Editor’s Letter:
“How do we define sacred space?”
Since antiquity, our ancestors already have a clear idea on what sacred space is. During the time when nature was seen as divine, and harmonious man-environment relationship was maintained, all objects and places in the natural world were held sacred. And so they erected temples in mountaintops, forest groves, springs, and most importantly, on places designated as spiritual “nodes” of the earth.
Sacred space is a place where one feels in perfect alignment with the universe. It is an integral part of all religions and spiritual cultures around the world, a place of refuge and a perfect space where man and the divine can meet in perfect trust and love. It could be elsewhere: in nature, any part of the home, work place, temple, our physical body and even our inner world. Any space, hallowed with the right intentions, becomes sacred.
But with the rapid growth of urbanization, sacred spaces have become increasing rare especially for the urban folk. It is even more uncommon for busy people to maintain their own sacred space. In a city of high-rise buildings and industrialized roads, the natural landscape is often beyond the commoner’s reach and sacred spaces have now become limited to the confines of temple walls and churches.
This month, Manggagaway proudly presents its delayed-yet-labored-with-love special issue devoted to sacred space. We bring you stories and articles that may help inspire sacredness into your own homes and personal spaces: from setting up your personal altar to creating a harmonious living environment. We also feature an interview with the Philippines’ finest feng shui expert and a spiritual pilgrimage within your cyber reach.
An Arian who is a firm believer in equality for all; Barbie is dedicating her efforts to the advocacy for Wiccan recognition, Lesbian and Women’s Rights, and the fight against injustice everywhere. A solitary Kitchen Witch of the Dianic tradition for more than six years already, she uses the pen name FIRECHILD. She works as a freelance writer and editor, Contributing Editor of ICON Magazine, and has had her work published in varied publications such as the Philippine Graphic and The Manila Standard.
A claustrophobic Virgo, SAPPHIRE SOUL is currently pursuing graduate studies in environmental science, and edits newsletters in her spare time. Because of her eclectic mix of beliefs ingrained since childhood, she sees no contradiction between Catholic and indigenous belief systems (as well as Wicca), and have found a way to seamlessly blend the two in her life.
SELFSHIFT profoundly describes himself as a sentimental cool, a beach fan, a mountain jogger, an anime'ted being, a book-sale hunter, a pet admirer, a life wonderer, a restless thinker, an esoteric enthusiast, and an archetype reader. But all of these pseudo-identities change – shift; hence his name.
Since antiquity, our ancestors already have a clear idea on what sacred space is. During the time when nature was seen as divine, and harmonious man-environment relationship was maintained, all objects and places in the natural world were held sacred. And so they erected temples in mountaintops, forest groves, springs, and most importantly, on places designated as spiritual “nodes” of the earth.
Sacred space is a place where one feels in perfect alignment with the universe. It is an integral part of all religions and spiritual cultures around the world, a place of refuge and a perfect space where man and the divine can meet in perfect trust and love. It could be elsewhere: in nature, any part of the home, work place, temple, our physical body and even our inner world. Any space, hallowed with the right intentions, becomes sacred.
But with the rapid growth of urbanization, sacred spaces have become increasing rare especially for the urban folk. It is even more uncommon for busy people to maintain their own sacred space. In a city of high-rise buildings and industrialized roads, the natural landscape is often beyond the commoner’s reach and sacred spaces have now become limited to the confines of temple walls and churches.
This month, Manggagaway proudly presents its delayed-yet-labored-with-love special issue devoted to sacred space. We bring you stories and articles that may help inspire sacredness into your own homes and personal spaces: from setting up your personal altar to creating a harmonious living environment. We also feature an interview with the Philippines’ finest feng shui expert and a spiritual pilgrimage within your cyber reach.
Light & Love,
Ishilta
Editor-in-Chief
Ishilta
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editors:
An Arian who is a firm believer in equality for all; Barbie is dedicating her efforts to the advocacy for Wiccan recognition, Lesbian and Women’s Rights, and the fight against injustice everywhere. A solitary Kitchen Witch of the Dianic tradition for more than six years already, she uses the pen name FIRECHILD. She works as a freelance writer and editor, Contributing Editor of ICON Magazine, and has had her work published in varied publications such as the Philippine Graphic and The Manila Standard.A claustrophobic Virgo, SAPPHIRE SOUL is currently pursuing graduate studies in environmental science, and edits newsletters in her spare time. Because of her eclectic mix of beliefs ingrained since childhood, she sees no contradiction between Catholic and indigenous belief systems (as well as Wicca), and have found a way to seamlessly blend the two in her life.SELFSHIFT profoundly describes himself as a sentimental cool, a beach fan, a mountain jogger, an anime'ted being, a book-sale hunter, a pet admirer, a life wonderer, a restless thinker, an esoteric enthusiast, and an archetype reader. But all of these pseudo-identities change – shift; hence his name.Contributors:
Andrew Esguerra
Andrew Esguerra
Aldrin F. T.
Ishilta
Jeffrey de Castro
Kathael
Kether W.
Ishilta
Jeffrey de Castro
Kathael
Kether W.
Rene Espinosa
Weatherlight
Special Thanks:
Christopher See of Lightnet
For lending me once again his book on Creating Sacred Space With Feng Shui and for giving me my first reiki attunement
Ven. Dr. Axel Deutschmann & Rev. Victorio Hua Wongsentian of the Sheng Lian Temple
For taking part on the interview and for giving us the necessary materials
Don Brina
For lending me his digital camera
Rici Teves of SUFI-ISIS
For the very kind accommodation given to me on my visit to SUFI-ISIS’ main office
Orlando de Guzman Jr. of The Peacemakers’ Circle
For all the help spent on the December workshop and this Sacred Space Issue
and
To all my lovely editors & contributors for sharing your talents
Weatherlight
Special Thanks:
Christopher See of Lightnet
For lending me once again his book on Creating Sacred Space With Feng Shui and for giving me my first reiki attunement
Ven. Dr. Axel Deutschmann & Rev. Victorio Hua Wongsentian of the Sheng Lian Temple
For taking part on the interview and for giving us the necessary materials
Don Brina
For lending me his digital camera
Rici Teves of SUFI-ISIS
For the very kind accommodation given to me on my visit to SUFI-ISIS’ main office
Orlando de Guzman Jr. of The Peacemakers’ Circle
For all the help spent on the December workshop and this Sacred Space Issue
and
To all my lovely editors & contributors for sharing your talents
posted by Manggagaway @ 1:00 PM
1 Comments
What is so exceptional about Bayani Street? It has nothing but a classic street in Quezon City. This can be brought of the regular passerby. But who would suspect that in this very simple area, crowded by really simple people, resides a shining star, a star that shines brighter than of feng shui, Rev. Victorio Hua Wongsentian.
Master Wongsentian, as he is fondly called, came from a generation of feng shui masters. Born in China and raised in Hong Kong, his interest in feng shui was discovered and developed between cybernetic study and serendipity. Since then, he has been practicing the art of feng shui for more than almost forty years.
According to Wongsentian, everything that’s going wrong with the Philippines nowadays stems from our really bad feng shui. He cites as the Malacańang Palace as an example: it’s situated along the curve of the Pasig River, which is oriented towards the direction of the west where beautiful sunsets happen. The Chinese believe that this is a symbol of death and that no good could come from it.
About the Author:
The first step to clearing clutter is to identify it. Most of us will try to find excuses (unconsciously and consciously) in order to save the most of it. We must understand that by letting go of our clutter we create room for new energy to fill our space. The best way to begin the work, in my case, is to perform installment clean-ups starting with a drawer or closet.
Though probably no longer revered in a religious way today, this temple turned open-air museum is the largest ancient religious site in the world, and ranks second to the Giza Pyramids as the most visited ancient site in the whole of Egypt.
Moving away from Africa, just north of Egypt, is Greece at the southern tips of Balkan Europe. At this time and age, who wouldn’t recognise the well-preserved temples of Greece? …the oh-so-popular Parthenon of Athena, the convent-ish spaces of Artemis’s temple at Vravrona, and of course—our second stop—the Temple of Apollo at Delphi’s. “Dramatic, primitive, it's a guy's temple.”
West of Greece is the boot-shaped peninsula of Italy, where the oldest important building in the world still stands with {almost} all of its original materials still intact: The Pantheon. From the Greek word of the same name, meaning "…of all the Gods", the Pantheon is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets, but which has been a Christian church since the 7th century. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, with masses still celebrated within its walls today, particularly on important Catholic days of obligation, and even for weddings. Indeed, a fine example of sacred space that was never put to waste.
Moving north from the Mediterranean into the British Isles, 8 miles north of Salisbury in the English county of Wiltshire, stands probably one of the most popular prehistoric structures in the world: Stonehenge. Debated for years over its original purpose, from Neopagan assumptions of Druidic use to theories of being an astronomical calendar (not to mention, folktales of being Merlin’s masterpiece and the über clichéd “the Devil made it”), this majestic arrangement of Neolithic megaliths has earned itself the deserved name of “most debated site ever”.
It is worshipped by Hindus all around the country and personified as a goddess, being offered their food, flowers, and even their dearly departed. Hindu belief holds that bathing in the river on certain occasions causes the forgiveness of sins and helps attain salvation. Many people would even travel from distant places to immerse the ashes of their kin in the waters of the Ganga; believing that immersing the corpse would send the ashes straight to paradise. It is also believed that drinking water from the Ganga with one's last breath will assure oneself a ticket to peace in the afterlife. Adding up to that, it is known that a vial of water from the Ganga is kept in the household by almost every Hindu faithful. Considering the size of India’s population, I’m surprised the goddess hasn’t dehydrated after 5000 years of unforgiving usage.
Experts have proposed that this stupa complex may have actually been a gigantic textbook for not-so-well versed Buddhists. As they performed their pilgrimage, circling the monument, they passed walls ornamented with illustrations telling of the life of Buddha Shakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama) and the principles of his teaching. Wouldn’t it have been spectacular to have had one of those ‘temple textbooks’ back in preschool?
From the south we trek north into China where the Temple of Heaven (Tiāntán) sits amidst urban Beijing in Xuanwu District. The site is, in fact, the grandest of the four great Beijing temples being a complex of 3 separate Taoist buildings: [1] The Earthly Mount, [2] The House of Heavenly Lord, and [3] The Hall of Annual Prayer. The Hall of Annual Prayer is the largest of the three and was often visited by the Emperor for good harvests. It was so revered in imperial times that some even say Chinese Christians regarded this monument as a tribute to the Christian Deity.
Again, another example of reused sacred space, the Aztec-temple a la pyramid is surmounted by a Christian church. This is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Church of Our Lady of the Remedies), also known as the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios (Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Remedies) which was built in 1594 by no other than (*drum roll*) the Spanish Conquistadors. Surprisingly after years and years of conflict, the pyramid/temple/church is shared today by both Catholic pilgrims and celebrants of indigenous rites.
Any aspiring seeker of the Vajrayana tradition of Tibetan Buddhism will find no other place like the Nedo Kagyu Bodhi Dharma Tibetan Temple in Sta. Mesa, Manila. With the aspiration and vision of Ven. Lama Choyeng, the temple was built in the year 2000 by a group of Chinese and Filipino-Chinese. This beautiful edifice is the only Tibetan temple in the Metro patterned after Kagyu sect’s main temple in India.
The Temple of Taoism in Manila was founded in 1990 and is being ministered by Taoist Master Nelson Eucharisa. Its oriental design and architecture make it quite recognizable to anyone even from afar. Dragon figures embellish the façade and a huge yin-yang is painted on the main door of the temple. And as with all Taoist temples, the colors red, green and yellow make up the entire edifice.
Going Hindu? Then definitely this is the place for you!
The stupa is a symbol of the awakened state of the Buddha. In his 1998 Philippine visit, Lama Tenzin Dorje taught the eight types of stupa that commemorate the eight major events of Shakyamuni Buddha as he reached enlightenment. The stupa of enlightenment in Silencio depicts Shakyamuni’s victory over maras. The choice of stupa was guided by Lama Tenzin Dorje to fit the conditions of Philippine society at that time.
The ancient wisdom of the pyramids set foot in Philippine soil in June 11, 1999 when the four wooden main pillars of the pyramid of Asia were laid on ground at Manaoag, Pangasinan. But unlike its Egyptian and Mayan counterparts, which are believed to have served either as burial grounds or initiation chambers, the pyramid of Asia was designed for the sole purpose of healing making it the first in the world of its kind.
The land was once a two-hectare plantation of coffee owned by Mr. Art Cataquiz during the 1950’s and 60’s. A few years later, adjacent lands were bought adding up to almost 3 hectares of tropical land. But since coffee wasn’t productive enough to meet the investments, the land was left untended for a long time. The absence of the plantation paved way for Mother Nature’s plan to renew the place and give it new purpose. And so Ciudad Verdadero came about, a paradise for those who are seeking spiritual refuge away from the city.
