Lesson 2

Sacred Places


Note to instructor:
In this lesson our children learn about sacred places both permanent and temporary. We explore several different expressions of sacred space including: the Congregation of trees, the temple, the shrine and the defined outdoor space. We look at the cosmological concept of liminality as it defines and contains the sacred space setting it aside from the world. We also examine the liturgical act of establishing sacred space and allow some children to actually perform this ritual act. This lesson provides an opportunity for the family or Congregation child/ren to look at the traditional sacred places of their own hearth culture and the specific sacred places currently in use by the Congregation or family of which he or she is a member. There is also a discussion about some of the things that we find in sacred space and some of the things that we do in sacred space. A secondary aspect of this lesson is that the children are introduced to the concept of gates opening between world and other-world bringing the sacred space in tune with our world, the world of Gods and or the after-world of the ancestors. This lesson can easily extend into several meetings on the topic of sacred space.

Drawing pictures:
Provide crayons, paper, pencils and general art supplies and have them ready to go. Then ask the children to make pictures of sacred places and ritual areas. Try to get the children to include as many details as they can think of. Ask questions like: "What kinds of things do we see at our ceremonies?"

Facilitated discussion:
In a facilitated discussion the instructor leads the group as a facilitator but the intention is to elicit information and ideas from the children. It is important that the facilitator acknowledge the ideas and statements of the children. It is best for the facilitator to sit among the children and not take a standing position similar to a teacher or leader. It is also important to make sure a child gets to feel that he or she gets to finish his or her statements. Try to keep them from interrupting one another. When the discussion needs to be brought back on topic do so gently, perhaps directing the conversation with a question. Gather the children around in a group setting and start by directing the group into the topic. The following questions and directions are just ideas that should be used freely but put in the words of the facilitator.
"Where do we have our sacred space for our rites?"
"What kind of places can we have as sacred or special places?" (temple, building, room, forest, island, field, hilltop, area under a tree..)
"Does anyone have any ideas what makes a place special or sacred?"
"Can a sacred place me made anywhere?"
"What are some of the things that we do in a sacred place?" (Congregation meetings, rituals, prayers, dancing and singing.)
"Let's name some of the things that we find in sacred places."(Fire altar, hearth, well, stone, bile, tree...)
"What can we use to mark the edge of a sacred place?" (shade of a tree, circle, edges of a room, walls, edge of a forest, edge of a stream, water and edge of the sand on a beach, the top of a hill) (Elicit as many answers as possible, looking for things that represent edges and definition that sets a space aside)
"What kind of sacred places would you like to use sometime?"


Short story:
Timmy's new Pobal.
Timothy was nine years old and had always lived with his parents in Oklahoma. But now Timothy's family was moving to Colorado where Dad had been transferred by his work. Timothy was a little nervous about the move because he would be leaving all of his friends behind. Timothy had always gone to school with the same children and he was worried about meeting the children at his new school. Timothy also knew that he would miss his Tribe. You see, Timothy and his parents had always been in the same Tribe and he had known his friends there, all of his life.
When the family was packing to get ready to move, Mom noticed that Timothy seemed a little sad about moving so she started to tell Timothy about Colorado.
Mom said, "Hey Timmy, our new house is going to be in the mountains in another small town a lot like this one."
Timmy asked, "I know that I am going to have a new school but will we have a new Tribe there?"
Mom answered, "Yes, we'll have a new Tribe there but it might be a bit different."
Timmy asked, "How will it be different?"
Mom answered, "Well, the Tribe where we're going has been around for a long time and they have more members than our group here. And they have more children and there are even a couple of kids your age there. They also have a nematon where they can have their meetings and High-days.
Timothy thought that this sounded interesting and he asked, "They don't move the meetings around to different houses like us?"
Then Dad walked in and said, "Ah, talking about the new Tribe in Colorado. They don't move their meetings around anymore because they have their own land and they built an assembly hall that they can always use for worship."
Timothy looked a bit puzzled and said, "But I like the way that we always visit Tribe member's houses and the way we move our high-day celebrations to different places."
Mom said, "You know Timmy, you can use any place to worship and we have always moved to different places to have our celebrations, sometimes we have them in the park and sometimes in back yards and even inside houses. But some groups have a special place that they can use again and again. Some Tribes have outdoor places that they go to and other Tribes even have built assembly halls."
The Dad spoke up and said, "Ok folks, enough talk, we have a truck to load so let's get busy."
Timothy started to help carry boxes out to the moving van and he was wondering so much about what the new Tribe and his new school would be like that he even started to forget how sad he was.
Finally it was the day that Timothy and his parents were going to go to their first meeting at the new Tribe. Timothy had liked the new house and had started at his new school and had made some new friends but today was Saturday and it was a meeting day for the new Tribe.
Dad was driving the car and Mom was in the front seat also and Timothy was sitting in the back seat. The roads in Colorado were so curvy that you can't see very far ahead and poor Timothy was beside himself trying to see the assembly hall up ahead but the road up the mountain was so twisty and had trees so he couldn't see very far. Then suddenly the car went around a corner and there it was, Timothy knew that this had to be the right place because it was so beautiful looking with big wooden columns in front around the door.
Timothy was very excited as he walked into the building, the inside of the hall was a big room with seats around a stone altar in the middle of the room. There was a fire burning on another altar and there was a big cauldron beside the fire altar. It looked so big and the whole room felt very special.
Then Timothy saw a little girl walking toward him and as she walked up she said,"Hi, I'm Julie, what's your name?"
Timothy said, "I'm Timothy, but everyone calls me Timmy. We just moved here from Oklahoma."
Julie said, "Wow, Oklahoma that is a long ways. Does Oklahoma look like Colorado?"
Timothy answered, "No it is very different because it is flat where we lived and you can see for a long way, not like here where there are mountains everywhere. Our Tribe was different too."
Julie said, "Oh, you had a Tribe there, cool. Did your family all move here?"
Timothy answered, "Yes, my parents and my dog and my fish all moved here this week. This hall is so cool, we didn't have a hall in Oklahoma so we always met at different houses and our high-days were usually in the park."
Julie said, "In the park? That must be fun. Come on, I'll introduce you to some of the other kids."
Timothy followed Julie outside to find some of the other children and Timothy thought to himself, "I'm going to like it here."

Practice defining and blessing sacred space:
It is important that as the children practice this ritual act, the act be treated seriously. An offering should be made when the activity is over and the Gods should be thanked in closing. This is not playing, it is practice but the Gods are being spoken to and so the children must realize the serious intent and the best way for the intent of the children to be serious is for the intent of the adults to be serious. Choose a variety of settings for this practice to be done, it is also nice if you can have the children write their own prayers of dedication of sacred place. Below is a selection of settings and prayers for possible use.

1) The children are gathered under a single tree all standing in the shade together, each child who will be practicing has some sort of liquid offering to pour upon the ground as he or she speaks. The offering is poured as the child prays "High ones of our ancestors accept this gift and make the shade of this tree as the shade of your protection and blessing. The shelter of this tree, the shelter of your blessings. Thank you."

2) Stand the children in a circle around a large stone all facing outward away from the stone, each child has some sort of offering to pour onto the ground as a child pours an offering onto the stone. One child begins to speak and pour an offering on the stone while the other children pour their offering on the ground outside of the ring of standing people, as each child finishes pouring out his or her offering he or she turns to face the stone. The child in the center prays: "From the center to the edge we offer this gift to the Gods of our people that this place where we stand will be blessed. Thank you."

3) The children gather at the top of a hill or rock outcropping that is either a defined top or plateau. Each child who is practicing the blessing should have some type of offering of liquid, fruit, flowers or some other appropriate item. The child who is practicing gives his or her offering and then raises both hands and loudly speaks toward the sky. "Accept this offering and may the wind of blessing blow gently from the Gods upon this hilltop. As it reaches into the sky may our hearts reach to our Gods."

4) The children are standing on a small beach at the ocean, lake, river or stream. The area should be a clearly defined area of sand bordered by the water on one side and grass or some other natural items on the other sides. The children who are practicing should each have some sort of ecologically safe offering to cast into the water. When the child practices, he or she should stand right at the edge of the water or the area where the waves reach and cast his or her offering into the water then say. "A gift given on this sacred strand. Our feet upon the sand at the edge of worlds, bless this place in the sacred names of the Gods of the people. Thank you."

5) The children are standing in a small field or clearing surrounded by forest. Each child practicing should have some sort of offering to give. The child will give his or her offering and say, "Open to the sky may this field be blessed, before me, behind me, beside me to left and right and all around."

6) The children are gathered in a room to consecrate sacred space. Offerings in this situation are often flowers, though a vessel can be ready to receive offering that are a bit messier or more suited to outside settings. The child places his or her offering somewhere in the room or places it in the appropriate vessel while saying: "Within the door, from floor to roof, from wall to wall may this place be blessed by the Gods as they receive this gift freely given. Thank you."

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