I have been thinking a lot recently about sacred places. Places of belonging. Places on the planet where I feel safe, welcomed, supported, cared for, and appreciated: the redwood forest, on Plum Island, in my best friend’s kitchen, by the side of a river with my fishing pals with tea in hand, and also most recently in the seat of a Cessna 150 learning to fly (the short of it is I have always wanted to fly after having read West With the Night when I was 13 — and now I am doing it).
I have come to understand that when I feel a sense of belonging, I feel I can do anything, that anything is possible. When I say anything is possible I don’t only mean literally, physically doing something. I also mean that total self acceptance and generous self love are also possible. There is a profound sense of safety, certainty, and understanding in these places. I feel at home.
I have realized that sacred spaces or places of belonging aren't only places on a map or places you can give directions to; they are also in us. As the wonderful Maya Angelou said, “I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” That feeling of being comfortable and nourished in your own being. In each moment. To me, that location is the sacred space.
I find it hard to feel that sense of belonging in/to myself at times, but that is where healing and courage and certainty lies. It is in knowing ourselves so fully that we can tap into that sense of belonging at any time, regardless of location. There are times when I am so uncomfortable that I literally close my eyes and imagine that place. It feels like coming home.
When I walk, regardless of location, I feel as if I belong. So I walk. I walk into a place of belonging. It is in the feeling of belonging that I know who and where I am going.
In fact, this to me is the definition of sacred (sa·cred/ˈsākrəd/entitled to reverence and respect).
Where do I belong?
Right here.
Right now.
“Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone; who lend the best of ourselves to it, and with joy.”
“The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.”
Libby DeLana is an award-winning executive creative director, designer/art director by trade, who has spent her career in the ad world. Click here to get your copy of Libby’s first published book, Do Walk. You can connect with Libby on Instagram @thismorningwalk and @parkhere.