Peace Around, Peace Within

We’ve been using this phrase Peace Around, Peace Within for our business as a shorthand to simply identify what sanctuary is and how it works. But it does raise the question: is sanctuary just a peaceful place? Is it just a pretty corner of the room?

I have given talks about how creating spaces of sanctuary has changed my life, my husband’s life, and those of my children. I can guarantee that while everyone loves a peaceful place to chill out or a thoughtfully-designed corner, that’s not what a sanctuary is at the core.

Or rather, that’s not ALL that a sanctuary is.

Sanctuary is much more like the control tower at an airport. It’s a place high above the fray, apart from the day-to-day runway of life. It’s a place where you can see for miles in every direction.

Yes, a sanctuary is a place where we can shut out the world if we need to, but more importantly, it’s a place where we can find perspective.

That perspective and that sense of separation from the daily business and stressors of life - these are what make a sanctuary powerful. These are what allow us to have a place where we can be present, where we can do the inner work of nurturing self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

This place is where we can show up, with an open heart and open hands, and heal ourselves. Forgive ourselves. This is where we find the courage to be vulnerable to the world around us. This is where we build the inner sanctuary and therein lies the deepest magic of sanctuary as a space, as a daily practice and as a life philosophy — we get to carry our sanctuary with us, deep inside us, wherever we go. It is with us always. 

So yes, a peaceful and quiet place is a wonderful thing and can even be a beautiful thing. But a true sanctuary is so much more than just that.

I’d love to hear what sanctuary means to you, how YOU show up in your space and what you do there to nurture yourself and your wellbeing. Send me a message - I love to hear from you! 

With love and gratitude,

Lisa