A Sacred Temple

We are a sacred temple. What we choose to bring into our lives and consciousness affects our awareness and experience of our own divinity. When we allow the fear of the world, the violence, chaos, distortion, and distraction to enter and crowd our minds, it “defiles” this holy place and causes turmoil within and without. But when we are conscientious of our choices and live with intention and sensitivity, we honor the sanctity within us.

What affects our consciousness can be conceptualized as three concentric circles: the outer representing what is in our environment, the world that exists without our influence; the middle being that which we choose to engage with (e.g., people and communities, work environment, social media, the internet, the news, the food we eat, daily habits and routines, etc.); and the inner, the realm of our thoughts. All of these can have a profound impact on our mental state and well being, our beliefs and expectations, and ultimately how we show up in the world, relate to others, and whether we live in trust or fear.

We choose every moment, and what we choose creates our experience. The awareness of this can feel like quite a lot of responsibility, but with it comes true freedom. Our inner temple can always be cleansed and made new again, but it requires that we recognize what defiles it—what exacerbates our anxiety and depression, disconnects us from our life energy, closes us off from intimacy and vulnerability with others and with God. When we know the impact of our choices we become more willing to choose differently. But we must choose differently, again and again, so as to create new patterns within us. Gradually, as a result of this new patterning, we experience the sanctity and vibrancy of our lives.