Everyday sacred – I believe that there’s something sacred to be discovered in every day. When we bring mindful awareness to our everyday moments, we become more connected with the sacredness of each moment. Phil Cousineau, in The Art of Pilgrimage, writes, “What is sacred is what is worthy of our reverence, what evokes awe and wonder in the human heart, and what when contemplated transforms us utterly.”
Open yourself to a sense of awe and wonder to all that is good and beautiful in this world.
I recently moved to a coastal city, in large part, in order to gain more frequent access to aspects of nature that most readily evoke awe and wonder in my heart—the sea, birds, seashells, the full moon rising over the ocean, etc. Some mornings or late afternoons I spend in walking meditation or sound meditation on the beach. I am in constant awe of the gifts that the sea presents on my walks.
Some of these gifts make it home with me—a rare blue moon snail shell, a delicate channeled whelk, a tiny starfish—and become objects of comfort that remind me of a sense of belonging to something much larger than myself.
Richard Lewis, in Living by Wonder, writes, “For a moment in the mystery of autumnal silence, we are alone with wonder, secure in the knowledge that no matter what else is happening, or what other ways of knowing there might be, the particular language of our wondrous thought is how we interpret what is here. With only this fragile measure of timelessness as our companion, who among us could not now agree with Lao-tsu, who said to us: …From wonder into wonder Existence opens.”
When you experience something that moves you deeply or catches your breathe in a good way, try pausing for a few moments to really rest your awareness on what you’re experiencing. Notice what you sense in your body, what you feel. Open yourself to a sense of awe and wonder to all that is good and beautiful in this world.
I invite you to take 30 minutes this week and be present with something in nature that evokes a sense of awe and wonder in your heart. Try writing about it in a mindful journaling or mindful writing practice, photographing it, painting it, or creating something with the inspiration that it evokes. Creativity offers us a way to make meaning from the everyday sacred.
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness coach and therapist, photographer, and writer. She teaches mindfulness for mind body healing and creative awakening. Jen offers online mindfulness workshops and mindful writing workshops online. Learn more about working with Jen.
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2 replies on “Everyday Sacred: Mindfulness in Everyday Life”
A lovely thought Jennifer. I just spent yesterday afternoon with a group of students at the Shambhala Buddhist Center in Chicago, guiding them to open their senses to their surroundings as a first step in designing their living spaces. Slowing down and opening to that still place within one can find wonder and beauty in even the movement of reflections from the cars outside on the street. While we may find it easiest with something natural, that is our own distinction as in truth everything has its own elemental nature and gives us messages if we but open and look.
Hi Rebekah! Great to see you here. Thanks for the follow and your comment. Your work in Chicago sounds interesting. Shoot me an email, and let's catch up.