The Sacred Pause

A few weeks back, Andrea and I (plus a few others) were at the beach; it was a hot, Monday afternoon and we have the tan lines to prove it!  We spoke in depth about how we have had to learn ‘how to’ slow down and pause.  We waded in the water, paddled SUP boards, slowly with our legs dangling. No real direction or plan, just connection and rest.

We can easily name the benefits, it fills our heart and nourishes the soul when we spend time “just being.” New insights land when we take time to go within, physiologically, the body softens, etc.  We realize that not everyone gets to pause and just be. We have privilege and have also intentionally set our lives up in ways that give us space to be beach bums on a work day. Our ancestors saw the sacred pause as an act of devotion, and we tend to agree.

Celtic Wisdom on the Sacred Pause

In the Celtic tradition, time is not linear, but circular. The land teaches us that everything moves in rhythm, from seed to sprout, bloom to decay, and in between, the quiet hush of becoming.

To pause is to return to the in-between places. The threshold.
The misty edge of forest where the visible meets the unseen. Here, the soul speaks softly, and the heart remembers what the mind forgets. Slowing down is an act of devotion, to the Earth, to Spirit, to your own becoming.

As the ancients listened to the silence between the notes of the harp, so too can we learn to hear the wisdom in stillness. A deep breath. Listening to part of ourselves. A walk beneath the oaks. A moment with the moon or a long float in the water.

In the Celtic way, the pause is not empty.
It is full of presence, of guidance, of remembering. It is where we are met by the unseen ones.
It is where magic returns.

So pause, beloved soul. Let the land hold you. Let time stretch and soften. Let your breath become a prayer, especially if you’re navigating something big. This too is sacred.

Love you, mean it.

Rhea & The Entire Sacred Moon Therapy Collective Team.