Throughout history, people of nature religions
found something sacred everywhere they looked. There was no clear-cut
boundary between what was religious and what was not, what was
magical and what was not. Examples of this can be found all over
Europe, where people had Goddesses and Gods for virtually every
part of daily life. From ovens and doorways, to bridges and wells
-- everything was sacred! Latin, and the languages which descend
from it, were shaped by Pagan cultures. Language assigned gender
to every person place and thing, perhaps reflecting the idea that
all things link back to a specific Goddess or God. Every person
place and thing truly is a part of nature!
Historians and archaeologists uncover bits of ancient lore and
share their treasures with us. We love to marvel at something
old and rich in years. But while the richness of history gives
us valuable perspective, we should not overlook the present. In
this way, we learn from the progression we make over time, the
flow from yesterday to today. Today, every thing is still just
as sacred as it was in days of Old.
Look to your own surroundings and see the sacredness in everyday
life. The seasons and cycles still tell us much about the nature
of many things. Every year, every moon, and even every single
day waxes and wanes in a similar fashion. What do these cycles
mean to you personally? How do you mark their special points and
midpoints? How do you celebrate them? You may find that even simple
events like your morning shower can be a special ritual, marking
the beginning of your own "Wheel of the Day."
The town in which you live is full of sacred sites and shrines!
The busy concrete roads you travel every day are sacred. And so
are the many crossroads we pass along our path. However trivial
they may seem at the time, each of these crossroads and intersections
bring us where we need to be. Many roads have names or route numbers;
we can address them personally and thank them for our many safe
journeys. Remember this the next time you are frustrated in rush-hour
traffic or lost on a dark, lonely highway.
Remember how your own neighborhood felt as a child? Every tree
or bush or sewer pipe was unique and familiar. As we mature, we
need not lose that familiar feeling. Notice the things around
you. Take time not just to smell the roses, but to read the billboards
and to hear even the noisy commotion all around you. You may find
that they speak just as clearly as the rivers, winds and thunder.
Your own home is full of sacred beings! An entire pantheon lives
in your pantry! Your kitchen is not just the place you cook; it
is a temple for the herbs, fruits and animals which give us life.
Each of them is a relic of a bygone life form, with spirit deserving
our respect. See each meal as a ritual, a blessed event which
brings new life to that which we have harvested.
These "food relics" become part of you; they live again
through you.
Throughout your home, photos of loved ones can be a shrine to
that sacred someone. Perhaps your own family's Mother Goddess?
Or your own beloved Lord of the Wood? A photo captures and stores
the light and energy of the moment in which it was taken. Mementos
of any special occasion capture a bit of that energy, like the
charge within a battery or a charm. Feel it the next time you
"release" that energy, as you open an old photo album,
uncork that special bottle of wine you've been saving, or just
open up your favorite junk drawer! Things around your house store
bits and pieces of your life. They come into contact with the
sound of your voice, the heat from your body, the energy from
your thoughts. They hear your most private conversations; they
feel your heartbeat race. And just imagine the dreamy stories
your pillow could tell. No wonder packing and moving all your
possessions out of your home is so traumatic. The energy built
up little by little over the years is all released in one sudden
moving-day whoosh!
Your plumbing and faucet, furnace and electrical wiring, fans
and windows, floors beams and walls -- are these not the Elements
themselves? Do they not combine to give you a fifth, making your
house into a home?
And within yourself, many, many sacred things can be found. Every
atom of every cell has its nucleus, its center. Within us are
many Suns! Our fingers and toes, arms and legs branch like the
limbs of any tree. Our tiny capillaries feed larger veins and
arteries, no different than rivers or streams helping a drop of
rain flow to the ocean. And within our spirit lies the spark of
all life, like a pilot light which burns as long as we do.
If we choose to see the sacredness in all things, even the most
mundane parts of our lives will become magical. Perhaps someday,
thousands of years from now, historians and archaeologists will
uncover age-old tales of deities which bless our microwave ovens
or look both ways through our aluminum sliding glass doors. Perhaps
they will see how we made every day sacred.
Link (Anthony) E-Mail: AnthLink@aol.com
