Everything is sacred.
One day this thought landed in my heart, as if whispered there by the Infinite.
I had heard this before, of course, but I had questioned it.
You see, love and joy and beauty were easy to see as sacred.
But how could pain and suffering, anger and frustration, worry and sadness all be sacred?
I let the idea fall away.
It didn’t quite leave me, but it stayed quiet for a long time.
When it arrived this time, it was different.
This time, the questions became lighter.
“Even this?” I asked, with my hands busy washing dishes.
The answer was so clear.
“Yes, even this. This moment when your hands can do only one thing and your heart and mind are free to wander? Of course this is sacred!”
Later, while I was tangled in the leash, picking up after my 15 year old fur baby, I asked again
“And this? Is this sacred, too?”
“You know it is. Feel that? Deep in your heart? That’s your love for ‘Cuda. That’s ‘Cuda’s love for you. That’s your love for all of your fur-babes past, present and future, holding space with you and ‘Cuda right now. How could that not be sacred?”
Every. Thing. Is. Sacred.
The more I held this thought in my heart, the richer it became.
I realized that my questioning of it earlier had not been quite as altruistic as I had first thought.
It seemed that if I truly believed that everything is sacred, then I’d have to act like everything was sacred, too.
It was a challenge.
To always be the better person. To always live up to the moral code.
I didn’t want to take that on.
What would I do with all those thoughts and feelings that were less than perfect?
What if I failed to be perfectly moral? What would happen to my sacredness then?
I was missing the point.
Even my imperfection is sacred.
This sunk into my heart while I was deep in feelings of grief.
“Even this grief is sacred. Yes, it is.”
Just as it is.
This raw, sad, aching – this guilt and questioning – all of it is sacred.
And when I became irritated by something someone did, I reminded myself that this, too, is sacred.
Even that moment of wanting to lash out.
Even that angry thought.
Even those words spoken in haste.
Even that envy.
All of it. Sacred.
Breathing this into my heart, opened it even more.
I am a human being, experiencing all that it means to be human.
This includes love and compassion, of course.
It also includes anger, worry, frustration and judging.
It is messy to be a human, to have a human heart.
But even in the mess, even in the worry, even in the anger, the sacred remains.
She is not lessened by our humanness.
She doesn’t punish us for not being perfect.
She doesn’t hold back her gifts because we falter.
The Divine breathes in our hearts always.
As much a part of us as our genes.
Invisible, ever-present, essential.
Sacred in every moment.
So when the anger rises, I can greet it calmly.
“Welcome, anger. You are sacred, too.”
There is a softening in this. A gentle, warm acceptance that allows anger what it needs without extra torment.
And when my words are harsh, I can hear them echo in my heart, as they always do.
Instead of scolding myself, I can remind my heart that this is sacred, too.
And I can feel the swell of my heart as it fills with the Love of the Universe again.
This is the moment of surrender.
This is the moment of knowing.
This is the moment of being lifted.
This is the moment Love Wins.
See the Sacred.
It is everywhere.
How does this feel to you? When you hear the phrase “everything is sacred” do you feel challenged? Or do you feel accepted?
This is beautiful! I keep trying to remind myself of this at sometime everyday! Thank you for sharing
This is beautiful! To answer your question: I feel accepted.
I’ve long held this thought. It was hard at first because it means accepting ALL of us. 😀 And some of us make me a little cranky.
Wow, what an awesome post! It surely gave me a different perspective on different experiences in my life.
Thank you for providing the example as I did not see how EVERYTHING could be sacred. But through your examples it all makes sense and it is all a part of life.
I LOVED this. Your writing is fabulous! As I was reading I was nodding and saying “Mhm. She gets it.” And it made me really happy. Thank you for sharing it. 🙂
“Everything is sacred” makes me feel relieved. And accepted.