On my journey of reverence for the Divine expressed in the natural world, one of my favorite encounters is with the Sacred Cave. As a natural cavity inside the earth, the cave may provide shelter or protection for sentient creatures, animal and human. Prehistoric cave paintings can be found in places such as Lascaux and Altamira, where it’s thought that rituals generating images of magical beasts were performed before the hunt. In our devotion to Gaia, we can enter a cave in a way that is so intimate and sacred, and find our way through the dark void that births all of creation.
Caves have also served as shelters for the wild hermits of medieval times, those ascetics that renounced attachments to physical comforts and householder responsibilities to pursue a life of meditation and unbridled devotion to the Divine. Some of these places have then become the foundation upon which a hermitage or chapel was built, sometimes even expanding into thriving monastic communities through the years.
Indigenous cultures around the world view the earth as a Divine Feminine entity that lives and breathes, nurturing all beings that live upon her as their mother. For this reason, the cave has been identified as the womb of Mother Earth, associated with birth and regeneration. So what can we give birth to when we enter a sacred cave? How do we revitalize ourselves with this practice?
Always when one wants to visit a sacred cave, it’s important to realize that it’s a process! There’s usually some kind of uphill climb on a mountain to get there and this is always a beautiful challenge that tests our endurance and commitment to having the experience. The hike may take us through a magical forest where the elementals support us as we climb and face our inner obstacles, purifying our soul before we enter the profundity of the cave. The forest usually has a long history of being sacred to the Goddess cultures that dwelled there long before Christianity and other religious institutions were established in our human history. It is refreshing to know that oftentimes, the cave will contain a holy spring of pure mountain water to drink in and refresh ourselves at the end of our journey.
One of the most fascinating sacred caves that I’ve experienced on my travels is located in the south of France, a mysterious cave sanctuary where it is said that Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life deep in contemplation, in communication with the living Christ and sharing her revelations with a following of devotees. Now in this blog post, my concern is not so much the historical documentation behind such claims. What interests me is the mythological essence of a place that is potent beyond historical facts and linear timelines. What I seek to share in all my writings is a vibration that uplifts and inspires us in our daily lives. So what would anyone be doing in a cave for 30 years? And how does this story reflect an archetype that empowers us in contemporary life?
There is no doubt that in her times, Mary Magdalene experienced a tremendous paradigm shift. There were all kinds of power struggles playing out in the Roman Empire, as well as the birth of a revolutionary new consciousness. Does the outer story change that much in our human lives on earth? Do the power struggles and violence ever cease? Perhaps the story of the last years of Mary Magdalene’s life is symbolic of a life lived in the world, but not of it, where she claimed a sacred space to cultivate a consciousness that assisted humanity’s spiritual evolution. When the outer world continually expresses uncertainty and even persecution, how do we establish ourselves in the divine order underlying all outer experience and live from an unbreakable inner state of peace and trust?
I call this process Inner Activism. Being an inner activist entails raising and maintaining a vibration of peace and divine vision in the midst of what appears to be chaos in the human world. We can see these events that seem to derail us and to shake up our sense of security at its core as opportunities to cleanse our vibrations of fears and doubts that will inevitably come up for review. Some of these fears are very real. They may come from past experiences or events that we have been through or have seen our loved ones go through. We may go into patterns of thought concerning a very bleak future, considering all that could go wrong or all that we may suffer.
When I look at the world through the eyes of suffering, everything I witness will validate my story. Everything I see will collaborate with me in maintaining the state of consciousness that I am choosing in that moment. Navigating through all these distorted ways of seeing my life and the world around me is just like that uphill climb through the forest to reach the inner sanctuary of the cave, where my spirit can recalibrate and absorb the pure waters of the sacred spring.
If we can remain grounded in the truth of who we are as human beings on a spiritual journey, we can learn a very practical skill that supports us as we navigate life’s challenges. To know without a doubt that I am loved and supported by the universe, that I am coming from wholeness with nothing that needs to be repaired or fixed, that all events are divinely guided in perfection and working towards balance no matter what appears to be happening in the outer world, is a masterful skill to cultivate in our times.
To begin with, we must create a sacred cave or shelter that revitalizes us in our daily routine. Meditation is a wonderful way to do that. The third eye, or the space in the center of your head behind the forehead, is a natural cave within your own body that you may go to at any moment to rest and rejuvenate your mind and spirit. You may also focus your attention on the area of your heart and breathe as a way to connect to your own higher self and divine support within. Here you will receive your own internal guidance on what is the truth for you in your world. You may bask in the awareness of your own divinity, your own ability to choose to vibrate in a state of consciousness that supports and nourishes you and everyone around you in your daily life.
Having a regular practice where we can focus on the Divine Presence within protects us from the unending confusion and discord currently generated by the news media. Now if I refuse to plug into mass consciousness thought patterns of fear, blame and aggression, does this mean I have my head in the sand, that I’m not informed? If I’m not having an emotional reaction about what a particular political leader is doing right or wrong, does this mean that I don’t care? The truth is that in my inner process, I am more directly engaged with reality than ever before. I am choosing to be aware of the Divine Presence that permeates every neutron and proton on this Earth. I am choosing to vibrate in an energy stream that emanates love, trust and compassion for life on this planet.
When we choose clarity and tolerance over judgment and confusion, we are truly contributing in a way that is beneficial to the current paradigm shift on this earth. We are heroically facing our fears, conquering our mental constructs of possible devastation and destruction in the future. We are refusing to blame the outer world any more for our own discomfort. No more, we are done with that! We are Consciousness Warriors and Ambassadors of Peace.
This takes so much courage! It really is so much easier to believe in the fear and blame that is continuously fed to us and commiserate with our friends on the wrongness of world leaders, while not actually facing our own distorted beliefs and judgments that contribute to these world events. How familiar does that sound these days?
Or… you may create your own sacred container or cave within as an Inner Activist, graciously and actively contributing a courageous and loving vibration that expands throughout all time and space with clarity and peace, a state of consciousness that truly benefits your own life as well as others around you. The world may appear to be falling apart, but you are allowing old ways of seeing and believing to fall apart inside you. You know that the world is really coming into much needed balance and you have the skills to ride the wave of this shift, in much the same way that Mary Magdalene did in her cave in Southern France so many years ago.
Approach your life from an empowered space of wholeness, fluidity and divine support!
Explore these processes further in a private Quantum Light Channeling and Alignment Session. You can find out more and schedule your session at www.quantumlightpractice.com/private-practice
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Ana Estrada is a Quantum Light Practitioner with more than 25 years experience of working consciously with Beings of Light and Ascended Masters. Her graduate degrees in Transformative Art and Spirituality took her to the Amazon jungles and the temples of India where she studied shamanic cultures and visionary art making processes. She is certified as an Intuitive Energy Healer in various healing modalities and serves as a channel for the Divine Mother and her sacred Light Language. Ana offers Quantum Light Alignment Sessions privately and at sacred sites around the world.
