Creating sacred space

Making room for nature, creativity, and the sacred this December

Humboldt Bay, CA and St. Patrick's Cathedral, NY. Photos by author

Last weekend, Chelsea and I took another redeye flight to Newark to spend a couple of days with her family. After zero hours of sleep on the flight and about two hours of sleep at her parents’ house, we drove into New York to enjoy a Christmasy afternoon in the city.

After making our way through the chilly streets, thronged with tourists, locals, street vendors, fake Buddhist monks selling beads, and Salvation Army members dancing for donations, we found ourselves in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, watching a children’s choir sing Christmas carols. It was a moment of stillness in the midst of frenetic movement, a moment of sacredness in the midst of the mundane.

Lately, I’ve been working to create sacred space in the midst of my life. Whether that’s taking walks in nature, setting up an altar in my home office, or settling into a coffee shop with my notebook for some dedicated writing time, it feels like an essential element in my life, like oxygen or water.

You don’t need a National Park, a cathedral, or a 10-day retreat to find sacred space. It can be as simple as setting up a cushion in the corner of your room and setting a timer to meditate for 10 minutes. Or setting up an easel and making a 10-minute painting.

Perhaps the space I’ve been enjoying most is our own living room, with our Christmas tree and fairy lights. This time of year, when it’s cold and dark outside when we wake up, there’s something deeply comforting about turning on the Christmas tree lights, making coffee, and just sitting in that cozy space.

What space feels sacred to you? How are you making space for your spiritual or creative practices this December? Let me know in the comments.

Books I’m Revisiting

Steal Like An Artist, Show Your Work, and Keep Going by

Austin Kleon

. These books inspired me when they first came out, back when I was in my late twenties and just getting excited about the idea of sharing my writing online (Did you know I had multiple failed blogs before starting this Substack two years ago?)

These books are a goldmine of inspiration for anyone with an artistic or creative bent. Austin shows that you don’t have to come up with 100% original ideas (they don’t exist), you can remix things you like and add your own twist. You don’t have to have 100% perfect, completed work to share it with others (no project is ever 100% perfect or finished); you can share your process online and people will love it.

Austin also writes a great Substack, where he shares 10 things he likes each week. The catch is that he has some of the best taste of anyone on the internet, spanning books, music, films, and visual art. Also, shoutout to my friend

Arman Khodadoost

, an Austin Kleon superfan who wrote a great review and summary of Austin’s books (in case you want a taste before you commit to buying them).

Podcast of the Week

Cyan Banister: From Homeless and Broke to Top Angel Investor.

Cyan Banister

is a legendary venture capitalist and angel investor, but she grew up on a Navajo reservation and spent time as a homeless crustpunk kid. Her story is fascinating, and possibly my all-time favorite episode of the Tim Ferriss Show (which is saying a lot, since I’ve been a fan since the first episode). But the most interesting part, for me, is toward the end of the interview, where Cyan talks about her interest in early 20th century spiritual teachers like Aleister Crowley and G.I. Gurdjieff, and shares her experience of spiritual awakening. Cyan is sharing her story on Substack, now, too.

Quote of the Week

“You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”

—Joseph Campbell

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That’s all for this week! As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mind, Meaning, and Magic. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to learn more about? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment on Substack.

Thanks for reading,

Chris Cordry, LMFT

PS: Would you like some 1:1 guidance on clarifying your goals for 2025 and bridging the gap between where you’re at now, and where you want to be? I’m not taking on any new clients until January, but if you’re interested in working with me in the New Year, just reply to this email and we can set up a free 20-minute call to see if it’s a good fit.