In Exodus 25:8-9, God says, “Build for me a sanctuary (mikdash), and I will dwell among you.” In this one verse from the Torah, or Old Testament, lies an invitation for each of us. We are asked to create a sanctuary in which to join together with God. An extremely detailed description of how to build the mikdash, which also is called a mishkan, or tabernacle, follows this verse. I don’t believe we need to go to such great lengths to create a sanctuary within which we can spend time with God. If we have the appropriate intention, the desire to invite God into the space we design, and we pay close attention when creating sacred space, we can build a sanctuary without needing wood, stone, gems, or precious metals.
Synagogues, churches, prayer circles, and other spaces used for spiritual rituals tend to invoke a spiritual feeling even when no rituals are being performed within them. They become vortexes of spiritual energy, and it takes little effort to recreate the sense of sanctuary and to invoke the Divine into that space. When we create sacred space in our homes on a continual basis, these also become vortexes of spiritual energy. Eventually, just entering the space and performing a small act, such as saying a prayer or lighting a candle, draws the Divine into the space with us. This represents the beauty of creating sacred space and using it for spiritual practices or rituals on a regular basis. The more we create and use the space, the stronger become our spiritual experiences in that space.
Over time, your home will become a vortex of spritual energy, too, and you can live constantly with God in the mikdash you have built. As promised, when you build God a sanctuary, God dwells with you. As you use your houses more and more often as a sanctuary, then by merely lighting candles, saying a blessing or performing any ritual, you once again draw God into that space. Each time you do so, it will become easier for you to feel the Shechinah–the Divine Presence–joining you. Once you have built a mikdash and used it often, it remains there for you to use in numerous other wonderful ways and on a multitude of other occasions – and to preside over as a priest or priestess.
This post is adapted from my booklet, The Priestess Practice.
