The sacredness of everyday objects

 When we talk about things that are sacred, we often end up putting things on pedestals.  It reminds me a little of the 'company plates'...you know, the fancy ones that you only break out when company comes, or for holidays or other special occasions.  As a kid, I always looked forward to times when we would break out the company plates...even though it meant more work for me (the company plates couldn't go in the dishwasher of course, so they had to be hand washed and dried).

And there is something about special items that lends themselves to sacredness.  Often it's the extra work that does it.  Because something is special and not for 'ordinary use' we often have more rituals around how we use it.  Much like breaking out the company plates, we may think of ritual offerings as needing special containers, luxury ingredients, something handmade...rarely do we think of the simple everyday things that we use in our regular life.

But those everyday items have their own brand of sacredness.  Let's talk about bread for a minute.  I'll admit, I'm not always a fan of plain old sandwich bread.  It's a super staple, and we are more likely to have it on hand than some other fancy kind of bread.  But for almost everything, I will pick some other kind of bread if it's offered.  I've heard myself say "I don't really like bread...." and I'm always thinking of white sandwich bread.  The funny thing is, I don't really dislike white sandwich bread either, it's just that when thinking about bread, I think of sandwich bread first, and then my brain automatically compares it to the many other kinds of bread and I end up feeling a bit disappointed.

The thing is....I actually don't mind white sandwich bread.  One of my big comfort foods, especially when I'm feeling really off and needing something soothing, is two pieces of sandwich bread, and two pieces of processed cheese (you know, the ones that come wrapped in plastic).  Microwave until the cheese is melted then make a sandwich.  It's soft, it's gooey, and it's absolutely lovely.  (Amusing note:  I'm definitely a fancy cheese lover as well, but I have never disliked the 'cheap' processed cheese)

When I think about using bread for a ritual or offering....my first thought is never sandwich bread.  Even though, as I mentioned earlier, it's what we typically use around the house.  My brain thinks sacred and wants to use something 'more.'

Which I find at odds with how most of my practice is:  using what I've got and trying to entwine spiritual and mundane as much as possible.  I think a lot of it goes back to the early days, where all your spiritual tools were supposed to be special things, only used for ritual purposes.  I've had to fight my own brain along the way, to use tools that were also used for their intended purpose (my first athame was my pocketknife, which I carried with me for all kinds of things).

I know that it can sometimes be hard to see the sacred in everyday objects, especially if they are both terribly mundane as well as inexpensive.  It's like we have been trained to not honor the worth of things that fall into those categories.  This is one of those places where you might have to really sink into the work and recognize the sacredness of an item before you use it.

I find mindfulness practice can really help here (and working on mindfulness with regards to the sacredness of everyday objects can also help your mindfulness practice, which is great for emotional and mental stability...so it's a win/win!).  If you are looking at something, want to use it as a part of your practice, but are struggling with seeing it as sacred, then take a step back and try to see it with fresh eyes.

Really look at it, as if you had never seen it before.  Look at what colors are there, what texture it is, what it smells and tastes like.  Does it have a sound (or absence of sound....white sandwich bread is much quieter than, for example, a freshly baked crusty loaf of sourdough)?  Think about the role it plays in your life...what does this object let you do?  Think about how it makes you feel...and try to think of several different situations and how the object fits into them (like how sandwich bread is super available or I always remember peanut butter and honey sandwiches as travel food because they don't require refrigeration).

Simple, everyday objects can be super fascinating, when we slow down and take the time to appreciate them.  And not only as they are now, but the role they have played in our life.  Most of us are impacted SO much more by everyday objects than we are by things like company plates.  Sure, we had a matching set of fancy coffee/tea cups (with the little saucers)....and I can't remember ever using them (I'm sure we did, I just have no memories of them), but I can clearly remember the hodge podge of souvenir coffee mugs that we had accumulated over the years.  Those were a part of my life...the fancy cups weren't.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to have and use fancy objects for your sacred work.  I have some lovely, ornate tools that were handcrafted and I keep for special things.  But you are missing out if you don't also consider the everyday things around you...and how they impact not only your daily life, but how they could work into your sacred life as well.  So the next time you are looking for something to work with, don't overlook the things you use every day...you might surprise yourself in how meaningful they become, once you have seen them as sacred.