Introduction: Connecting with The Sacred

Sunrise at Temple of Hatshepsut, Egypt

1. The Universal Longing for the Sacred 

Human beings have celebrated the sacred throughout history. Although the form, the myths and stories, the Gods and Goddesses, the rituals change, the holy longing for connection with spiritual forces, with energies more powerful and meaningful than our own lives, do not. This holy longing and reverence for an all-knowing, powerful, loving energy and “Being” is not mere projection and wishful thinking, although that may be some human ingredient, and hope also - for protection, sustenance, guidance, healing, empowerment. It is the experience, the faith and wisdom, and the useful guidance, both practical and wise, that come from the experience that keep religions and spirituality in all their many forms and practices alive, transforming, sustaining through the ages.   

2. Imagination: Engaging with Ancient & Modern Spiritual Traditions 

It may take some imagination to respect, understand, and participate in ancient festivals, stories, and rituals foreign to our modern lives and cultures. Some modern cultures have maintained the transpersonal and transcendent aspects of their religion and spirituality throughout long periods of time or adapted to differing cultural and political power structures and beliefs. 

Hinduism is a key example of this and the modern naming of its ancient sacred beliefs and practices as Hinduism is very recent. Indigenous cultures that have maintained their sacred and spiritual relationships, beliefs, and practices have been found through anthropological studies to share common ingredients, practices, rituals, and beliefs in the sacred which underpin humanity’s desire and knowledge of connection with the Divine.  

Mircea Eliade was a key 20thC anthropologist, researcher, and writer on indigenous sacred spiritual and shamanic practices. William James similarly gave important religious lectures, complied into the groundbreaking book, The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, published in 1902, discussing private religious and mystical experiences and commonalities across different religious traditions. 

Philae at sunrise Egypt

3. Entering the Imaginal Worlds 

Learning and experiencing different cultures, beliefs, myths and rituals may help you step from your current beliefs into other worlds and other experiences you could not imagine. This process may ask you to drop some of your left-brain rational thinking and allow yourself to open your senses and your heart to be swept away, not into fantasy, but into what is called the imaginal worlds, where a sense of expansion, of unity with nature, with our world, where beauty opens the heart, and where unexpected connections may arise. Visions and the numinous, the mystical, creating feelings of awe, bliss, wonder, and expansion, of leaving your body and floating away, or contact with the departed are all possible. 

4. Expanding Consciousness Through Cultural Exploration 

Add in, that during these numinous, mystical, heightened sensualities and expanded states of consciousness - the Goddess may appear. Or the Gods. It is not necessarily up to us to know who will speak best to us and for us. We must trust, let go of some of our rational doubts, and be prepared to be surprised. It is a leap of faith. But if you are so honoured to receive a visitation from the Spirits and you feel it, see it, hear it, or know its presence and the effect on you - if being kind, loving, and helpful, and not maleficent, you will understand why these ancient spiritual practices of Shamanism, Dreaming, Soul-work and Egyptian Goddess Festivals were honoured as sacred for so many thousands of years. 

5. Nature as a Gateway to the Sacred 

Remember a time in nature where you felt completely in awe by the beauty, the peace, the sweetness, or the power. These experiences help open you up to the unity of consciousness where the numinous touches you and your boundaries dissolve. The stars at night, the sunset or sunrise, the songs of birds, the wind through the trees, the quiet purity and clarity of a river, or the immense power of the ocean can all move us beyond ourselves. Beauty, love, joy, harmony, peace, and freedom.  

These are all qualities we use as metaphors for mystical experiences, mystery of unknown origins and rationality, but which we all desire and long for. We know they elevate and heighten our mind, body and spirit. Often, it is simply semantics and words we are unfamiliar with as labels, but we feel them, and we feel more alive. We trust our feelings and our experiences, and we are touched – by Spirit, by Soul, by an Energy and a Unity that stays with us and changes us. We remember and seek more. We open ourselves up to The Divine or a larger Consciousness – again whatever words or terms you identify with. Indigenous cultures use Great Spirit of The Divine.  

Each spirituality has its own Cosmology or myth of creation with different Gods, or Beings, that are from the Universe or Cosmos that explain the origins of Life, the processes and beliefs concerning Death and the Afterlife, the subject of good and evil, and rules or myths for living a “Good Life.” Further myths illustrate different scenarios around the challenges of Life with morals and lessons for guidance. Good stories become memorable, and the role of the Shaman was to be a good storyteller for his community. Stories are healing. It is through the good stories in all spiritual traditions that the wisdom was passed down through the ages, along with the rituals forming a container for the “Divine Energies” contained within the words and actions. 

Mt Robson, Canada on the Equinox

6. The Power of Words, Ritual, and Intention 

Egyptians believed that “words are things.” That thought forms became manifested -both good and bad. This developed into specialized practices of the art of writing – hieroglyphs – and the word heka which means “magic” through the divine power of the word, the ritual, and the intention. Priests were instructed in the art of hieroglyphic writing as a specialized divine role. Normandi Ellis’s book, Hieroglyphic Words of Power reveals that hieroglyphics were used as “magical” tools, that is as powerful tools to manifest ideas in the material world. Ellis explains how the power and magic of words operate on many levels, creating multiple realities and connections with Consciousness and the Divine, depending on the utterance, the timing of the utterances, and of being filled with intention. The artwork of the hieroglyphic writing was also as powerful, especially when imbued with precious stones, raising the beauty and vibration of the intention and product. 

The Bible also states the power of “The Word” with the verse, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. Mantras in Hinduism and Buddhism are created on the same premises of sacredness. The Om is known widely for its connection of sound and vibration back to Source. All religions and spiritualities are based on these beliefs of the power of The Word: Prayers, Invocations, Hymns, Songs, and the use of our voices and instruments bring together the sacred understanding of the power of sound, of vibration, of energy, of words, and of intention.  

7. Personal Practice and Transformation 

We imbue our own sacred objects, our own prayers, invocations, gratitude, and celebration of the sacredness of life. As we open our hearts we find more sacredness, more love, compassion, joy, harmony, peace, kindness, and healing. Practice becomes part of our lives because we long for this holiness and wholeness.   

8.  Relationships as the Foundation of Wholeness 

Gradually, we recognize more of these personal experiences in our lives, and we start building a new perspective and framework to give us more meaning, more heightened experiences, and more love. We re-evaluate the values we live by - our purpose and place in this world, and in the Afterlife. Ultimately our Weltanschauung or World View becomes comprised of our relationships: our relationship with Nature, our relationship with Others, our relationship with Spirit, and our relationship with Ourselves. It does include other philosophical categories, but as a whole and balanced human being, these four relationships form a comprehensive and solid foundation for our expansion, growth, and Self-Actualization.  

9. Author’s Background and Purpose 

From my background in both Religious Studies, Psychology and Counselling, and experiential training in varied cultural and spiritual traditions including Shamanism and Egyptian Goddess traditions, I bring you my writings to share how I have changed, learned, grown, and expanded in all areas of the Biopsychosocial-Spiritual aspects.  

10. Invitation to Explore and Dream 

Throughout this website I share my experiences with you, and I hope they encourage and inspire you to seek out your own powers of divinity, intuition, creativity, dreaming and magic; and especially love and joy, beauty, harmony and peace that are within you and our world when we give ourselves the permission to dream, to open to imaginal worlds, and to expect the unexpected. 

11. Invitation and Closing Reflection 

Life rhymes and speaks in synchronicity,  

in coincidence, and serendipity  

If you pay attention! 

 

Life will return to you unexpected treasures of delight 

If you seek, look, and listen 

And feel with an open Heart!  

 

Life Loves you! 

Love Life 

Live Life 

Live Free! 

Drumming on the West Coast of Ireland over the Atlantic on Solstice