What is Sacred to You?

In this topsy-turvy world where even a cursory glance at the news of the day can lead to anxious thoughts, reconnecting with what is sacred can ground and guide us. Joseph Campbell speaks of sacred places as “where you can find yourself again and again.”

Different for everyone, it’s worth contemplating what is sacred in your life. While we often think of places as sacred, ways of thinking, being, and living can be sacred, intangible, anchors that guide us in times of chaos.

New York Times bestselling author Ryan Holiday had presented three out of four scheduled talks on stoicism to students at the U.S. Naval Academy and was getting ready to offer his final talk in mid-April when an unexpected challenge occurred.

Shocked by the April 1^st news of the Navy’s decision to remove 400 books now deemed inappropriate from the Naval Academy’s library, Holiday added some slides to his talk on wisdom (which featured the power of reading books) to offer a critique of this decision. Told he had to delete the critique, or he wouldn’t be allowed to speak, Holiday tapped into the four pillars of stoicism (the virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Discipline [Temperance] &Justice) and said no.

His refusal to edit his presentation led to cancellation hours before his final talk on Wisdom. The U.S. Naval Academy’s loss is our gain. Once back home, Ryan Holiday decided to record and upload his presentation for all to view.

While Holiday might use different words to describe his decision, what came through to me was his clarity about what he held sacred. His clarity and lack of second-guessing supported Holiday in choosing to offer his presentation to the rest of us without rancor and with understanding of the difficult position those impacting his presentation were placed in.

I encourage you to find 50 minutes to watch his talk. As we move into summer, Holiday’s presentation will inspire you to challenge yourself to step up your reading list and give you hope that there are many more like him out there that hold sacred character traits that are not for sale. What are yours?

May you honor what is sacred to you, letting the sacred guide you to the rituals, next steps, and conversations that lead to clarity, peace, and hope.

A Sacred Manner

“To do everything in a sacred manner means to do everything fully in the state of presence.”

—Eckhart Tolle

Make Time for Silence

“If you make time for silence, the sacred will unfold.”

—Rod Stryker

All Around Us

“The sacred is not in heaven or far away. It is all around us, and small human rituals can connect us to its presence. And of course, the greatest challenge (and gift) is to see the sacred in each other.”

—Alma Luz Villanueva

Love is the Most Ancient Law

Open to it
and you will know
how love is
its own blessing
and most ancient
of laws.

Pursue it
entirely
with everything
in you—
your heart
(all)
your soul
(all)
your mind
(all).

Spend it
all—
this love
so generous,
this love
that goes out
to each
it finds,
this love
that gives itself
in lavish and
unimagined measure
everywhere and
to all—

yourself
not least.

—Jan Richardson