Now, this is where we go one more step beyond holding space for yourself and others and that is to hold space for whatever your version is of the Universe/Spirit/God/Goddess… This is where I feel I need to go slowly to be clear. I purposely didn’t make this title “Holding Space FOR the Universe” because there is something different here that ties the rest back to the part that will change everything in your perspective of life, yourself and others.
We have always had images of a Higher Power since the beginning of humankind. The world is a large, mysterious and dangerous place and so the gods were also
large, mysterious and dangerous. As our world view expanded and our cultures evolved so did the image of the universal forces around us. Eventually, that evolved to see the Universe as one system, one Higher Power, and in some cultures, one God but still we reflected our image on that Universal Power that was, and is, still beyond our understanding.
When we hold space for ourselves, or another, what are we looking at? Previously I had written an article about holding space for others. In other words, giving someone else the space to be, feel, think and react without judgement. To accept another as someone simply here to experience life as they choose, just like yourself.
Everything anyone does is reflective of how they perceive the world. A reaction to another person is filtered through life experiences, culture, education, etc. What if that is how we are perceiving the Universe and that the image of a God as one of judgement and punishment is because that is how we feel about ourselves and not because it's Universal Truth? What if instead of God creating Man in his image we've created God in ours?!
The Universe was created with Love. There is an intelligence to the Universe that has the ultimate goal of existence to be the expansion and evolution of everything into a higher form. Everything that it created was given free will. The free will to evolve and to make choices in any way that it wanted in order to experience what is, and isn't, the experience of Love. And so, with that in mind, as a part of that Universe with free will we can make any choices that we like whether they are “good” or “bad”. But the reality is that the Universe is neutral. There is no good and bad there just IS. There is a law in physics that says any energy in motion stays in motion. The Universe was set in motion with the Big Bang and it has continued to evolve and move ever since. Every choice that is made is a reaction to the one before it. It is not good or bad, it just is.
So when we talk about holding space for ourselves and others we need to look at our perception of the Higher Power and reflect on whether that perception is based on reality or how we are taught to react, how we feel about ourselves, what we were raised to believe, etc. Are the bad things that happen actually punishments or just things that happen because something was set in motion? Is our Higher Power really angry with something we did or are we angry with ourselves for our behavior?
This is not to say that the Universe is just a series of reactions without intelligence. I believe there is a Higher Intelligence and that there is a bigger picture than what we can see as humans. What I’m saying is that when we stop to reflect on our relationship with Source, or God, that we take that time to once again hold space for ourselves to see where our feelings and beliefs are coming from. To allow ourselves the room to really feel it without judgement. To just observe and get a new perspective.
For myself I can only tell you what I have felt and experienced as a result of reflecting on what I thought would be me holding space for the Universe. One afternoon I was in my backyard and as I stood still to hold space for Source I found that there was suddenly a stillness in the air. I could hear the birds,
feel the breeze and was aware of the sounds of traffic in the distance but the experience was of just being in the moment. And in that moment I realized that there was nothing I had to do, nothing I had to change and that I was okay just as I was. I also realized that I could physically feel space around me that was centered and safe and that the Universe was actually holding space....for me.