There’s a word that calls to us, even when it’s not spoken. It resonates through the stories we tell, the journeys we take, and the moments that refuse to fade, no matter the passage of time. That word is sacred.
But what does it mean for something to be sacred? For me, sacredness is not a claim made lightly. It is what stands firm under scrutiny, untouched by doubt, impervious to decay. It is what echoes with a timeless truth, a resonance that says, “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.” I came across this phrase, in the book A Course in Miracles by Helen Schucman which was recommended to me many years ago by a good friend of mine. Later in life, I heard it spoken again by Jay-Z. For me, it captures the essence of what sacredness truly means. It suggests that what is sacred is not merely resistant to doubt, but exists in a realm beyond it — where it cannot be shaken.
To understand the sacred is to acknowledge that some truths do not shift; they are anchors in a world where so much is transient. Sacredness, in its essence, is about what endures — the immutable foundation that holds up under all the questions, all the doubts, all the searching. It does not need defending because it simply is. It exists beyond the realm of argument or persuasion; it stands, even when everything else falls.
Sacredness can be found in many places. It is present in the stillness of a forest, where every leaf and breath of wind holds the memory of ancient cycles. It is found in the whispered prayers of hope, spoken in the quiet solitude of dawn when the world feels both fragile and infinite. The sacred reveals itself in the smallest of moments — the knowing look between friends that needs no words, the way the sea meets the shore with a timeless rhythm, or the first heartbeat heard in an ultrasound room. It is not limited to moments of grandeur; it can be as subtle as the act of listening deeply, being fully present in the life around us.
Sacredness is also experienced in communal acts — a shared meal that nurtures both body and spirit, the ritual of lighting a candle for remembrance, or the coming together of voices in song or silence. These moments remind us of connection, of the threads that weave us into the fabric of life and into each other’s stories. In ceremony, the sacred is held in the spaces where transitions occur: the guiding hand of a midwife welcoming life into the world or the presence of an usher leading us into new unions and shared journeys. These figures represent the sacred nature of witnessing and facilitating life’s pivotal moments — acts that embody the bridge between potential and reality, solitude and community.
In essence, the sacred holds its own in both the vast and the intimate, the eternal and the fleeting. It invites us to pause, to hold space for what lies beyond the ordinary. It calls us to discern what is real and cherish it, knowing that in the light of that truth, there is peace.
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