So the Saturday before last, I took part in a ritual to honour Sacred Space but this wasn't just the outer physical spaces we can see as sacred - it was about our own bodies as sacred spaces.
This was interesting as I'd never really thought of my own body as a sacred space. I've read in several books that we humans were made in the image of deities and that we are divine made manifest in this realm but this never really seemed to be relevant for me until I did this ritual.
We started as we normally do by casting a circle, which I did for the first time ever - I quite liked it because I called on all those who came before and all those who will come after which seemed to bring ancestors together to protect us.
One of the other ladies called in the directions of the compass to aid us in our endeavours as well, which was really nice. We all have the opportunity to take part in these rituals in some way, by calling in and releasing the directions, casting and opening the circle, or by grounding the group before the ritual proper starts.
This is really good for boosting everyone's confidence but also to allow us to try new things that we might not otherwise do. I have previously called in one of the directions before which was really interesting and casting the circle is definitely something that I haven't previously used in my Craft although I am now wanting to make it an integral part of it.
When we became grounded, we followed a meditation that led us to a sacred space within that didn't need quite as much travel to get to it like the space I have previously described. This time around, we started in a field of wild grasses that were blowing in the breeze. There were trees in the distance with purple flowers dispersed in the field surrounding me. It was sunny, the height of summer and warm but it wasn't overly hot. I felt like there was someone else with me who wanted to stay hidden from my view altough I heard a voice that said, "Peace, daughter." Again, because I couldn't see who said it, I don't know if it was my mum or a goddess.
During this grounding meditation, we did some deep, slow breathing to release the built up negativity and afterwards, I have to say, I felt so much lighter and looser - nowhere near as wound up as I was at the start. I also felt more grounded and in touch with my body whereas before, I had felt rather disconnected. There was a greater sense of wholeness but I didn't feel truly complete as I am on a learning path.
This grounding meditation really highlighted how things can affect our bodies and the ritual we went on to do further brought into focus that I don't pay as much attention to what my own body is telling me.
The ritual focused on our own bodies as a sacred space by anointing our bodies with a skin-friendly oil (note - pure essential oils are not skin-friendly and should be in a carrier oil, like jojoba oil, before they can be used on the body). I don't have any skin-friendly oils so I used some Chalice Well water I was gifted by a neighbour a few months ago.
I hadn't realised it at the time but the Chalice Well is inherently feminine and associated with Cerridwen, the Celtic goddess of inspiration, creativity, rebirth and healing. While I literally grabbed the Chalice Well Water because I didn't have anything else to hand, it's great to see how well the universe works in mysterious ways to give us what we need right when we need it, even if we don't know what we need.
So with the anointing, we put some oil on our fingers and touched the soles of our feet to rub it into our skin. We spent a minute or two touching our feet and rubbing them before we did the same to our legs, hips, tummy, heart, hands, throat, eyes and the crown of our heads. When we got to our eyes, we didn't just anoint our physical eyes - we did our Third Eye as well. This was interesting for me because while I have psychic gifts and regularly use them, I didn't feel as if my Third Eye is ready to fully open just yet although I did feel lighter and more connected to Spirit, as well as feeling like true power is just out of my reach while still being partly accessible.
The anointing felt like an adjustment, bringing everything into alignment. It also felt like an initiation but something that I can do again on my own without a coven or "more experienced" witch to guide me. This really empowered me because I am a solitary witch who prefers to practice without a coven (although this course is teaching me that we can learn from others while in a group/coven".
I also felt like I'd been blessed by a Goddess by doing this because I felt like it had deepened my connection to whoever is trying to communicate with me.
We always seem to take our bodies for granted (at least I definitely know that I do) so taking time and space to reconnect with my own body, senses and spirituality felt necessary but so freeing as well.
I hope my musings give you inspiration.
Peace and love to all!
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