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This is a ritual performed at the beginning of each Symposium, to open a Community Gathering. It can be easily adapted to be an appropriate length for the kind of meeting you are having.
Opening Sacred Space in 5 Steps
- If you wish, offer some smudge (smoking sage plant or palo santo wood) or incense to participants, as a form of ritual “cleansing.”
- Offer a prayer or guided meditation that a) invites everyone to “come present” and let go of anything that might be drawing their attention
elsewhere, b) invites Pachamama (or any spirit you want to invoke) to be present and guide you, and c) expresses gratitude for the opportunity of this moment, in whatever way you want to express it. - As a way of reminding everyone of the shared commitment/vision that unites us, read aloud The Pachamama Alliance's Vision and Purpose Statement, perhaps in “popcorn” style, to allow several people’s voice to come forward.
- If you wish, you could offer any other prayer or reading that brings present a deeper spirit in the group.
- Say some word of closing—the Native American “A-ho,” or “so be it” or “amen” or anything else that you wish.
To find out more about Sacred Space, or for a fuller guide, download our Sacred Space 101 document.
An alternative is to read The Pachamama Alliance's Vision and Purpose Statement right after the closing of the ceremony, to focus the rest of the meeting.
