Magical Sacred Things

[Cunae]

Curious... are things magical or sacred in the eye of the beholder, or are some things known commonly to be so?

This is a big part of my path as a mystical Christian... stones, feathers, woods, gems, flowers, symbols, concuring events, patterns, etc.

For example, I am obsessed with getting an Evergreen iris to grow in my garden. I have nutured it for two years, then moved and brought it with me. Now it might be another two years before I see the bloom.

The green iris has long enchanted me. I am convinced there is something magical about it. I *know* it by some kind of instinct. Other objects captivate me that way. One feather among several, for example. Etc.

My grandmother was Cheyenne/Lakota so I am thinking maybe that's where these instincts are coming from. When I visited Pine Ridge in South Dakota I was certain I heard voices. Buffalo have long felt sacred to me, even before I knew my grandmother.

What would you call this manifestation? As human, I need words to grasp the meaning of spiritual things. Maybe others do not? Wisdom, please!

[RavenStars]

I believe that life is considered sacred in most religions. And that one by itself is a pretty universal theme!

The stones, feathers, etc. are going to be tied strongly to culture and geography. For instance, common object in one place will have less importance then in a place where it is very rare. In another place the ocean may be feared for its storms while in another it gifts the culture with most of its food.

Also, the definition of magic, how it works, and how it manifests will most likely impact which items are considered sacred. For example, the process of finding or making an object heightens the inherent power.

Personally, I'm more pantheist then not, and believe that everything is sacred. It is intention and ritual that helps me realize this. I must admit that I am more drawn to the perfect curl of a shell or polish of a pebble, but for me even a penny or a bit of plastic can help me be more present in the world.

[Forest Wizard]

....Personally, I'm more pantheist then not, and believe that everything is sacred.....

I enjoyed the way you put that. In my view we are ALL SPIRIT. Manifestations of spirit in glorious, infinite diversity. If we are all unique shouldn't we expect spirit to express itself through us and draw us each in unique ways? I think so. Whatever YOU are drawn to, whatever is sacred to YOU IS sacred to SPIRIT also.

Follow your spirit, intuition and inner truth.

BB

~Q~

[MonSno_LeeDra]

I tend to think of all things as magical for the act of creation is magical. Yes, science may be able to explain the process that is occuring, but that does not remove the magical essence of the results.

In my pathwalk I acknowlege the various peoples upon the Earth so to me Spirit is also magical and has placed a small amount of that magic into all things. Granted to another they may only be tree's, rocks, birds, etc, but to me they are magical for they are all peoples of the planet. I think even magical that it binds us all as a small fragment of a larger whole, a whole that can not exist without al the smaller fragments.

Being part of the larger whole, I think we are able to touch and feel the magic contained in all things. Whether we call it life, mana, magic, Manitou, really doesn't matter when you hold it in your hands and allow the magic within to touch the magic contained in the item you are touching.

I think that to move from the realm of magical to sacred requires the item to hold such an important place in man's perspective, that it transcends normality and becomes that which represents that which we might see as world changing.

The stories that transcend the ages, The Peace Pipe and ceremony / origin associated with it, the spear thrust into the side of Christ, The Horn of Plenty, The eye the witches used to see by, The three holy relics of ancient Japan, etc. Those things tied to a people by thier religious connection, their social connection and even those items driven by racial or ethnic importance. To some extent those items that give or gave a people a notion of self and national identify.

Something of such great importance to the people that one might say it becomes a focal point for thier own limited magical influences upon it. Yet taken in content of a whole nation or community and it becomes a highly charged magical item, charged by all that have a belief or attachment to it. Almost to the point that it becomes a construct, maybe even alive in a magical or relgious persception. Undying for it's magical existance is reestablished with every generation that knows of it and believes in it.

[~Audra~]

nature is the most sacred thing on earth, IMO...because nature encompasses each and every thing...wouldn't the world be much different if there weren't flowers, stones, feathers, animals, etc?

i know what you mean when you speak of your heritage...i'm part Cherokee myself and, even before i really understood the depth of my personal heritage, i was always a tree hugger and i have always revered nature...IMO, it's kind of dumb for us not to have some sort of reverence for it...i mean, w/o trees we wouldn't exist...w/o water, we wouldn't exist...alot of things are like this...

animals are sacred, as are humans...we really aren't so different from them, are we? for those that would argue that we're the smarter species, i disagree a little bit...we're all animals in our own right, in dire straights work soley on instinct and the need to survive, no matter what this may mean...

anything that isn't humanmade...( though, aren't the things we create an extension of ourselves and our mind/imagination?)...is sacred to me...everything adds up to the whole of the world, one thing is taken away and we're totally different...

as usual, IMO...:thumbsup: