, you will be able to find yourself over and over again.
Tools to Use in Your Sacred Space
CRYSTALS
A Brief History of Crystals
Although the idea of crystals for some might conjure up visions of long-haired, flower-powered hippies getting their woo-woo on, crystals have actually been celebrated in many different civilizations and cultures for thousands of years. This is not surprising. When you hold a crystal in your hand for the first time, you cannot help but be touched by the magical beauty of these gifts from Mother Earth. Even as far back as biblical times, we see the beauty of crystals celebrated. In the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel we’re told:
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald … on the day that you were created, they were prepared.
I just love the idea that crystals have been our steady companions throughout the whole of human history. They were collected not just for their rarity but also for their healing properties, as we can see in this quote from an ancient mystical Jewish text, called the Baba Batra:
Abraham had a precious stone hung round his neck which brought immediate healing to any sick person who looked on it, and when Abraham our father left this world, the Blessed Holy One hung it from the wheel of the sun.
The word ‘crystal’ actually derives from the Greek word ‘krustallos’ meaning ice. The story goes that when the Greeks came across Quartz in the mountains they believed it to be eternal ice sent from the heavens. Greek soldiers would rub crushed Haematite all over their bodies in preparation for battle, believing that this would make them invincible.
Whilst the ancient Greek warriors were using these minerals for protection in battle, the royal ladies of ancient Egypt, such as Cleopatra, were crushing Lapis Lazuli and Malachite to use as eye make-up, believing it would bring them physical beauty and spiritual insight. In fact, use of crystals filtered into many aspects of Egyptian life, such as the practice of placing a Quartz on the brow area of a deceased person, in preparation for their burial. This was thought to help guide the deceased gently into the after-life. Another famous example of crystal use in Egyptian times can be found in the Libyan gold tektite in Tutankhamun’s scarab Wadjet pendant. The Ancient Egyptians called it ‘the rock of god’ and believe it invoked the power of the sun to give psychic protection to the wearer.
In some Native American traditions, crystals are referred to as the ‘bones of Mother Earth’ and are considered to be very powerful medicine that must be handled with love and respect. Turquoise is one stone held in the highest regard by many Native Americans. There’s a beautiful myth that once upon a time after a bad drought, the Native Americans danced and wept with joy to welcome the rainfall. The rain, mixed with their tears, seeped into Mother Earth to become Turquoise. Turquoise has often been used in these indigenous cultures as jewellery and talismans, to bring protection to the wearer. If anyone ever noticed that the Turquoise they were carrying had a crack, it was understood to be a sign that the stone had protected them against some negative energies.
Science of Crystals
OK, you might be thinking, ‘hang on a minute this still has woo-woo vibes all over it!’ Let me give you some of the science behind crystals to help you understand the very real power of these Inner Beauty tools. Crystals are a particular form of mineral (in the same family as pebbles, pumice, marble) with a very precise pattern in their molecular structure. The molecules of a crystal are arranged in a fixed, regularly repeating geometric pattern. Because they’re fixed in such a perfect way, crystals tend to remain stable over millions of years. In fact, crystals are the most