Unearthing Joy

How Rising Star crafts sacred spaces at home

By Zach Johnson

A sacred space is a place where we feel at home. It’s where our nervous system relaxes and awakens to the inherent joy that lives within us. Many of us feel this in nature, but we can also create this experience in and around our homes.

Rising Star is a Boulder County-based business focused on creating sacred spaces in stone. For over 20 years, we have been helping our clients find a deeper relationship to their properties by conducting energetic land clearings and building sacred structures with stone.

The sacred qualities of a place stem from our relationship to that space—we determine what is special and what is not. In other words, what we give our attention to has the power to come alive for us. 

Part of our work is bearing witness to the story that our clients have regarding their land. We are all drawn to the places we live for deeper reasons, and often those reasons are revealed when we sit quietly with nature and listen deeply to what is being said.

In our initial conversations with clients, we explore the relationships people have with their property, asking, “What initially drew you to your home? How do you feel when you spend time in your house, or on your land?” and “What areas of your property are you drawn to, or do you avoid?”  

The most important element of building a sacred space is the initial energetic clearing of the property. In the same way that we hold on to difficult memories and experiences, the earth is also a memory bank of the trauma that we inflict upon ourselves and those around us. There are ways to facilitate the release of this trauma, which allows the ebullient energy of the earth to rise again. Common themes arise when we do land clearings. Areas that have experienced violence and war, as well as mining and large-scale development, often live on in the memory of the land. 

In the same way that we have personalities, the land beneath our feet also holds unique traits. Once we do a land clearing, the natural attributes of a property come alive in a more accessible way for us. This is where the design and build process begins. We listen to the voice of the land and our clients, and we let that be a guiding light for the design process.

So, what are some ways that you can create a sacred space on your property? First, begin by asking permission to work with the land. This acknowledges that you, as a human, are not the only form of life that exists here. It also connects you to the other life, seen and unseen, that is all around you. Find a place outside, sit quietly, breathe deeply until you have reached a place of stillness, and state your intention of working with the energy of the land. Wait for a feeling of expansion or harmony that arises from within. This is your “yes” to begin the work.

In your meditative state, ask to be shown if there is any disharmony that lives in the land. This disharmony shows up in many ways, but in your body, it may manifest in the moment as a dense, heavy feeling. It can also be accompanied by challenging emotions, such as anger or grief. If you are not accustomed to sensing and moving energy, it can be difficult to shift this, but with practice and deep listening you will get better at it. There are many ways to shift the energy, but if you are new to it, I recommend the following: Ask the earth to transmute the negative energy by absorbing it into her light. You can imagine the disharmony you feel dissolving into the earth, visualizing a feeling of lightness taking the place of the denser, heavy energy.

Once you feel a shift in the environment of your property, you can begin to build your space. Start with a design that invokes feelings or qualities that you want to experience more of. Create a place where you can go to connect more deeply with yourself, others, or with nature. 

If you are new to the building process, I suggest selecting materials which bring you a feeling of joy, peace, or whatever emotion you are trying to bring about. Surround yourself with plants and objects that you resonate with, and let your heart be your guide.

For more information about Rising Star, visit risingstar.world and zstone.net or call 720-338-9912.