Sacred Places

MON., OCT. 25, 1999, 7:39 AM
FARM, STUDY

I, as the Creator God, did “create” this planet called earth… in some way and ways that will never be understood. It is a unique creation, certainly, having the conditions for life, in many forms, with diversity in each form. You see flashes of the sun from amongst the leaves on the trees, that have not yet fallen, and this reminds you that this sun has been worshipped by people in the past, even without their knowing how vital it is to all of life.

So, in one sense this whole planet, Earth, is sacred, for it was created by Me in some ways both natural and supernatural. And if you acknowledge Me as Creator and Sustainer of life and the means for life you should know and feel sacredness… everywhere.

But, for reasons of My own, I have allowed humans to think and act in secular ways… and though I don’t approve of profane ways, I have allowed these, also. Your culture has developed automobiles as a means of transportation. These are not sacred. They are practical, but in the great numbers that are in urban areas they can become a form of profanity. Yet the automobile makes it possible, in practical terms, for you to live in this rural setting, which seems, to you, more sacred than even a small city or village.

Thus, here in the earth there is a mixture of the sacred, the secular, and the profane. And, hence, some places are more sacred than others, and a few are recognized as sacred by most of you. Still… the diversity that I have allowed… and that I value… in humans means that no place is sacred for everyone.

A church is, by definition, a sacred place, at least during a service of worship. You remember, as a child, being in your Methodist church, as a place of worship but also as a place in which you could run and play, even make noise… on a Saturday when your Dad had some tasks to accomplish there. How do you remember it, after these many years… and as the old, more spiritual person you are now? More as a familiar, “friendly” place, rather than a truly sacred one.

Your present Presbyterian church is now quite familiar, as is the Cobden church. Are these sacred places, also? Probably Yes…and No… are your honest answers. They are “special” places, comfortable as places for worship, but… sacred? You remember having students, in a workshop activity, visit designated churches in Carbondale, on a week day afternoon, and rank the sanctuaries as “sacred places.” Overall, your church ranked highest, in that very “unscientific poll.” You took that to mean that your sanctuary had the “potential” for being a sacred, holy place.

You consider this place of yours to be sacred… at least to have sacred qualities. This room, with all of its “mess,” has a sacred quality because most of My Teachings to you are “received” here. Having these Teachings is your prime spiritual experience, and so places where you write them become sacred, for a time, at least. Peter’s Park and your meditation garden are, at times, quite sacred to you. ( 8:35 / 8:38 ), for different reasons. The picnic table area is sacred in that it reminds you of afternoons with students around it, class sessions that had sacred qualities. Now these are just memories, but a certain quality of sacredness persists.

You have no burning desires to visit what are “considered to be” sacred places, somewhat as Karen described. You feel that you have traveled sufficiently for this life, and there are enough sacred places here and close by. And so your task, “if you should choose to accept it,” is to realize the sacredness of the places you are in and “celebrate” the beauty, the “specialness,” the familiarity, the comfort of such places. And thus they become sacred, for you.