Don't miss this invitation
Recently I sat with a friend and we were talking about the meaning of sanctuary, especially in the times we are experiencing now. He told me that he sees sanctuary as an invitation — a sacred invitation.
I loved that.
An invitation indeed. But to what exactly?
Sanctuary offers an invitation to feel better. An invitation to rest. An invitation to relax and just breathe.
An invitation to show up to the present moment. An invitation to find your center. An invitation to get grounded.
An invitation to step out of the crazy and into your favorite snuggly bathrobe.
Is this a good time to talk about my obsession with bath robes? No? Ok. I’ll put notes in the P.S. below, just in case.
But back to that invitation! Why do we need an invitation to feel better? Why don’t we just do this for ourselves automatically?
My husband Philip recently told me that he sees the problem like this:
We sleep, but do not rest. We take time off, but do not rejuvenate. We take vacation but do not return to our lives and work refreshed. We constantly buy things and hope they will help us live a more fulfilling life, but those purchases do not bring true satisfaction. We buy a new house, we get a new car, we get a new spouse and we imagine that it will change the experience we’re having inside. Low and behold, it does not.
This is the problem for which sanctuary offers a solid solution.
He went further to tell me that while utter escape from the materialism of our 21st-century culture might be a possible solution to part of the issue, it's not one that is practical for most of us. Rather, a reframing of that culture within the perspectives of meaningful spiritual, metaphysical, and ecological experience is a more attainable solution. By encouraging us to connect back with our inner being, our values, and whatever we perceive the divine to be, sanctuary offers an antidote to the never-ending, meaningless dissipation of our energy and time on this planet.
Quite a stunning truth, isn’t it?
This perspective — looking at sanctuary as a solution for our modern day society and an invitation to us to transcend the lives we were leading (sometimes unhappily) before COVID–19, is so luminous I almost have to shield my eyes.
This is us. All of us. Sanctuary can help. Don’t miss this invitation to a richer life.
If this resonates with you, please let me know. And if I can help you on your own sanctuary journey as you develop your own sanctuary practices, I am but a message away. Reach out. Let’s feel better together.
With love and gratitude,
Lisa
P.S. Bathrobe Update: before the pandemic, I went to a retreat at 1440 in California to hear Julia Cameron speak. While there, I found the most beautiful bathrobes in their spa gift shop. I finally replaced the blue and white toile robe I’d been wearing for at least 15 years. I liked them so much I bought 2. The brand is called Natural Habitat. I have all kinds of robes, from cashmere to terrycloth, but these hand block printed 100% cotton ones are by far my favorite. In fact, I like them so much that I just told Philip to get my favorites of their patterns on our Finding Sanctuary store. So….. coming soon—and I’ll keep you posted!