Creating sacred places in the midst of insanity
One of the Ted Talks to which I listened this morning was just what the doctor ordered. I tend to feel disoriented and to question my sanity after reading much of the morning news. For example:
· One of the greatest problems human face is the enormous increase in population.
· There is great concern that some Europeans in France, England and some other countries are not having many children. It is feared that the economic base is in danger.
· The world is in more danger because North Korea continues to move forward with the development of a nuclear weapons.
· The President of the United States is committed or has said he is committed to updating and increasing the nuclear arsenal of the United States.
· Murder even if one feels justified is wrong.
· Arkansas is attempting to carry out the execution of ten individuals.
· Addiction is a disease and should be treated not criminalized.
· If an addict acts like an addict and uses whatever means is available in an attempt to satisfy one’s addictive cravings, then one is a criminal and not ill.
I could go on and on with this list. No wonder most of us feel a bit crazy. Yet, in the midst of all this disharmony, we are using our creative talent to create sacred places of harmony. The place which I volunteer my counseling services is called Miracles Happen and is committed to being a sacred place. Calling it a sacred place does not mean that all the behavior in that place contributes to that goal, but the baseline commitment to which the staff constantly return is creating a sacred place. Growth of any sort requires a willingness to always return to the primary goal and is not measured by the extent to which we succeed on any one day or hour.
The Ted Talk to which I was earlier referring is by Siamak Hariri and is entitled “How do you build a sacred place?” In this talk, Mr. Hariri takes one through the process of designing the Bahäi Temple of South America. Mr. Hariri says that the instructions for the design included these: “And the brief was deceptively simple and unique in the annals of religion: a circular room, nine sides, nine entrances, nine paths, allowing you to come to the temple from all directions, nine symbolizing completeness, perfection. No pulpit, no sermons, as there are no clergy in the Bahá'í faith. And in a world which is putting up walls, the design needed to express in form the very opposite. It had to be open, welcoming to people of all faiths, walks of life, backgrounds, or no faith at all; a new form of sacred space with no pattern or models to draw from.”
He also states he was further inspired by:
“I stumbled across this beautiful quote from the Bahá'í writings, and it speaks to prayer. It says that if you reach out in prayer, and if your prayer is answered — which is already very interesting — that the pillars of your heart will become ashine.”
Most of us do not have 30 million dollars plus to create a sacred temple which was eventually designed and built in South America. I believe, however, that if one reaches out in prayer and the prayer is humble, sincere and includes all of human kind, the sacred emulates from one’s heart and gradually encompasses all that one touches. I love the fact that such a temple as Hr. Hariri describes exists and that our human creativity can bring together such materials as steel and borosilicate glass among others to create such a structure which becomes a symbol for all the qualities which make a place sacred. Yet, such a temple is not necessary to create a sacred place.
Often when I am reading or listening to the news I am not, as I indicated earlier, feeling as if there is any hope for sanity much less sacredness for us humans. We make no sense. Yet, in the midst of our craziness we create such temples and such places as Miracles Happen. In the midst of all of our fear of embracing our own humanness and that of all others we allow our hearts to open thus creating a virtual temple which is a sacred space.
To me prayer is simply the wiliness to open to that embrace. While I love the symbols of that openness which we can create in buildings, other spaces, with clay, paint, dance and music I can also put down the newspaper, quit trying to make sense of what does not make sense and open my heart. When that prayer of opening is sincere – when I am ready – my prayer will always be answered and I will find myself in a sacred place.
Wise men and women frequently remind us that we need to quit complicating the process of spiritual growth. Some simply say with love, “Keep it simple stupid.” They also remind us that simple frequently does not equate with easy. We are used to complicating our prayer. We are used to blaming other people, places or things for not having a sacred place. Yet it is, I believe, as simple as opening our hearts. When we focus on that we are not bothered by the insanity of which we humans are also extremely capable.
Written April 20, 2017
One of the Ted Talks to which I listened this morning was just what the doctor ordered. I tend to feel disoriented and to question my sanity after reading much of the morning news. For example:
· One of the greatest problems human face is the enormous increase in population.
· There is great concern that some Europeans in France, England and some other countries are not having many children. It is feared that the economic base is in danger.
· The world is in more danger because North Korea continues to move forward with the development of a nuclear weapons.
· The President of the United States is committed or has said he is committed to updating and increasing the nuclear arsenal of the United States.
· Murder even if one feels justified is wrong.
· Arkansas is attempting to carry out the execution of ten individuals.
· Addiction is a disease and should be treated not criminalized.
· If an addict acts like an addict and uses whatever means is available in an attempt to satisfy one’s addictive cravings, then one is a criminal and not ill.
I could go on and on with this list. No wonder most of us feel a bit crazy. Yet, in the midst of all this disharmony, we are using our creative talent to create sacred places of harmony. The place which I volunteer my counseling services is called Miracles Happen and is committed to being a sacred place. Calling it a sacred place does not mean that all the behavior in that place contributes to that goal, but the baseline commitment to which the staff constantly return is creating a sacred place. Growth of any sort requires a willingness to always return to the primary goal and is not measured by the extent to which we succeed on any one day or hour.
The Ted Talk to which I was earlier referring is by Siamak Hariri and is entitled “How do you build a sacred place?” In this talk, Mr. Hariri takes one through the process of designing the Bahäi Temple of South America. Mr. Hariri says that the instructions for the design included these: “And the brief was deceptively simple and unique in the annals of religion: a circular room, nine sides, nine entrances, nine paths, allowing you to come to the temple from all directions, nine symbolizing completeness, perfection. No pulpit, no sermons, as there are no clergy in the Bahá'í faith. And in a world which is putting up walls, the design needed to express in form the very opposite. It had to be open, welcoming to people of all faiths, walks of life, backgrounds, or no faith at all; a new form of sacred space with no pattern or models to draw from.”
He also states he was further inspired by:
“I stumbled across this beautiful quote from the Bahá'í writings, and it speaks to prayer. It says that if you reach out in prayer, and if your prayer is answered — which is already very interesting — that the pillars of your heart will become ashine.”
Most of us do not have 30 million dollars plus to create a sacred temple which was eventually designed and built in South America. I believe, however, that if one reaches out in prayer and the prayer is humble, sincere and includes all of human kind, the sacred emulates from one’s heart and gradually encompasses all that one touches. I love the fact that such a temple as Hr. Hariri describes exists and that our human creativity can bring together such materials as steel and borosilicate glass among others to create such a structure which becomes a symbol for all the qualities which make a place sacred. Yet, such a temple is not necessary to create a sacred place.
Often when I am reading or listening to the news I am not, as I indicated earlier, feeling as if there is any hope for sanity much less sacredness for us humans. We make no sense. Yet, in the midst of our craziness we create such temples and such places as Miracles Happen. In the midst of all of our fear of embracing our own humanness and that of all others we allow our hearts to open thus creating a virtual temple which is a sacred space.
To me prayer is simply the wiliness to open to that embrace. While I love the symbols of that openness which we can create in buildings, other spaces, with clay, paint, dance and music I can also put down the newspaper, quit trying to make sense of what does not make sense and open my heart. When that prayer of opening is sincere – when I am ready – my prayer will always be answered and I will find myself in a sacred place.
Wise men and women frequently remind us that we need to quit complicating the process of spiritual growth. Some simply say with love, “Keep it simple stupid.” They also remind us that simple frequently does not equate with easy. We are used to complicating our prayer. We are used to blaming other people, places or things for not having a sacred place. Yet it is, I believe, as simple as opening our hearts. When we focus on that we are not bothered by the insanity of which we humans are also extremely capable.
Written April 20, 2017
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