Seeking Sanctuary

By Carter Hammett

When Ken Seaton finally reached the top of that pyramid in Teotihuacan, Mexico, something strange happened — he felt at peace. Despite the chronic and acute back pain that Seaton had experienced ever since a workplace accident caused mobility problems years earlier, he made the arduous 30-minute climb up the uneven steps and, for the first time in years, realized that he felt no pain.

“It was mind-blowing,” Seaton says excitedly, recalling the day he made the journey to the pyramid 60 kilometres northeast of Mexico City. “I almost felt lifted by unseen forces. I wasn’t tired or in pain, and I experienced such a sense of wellness, I can’t even begin to describe it.” He adds that Teotihuacan is known as the place “where man becomes God,” a belief that evolved out of local and ancient Toltec mythology.

Seaton is one of countless people who journey to sacred and symbolic places around the world in search of peace, answers to profound questions or a connection to a power greater than themselves. For millennia, pilgrims of all faiths and cultures have journeyed to sacred sites and places of worship, such as Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, the pyramids of Egypt, Mecca in Saudi Arabia or Stonehenge in England, often travelling thousands of kilometres. The lure of these scattered places is the belief that they hold spiritual power or energy, and that visitors can be transformed or healed by it. The outward journey to a sacred place mirrors the inward journey to the divine.

Sacred architecture can be a link between the earth and the spirit, providing a focus for nurturing the soul and healing the self. In a world that seems to move faster and get more complicated every day, these sanctuaries offer opportunities for respite, resolution and reflection.

Road to Spiritual Riches

Spiritual yearning drove Chrystalla Chew to make an 800-kilometre pilgrimage to Spain. Chew, who lives with learning disabilities, is a soft-spoken former recruiter who left the corporate world a decade ago to pursue a more spiritual existence. In 2000, she followed the route famously known as El Camino, which is said to trace the path of The Milky Way and reflect the energy of the stars above it. She walked from the Pyrenees in France to Santiago de Compostela Camino in the western reaches of Galicia, a journey that took 41 days.

El Camino has attracted pilgrims from all over the world, many of whom are not affiliated with any particular religion, but seek a spiritual connection all the same. It is believed that after the death of Christ, his disciples scattered throughout the globe to spread the gospel. James is said to have gone to Spain, later returning to Jerusalem, where he was beheaded by Herod. His body was returned to Spain and entombed in a hillside near Santiago de Compostela, where he rested for 750 years. In the ninth century, a hermit had a vision of a unique star arrangement over a deserted spot in the hills. James’s remains were rediscovered, and King Alfonso II declared him the patron saint of Spain. A church was built over the tomb in James’s honour. A town grew around the church, and it became a pilgrimage centre.

At the height of El Camino’s popularity in the eleventh century, over half a million pilgrims are said to have completed the journey. In recent years the pilgrimage has made a comeback, bolstered by the 1989 visit of Pope John Paul II and The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit, actress Shirley MacLaine’s book about her pilgrimage in the mid-1990s.

Chew’s journey gave her a chance to reflect on her place in the world. “I felt a sense of real humility knowing so many had stood where I was standing: The Pope, St. Francis of Assisi…I felt my greatness and smallness and connection to humanity. So many had walked before me. I was such a small dot in the great scheme of things; I felt such gratitude,” says Chew, who is also a reiki master and co-founder of The Amethyst Reiki Centre in Hastings, Ontario. The experience was so fulfilling that, at press time, Chew had embarked on another pilgrimage, one that will take her through China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

Toronto resident Manjusri Welikala, who has been blind since age 14, was deeply moved by his pilgrimage to the temple Kataragama in his native Sri Lanka. The temple is visited by thousands of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims annually.

“The temple is the residence of the six-faced Skanda, supreme commander of the gods and epitome of knowledge,” says Welikala. He had visited the temple many times, but says it became more meaningful after he became blind. “It’s different when you’re blind. For me, I have to have the feeling of something bigger or better than what we see. Because of my disability, this takes on added significance. Vision for me is sound. Even in meditation, there is a mantra repeated over in my mind. The vibrations of the place need to feel good.” Welikala, who has also undertaken journeys to sites in the United States and Canada, enjoys hearing the stories and history of each place he visits, as they create context for his own experiences.

Barriers on the Path

Accessibility can be a problem at ancient sites. “Most temples have steps that make it difficult for people using wheelchairs,” says Welikala. “Temples don’t go the extra mile to welcome people with disabilities. I feel that Eastern places are not all that willing to accommodate, either. They expect you to bring someone with you. In Canada, though, I find they are more accommodating.”

Many places of worship offer outdoor pathways called labyrinths, which are accessible. Intended for meditation, the patterns of many labyrinths are modelled on spirals from nature, and their designs date back as far as 4,000 years. Many cultures have labyrinth-like symbols. In First Nations communities, it is called the Medicine Wheel. The Celts call it The Never Ending Circle. Mystical Judaism refers to it as the Kabbalah. One of the most famous is within the cathedral in Chartres, France.

Labyrinths can be used to calm the mind and find balance. They are open to all people as an accessible, non-denominational tool of the spirit and can be found in medical centres, parks, churches, schools, prisons and even in people’s backyards.

Labyrinths are not mazes. They follow a single path that winds to the centre. Once you reach it, you turn around and go back. The path, in full view, allows a participant to focus internally. There are many ways to approach a labyrinth, but it is often viewed in three stages: releasing tension and worry on the way in, being receptive and meditative in the centre, and returning to the world with new insight.

Homing Instinct

Since accessing ancient sites can be difficult and costly, it’s important to find or create sacred places closer to home. In doing so, we establish a place to nurture the soul, honour ourselves and create a place for renewal and ritual. This is especially necessary if access to sites in the outside world is limited, challenging and frustrating.

As many people do, Chrystalla Chew once believed that only churches or nature could offer spiritual experiences. Now, she knows that you don’t have to travel far or spend a lot of money to find meaningful places. “A sacred space can be anywhere,” says Chew. She adds that even the busy corner of Yonge and Dundas Streets in Toronto’s downtown core can be a sacred space. “It is where we take our attitude and vibration that brings that sacredness out.”

Ken Seaton and Manjusri Welikala enjoy travelling, but they also cultivate private sanctuaries in their own homes. Seaton has a special chair that keeps him centred, and he has scattered crystals throughout his apartment for their positive energy. And, although Welikala can’t see his surroundings, he takes great care to create an aesthetically pleasing space. “Where you live has to be sacred. I associate where I live as a part of me, so I keep it clean, take off my shoes. I fill my space with pictures, plants, convenience.”

When planning your own space, keep it simple. You can create an altar in any room of your home and fill it with simple, meaningful things, such as family photos, feathers, stones, candles, beads and plants. Include religious items if they hold meaning for you. All of these objects invite and celebrate the spiritual part of ourselves. They also provide focus and stimulate sensations and memories. A water-smoothed stone once found on a beach can instantly bring back a connection with nature, for example. Once established, sensorial facilitators like music and burning incense can intensify the experience.

You can also create your space outdoors, in your garden or backyard. Fill it with flowers and herbs that have relaxing, soothing scents. Try meditation or yoga. Experiment with the Chinese art of feng shui or its Indian counterpart, Vaastu. Both of these philosophies aim to increase harmony in living spaces by strategically arranging objects or designing architecture to improve the flow of energy (chi in Chinese and prana in Sanskrit). These arts have become popular in North America in recent years – corporations even hire feng shui experts to optimize the energy flow in their offices.

What’s most important about creating your sacred space however, is the intent behind it. Do you wish the space to be a respite from a harsh, external world? A place to meditate, breathe and reconnect with yourself and your body? A place to worship a deity? There is no single “right” way to cultivate and use a sacred space. Knowledge of rituals is helpful, but not essential. The most important thing is what it means to you.

Sacred spaces are a reflection of desire to live life more mindfully, to explore things and ideas that we find meaningful, and honour our place in the world. The geography of that place is vast, of course, because the ultimate journey we embark on is the one that starts within.

Toronto freelance writer Carter Hammett is co-author of a new book, Benchmarking: A Guide to Hiring and Managing Persons with Learning Disabilities (ALDER).

STARTING YOUR JOURNEY

There are literally thousands of books and web resources available to help you research sacred spaces or learn to create your own. Here are just a few.

SURF

Awakenings
www.lessons4living.com

Pilgrim’s Progress
www.pilgrimsprogress.org.uk

The Oneness Commitment
www.experiencefestival.com

World of Feng Shui
www.wofs.com

READ

The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life by Thomas Moore (HarperCollins, ISBN: 0060928247) Also available in large print.

Altars Made Easy: A Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Sacred Space by Peg Streep (Harper San Francisco, ISBN: 0062514903)

The Power of Vastu Living: Welcoming Your Soul into Your Home and Workplace by Kathleen Cox (Atria Publishing, ISBN: 0743424077)