Ten Sacred Words

August 2022

Sacred [sey-krid]   adjective; regarded with reverence; secured against violation and infringement.

Since I was about seven years old, I have considered what qualities are required to make a thing, thought, or practice “sacred”.  When I was little, much to the frustration of the adults around me, I asked why sometimes there were words, things, and rituals that were so important as to be protected at the highest levels, and never disputed.  The WHY has always been important to me.  The question is one that I return to time and again. 

My grandparents taught me that for something to be sacred, it should be ordained by religion. Their view was that all those things that we could not entirely explain but were taught to accept with blind faith should be seen as sacred.  For such a complex concept, that explanation seemed too restrictive.  It left out a lot of things that, when I asked them, they couldn’t explain.  Even then, I knew that if you couldn’t explain it, you couldn’t validate why it was sacred.

My teachers brought the concept out of the church and into the classroom.  They instructed that only the things that could be empirically proved had the potential to become sacred.  They bolstered this view through the understanding of the universal impact on our society.  They insisted that the laws that govern our world like gravity, time, and momentum, should be revered as sacred because they did not change, and without them, science, philosophy, and art would be lost to us.  While all of that may be true, it still seemed to me that the scholars were missing the point.  Sacred is a tremendously important word.  There had to be more to it than that.

What I finally arrived at was this: The notion of any one thing, thought, or practice being held as sacred is an extremely subjective, personal, individual determination.  Each one of us must find those things that are sacred to us and infuse them into our lives in a way that best respects the meaning of the word. 

I decided that for a thing to be sacred, it needed to hold a space in my understanding that did not diminish its relevance or importance over time.  It could evolve at its edges, while remaining true at its core.  I came up with a list of ten concepts that seemed to fit these criteria… at least for me.

I enjoyed a tremendously insightful conversation with a friend recently on this topic, and it drove me to dig deep in the boxes of my basement, scour my old notebooks, and find the list I generated all those years ago.  In examining the list, I’ve discovered that even though my vocabulary has improved since I was seven, my base understanding of these ten things, and why I have always seen them as sacred, has not changed.

I’m sharing this list here, not only for my friend, so that they might gain greater insight into who I am, but also for you, that you may use my list as a springboard to look inside yourself and figure out what’s sacred to you, and why.

​Just for the record, no, “Troth” wasn’t a word I knew at seven years old.  I learned that one the first time my English teacher read Shakespeare aloud to the class, in sixth grade.  But I thought is sounded like a word that described the concept of “Private Me”, so I’ve been using it ever since.

As all these words are sacred to me, they are presented here with the intention that none are more sacred than the others… but alas, a list is a list.

1. Troth [Private Me]:  Different than a promise, more resolute than a vow, and far above simple romanticism.  It is the sterling silver key that opens my inner soul.  Only two people can hold the key at any one time; me and the person whose hand I gently place over mine.  Both hands must delicately maneuver the key to caress the tumblers so damage is not done to the lock.  If my Troth is not respectfully cared for, it will tarnish, making it difficult to move smoothly within the works.  Myself, and the person to whom I pledge my Troth are equally responsible, one to another.  It requires fierce commitment, for the key will no longer turn if that unity fails.  If it should fail, it is then that I must decide to either protect my Troth from future damage by secreting it away… or take some time to polish it and then travel on to discover another Cerberus with whom to share the challenge. 

2. Tenacious/Tenacity [Don’t Give Up]: This is the covenant I make with myself to persevere until my heart and spirit find a place of resolution or discover the next step on the path in my evolution.  It is the unyielding energy source I cultivate toward reaching a goal, connecting with another cherished soul, or coming to an understanding of the end without lingering doubt or reservation.  It is persistence regardless of the influence of naysayers or distractions.  It is the voice within me that reminds, “You are enough.  You are deserving.  You are precious.  You are capable.”

3. Thank you [Thank You]: The respectful appreciation of the contribution others make to ease my journey through life.  Never to be tendered or received lightly, when rendered with genuine sincerity, this phrase is one of the most powerful tools in our lexicon to move the evolution of humanity forward.  This isn’t just a polite behavior taught in childhood to appease parents and teachers. Instead, it is an opportunity to practice gratitude daily and model for others its transformative dexterity.

4. I’m Sorry [I’m Sorry]:  A restorative incantation of the sacred trust I invest in my relationships with others.  This is an invitation to connect with those I hold dear through the strength of vulnerability.  It is an opportunity to filet myself with a carving knife of truth that invites humility rather than ego to mend fences and build bridges. Utterly useless if offered without full transparency; shunned silence, rightly so, will be returned when I recite this poem without devotion to honest and mindful reparations.

5. Tribe [My Club]: These are my cadre of emotional, intellectual, and creative bedfellows.  These are the souls I count on for support, encouragement, and an active listening ear… and for whom I return the same with honesty, intensity, and resilience.  Thriving between us is a shared intuition and an unrestrained acceptance without the insensitive, repetitive exhumation of past mistakes.  In these circles, the focus is on personal growth, unrivaled peacefulness, and a strong desire to uplift all equally, none becoming more or less than the others.  We comfort each other in times of disappointment, brainstorm in times of confusion, and celebrate in times of success, never casually abandoning or discarding anyone.

6. Story [Story]: The memory of my memories.  Story is how I connect with people I will never meet, and come to understand their minds with empathy, commonality, and sometimes revulsion.  It is the way I yearn to discover where I fit in the world, and how I can best contribute to it.  Story offers me a chance to remember a voice, a touch, a glance from those I love, which I can recall in times of sadness, elation, fear, and anger.  Story is how I process, how I take inventory, and how I sincerely ask another person to share themselves without reservation, in whatever way they find most comfortable.  The phrases, “Tell me a story, or “Let me tell you a story” aren’t just an invitation to investigate imagination (although I LOVE that!).  It is also an invitation for us to share something between us that we usually don’t let out.  A chance to touch and be touched in ways that will take eons to evaporate.  Story is one of the greatest gifts shared between humans.

7. Nice [Nice]:  There’s a lot to be said for Nice.  It is one of those words that is simultaneously simple, yet complicated.  Nice is how I want to be, feel, and live life, always. Nice is easy, intuitive, strong, comforting, and inexpensive.  Cultivating relationships with others built on a foundation of Nice means that every pillar of support I add, every door I open, every path to a shared experience is easily attainable, protected from the winds of change, and sustained through measures that don’t drain me or anyone else.  When the debris of extravagance and ego settle, Nice remains to remind, “It was worth it, It meant something, It was fun.”

8. Loyalty [Trust]: It has always been interesting to me that sacred concepts often mimic each other, or at the very least, work well in tandem.  Such is the case with Loyalty.  A vibrant mixture of Tenacity and Nice turned outward.  My seven-year-old self interpreted Loyalty as “Don’t give up on the people who don’t give up on you.”  I think that’s still tremendously accurate.  It’s not about blurring my vision to appease in favor of something I don’t believe in.  Loyalty says, “I will stand with you, always when I am strong, and even when I am uncertain of myself, because you are important to me.”

9. Storms [Thunderstorms]: The reverent power discovered in the wind, rain, lightning, and aroma of a storm reminds me to keep all things in perspective.  The surge of tumult is comforting to me.  There’s a cleansing property to it all.  In every raindrop a story waits.  In every flash of light across a dark sky, an adventure is churning.  In every explosion of sound, I am reminded of the vibration that connects me to the world I love, and the people I adore.  I’ve never feared the storm.  I take comfort in it, for it screams loudly, “All things change, and you're going to be okay.”  The many senses connected to a storm create an imprint of memory, drawing my attention, making me notice things I would normally overlook.  It is a wondrous thing to have the reverberation of a storm remind me that sometimes, even Mother Nature gets frustrated and sad, but she always recovers.  When I was younger, I imagined the thunder was God’s tummy grumbling, and the lighting was from the Angel’s flashlights as they searched for the cookie jar to ease his hunger.

10. Joy [Happy]: Unbridled elation in the simplest of moments, absent of restrictive control.  Joy doesn’t come on a schedule, with expectations, or price tags.  Often fleeting, never forgotten, it resonates in me and encourages me to share its manifestation with others.  Never tempered by reclusive angst, Joy leaps from the stage left wing, appears above center stage in mid-air, and lands on one knee, to the delight of every hair standing on the back of my neck.  I am comforted by Joy’s resilience as I grow awkwardly through my life.  Just when I start to think stumbling will become the new norm, Joy leaps forth and invites me to dance.  I giggle with the amazement of it and embrace it passionately, holding it for as long as I can.  Then, as it leaves, I remember it and patiently wait for it to come again.  Usually, it doesn’t take too long for Joy to reappear and remind me that all is well.    

What is your definition of Sacred?  How does Sacred show up in your life and how do you embrace it?  Even if it changes moment to moment, this is still a fun and insightful writing prompt.