Mindfulness of the Sacred. Ten Examples of Contact with the Sacred

We can experience a sense of the sacred in various times and places through the application of a dedicated mindfulness.

Mindfulness of the sacred offers much nourishment and joy to our daily life.

The experience of the sacred refers to profound depth of appreciation through knowing a connection transcending the ordinary.

We feel blessed to know such an experience which can change our life in healthy and remarkable ways.

Ten Examples of Contact with the Sacred

1. We attend the birth of a baby or give birth. A person experiences a sense of joy and wonder in such moments with the miracle of the emergence of a tiny life into the world. For some, it is a sacred event, one of the most precious experiences to behold.
2. A person spends time in the forest amidst the wonder of trees. The trees stand tall, gracious with their roots going deep into the earth. The forests and the woods provide creatures with oxygen, homes for creatures, household items, shelter and more. Time in the forest touches deep within us. The forest becomes a refuge, a sacred location.
3. Deep walks into the nature, into the wilderness and vast, open spaces with a star-filled night sky or the endless blue sky and earth reveal the wonder, the sacred beauty of life on Earth.
4. We walk into an old Gothic cathedral or church in our city as well as other centres of religious devotion. A palpable silence and stillness pervade the atmosphere. We do not have to be religious but sense the permeation of something sacred in the building. Men, women and children have attended services for centuries. If we enter the church, cathedral, or a similar building, we whisper rather than chat or make noise. The sacred culture brings respect and sensitivity out of us.
5. We experience the sacred in certain expressions of music and singing. It is hard to explain to ourselves why certain music touches a sense of the sacred, of the spiritual. The music uplifts our consciousness, our spirit.
6. We find the sacred in the written word – a passage in a religious text, spiritual reflections, sublime transcendental poetry. Such words can give a depth of nourishment.
7. We attend a funeral recalling the months and years we spent with the person who died. We shared, we laughed, cried, argued with and challenged. The funeral reminds us of our brief length of life on this Earth. We recognise the importance of the experience and knowing of the sacred to expand our appreciations of the experience of living.
8. We make pilgrimages to sacred places in the mountains, countryside, villages and cities touching a deep significance in our being.
9. Prayer, chanting, hymns and acts of devotion remind us of what is sacred, spiritual and divine.
10. We experience a sacred duty to live with integrity, to serve others and live with wisdom despite the hype in the world.