Today is the first “Thursday Writing Tips Day” at Writing as a Sacred Path. In Week 1 of my writing pilgrimage, I’ve been exploring the Sacred in ordinary places—places like the post office and my own living room—and so I thought I’d offer a few suggestions for finding the Sacred in places you’d least expect.
Why write about finding the Sacred in ordinary places? Because it offers your readers something extraordinary. Anyone can write about the sacredness of a cathedral or a forest, but finding the divine in a supermarket or Laundromat takes a unique vision.
To get started developing that vision, try asking yourself these three questions:
1. Why are you in this place? I mean why are you really there? You might be sitting in a dentist’s office because your teeth need cleaning, but you’re also there to keep your body healthy. If you remember that this is the one body you will have in this lifetime, the physical manifestation of your Self, that tooth-cleaning suddenly takes on monumental importance. The same is true of most of the supposedly ordinary things we do. We go to the bank not just to deposit a paycheck, but to safeguard the reward for our days and weeks of labor. We work in our kitchens not just to throw together a meal, but to transform the products of the Earth into food for ourselves and our loved ones. Dentist’s offices, banks, and kitchens may seem far removed from anything spiritual—until you think seriously about what we do in them.
2. How do you physically experience the place? Just be in the space for awhile. Take note of the colors, the smells, the feel of the air, the quality of light. You’ll start to notice how the physical place reflects its function, purpose, and meaning. Have you noticed that malls have neither windows nor clocks, as if they are outside of time and place? Or that banks seem to be made of squares and straight lines that make them seem efficient and no-nonsense? Survey a large department store and you’ll see a glittering array of colors and textures designed to intrigue you the way a bright mobile captures an infant’s attention. Just try connecting with the physical nature of a place and see what insights come up.
3. What role does this place play in the world? To give yourself a broader perspective, consider the place as a social institution. When you stop by that 7-Eleven, think of how convenience stores have changed the way we shop—and what they’ve done to the traditional corner grocery. Consider the roll of gas stations in the lives of people around the world. Envision the great dramas of good and evil played out in banks, the love and grief experienced in a veterinary office.
Once you start seeing the deeper significance of everyday places, you’ll find you not only have an unending source of material for spiritual writing, but an effective method for bringing greater depth to all your work.
Try this: Pick a place you’d least expect to feel spiritual—a place that seems utterly un-sacred. Spend some time there. Jot down a few notes. Just be there for awhile and see what comes up. You may find something surprising. If you do, write about it—then post it here.