What makes a place or thing sacred? I have a friend who feels her family farm is sacred, where she buried her dogs, and her childhood church. Her question..."Are the places themselves sacred or do my experiences make them sacred?" Probably both. The answer to so many questions.
The churches that Katie and I went to in France...several were sacred to me - Notre Dame, Mont St. Michel, and the smaller one next to Sacre Coeur...why them and not others that we saw? My story is the blood, sweat and prayer that went into them...but who knows why I responded to them - probably my own experiences coming through, even in a place that was new for me.
Sacred is a feeling for me. And one of the things that creates great sacred feelings for me - David Whyte's poetry. Mameen. The Hazel Wood. Start Close In. Dun Aengus. The Seven Streams. Now maybe it's b/c I was there this summer. In fact, I'm sure his poetry would not be so powerful if I had not been to the places he is talking about. Yet, his poem, Arrivals, about the 2 African women and their introduction into Dullus airport...so powerful...yet I have never been to Dullus, nor do I know these women. (btw - if you are going to experience David Whyte's poetry, do it with him reading them...CD. Just so colorful and full of texture)
Listen to this..."let your vulnerabilities walking on the cracked, sliding limestone, be this time, not a weakness, but a faculty for understanding what's about to happen"...I think that is brilliant...so descriptive of how when I can let go, not judge myself and just trust...well, it's just brilliant. (7 Streams)
Now those of you who are so brave and courageous, and mostly patient, to read my blog, are probably thinking..."where the hell is she going with this?" Katie is laughing, b/c I'm so...well, me. So I am "going" into the thoughts that my friend Ola brought out, by asking me what I thought of her cutting her dreads. (Don't even try to follow my line of reasoning, it will make you as crazy as I am)
She has had her dreads for almost 10 years. There are so many experiences, poignant moments, tears and laughter in those dreads. They are what first caught my eye about her. LOL I told her they were "hot!" and she said, "They sure are". We were talking about 2 very different kinds of heat:)
Her dreads for me, are as sacred as those churches we visited in France. or my deck. or poetry. Does that mean she shouldn't cut them? Not at all. They are just very symbolic of all she has been through, all we have been through together. They are like my father's work gloves that sit on my fireplace mantel. Ola's dreads are the essence of her. They smell like her, feel like her. Perhaps tho - to cut them, is to cut some weight from her life, of who she used to be...grateful for what she has learned, but so ready to move on. Whatever she decides to do...I honor her process...it is sacred, too.
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