Finding Sanctuary

According to John Gray's Men are from Mars, men retreat to their ‘cave’ when they are hurt and the more their partner asks them to come out, the longer they want to stay in there. The cave is where they can rest and lick their wounds unseen and where they regroup themselves to gather strength to be able to function again as men. The ‘cave’ is their sanctuary.

Is ‘cave’ the sole privilege to men? I don’t think so. We all need a sanctuary - a place where we can quieten our mind and feel protected and cared for. In our sanctuary, we do not need to defend ourselves and we can let go of the rules and boundaries. This is a place where we feel connected to a power greater than ourselves. I know for most women we have a need to communicate with someone to ‘talk things through’ to find a solution to a problem. While this is perfectly all right and indeed very comforting, we must not forget especially when ‘our listeners’ are not around or are unavailable that we can find comfort and safety from within - our sanctuary.

This sanctuary can be anything. It can be your childhood hide place; it can be a cave, a forest, a shrine, a talisman, or special stones where you naturally find positive energies and strong vibrations. My sanctuary is ocean. I always seem to find peace when I am near the ocean. In recent years just about every holiday I’ve had took place near the ocean and it didn’t occur to me to go anywhere inland! Also Time and time again during meditation I am taken to the beach and to the ocean and I let myself dive deep into the sea until I reach the seabed. Here the water is crystal clear, the colourful sea creatures are incredibly beautiful and all I can hear is this massive silence which makes me feel in perfect harmony with nature. Here peace makes its home inside me and I know that whatever happens, it’s all right!

What is your sanctuary?