Creating sacred space is one of my favourite topics, as I deeply enjoy creating sacred and magical containers conducive to consciousness, transformation, and creativity.

I invite you to join me in experiencing the joy of carving out a space in your heart and home just for your creative and spiritual unfolding. If you already have created a space, perhaps this exercise will be an invitation to revisit, shift, love, or occupy it even more deeply.

Developing your own sacred creative space is a way of integrating the ongoing process of your creative and spiritual development into your daily life. You might choose to create a space that is designed for reading, meditating, writing, dancing, yoga, music making, art making, reminding you of what is important to you most..... any purpose of your choosing.

Ideally your space can have a certain degree of permanence... It can sometimes be uninspiring to have to continually rebuild a creative space over and over again before you can play in it. (I used to paint in my dining room and would have to pack up and unpack constantly). That said, if creating a dedicated space isn't a possibility, consider getting really slick in your design of a portable space for ease of setup when the time comes. Sometimes temporary spaces can feel particularly alive, inspiring and fresh, so there are benefits to either.

Setting intention

One of the first things you might consider when creating your sacred space is setting an intention or intentions, that will guide its creation. You might consider....

Purpose - ie., writing, yoga, dancing, reading, painting, etc.
Preferred energy - what qualities would you like the space to hold for you? i.e., healing, creativity, confidence, freedom, etc....
Feeling - How you want to feel in the space... ie., safe, calm, inspired, unpressured

Size doesn't matter

It's true, you can create sacred space regardless of square footage you have available to you.... you don't need a huge studio, or your own room to create yourself something inspiring and meaningful. Notice areas in your house that you love to spend time in, maybe you have empty spaces or corners just waiting to be developed, or a beam of sunshine filling a special spot just waiting to be enjoyed. Maybe you are ready to clean out an entire room that is under-utilized, or maybe a small shelf that you can turn into an alter. You might consider light in your spaces, perhaps creating an early morning meditation space in a place that will feel dark and womb-like, and a creative space in areas where light streams in as inspiration. Throughout my life I've created sacred spaces ranging from (literally) my closet, to an entire gorgeous shared public space we called The Creative Commons. I've even had the opportunity to create the tiniest of sacred spaces with a group of women who were experiencing intimate partner violence.... meaningful spaces so small they would go undetected by the untrained eye.

Design

Throughout the design process, continue to hold your intention in your heart as a guide. Instead of beginning with an agenda of how it is going to look, try allowing the intention and perhaps an accompanying sense of joy to illuminate the optimal design. Sometimes I will gather objects that sparkle and call my attention as I walk around my house, or peak through my caches of sacred crystals, feathers, and special goodies I've collected or have been gifted over the years.

Less is sometimes more, especially in creative spaces. If a space is already filled by objects, it can create a cramped feeling and cause tension in response. You may also sense in to your personal comfort levels with empty space.... where emptiness and objects strike the perfect balance for you.

A few more design tips...

Add objects sparingly and see how your body responds to their presence... remove/add as your heart guides you
Colour is powerful... it is its own healing modality. Look up the energetic qualities or sense into how colours make you feel, and apply intentionally to your space
Design to suit your specific purpose... no need to add that old chair you have had for years just because... be focused and scrupulous!
Continue to tweak your space after using it for a while... its like first going into a meditative posture and then realizing your neck is out of alignment... keep listening and intentionally readjusting as necessary. Your space will grow with you.
Protect the boundaries you've set around your space. What are the expectations around how this space is treated? Can anyone pick up your paints, adjust your alter, or burn your incense? Sharing can be fun.... if its the intention
Remember that you deserve it! No apologies for claiming a space to call your own

Now its time to use it!

The more a space is used, the more it magnetizes us to it and enables our creative and spiritual practice. Eventually your sacred, creative space will develop an energy field of its own that will joyfully and effortlessly draw you in, supporting and magnifying all of your efforts.