My first sacred space was a closet. It was 2008 and I had just opened SKN, my holistic skin care clinic. They were heady days. Leaping to make my dream a reality had taken all my courage and intuitively, I knew that spending time in solitude every day was just what I needed to replenish my energy reserves. This was long before my altar days; the closet was just me, a mirror, and some clothes, but it became sacred to me. I loved it because going there was my retreat at the beginning of every day, and it quickly became a ritual I couldn’t do without.

The quality of your vibration, whether it’s frenetic and hurried, or the deep, resonant beauty of your true self, is totally dependent on your level of self-care. Never take a back seat in your own life and above all, never sacrifice your well being for another person. All too often those “looking out for number one” get a bad rap, are labeled as selfish, or egocentric. If social conditioning is causing you to balk at making your well being your number-one priority, think of it this way: Without your saying a word, your vibration of self-love gives other people silent permission to love themselves. In a study of 5000 people, researchers at Harvard Medical School, and the University of California, San Diego found that one person’s happiness, not only increased the happiness of their friends, but also the happiness of their friends’ friends, people they didn’t even know. So for this reason, please be assured that taking care of your own happiness and well being is the first, and most important, way in which you are called to serve humanity.

A beautiful way to honour yourself is to create a space of your own that brings you peace, beauty and empowerment. It can be as simple as my little closet but it should be somewhere quiet. You can decorate it with items of power, beauty and wisdom. These can include artwork, crystals, essential oils, incense, candles, or special objects from your travels—anything that has meaning for you or brings you peace. Everything about the space will be working to bring you calm, centered and grounded energy.

Soul-nourishing Sacred Space Practices
Now that you have your sacred space, start to build rituals of your own, that you can depend on to take you deeper into your own true vibration. Below are some of my favourite practices.

Light a Candle
This simple ritual can be a signal your higher self that there is time and space for you to just be.

Smudging
As a student of shamanic medicine I was introduced to the art of smudging and working with sacred plants to induce a purified, and calm state of being. Explore smudging with the Love is All You Need ritual.

Pull a Tarot Card
I shuffle my deck and ask my higher self what it wants to tell me today, and pull a card.

Chant a Mantra
Chant “I am love” silently or out loud. Program this simple, yet powerful message into your cells each and every day.

Visualization
Use this powerful tool to simply observe—and feel the delicious feelings of—your most treasured dream as though it has already happened.

Journal
I love to write and express how I am feeling about what is happening in my life. Months later, I go back and get inspired by how much I’ve changed and evolved.

I'm wishing you satisfaction and growth as you explore how creating a sacred space reveals more of your own unique and beautiful soul. xo Amanda