The essentials for creating a sacred space, plus 12 key tips for making it 'divine'

Envisage a place that exists just for you; one that makes you feel safe every time you go there.  

Imagine that this place is filled with the heady aroma of your favorite flower, or perhaps a calming essential oil wafts from a diffuser in the corner.

Picture yourself looking around that space, and notice that every item you look at or touch evokes comfort, abundance and strength, and serves as a reminder of how loved you are.

Welcome to the divinely inspired haven that is your very own Sacred Space.

Read on for ideas on how to select, prepare, decorate and dedicate a Sacred Space just for you – a sanctuary at home where you can pray, meditate, journal, read or simply visualize your best life without interruption.  

What is a Sacred Space and what makes it sacred?

A sacred space is a defined area entirely dedicated to spiritually focused endeavours, whether it be used for meditation, prayer, journaling, reading, creative visualisation or another form of spiritual practice.

A sacred space can be a whole room or just a corner, a quiet area in a garden, a desk or even a space within a cupboard.

It is not the size of the space or what is in it that deems an area to be sacred, but rather, it is the intention behind the space and how you treat it that makes it so.

If you approach or intend and treat your sacred space as sacred, it will indeed be so.

A sacred space doesn’t need spiritual icons or objects in it per se, but these items do heighten the spiritual energy of the space if you regard them to be spiritual.

Your sacred space simply needs to make you feel calm, connected to spirit, relaxed and focused, and any element you choose to include within that space should support that goal.

Selecting the right spot for your Sacred Space

A single room dedicated to spiritual practice is not possible for most of us (hello, does ‘3 bedroom house for mum of 3 kids’ sound familiar?).

If that sounds like you and space is an issue in your home, then think about dedicating an area or corner of a room, or even using part of the garden or patio.

Your Sacred Space should ideally:

• Have access to sunlight;
• Be ‘airy’ and not stuffy;
• Be private enough for you to be uninterrupted.

The solution for Sacred Spaces in small (even tiny) homes

If even a dedicated corner of a room is not feasible, you could share your sacred space with the dining table or what-have-you by creating a ‘portable’ or ‘packable’ sacred space.

After you’ve identified the elements you will use in your sacred space just place them in a storage box or basket. That way you can easily set up and pack away once your spiritual practice is completed.

 

Don’t worry about the fact this area is multi-functional: simply clean the area before setting up your sacred space, and do some sort of ritual to dedicate the space to spiritual at the beginning of each use.

For example, you might light a candle and offer a prayer of thanks “for the opportunity to connect with Spirit today in this manner”.

Preparing your Sacred Space

Once you have identified where your sacred space will be it is time to declutter, clean and purify.

Not only do you need to do this for the sacred space itself but for the entire room, patio or yard where the sacred space is situated.

Maintaining the energy of your Sacred Space

Even when you aren’t using your Sacred Space it’s a good idea to keep good energy flowing around the area.

Clean air is a must. We all know how unpleasant a stuffy, stagnant room can be so make sure you have clean, fresh air circulating in your sacred space.

Besides from the obvious remedy of opening a window for fresh air, you could also add indoor plants or even invest in a Himalayan salt lamp.

Three essentials every sacred space should have

There are three elements I believe every sacred space should have and these are:

• pleasant lighting
• lovely fragrance
• beautiful sounds

Why? Because they are three sensory attributes of the angelic realm. It is said when those three elements occur together, Angels are nearby!

Whether you believe in Angels or not, a space containing these three elements will lift the vibration around you and the power of your spiritual work. Perhaps, they may also give a sign to the Angels that you are inviting them to work with you.

And finally...

Don’t be afraid to change, add or re-do elements in your sacred space if you start to feel stagnant in your spiritual practice. The purpose of your sacred space is to support your spiritual practice, so if it feels good... it’s good!

Top 12 Tips for Making Your Sacred Space Divine

Tip #1: Declutter

From a metaphysical standpoint, getting rid of our ‘junk’ triggers the Universal Law of Compensation, which means in place of the junk it’s Divine (ideal) replacement is received.

Also, any item that does not lift your energy is by definition an energy drain, so get rid of the things that are unattractive, unusable, has no sentimental value or brings bad memories to your mind.

Tip #2: Clean

Dirty rooms tend to create a heavy and dull mood (energy), so dust, wash and wipe down the surfaces thoroughly.

If possible, use natural products and don’t forget about the windows, floors and all soft furnishings such as pillows and blankets.

Tip #3: Purify

Purifying a room means cleaning it on an ‘energetic’ level. You could say it means clearing out any negative vibes, which is exactly what you want to do for a Sacred Space.

A popular method of energetic purification is the native American tradition of smudging with sage.

Smudging is a ritual burning of herbs of which the smoke energetically cleanses and purifies the space.

Check out Basking In Light's range of purification tools here.

You could also walk around the room or area with a lit candle and bless each corner as well as the sacred space itself; this is the method I use whenever I move into a new home or feel the energy remnants of a room need cleaning out. 

Tip #4: Add indoor plants to help purify the air

Some indoor plants especially good at filtering air are aloe vera, spider plants, gerberas, mother-in-law’s tongue, peace lillies (my favourite).

Tip #5: Invest in a Himalayan Salt Lamp

Yes, they are from the Himalayas and yes, they are made from salt, but these softly glowing lamps are more than just exotic lights!

Because salt attracts water, Himalayan Salt Lamps will reduce moisture in the air as well as dust, pollen and other impurities. They are great for allergy and asthma sufferers.

What’s more, Himalayan Salt Lamps emit negative ions which not only neutralises electromagnetic radiation but scientific studies have associated them with lowering depression.

Tip #6: Keep a symbolic spiritual item on display

Keeping a symbolic item on show in your sacred space (whether in use or not) will remind you of the moments you use it.

A spiritual item also announces that ‘this space has a spiritual identity’. How subtle you want that announcement to be is entirely up to you.

Some suggestions could be spiritual wall art, an angel figurine, a Bible or other spiritual texts, printed spiritual quotes or prayers.

Tip #7: Let there be light... lots of light!

 

For lighting a sacred space, candles are always lovely. Double points if your candles are nice to look at and smell divine. 

If you are lucky enough to have a window in your sacred space, you could hang a feng shui friendly sun catcher.

Tip #8: Make it fragrant

• Embrace essential oils. Make sure you go for all natural oils and preferably even organic;
• Light some scented candles;
• Burn exotic handrolled incense;
• Even use fresh flowers for a scent that you find blissful.

Tip #9: Use sound & music for extra positive energy

One of my favourite items in my sacred space is my Tibetan Singing Bowl. The first time I had it played for me I was surprised to find myself on the verge of tears – the sound seemed to reach right into my soul.

 

Other good options for pleasant sound could be an indoor water feature or playing soft music.

Tip #10: Make it comfortable

You don’t have to suffer through meditation with a sore back or feeling the cold, so why not:

• Sit in a comfortable armchair;
• Have a soft and cosy blanket;
• Use a meditation cushion;

• Grab a pair of good quality wireless headphones if you like listening to Guided Meditations.

Tip #11: Make journaling or spiritual study a special time

Journaling is such a powerful exercise for reflection and manifesting, so it’s worth getting a notebook that you love, and using a glamorous pen. 

Tip #12: Don’t forget about colour

Colour can definitely impact your mood and energy so choose them wisely. 

In my own sacred space, I use white furnishings and candles, whilst the colour comes from my spiritual tools (many crystals and a red tibetan singing bowl).

But I’ve seen some gorgeous sacred spaces with all the chakra symbols and colours on display, plus multi coloured rugs and meditation cushions.

 

 

Click here to download our printable 12-Point Checklist: Creating a Sacred Space at Home

About the Author

Kate Barton is a lightworker, spiritual intuitive and proud owner of Basking In Light and BachFlowerEssences.com.au. Both businesses bring mindfulness and wellbeing products from across the globe into the homes of every day Australians. When she isn't working with her online communities Kate reads metaphysical subjects and spends time outdoors with her family.