Holding Sacred Space: The Hidden Work of Being a Space Holder

Lately... I've been reflecting on what it truly means to be a space holder. I often think space holders are divine alchemists.

From the outside people see the ceremony. The wild places. The flowers. The songs. The community gathered around the fire. The freedom. A life that appears to move in rhythm with creation.

And yes... all of that is true.

But what often goes unseen is the deep devotion to the ordinary in holding sacred space. Being a steadfast steward of what is often really mundane. The hours spent building the foundations that allow the magic to exist.

Learning new systems. Troubleshooting tech. Planning. Marketing. Writing. Responding to emails. The million group chats. Investing in ourselves. Recording content. Packing lists as long as our arms. Sourcing materials. Maintaining spaces. Caring for our bodies. Navigating the mirrors our work continually holds up to us. The logistics of ceremony. The administration behind community. The structures that literally hold everything together.

As I steward this season of growth and expansion in holding sacred space, I've found myself recognising something I resisted for a long time. Structure isn't the opposite of flow… it actually supports it. Structure is what allows flow to keep flowing. Just Like the banks of a river, good foundations don't restrict our creativity. They give it direction. They hold it. They allow it to travel further than it ever could if it simply spilled across the land.

After spending a decade in the corporate world, the pendulum swung hard in the opposite direction. I rejected structure. I rebelled in honour of sacred flow.

And honestly... that season was beautiful and completely necessary.

It taught me to listen. To come into relationship with life. To move beyond the lines in my expression and devotion to living.

But recent years have called me to a new way of embodying this work.

It was asking me to weave those two worlds together. To become just as devoted to the unseen foundations as I am to the visionary work. Because the more I tend my roots, the more my branches can flourish.

A legacy with longevity will only thrive when it has strong roots.

It's something I care deeply about within my facilitator training... to guide women who don't want to just hold a circle... they want to build a movement beyond the moment.

Yes, we journey into vision, ritual, community and the art of holding beautiful spaces.

But we also spend time tending to the practical architecture that allows those visions to endure. To remain steadfast through the many different weather fronts that inevitably arrive.

Because being a space holder is about weaving magic.

And it's also about building a life that can sustain it.

A Few Reflections to Sit With for Holding Sacred Space

Whether you are holding sacred space, create art, lead a business, raise a family or simply tend the life in front of you perhaps take a moment to sit with these questions.

• Which parts of my work or life feel like magic... and which parts make that magic possible?

• Where have I mistaken structure for restriction?

• What is my relationship to flow? And what is my relationship to structure?

• What foundations in my life are asking for a little more devotion?

• What am I trying to build? A beautiful moment... or something with roots that can endure?

• Which unseen acts of care am I overlooking because they don't feel extraordinary?

• If my life were a river, what are the banks that help me flow rather than spill?

• Where am I craving more freedom, when what I may actually need is more support?

• What does it mean for me to become a steward of my own work, rather than simply its creator?

Around the Hearth

If these reflections resonate, I'd love to welcome you Around the Hearth.

It's a place where I share the longer musings. Seasonal letters, gentle audio reflections and stories from a life rooted in nature, ceremony, creativity and meaningful community.

A slower corner of the internet, where we can wander a little deeper together.

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