Members Only Post #159 – Taking Time For The Sacred

It’s a shame what’s happened to religion. While I think most of us have our problems with religion or at least the practices of whatever our religion was growing up, at the same time I think it’s evident to see that there is something needed and good at the core of religion. Man’s connection to the sacred. That is one of the true purposes of religion and how it serves a healthy function within a society. When man sees nothing beyond himself he descends into darkness.

He needs a glimpse, a taste, a connection with the sacred to become more. The modern world in its corrupting of all things has not left religion untouched, as a matter of fact it has co-opted man religions and thrives within them. Look at modern Protestantism. Anyone with half a soul would never attend such worship services or the trivialization of the scared to the mundane. They have sapped the power from the sacred and destroyed one of the most powerful functions of religion in the process.

They have watered the sacred down until there is nothing left. Until it is fit for everyone no matter how base or low. The sacred has been replaced with the popular. To give some examples listen to a proper rendition of say O Holy Night or a folk rendition of I’ll Fly Away. Though very different each has a soul and spirit to it. Now compare that with the average modern church music. Just type Christian contemporary music into YouTube and listen. I’d recommend having some ear bleach handy.

Profaning The Sacred

Modern religion, especially Protestantism profanes the sacred and makes it meaningless. Which robs man of this power, of this connection. Modern religion is in many ways, against God. Because of this man has to move beyond religion to find what is sacred anymore. He must get out of the ugly boxes of the modern “churches” and go elsewhere to find the sacred, to reconnect with it and draw power from it. There are many options for this which we’ll talk about here.

The first thing is to understand that there is something sacred and beyond us as man. I’m not saying you have to believe in a certain god or anything of that matter, just that there’s something beyond us. Something beyond man. When man makes himself his own end he ends up horrible backwards places, like we see in modern society. When man realizes he is part of something beyond and greater he lines up with that greater aspect and becomes more.

It ennobles him. I find that the best place to do this in in nature, in God’s cathedral. Time spent in nature is for far more than relaxation or taking a break. Spending time in nature and the natural rhythms helps you to reconnect with this sacred aspect of the world around us and in so doing, ennoble yourself. Another place to connect with the sacred is in silence and solitude. Whether that’s a monastery, park, nature, cathedral, or whatever else. Finding a place to be alone and be still.

The Power Of The Sacred

Connecting or reconnecting with the sacred does more than just ennoble you, it also empowers you. The dictionary definition of empower is “give (someone) the authority or power to do something.” I don’t mean this in a cliche or political sense but in the literal. The sacred gives you power to do what you will in this world. It shows you that there are things beyond and that there is a power in knowing and understanding this. You will become resistant to many of the maladies and diseases of the modern world, much of the madness.

Because you will see what’s around you is a temporary dross that should not concern you. That what is base is temporary and what is high is eternal. Though that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t fight against the baseness they see around them. The sacred is also good for getting perspective on one’s life. The see the smallness of most of the problems before you in life and reassure you that they are manageable.

Which helps to keep you sane. You also realize that not everything is reliant on the feeble and grasping minds of man, which are in error more than they do anything else. You realize that there is a natural rhythm that is beyond the maddening hums and whirs of the modern world. That was here before the modern world sprung into being and will be here long after it fades away. An eternal aspect that you cannot too and draw power from.

I don’t mean to sound too woo woo or spiritual here because these are concrete, powerful, and real things. All you have to do is look to see it. Go out and experience it.

You’ll be the better for it.