Our lives are sacred text
For thousands of years people have gathered around ancient stories in holy books to seek out the way, and the truth, and abundant life. Opening the text and revealing its Word is done with reverence — with careful hands, open hearts and clear minds. We lean in to listen, as if for the first time, in hopes that Mystery will wake us to our core, illuminating something not yet seen, not yet understood, not yet felt.
Making the unknown known
in our flesh and bones
is the act of creation,
the birth of holy meets human.
Heaven on earth.
Aliveness embodied.
Awakening realized.
Today, in less religious times, we go searching for this divine inspiration in literature, memoirs, podcasts, memes and Instagram influencers.
Searching and seeking wherever and however we can is as important as breath to those heart-wired for spiritual quests. Growing up, my family held little interest in God. I however was mesmerized. At six years-old I asked my father if I could go to church because apparently that’s where God lived. Dad obliged. The next Sunday, he dropped me off at the front doors of the local Presbyterian church. The doors were huge, I remember. Majestic. Like a divine threshold leading me to a magical place full of awe, beauty and a connection to something bigger than myself. Life at home was heavy, and my soul sought the light.
Perhaps this is where it begins for many of us —
the looking outside ourselves for the Sacred that lives within.
In childhood, in churches, in a culture that forgets
we’ve had the power, the wisdom, the magic all along.
There is no place we can go where Spirit is not.
Yet too often we neglect to search in the place nearest us — ourselves.
This is not to say we don’t need each other (and Instagram influencers) to see ourselves and the world more clearly, especially the best parts of ourselves, especially as women.
It’s to say, you are a one-of-a-kind wonder.
The keeper, curator, midwife to a unique unfolding of the universe.
You are your very own sacred story written in the stars longing to be sung in this life, in this time.
And so. What if? What if we gathered around our own stories as if they too were sacred? As if Spirit still speaks to us, through us, as us. What if your every thought, every feeling, every experience was held as holy? As something worth honoring.
What if you knew your fear, your shame, your rage, your sadness, your regrets were not feelings to be hidden and ignored, but clues to the answers you seek? What if the internal chatter, the inner critic is actually a guide leading you to your deepest wounds and greatest wisdom? What if you opened the sacred text of your life with careful hands, an open heart and clear mind? What if you courageously leaned in to listen, as if for the first time, in anticipation that Mystery will wake you to your core, illuminating something not yet seen, not yet understood, not yet felt?
What if your life with all its brokenness and beauty is actually a masterpiece? A sacred text, awaiting your gaze.
SACRED GAZING
At its best, spiritual coaching is the practice of sacred gazing. That is to learn how to look upon your life through sacred eyes. To study your life like you would any sacred text. To treat every word you speak, every story you create, every character you embody, as if there awaits a hidden wound to heal, a lost jewel pining to shine, a timeless wisdom ready to send you on your way. Meaning, values and purpose for which to stand.
Another way to think of spiritual coaching is learning how to be. Our work together is less about what you will accomplish or achieve or how to make your life better; instead, it’s about how to be in better relationship with yourself, and more attuned with your intuition and internal life. When you understand the heart of your sacred text, you are far more equipped and empowered to make choices aligned with your values and divine center.
It’s important to note that Sacred gazing is not spiritual bypassing (meaning: to avoid, suppress, escape unresolved emotional issues). In fact, it’s facing head on the hard, hurting, beautiful parts of your life with courage, curiosity and compassion. It requires the grit of a warrior and the grace of a saint (and you’ve got both). And a companion who will not leave your side.
A companion: that’s my job, and my absolute joy. Available for individual coaching and public speaking.