How to hold a space ? (EcoTrain)

in #lifestyle7 years ago

How to hold a Sacred Space ?

As a holistic teacher, I realized that many students, healers or teachers don’t really know how to hold properly the space. You can learn yoga, or healing, or focalize workshops, it is really rare that you learn practically how to hold space.
So here is a post about it, covering some points that I am used to teach in my workshops.

A sacred space is a safe, functional and clean space where the energies are supportive for everyone to fulfill one clear purpose.
sacred space.jpg
How to hold the Space in a Sacred Way ?

  1. You need to clear the space. It means first a physical clearing, like having a clean space, free from dust, spider webs, dirt. Dust and spider webs have this tendency to keep memories. One of the teaching of the Mayan lineage I work with is about impeccability. The space should be as impeccable as possible. Harmony and Beauty is also important. Any decoration will affect the space, by bringing specific informations to it. So better a zen space, with few decorations than a space overloaded with stuff.
    You also have to clear energetically the space. With smudging for example of herbs or woods or resins. Palo Santo, copal, harmala, sage, frankincense are common in smudging.
    I will soon write a post only about smudging.
    Then you can use some magic to clean the space. Colors, prayers, asking angels, masters, elemental forces to clear the memories, symbols… Every healer have their own way.
    You want to hold a clean space. At all levels.

  2. Then you have to ground the space. To connect it with the Earth. It is really important that the energies that will be released will know where to go. You don’t really want any nasty energy released by someone to go to their neighbor. Grounding the space will allow people in it to be more focused, more grounded, and as well will provide a gateway for the energies to flow.
    It will as well allow fresh energies from the Earth to support the intention of the Space.
    You can visualize a spiral of energy going from the center of the space to the earth, in any direction, to support the grounding energies. You will have beforehand to define what is your space. What landmarks, walls, ceiling, floor you consider to be the boundaries of your space. Its center can be the geometrical center, or the altar, a candle, the fire…
    You can also connect the space to the Sky, to receive guidance from Spirit and Source.

  1. The next step is to own the space. It means to make it yours and to claim your energetic authority. This act enables your intention to prevail on others, if you are the space holder, and to avoid what I call hyperdimensional interference, which is another full subject to be explored.
    You can own the space by visualizing a line going from your heart to each wall or boundary of the space, including ceiling and floor. And Claiming your authority.
    If you don’t claim your authority, anyone coming in the space can disrupt it, by challenging you, by bringing their own shadow or ego games. It’s then really challenging for the teacher.
    You need energetic authority to hold a space. This means either you own the space, or rent it, or have the right to use it for a dedicated amount of time. If you are the focalizer, or the organizer, this right is natural to you. If you share the space, then you need to decide with the other people who will hold the energetic authority.
    This part is so easily forgotten, that I enter rarely a healing or teaching space that is energetically owned.

  2. Then you can set your intention for the space. What is its purpose. This intention will prevail on others as you own the energetic authority. Your intention should be expressed clearly, with positive words, and including all the participants.
    For ex, The purpose of this space is to provide easy, gentle, flowing and quick healing for this or these persons, respecting their free will and spiritual evolution.

  3. Once the intention set, you can invite lots of support.
    • Spirits from the directions, East, South, West, North, underworld, Middle Earth, Upper World.
    • Masters, teachers, gurus.
    • Angels, ascended masters..
    • Elemental forces (Fire, Wind, Earth, Air, Water..
    • Nature spirits (fairies, devas, dragons, and so on..)
    • Spirit guides from all the people of the space
    What is really important is that whoever you invite will serve the purpose of your space, respecting your rules and nothing else. This helps to avoid interference from other agendas than yours.

  4. You can then protect the space. By visualizing shapes, colors, inviting protective energies, presences.
    One of the classic geometries is the Cube that you can color with any color that comes to your awareness when you create the space.
    cube.png
    You can call the blessings and protection from any lineage, or masters.
    This protection will act as a filter to be sure that only the energies supporting your intent will go in.
    Many schools of Healing use symbols, words, mantras, color energies to do this.

  5. Finally, you can close the opening of the space. To seal it. Many people will use the Law of Three.
    Repeating 3 times Om, or Shanti, or So be it. This is like a sealing of your program for the space. Nothing can be added.

These simple steps can be done silently, or aloud in front of the group you gather. It depends of the audience. To express it aloud will clarify for all the people present that you claim your energetic authority. And this helps a lot as a teacher.

There is of course many more tricks to hold space properly, that cannot be shared in such a post.
But these steps work. I am teaching them since many years and they come from my experience of 12 years of teaching workshops.

I remember, as I started to teach, I was challenged so many times by people coming with their ego to show off and put you down. Now this doesn’t happen anymore. And I believe it comes with the support of these guidelines.

I would like to remind you that even if you meditate alone, or do your yoga alone, you should do it in a sacred space. It’s not about how many people are there, it’s about how functional is the space to fulfill your purpose.

I hope these ideas will help you create better environment around you, for your activities and family.

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@omdemian thank-you so much for writing such a detailed article on how to create a sacred space . It helps explain why we need to do it properly. I am glad that you are on board the ecotrain and look forward to all the wealth of knowledge that you will bring to us. I wish you all the best! Again, thank-you!

I just wrote a really long comment, but when tried to post, my internet went out. And then it disappeared. Too bummed to write it all again.
In general, I hope we all feel that this ecoTrain is a safe space for all of us. With or without yoga, sacred energies and smudging :)

I shall certainly try to use these ideas to create a better environment. Very interesting indeed and also powerful practical and spiritual techniques clearly and simply explained. Thank you for sharing of your knowledge and experience.
I'm interested to hear more about Interdimentional interference. That's something I've never heard of, but I bet it's all around and we experience it without even realising.

Soon come.but sensitive subject...I m teaching these days but I will write for sure about it

Thank you om. I look forward to reading it when you feel the time is right to write about it

very nice post. Very clear. Thank you.

Did you become a bot now? 😇

you sound so botic

what are you talking about? I like what he was posting. I also work with sacred space, so I also understand what he is writing about. Whats the point?

If you look at the deshwal post above yours you might understand, but I will never joke with you again, großes Indianerehrenwort.

Well, let go of everything before reading my comments. Thats my suggestion. It´s enough to be clear in the Now, no need to share my story´s up here. I write posts for that. What about you? :-)

I write comments for that ✌

Very nice post, thank you @omdemian.

Very nice post sir 😀
I would say that especially if you meditate or yoga alone it is good to have your sacred space and I think it is also easier to maintain.
During almost 10 years in the Yoga Vidya ashram in Germany, where I sometimes gave yoga classes and lectures to quite big groups, in ever changing rooms I found it quite hard to hold my space under those circumstances. That´s why there I chose to always connect with the altar and the energy of the guru before classes, seeing myself as in instrument and not the doer. So whenever there were some ego clashes with students, and there were quite a few, there are many crazy people in yoga, I managed to stay quite amused and detached and not feel personally attacked, which in everyday life I don´t manage at all. 😇

I am very lucky to have a few healers in my circle of close friends that organise ceremonies at my house and they alway hold the space in a very grateful way. Smudging, setting intentions, inviting spirits and the elements from 6 directions. I believe the ceremony we hold is called the 4 winds, are you familiar with this practice?

Yes friend.i experienced it. I believe it comes from a mix of red path and Mayan curanderos..amazing ..I heard recently a medicine song about it.

nice post sir

Thank you .

Truly amazing article. I've been trying to maintain a viby place of my own and it does make a huge difference really.

Thanks for sharing this will truly give me a helping hand :)

Another beautiful post, thank you Demian.