Awakening to Sacred Presence
Welcome to the beauty of your self, where the ordinary moments of life are revealed as sacred encounters.
We are often taught to search for the divine in elevated places—set apart, purified, or lifted beyond the reach of daily life. Yet again and again, the sacred is found in unexpected corners of our lives. As Jacob awoke to discover, the presence of God is woven into the very fabric of our existence, even when we fail to recognize it.
The world itself is a sanctuary, a place where spirit and matter are not separate but intertwined. Each blade of grass, each passing breeze, each familiar face carries the potential to reveal the holy. The Talmud's image of angels bending over the grass, whispering "Grow, grow," is not merely poetic—it is an invitation to open our senses to the subtle voices of divine presence that call us to awareness.
We often miss these encounters because they unfold in the spaces we overlook—the places where routine dominates, where distractions hum, and where the mind is occupied. Yet the divine does not wait for us to be still and prepared. As with Jacob, the sacred may meet us while we are unaware, busy with life's ordinary rhythms.
Recognizing these moments is not a matter of effort but of willingness. There is no switch to activate awareness, no formula to secure divine visitations. The invitation is instead to respond—to pause, to notice, and to welcome what has always been present.
We can cultivate this response by setting altars in the heart—simple moments of pause where we acknowledge the sacredness of now. The altar might be a breath of gratitude, a whispered blessing, or a gentle gaze upon the world that sees its quiet beauty. These small acts widen the space where awareness can arise.
The distinctions we create—between sacred and secular, between heaven and earth—are our own constructs. Reality itself is whole, and divine presence saturates every aspect of it. Each step we take is upon holy ground. The divine presence hums in the background of our lives, steady and unwavering, whether we notice or not.
In moments when awareness dawns, we can choose to honor the moment. Like Jacob, we may say, "Surely the Divine is in this place, and I did not know it."
Pause long enough to see,
to touch what you would otherwise pass by.
Place a stone at the threshold of awareness.
Name this place sacred,
for there is no moment untouched by the Infinite.