As someone who was once a real-estate agent and Feng Shui consultant, I’m always fascinated when I get to enter a home that I’ve never been in before. Even if you’ve known someone for years, seeing their space for the first time is like getting to see a whole new side to them. I love noticing the art they showcase, the trinkets they’ve brought back from travels and the unique sense of style they’ve tapped into to create this place that their soul can call home. Our homes are a reflection of our spirit. That’s why I’m shocked at how many homes I see where the residents have decorated each room to a tee, but haven’t designated a single spot in the home to only their spirit. A sacred space may not appear on traditional blueprints, but having a place where you can go to connect with yourself and the Earth is as crucial as any other room in your home.

Creating a sacred space will also help to enhance and support any healing therapies such as meditation, yoga, journaling, and the like. It’s common knowledge that interior design can affect your mood and well-being. As Coco Chanel once said, “An interior is the natural projection of the soul.” While it doesn’t hurt if the decor and furnishings are beautiful and striking, the most important aspect of a sacred space is how the energy feels. Every room in your home should feel special and comfortable for your lifestyle and needs, a basic guideline for optimal living and well-being. In particular, your sacred space should serve as the place where you leave behind the chaos of the world and go inward to heal and restore the mind-body-spirit.

You don’t need a spare room to make some grand sacred space in, either. Creating a sacred space is just about dedicating a specific area to the rejuvenation of your spirit. For some people, that may mean creating a sacred altar, while for others it might just be a meditation pillow in a peaceful area of your home, or a spot outside that feels tranquil to you. Over time, when you go to the same place to do prayers, meditate, or do whatever healing work that speaks to you, there’s an energy that builds up. It triggers your mind to feel soothed the moment you enter that space because it subconsciously recognizes it as a space of relief. Whatever relics, crystals or sacred objects you place in this space will hold that energy for you. It doesn’t have to be ornate.

For me, I always need something physical, so that I can retrain myself. I need the visual, physical element. I used to meditate all over the place in my home. Then, I found one spot that I realized I kept wanting to return to. I noticed that, over time, that energy was building. It was my go-to spot for decompressing the mind, body, and soul. Deciding that the area would be my sacred space was the turning point in my practice. Every time I went back to that spot, I felt my mind, body, and spirit connect. The impact of that spot was the difference between going through the motions and building that true connection.

Creating a sacred space gives you the chance to communicate with your higher self. A room closed off from the rest of your home and the world keeps out the noise so you can concentrate on being the real you. Try to keep your space simple. Remember, your life on the outside is a reflection of your life on the inside, so if the space feels cluttered, it’s a sign that you’re juggling too many things and need to slow down the hectic pace of your life.

When designing your sacred space, consider all your senses: What helps you feel calm, comforted, and at peace? Before you begin a therapeutic session in your sacred space or spiritual center, perform a quick cleansing ritual to clear and refresh the energy of the room. There are many energy-cleansing techniques you can use, but we’ve found that white sage and the sacred Palo Santo wood makes a powerful cleansing combination, especially when burned together.

The Native Americans used an Abalone Shell to catch the ashes—they believed that its magical iridescence and oblong shape helped to carry their deepest wishes up to heaven. We recommend placing a small amount of white sand in the shell, which will help ash out smoking incense and sage sticks while also protecting its luminous luster from burn marks. In fact, this small detail follows the indigenous tradition of creating a protective barrier between the fire element and a water vessel. The Abalone Shell makes a beautiful, natural holder for all your cleansing tools, which can also include sweetgrass, a sweet-smelling incense that brings the fresh and purifying fragrance of the grassy field into your sacred living space.

If you live in a home that doesn’t allow you to burn sage or incense or you are sensitive to smoke, you can add Palo Santo and Sage essential oils to purified water, which can be used as a cleansing spray for an effective alternative. To enhance their healing properties even more, we suggest infusing your cleansing spray with a piece of raw Black Tourmaline and/or Selenite. To make a gem essence, simply place your stones in a bowl of purified water and allow their properties to infuse into the water–about 4 to 12 hours. For the best results, place your stones outside for 24 hours, which will allow the stones to be activated by the energy of both the sunlight and moonlight.

If smoke bothers you, there are other ways to infuse fresh, clean energy into your sacred space, such as using the purifying energy of sound. You can either use a bell, a singing bowl or even just clap your hands to break up the stagnant energy. Also, arrange a collection of your favorite treasures—crystals, candles, inspirational books, etc.—in a symmetrical way so that it’s naturally pleasing to the eye.

When choosing crystals for your sacred space, always look for stones that resonate with your spirit. Our favorite types for meditation and peaceful introspection are light blue gemstones like Blue Calcite or Angelite, which reflect the color of a summer sky. Its expansiveness is a reminder of the infinite possibilities of the universe and the healing power of being open and receptive to new ideas. The color blue is also associated with the stunning blue waters of an island paradise, so when you enter your sacred space, they have an immediate calming effect on the spirit.

Created deep within the earth, crystals have been absorbing toxins over many years, making them big-time energy purifiers. Consider placing a few of your favorite crystals by the windowsill, which will allow the sun to cleanse and activate their healing energy. The best crystals for this purpose are yellow and orange gemstones such as Citrine, Yellow Jasper,Carnelian, and Sunstone. These stones are known for harnessing the bright and cheerful energy of the sun, which fluctuates with the healing rhythm of the earth.

Along with other stones that have different colors and healing properties, we also suggest keeping a few tumbled stones or palm stones from each color ray. This will allow you to meditate with crystals while doing an all-over chakra cleanse. Being in a sacred space will help enhance your therapeutic session even more.

When you take the time to create a sacred space for healing and introspection, get ready to live at the highest vibrations when you connect with the light and love within your soul.

So if you’re looking to establish a sacred space of peace and connection within the home, here are a few things to keep in mind before you start!

Creating a Sacred Space in Your Home

Designate the space.

Pick somewhere specific in your home as your sacred space. Try to find somewhere that is already free of distractions, such as electronics, work, and daily tasks. In a perfect world, you’d want to have this area, not in your bedroom. But if you have to do it, any relics that you want to bring into that space need to be raised. Maybe place them on a shelf of a bookshelf. Just make sure that it’s not opposite your feet when you’re in your bed.

Set the tone.

You may be asking, what do I bring into my sacred space? A simple way to start is to connect with a few of your senses.

• For sight and touch, bring in healing crystals, relics, or anything else that gets you into the mood for spiritual re-centering. If you place a crystal in your space, you need to cleanse and program it with an intention. I prefer using self-standing crystal points. I feel they hold that space of our energy and send the positive vibes and intentions we set up towards the light and the universe.
• For smell, light your incense, diffuse your essential oils or whatever soothing scents that make you feel at peace. Sandalwood is especially beneficial for getting you into that meditative or prayer state.
• For sound, play a tranquil CD, a singing bowl or some high-frequency music to send pleasure-producing chemicals throughout your body and to bring you into a deeper meditative state.
• Implement the symbolic act of lighting a candle. When you light a candle at the beginning of your practice, you’re signifying the start of your connection to your higher source or creator. It makes it clear to your spirit that you are transitioning to a new state of mind.

Pro Tip: For your sacred space, choose a room in your home with lots of natural light, which is known to boost wellness. In fact, a 2014 study found that natural lighting coming in through windows resulted in a stronger sense of well-being. According to researchers, natural light helps the body stay in tune with circadian rhythms, which naturally regulate the different energy levels needed to be awake during the daytime and at night when we need to go sleep.

Commit to a length + time.

Whether it’s 3 minutes, 5 minutes or 11 minutes, your practice should fill that entire time, and be consistent. It’s the daily commitment that brings the energetic shift in that space. That means committing to the same amount of time, every day.

If you want to take this commitment to the next level, try your best to keep your sacred space time to the same time every day.

Plug into source.

So, so, so important – I cannot stress this enough. At the beginning of your practice, make sure that you’re plugging into a source of light and love to connect. This is the magic. And it can be whatever source means to you.

To find this on a personal level, reflect on your faith, the Earth and what makes you happy. This will connect you with your highest vibration. Your highest vibration may be associated with a religious or spiritual belief, God, or simply a divine power that’s greater than you. Or it may be associated with a scientific connection, such as zero-point energy. You decide what to call it.

In my experience, skipping this step will mean it will take you a lot longer to get results.

Create a practice.

For some people, that practice is prayer. For others, it’s a meditation. And for some, that may be a crystal ritual. Break out those mantras, breath-work, and whatever practice you need to get into your highest state. It’s okay if you need to experiment around with these things. This is a space of learning, expansion, and freedom.

So now that you know how to create a sacred space, I want you to create your own! Use your space as a way to connect with yourself and get creative. You are the most important person and you have to take care of yourself. Personalize it! Make it a spot you never want to leave.

Namaste.

Heather

P.S. As you create your sacred spaces, show us your progress by using the hashtag #sacredspace!

Photos by Ashley Streff with Danyelle D’Andrea of Spatial Solutions and Hannah von Meister.