Sacred spaces are becoming more essential in everyday life because of the daily stresses many of us incur. Finding a place that’s special and allows you time to relax, reflect and experience tranquility can be a vital component of your self-care and wellness routines. 

You’ve probably heard the saying that “home is where the heart is” which can be interpreted as home is wherever our loved ones are. However, it can also be interpreted as home is where the heart is because it is at home that our hearts are filled with happiness, fond memories, love and comfort.

Most of us strive to make our homes feel comfortable and welcoming and to provide the space for cultivating happiness and creating shared memories with our loved ones. This is such a wonderful thing as it nourishes and strengthens our relationships with others.

However, we often overlook giving the same care and attention to creating space for our relationship with ourselves.

I encourage you to shift your thinking beyond just making your home a comfortable space for your outer self to also making it a calming and nourturing retreat for your inner life as well.

Our inner life can be defined as the thoughts, emotions, feelings and intentions that occupy our minds when we’re alone with ourselves. And our inner life needs just as much care and attention when it comes to creating comfort in our living spaces.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is by creating sacred space in your home – a space you can connect with your inner self. There are various ways you can connect with your inner self – it can be through meditation, self reflection, journaling, yoga or prayer to name a few.

Today’s post is covering some of the steps you can take for creating sacred spaces in your home. I’ll also offer up some suggestions and tips for how you can use sacred spaces to experience more inner peace and connection in your daily life.

Steps for creating a sacred space in your home:

1. Designate an area
2. Get creative
3. Set a tone for your sacred space
4. Include items that have personal meaning
5. Create a routine or ritual for using your sacred space

We’ll cover what a sacred space is, the importance of creating a sacred space, and how you can create your own sacred space in your home below.

Creating a Sacred Space

What’s interesting about sacred spaces is that they exist all over the place. For some people, their chosen area of worship is their sacred space. Others find being out in nature provides sacred space, such as sitting and listening to the oceans waves or finding solitude in the woods or in their garden.

People often look for sacred spaces because of the stress and business we all encounter in our everyday lives. Having a place that can help you center yourself and self-reflect so that you can stay aligned with your ideals and morals is vital in this fast-paced world. Using your sacred space can allow you a spot to center yourself and remember what your intentions are for that day so that you never feel like you’ve gotten off-track.

Since you can’t always easily travel to sacred spaces outside the home, how do you handle creating your own sacred space? Over the years, I’ve discovered the best way to create a sacred space is to do it in your home. You want to develop physical areas in your home that create feelings of connection and serenity. Your sacred spaces should also be designed to inspire you in some way and allow you to self-reflect about what you need to accomplish.

“Using your sacred space can allow you a spot to center yourself and remember what your intentions are for that day so that you never feel like you’ve gotten off-track.

~ Simple Minded

Creating a few sacred spaces in your home will give you physical areas that feel like a mini-sanctuary so you take a moment of pause and reflect daily, or however, many times you need to. It’s essential for people to have some retreat and sanctuary.

Plus, there are also health benefits that are associated with creating sacred spaces in the home. Calming the mind and relaxing is an integral part of healing your body when you might be feeling sick otherwise. Also, taking time to self-reflect can help make your mind, body, and spirit stronger. You’ll be able to develop more resilience by using sacred spaces in your home. That means better overall mental and physical health.

The Importance of Sacred Spaces

I have a few sacred spaces that a I love and use in my own home – our beloved “zen den” and a couple simple altars containing objects that are calming and inspirational. Since we don’t have a ton of overnight guest we got rid of the bed in our guest room and replaced it with a store away Murphy bed in order to create space for a “zen den”.

Our “zen den” has a simple low shelf I made using large edging pavers as the base and a piece of wood for the shelf. It contains a small altar with a salt lamp, diffuser and a few personally meaningful relics. We use it as a space for meditation, reflection, yoga and even exercise.

You can also devote an entire room to your sacred space if you have it to spare, but it’s not necessary. Most likely you have a smaller nook, or even a shelf, table top or other small area you can use. You don’t need much room to create a space that can work for you.

“The mere act of creating your altar can feel very comforting and helpful as a process in itself.”

~ Simple Minded

You may choose to make a little healing altar or a place for meditation in a specific spot in your house, yard, or garden. You’ll want to create a small space where you can sit quietly for a few minutes each day to think about your intentions and self-reflect on your life.

The mere act of creating your altar can feel very comforting and helpful as a process in itself. For example, if you are struggling with your self-confidence, the act of creating and decorating your altar with images and symbols of strength can be a powerful first step in the process of restructuring your beliefs about your own self-confidence and abilities.

Although not everybody will find the process of creating an altar as productive as others, several individuals find that creating their altars brings them hope, boosts their confidence, and helps them focus on what is productive instead of continually scrutinizing their worries and fears.

So, the process of creating the altar can feel very motivating and productive once you get started because you’ll be focusing on the positive, and the altar will be there as a reminder to keep you thinking positively.

Whenever I see or walk by the sacred spaces I have in my home, I remember I need to take a pause, get deeper into my goals, and focus on what my purpose and my intentions are in that moment.

The sacred spaces I’ve created in my home help me to think positive thoughts and stay on track so that I won’t let my anxiety overwhelm me. Chances are, creating sacred spaces in your home can also help you accomplish similar feelings.

How to Create a Sacred Space in Your Home

Now that we’ve talked about the importance of creating a sacred space in your home and why you should create sacred spaces, we’ll cover the process you should use to start creating sacred spaces in your house below.

Designate Your Space

First, you are going to need to designate areas in your home as your sacred spaces. If this is your first time creating a sacred space, I recommend starting with just one area and then tapping into other areas of your home as you see fit.

When you try to figure out where in your home you are going to make your sacred space, try to find a place in your home that is already relatively distraction-free. Make sure you don’t have a lot of electronics, work, or daily tasks around your sacred space.

“Making your sacred space will be a personal process that’s based on your intuition and inspiration.”

~ Simple Minded

Also, have an idea of how you plan to use your sacred space as this we help you determine where it should be located. For example, if you plan to use it for meditation you’ll need to make sure you have room to sit comfortably. If using it for yoga you need enough space for your mat, etc.

In addition to how you plan to use, determine if there are others who’ll use it as well, like your significant other or your children. If so, placing it in a shared space that is not your bedroom may work best.

Get Creative

Another thing you’ll want to do when you create your altar is to get creative. There is no right way or wrong way to create an altar in your home. On the other hand, making your sacred space will be a personal process that’s based on your intuition and inspiration.

If you aren’t sure where you want to set-up your altar, you can take a few minutes to shut your eyes, take deep breaths. Then softly and slowly walk around your yard or home and “feel out” the best area to create your sacred space.

You may discover that your bedroom is the perfect area for your sacred space. On the other hand, maybe you take a bath every day to relax, and it would be better to place your sacred space on a shelf above the tub for when you relax. You might find that there is a sideboard or cabinet in your living room that would be the right spot for your sacred space.

The best way to figure out the location is by being creative. And if you don’t feel the first location you picked is right for you, you don’t have to worry. You can always change the location of your sacred space later on. Or, you can add a different sacred space in a different part of your home at a later date.

If you plan to share the use of altar with your significant other or children, get them involved in the process as well, or better yet encourage them to create their own.

Set the Tone with Objects

Now that we’ve discussed where in your house you should set-up your sacred space, let’s talk about what you’ll need to fill it with. One way you can figure out what you want to add to your sacred space is to think about connecting with your senses. We’ll break down a few ideas below.

• To address the senses of sight, you can add things like healing crystals, relics, or anything else that helps you get yourself re-centered during your day. If you decide to use crystals in your sacred space, you should cleanse and program them with an intention. Crystals are one of my favorite items to use in my sacred spaces. I feel they hold energy well and send out positive vibes and intentions.
• To address the sense of smell, you can use things like incense, diffuse some essential oils, light a great candle, or add a few soothing scents that help you relax and feel like you are at peace with yourself. One of the best scents to help you meditate is sandalwood. 
• To address the sense of sound, you can play a relaxing CD or some good music that will help boost some pleasure-producing chemicals throughout your body. Music is also known to help put you in a deeper meditative state. I personally love these chimes and singing bowls.
• To address the sense of touch, you can implement the symbolic act of lighting a candle. Light a candle whenever you are starting your relaxation period. It will help symbolize the fact that you are transitioning into a new state of mind. Hold prayer beads or your favorite healing stone or crystal.

It’s also a good idea to pick an area in your home that has a lot of natural light for your sacred space. Natural light coming through windows makes people have a stronger sense of well-being, as scientific studies have found. Scientists feel that natural light helps the body stay aligned with circadian rhythms, which help regulate your energy levels, when you need to be awake during the day and asleep at night. 

Pick Objects with Meaning

You’ll want to pick objects that help connect you to nature or that have a personal meaning or emotional response for you. Some people choose things like medicinal herbs and flowers for their altars and sacred spaces.

You can also add a few plants depending on how much space you have, or add stones, sacred figures, framed images, unique family heirlooms, mementos, religious objects, etc. Whatever strikes your fancy as long as it matches the intended purpose for your space.

However, you don’t need to go too crazy if having a lot of objects in your sacred space won’t inspire you. If you want simplicity, then keep things simple so that your sacred space works better for you.

Having a sacred space can be as simple as having a floor pillow placed in front of a low table with meaningful objects or a picture that might inspire you to meditate and reflect. It can also be a single relic placed on a shelf if that object elicits feelings of calm or inspiration when you visually take it in.

“You don’t need to go too crazy if having a lot of objects in your sacred space won’t inspire you. If you want simplicity, then keep things simple so that your sacred space works better for you.”

~ Simple Minded

You can also use your space to honor the past and your history. For example you could create a wall that is filled with pictures of your ancestors as a reminder of your lineage. To the unknowing onlooker, the wall display might like a bunch of old, framed pictures arranged as a small gallery. However, to you, it can be a sacred space used to reflect and think about your family and personal history.

The beauty of creating space for the sacred in your home is that you’re open to experiment and find what resonsates with you personally and what speaks to your heart.

Again, what works for your own sacred space may not work for others. As long as you are finding objects and pictures that inspire you to meditate and you take time out daily to self-reflect, you will have created a successful sacred space.

Create a Routine or Ritual for Using Your Space

Before you start using your sacred space, the next thing you’ll need to do is commit to a time length or a routine for your meditation and reflection. While it doesn’t matter how much time you want to use, whether it’s 3 minutes, 6 minutes, or 11 minutes, come up with a process, or at the very least set an intention for how you’ll use the space.

I’ve had the most success with setting intentions for my space then setting aside time in my schedule to use it. This helps you get more specific. So instead of saying, “I’m going to use my sacred space every day for 5 minutes of reflection”. Actually carve out time in your daily routine to make it a ritual. You might try making it a part of your morning or evening routine.

Think of your own ritual as a daily commitment to help you re-center and meditate on your day.

Sacred Space Ideas

While you can make an altar for your sacred space, and an altar is probably the most common type of sacred space created by people, there are other ways to approach creating a sacred space. I’ve created a list below to give you some additional ideas about how you can create sacred spaces in your home.

• You can convert an attic area or a guest room in your living area and dedicate that as your sacred space. You could also use a corner or window seat in your living area if that seems appropriate.
• You can hang a screen, beads, or billowy curtains to help place emphasis on how vital your sacred space is to you. You’ll also create the feeling of solitude so that you can self-reflect and seek some inner-guidance on life.
• If you need any help setting the mood for meditation or prayer, you can use pillows on the floor or find a comfortable chair with back support.
• Remember, creating an altar can be a simple process. You can drape a small table with a unique fabric, place some essential items on top of that table, include candles, incense, or an essential oil diffuser, and you’ve got an altar.
• Don’t forget to add plants and flowers to help boost your energy and oxygen levels while you meditate in your sacred space. If you want colors and plants that symbolize things, consider lavender and purple since they represent spirituality. Pink symbolizes opening up the heart. Or, you can use green, which represents growth and nature’s balance.
• Hang some pictures of gardens, angels, mountains, or mentors to give yourself a feeling of peace, harmony, and education each time you enter your sacred space.
• Don’t forget to appeal to your sense of sound in your sacred space. This can be music, a fountain or chimes.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to create your sacred space, it’s time to get started! Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to make a sacred space in your house as long as you focus on what inspires you, and objects that will motivate you to self-reflect daily. Figuring that out is the most crucial step. 

It may take some time to find the right objects and pictures to inspire you to meditate in your sacred space. So, don‘t be disappointed if it takes a little bit of time for you to figure out the process and realize what works best for you.

It’s also not uncommon for people to set-up a sacred space only to move it to another area of the house later. If that happens to you, don’t worry. Making the best sacred space for your needs takes some experimentation, and after you’ve tried it out for a bit, you’ll be able to perfect your sacred space and achieve the daily practice you want. 

– Namaste