Opening sacred space is a ceremonial practice used by shamans and healers all over the world. It is a calling in of spiritual help from all directions and aspects of spirit. The perceptive ones among us can feel an immediate shift in the energetic quality of the environment. Sacred space drowns out the distractions of the everyday modern world and brings us into to the present moment. It allows the shaman to easily step into the invisible world to perform healings, retrieve soul pieces, and create beautiful ceremonies. It is also a way of honoring spiritual allies and sacred mountains.
A student of mine had recently experienced me opening sacred space during our workshop. Soon after the class, she was doing some browsing on the internet and ran across references to The Prayer for Opening Sacred Space by Alberto Villoldo of The Four Winds. It is a beautiful prayer, and many Shamanic practitioners around the world use their own versions of this incantation. I included a link to this prayer on the Four Winds website below. It incorporates the language and archetypes of the South American (Peruvian) shaman within the framework of the indigenous peoples in North America.
It is important to open sacred space before engaging in shamanic ceremony or healing sessions. It can be helpful to open sacred space in your home before having an important discussion with your partner or others. Sacred space is usually opened during any gathering of a sacred group, or ayllu. The words used and other elements of the ritual are not as important as your intention, beginning from a place of reverence or humility, and remembering to close the space with gratitude when the ceremony, conversation, or gathering is over.
Many shamanic practitioners will use sacred scents, such as a cleansing spritz water, burning sage, or palo santos when opening space. Often a rattle, drum, or bell is also used offering sound to the aspects of spirit being called in.
As taught by Alberto Villoldo of the Four Winds, you begin by facing south and call in the energy of the serpent archetype, then face west and call to jaguar, next facing north you will call in hummingbird, and then to the east call in the condor/eagle. Kneeling down to touch the earth, you honor mother earth and all of her creatures. Standing again and reaching for the heavens, you call in the energy of the sun, moon, and stars, as well as “Great Spirit,” “source,” “God,” or whatever else along those lines fits with your belief system. I first learned to open space in this way, using many of the words suggested by Alberto but also making the prayer my own.
https://thefourwinds.com/opening-sacred-space/
After many years of broader study and developing relationships with the mountains and earth spirits in Peru and at home, I have evolved in my way of opening space. I have chosen to call in many Apus (mountain spirits) and Santa Tierras (feminine earth spirits) by name, while dropping some of the above procedures on most occasions.
I use a rattle and a bottle of “florida water” to begin, often blowing into the bottle to play it like a flute before spritzing as I kneel down and touch the earth. I most often also use a rattle to begin, especially when opening space with a group. This ritual begins at the earth and does not involve the four directions. I typically use the florida water and rattle again when reaching upward.
CALLING IN THE FEMININE ASPECTS OF SPIRIT (kneeling down touching the Earth)
Pachamamma, tia madre (mother earth) we call on you now to be with us in this place and during this ceremony. We ask that you hold this space sacred. We thank you for providing all that we need and we honor you. We honor all your creatures, the two-legged, the four-legged, the finned, the furred, the feathered, the creepy-crawlies, the stone people, the plant people, and the standing-talls.
We call upon the elements of earth, water, air and fire. Then I call upon various earth spirits, depending on my location and purpose. I follow that by calling in the energies of the various waterways, again depending on location and purpose. There are some I always call in based on my relationship with the energies of the body of water. I usually ask the spirits of the fire, called Salamandres, to be with us, especially for fire ceremonies. And then also mentioning of the winds or the sacred breath. Some of the Santa tierras that I work with in Peru are listed below if you wish to call them in. You can also begin building a relationship with the earth spirits and sacred waters where you live and work, asking for their names.
Santa Tierra Plazzoletta de Belen
Santa Tierra Pontia K’olla
Santa Tierra Suntu Warmi
Santa Tierra in the Main Plaza of Macchu Picchu
Santa Tierra Killa Rumiyoq
Santa Tierra Killa Wassi
Hayaya! (shout of joy, triumph of
the heart, cheers to your health) (Translates as Salud! In Spanish.)
While still kneeling, or from a standing position you may call in the archetypal energies of the serpent, Amaru, the jaguar, Otorongo, and the condor, Apuchine.
CALLING IN THE MASCULINE ASPECTS OF SPIRIT (standing reaching to the sky)
Oh, Great Spirit, Father Sun (Inti Titi), Grandmother Moon (Mama Kia), Children of the Star Nations. You who are known by a thousand names but are the unnamable one. We call on you now, to be with us and make this space sacred. We ask that you guide this ceremony. We call upon the Apus, the mountain spirits:
The Apus of the Ozark Mountains all around us (or other mountain ranges based on your location).
Apus Ausangate
Apus Salkantay
Apus Walka Wilka
Apus Patchatuscan
Apus Machu Picchu
Apus Waynu Picchu
Mount Everest
We call upon all the masculine aspects of spirit to be with us now and to guide this work.
Hayaya!
CLOSING SACRED SPACE
When the ceremony, conversation, or gathering is finished, it is important to “close space.” This may be done by repeating everything done to open space, while expressing your gratitude rather than requests to be present. Sometimes other simpler expressions of gratitude to all of those present (human, animal, spirit) is done with the intention of closing space. It is most important to acknowledge the spiritual assistance that was present, and the power of community (ayllu).
There is no single best way or correct way to open or create sacred space. The quality of the space you hold is based on the sincerity of your intentions, your own energetic vibrations, and your focus. Below are a few more links to others’ perspectives on opening space.
https://www.qoya.love/opening-sacred-space