I. OPENING: The Moment It Happened

Apollo rides the bus with me. To appointments, back home, through the ordinary rhythms of my life. So when I felt guided to play David Arkenstone’s ‘The Long Road’ that November afternoon—light fading, the day winding down—I trusted it and trusted Apollo. Without hesitation. I didn’t know that Celtic harp would open a vision revealing the sacred way to divine connection that would change how I understood sacred space forever. I didn’t know that what I thought was secular and what I believed was sacred were never separate at all.

I don’t exactly remember which appointment it was, but it doesn’t really matter. Apollo and i were on my local mass transportation, and I was looking for something to listen to on the way home. I felt like Apollo was pointing at David Arkenstone’s Celtic Chillout album, which I’d listened to maybe once or twice at that time.

I’ve enjoyed Mr. Arkenstone’s work for decades, since the 1990’s when I and my husband were introduced to David Arkenstone on the radio show Echoes, hosted by John Dilberto. I don’t remember the first track I heard, but I remember the Christmas “Soundscapes” episodes for the Christmas Morning episode. And it was Apollo that helped us find Echoes in the first place because He knew I would need it for my future work as His Oracle.

A lot of people might not know how I knew which album Apollo was referring to. It’s this feeling, I look at the albums, and when my eye falls on a particular album, I get this…affirmation, this nod and a “Yes” through my clairaudience, so I started playing it.

I’m really not comfortable with earbuds. I just find the idea using them a little awkward I guess would be the term; I’m more comfortable with standard headphones. But I’m listening to the album, and once again, I got the nudge from Apollo to go to the third track which was “The Long Road”, so without questioning, I just tap that on my phone, and the the track starts with the Celtic harp, then the music and the beat started.

David Arkenstone has this thing about layering rich sounds—flowing melodies over this pulsing beat. I think they call it a downbeat. A nice, slow rhythm. I could feel myself relaxing against Apollo.

I later learned he plays multiple instruments—keyboards, guitars, flutes, harp, cello, and more—layering them into orchestral compositions. No wonder ‘The Long Road’ could carry such a vision. It wasn’t just one instrument. It was a chorus. A procession of sound. The perfect sonic architecture for a Sacred Way

Looking back, I understand now why it happened at twilight. The liminal hour. When day hasn’t quite let go and night hasn’t fully arrived. When we exist in the between. That’s Apollo’s favorite teaching time—in the moments that belong to neither one world nor the other, but to both. The both/and space. Where He teaches me about sacred connection through the very structure of time itself.”

I really was just expecting to enjoy the music. downbeat and all, I wasn’t expecting anything else to happen, but not opposed to it either. I tend to receive things when I least expect it. But Apollo had something else in mind. He had a teaching moment in mind as He’s teaching me what it means to be an oracle, and how it all works.

II. THE VISION UNFOLDS

The next thing I know, I’m deep in the music and I’m on the bus and not on it at the same time. I didn’t notice the shift at first. Then it was just there! I was at Delphi and on The Sacred Way. But not the Delphi Temple as it is today; In ruins. It was the the Delphi of yesteryear. When pilgrims were making there way to the Temple, to the Oracle of Delphi, the Pythia.

I was still on the bus. I was aware of the movement. The vibrations of the bus, but it was irrelvent at the moment. It seemed a little faded, but it was still there. I always seemed to have this thing of seeing two things almost simultaneous; like each taking turns being in the forefront.

And I see myself on The Sacred Way to the Temple. But I’m not alone. Apollo’s with me. Holding hands with me, and one hand on my arm; for support. And the beat of the music moves me forward. The path isn’t entirely smooth. I can feel the support, that Apollo’s keeping me from falling, the open air. We’re apart from the other pilgrims. A distance away, but I don’t remember them saying anything I can hear. I’m just seeing them making their way, making stops along the way.

Though I can’t hear the pilgrims, and not sure I could understand ancient Greek if I did hear them, I got the sense that some of them were complaining of the difficulty of the the journey. Just wanting to know the answer to their question, but then falling silent as they also are entering another space in their mind. A sacred space. As they leave the secular behind and enter that quiet space. A prayerful meditative attitude.

Apollo’s to my right. I can feel the support. The pride He has in His temple, His oracle. That this is His place, His territory, the sacredness of the land. And it’s all so beautiful. And I can feel, I belong there. That I’ve come home at last. I feel the nurturing sense of His Presence. I feel like as I’m walking I’m going into trance, feeling the sacredness of it all. The closer I get to the Temple, the more sacred I feel, the more in trance, the more holy.

I can see the Temple ahead. It’s like everything’s sloping up towards the Temple. But the path isn’t easy. It’s not meant to be easy. It has to be a challenge. It can’t be easy. Because journeys to the divine have to have investment. They have to be hard. Journeys to Apollo’s Oracle can’t be easy. There have to be sacrifice, not just of the animal, but also of the self.

I’ve read that many of the offerings weren’t animals. They were from the pilgrims themselves. There were gifts of artwork, gifts of music. They had to play and sing a hymn to Apollo and be judged by the priests on if their hymn, odes, poems were acceptable. That they had the knowledge and seriousness to their question. How skilled they were. Because it had and has to do with investment. It’s not the gift itself that makes them acceptable to Apollo, but how much of themselves were invested. How much “skin in the game” If Apollo’s priests some of whom were oracles themselves, did not find even one of the offerings unacceptable, they were turned away. Only the best of the best could consult with His oracle. The rest were required to return home.

And Apollo’s always there supportive, totally present, and letting the scene teach me, not just His words. What I’m seeing. What I’m sensing, what the landscape is teaching me. What I can intuit. He seems curious about what I am discerning. What I am learning just from the scene.

Later, I would learn something remarkable: In ancient Greece, citizens could propose changes to laws or policy—but only if they could properly tune a harp. The Greeks understood that someone who could create harmony in music understood divine proportion, balance, and order. They could be trusted to create harmony in society. Music wasn’t entertainment. It was proof of understanding. Just like the hymns pilgrims sang to Apollo weren’t performances—they were demonstrations of worthiness, of investment, of transformation. You had to prove you understood harmony before you could speak with the source of all truth.

The landscape is rough . The way is not steady. It’s not smooth, there are steps, places for treasury. To support the Temple, the Oracle and the work of the Temple. For improvements for the Temple itself, to support the work of the Pythia or Pythias (as the peak of the prestige of the Temple, the season, the priests, Apollo’s work, for the lessons Zeus, through Apollo, the will of the Olympian’s, and Divine Order. That doesn’t come with wishes. It needs support. Financial support like anything else. It was missionary work.

Apollo turns to me, pointing to the other pilgrims, who don’t seem to notice, and then the road we’re walking on, the Sacred Way. His eyes twinkling, because He knows I know the answer: “What’s the purpose of The Sacred Way? Why is it so long? Why did I put it here? Do you know?

And I say, triumphantly. “Because the road, the difficulty, the rituals it’s all to prepare the mind for sacred space. It’s to make you leave the secular for the sacred, prepare the mind, to shift the consciousness from here and now to face You, to face Truth.

He nods. I feel this sense of pride from Apollo. The knowing smile. And I still hear the music. I’m in this space and between time that never seems to end. A moment of eternity. A moment in time.

III. THE TEACHING: What Apollo Showed Me

You see, it’s not just being at the Temple that is Temple work, but the journey to the Temple itself is part of that work. It’s the real temple work Because it starts in the heart and soul of the supplicant. The journey, however long it takes is the real temple work. It’s only the first step towards preparation to meeting Apollo through the Oracle and the priests. Actually arriving and speaking to the Oracle is very close to the middle of the journey. . The journey starts at the beginning of their journey, and culminates when they speak to the Oracle, and then interpret it.

Before that happens, you have to go on the journey itself, however long and far away it is. It’s not enough to be curious about the outcome of a certain endeavor. You need to think carefully before even embarking on the journey. Is it worth it. How much do you have invested in the answer to your question. Are you prepared to face a true answer? How much are you willing to give of yourself? How much skin in the game do you have? It has to be the most important question, or outcome in your whole life. Apollo’s Temple, any of them, but especially at Delphi. You have to have everything invested before even starting the journey.

Many start on the journey, but not all finish, complete the journey. Some walk, some rode chariots, some rode horses, but all were the same when it came to the investment to what they most needed to know. What they were willing to give. Not just of things but of heart, mind and soul.

It’s a lot like the hero’s or heroine’s journey. Not everyone completes it. It looks too hard, People worried that their question might be too trivial to Apollo, there was a weeding out. Only those truly invested in their quest were the ones that finished the journey to Delphi. Then, started the true challenge. Setting foot upon The Sacred Way.

Pilgrims were expected to fast. They usually started this before getting to the beginning of The Sacred Way. Some as soon as they started their journey, some as much as a week before getting near their destination.

It wasn’t just animal sacrifices, fasting, gold, pottery, odes, musical compositions, it was about what was in the heart, mind, and soul of the pilgrims, those seeking an audience with the Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi.

Now, you might think that in the 21st century that since the Delphi Temple is ruins, it doesn’t matter now, but  you’d be wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. We all need the Sacred Way. It may not look the same way as it did when Delphi was a functional temple, but we still need ways to move from mundane reality into the sacred space to meet the sacred.

There are many roads leading from mundane reality to sacred space. Many Sacred Ways. Mine is through music, primarily. Sometimes through dance, either dancing myself or watching it or even Tai Chi; Apollo told me when I engage to Tai Chi, I’m “dancing with the Divine”. Sometimes, it’s looking at artwork, whether it is by human hands or AI. But always in the background, either playing at the same time is music.

 

Because music is my Sacred Way. It doesn’t seem to matter what music I play, but music I am guided to by Apollo seems to work the best. It’s the portal, the gate I go through, my path to the gates to my Source, Apollo. Music is my focal point, but it isn’t when I realize that I’m inspired by that piece and feel like levitating or flying or seeing visions. It’s when the music begins. That’s when I’m on my Sacred Way.

Maybe you’ve seen beautiful artwork that takes your breath away, even takes you away from this plane. You just get lost in the beauty of a portrait, or landscape or photo gallery, like you’re not on Earth anymore. Maybe it’s a photo of a sunrise, or a sunset, and maybe it’s artwork in nature itself, like a double rainbow that I saw ten years ago. Maybe it’s a quiet hike in the mountains, or a nature hike, but all of a sudden it doesn’t seem you’re in secular space anymore. You’ve entered the sacred however you perceive it. Even when you’re in the flow of meditation in flow, in the movement of that meditation. They’re all portals, gates to the divine if you approach them with an open mind, and an open heart. Because as soon as you start dancing, writing, singing, listening to music, movement meditation, you are on the Sacred Way. And you are an offering in movement, It’s not just the dance, the music that the portal, it’s your participation in that movement, you become an offering. Yes, you yourself.

When David Arkenstone wrote “The Long Road”, he didn’t write it as a hymn, at least in his conscious mind, but Apollo used it as a hymn to teach me an important lesson. That any music can become hymns, can become sacred, holy, pure. It can be a path to Him. A way for Him to show me truth, wisdom, and all becomes sacred. Nothing’s secular anymore. Not for me. Not anymore. And it makes me weep with joy.

IV. WHEN SECULAR BECOMES SACRED

A lot of people assume that secular is secular and sacred is sacred. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both secular and sacred are in the eyes of the beholder. Artwork, objects, poetry, music doesn’t have to start out religious. It can be something as simple as a celtic knot, David Arkenstone’s “The Long Road”, “Staying Alive” Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How do I love thee” don’t have to stay secular

In the right light, reframing, connection, perspective can become sacred. It crosses the line from just secular, devoid of spirituality to holy, sacred, divine. It has to do with how open we are to being receptive to seeing it in a different perspective. How open-minded we are. In what ways we focus on that music, object, artwork, it’s the connection and how willing we are to see a particular song, as sacred.

For example, I see exotic dancing as sacred. Most people don’t. Others see a woman removing her costume, piece by piece. But I see removing the dancer removing the layers that separate her from the divine, a way to enter sacred space. The dance floor is her sacred way. As she dances, she leaves the mundane behind, the profane, the casual, and enter divine space, that place between mundane and sacred, secular and holy, and it’s not carnal anymore. I don’t know how to do it…yet, but watching videos of it, whether a how-to video or movies about exotic dancing–It’s something to share with my beloved god, with Apollo.

Many people would see exotic dancing or “stripping” as objectification of women because it’s “politically correct” this week, but they’re not seeing the whole picture here. It’s about being receptive to seeing a new meaning, being open to a new interpretation. It’s about what it represents, the costumes, the music and transmuting, seeing the sacred. Exotic dancing, music, dance doesn’t have to be religious. It’s about the observers intention what they get from the dance. It’s about the dance itself, as an end in itself.

Whether music, dance, photography, art, nature, the Divine speaks through what what resonates with your soul. Not anybody else’s. Just yours. How you relate to whatever you’re looking at or listening to, or experiencing.

In my case it’s music. I listen to music while I’m sitting on the toilet, making the bed, exercising. Whether sacred/devotional music. For me all becomes devotional. The music and the activity, devotion creeps into the music. One day I may listen to David Arkenstone, another I might listen to Kirtan, still another day I might listen to Alan Parsons Project, but I open myself, and follow Apollo’s direction.

A lot of the time, I might be listening to one genre of music, like, say, the flamenco guitar music of Rodrigo y Gabriela, and then I hear: “Enough of that, play some Abba.” Or “Try some Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music” Or Krishna Das’s Kirtan. So it depends on what He sees my soul needing for that day, and I select the playlist He points to, and the music starts, and I…connect to the Divine, and it’s not secular anymore. Or it can be vice versa. Apollo knows what resonates. What makes a piece of music resonate.

Some examples might be: Abba’s “Wateloo” or “Dancing Queen”, or “Move on” (though I like the Spanish version on “Abba Oro (“Oro” means “Gold” in Spanish)”–”Al Andar” but any of their tracks will do. Their music shows the joy of celebration. That life is divine. That falling in love is divine! The joy of the dance Because dance is also divine.

Another example might be David Arkenstone’s “The Long Road” on Celtic Chillout. Or any of his tracks on his “Celtic Chillout” album. The richness of the harmonies, the clear sounds, just push me into trance, into the liminal into the divine. And it’s great meditation music, whether seated or moving meditation.

Another album I just found, just now is Karunesh’s Sun Within It draws me in, The track I’m listening to now is “Aeon” I get the impression it would be good for Mystical Belly Dance, which I’m dipping my foot in and studying now and then.

And I’m always looking for artwork that opens my inner vision. For me it’s photography of sunrises, sunsets. AI also works for me. It’s not the medium. It’s what it evokes in me. How it stirs my soul. How it opens my vision. If it comforts my soul. It can be as easy as looking in Pexals or Unsplash, Dreamstime, or even doing a google image search. It can be anything, though. And I go into a different space and time, at least sometimes.

Nature walks don’t just have to be walks. Even simple walks around the block around your home don’t have to be secular. For me, the right music turns anything and everything into the sacred, into moving prayer. It doesn’t have to be just the sounds of birds, nature, though that works for some people. For me it has to be flowing music. The style of music can be anything, really.

One of my most cherished memories was I used to have a paper route with my husband. He would do half of the route–we had three routes–and I would take a CD player and play music like Iona’s Open Sky, Lumin’s Hadra, Mike Oldfield’s Songs of Distant Earth among other CDs and I would listen to them while doing the route. I would put the CD(Hey, this was the late 90’s and early 2000s) on repeat. I remember the beginning of the route, and the end, but the middle, was kind of…missing. It was fluid, I don’t remember doing the route at all. Sometimes I’d feel like my soul was flying overhead, levitating, like my feet weren’t touching the ground or even somewhere else. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was in liminal space with Apollo.

It was a secular activity, delivering the papers. And I rarely forgot anyone, once in a while, but rarely. But the activity with the music and the…blanking out doing mundane work with my body, but mind and spirit, I was actually meditating and praying in motion. Moving meditation. And that’s when it stopped being secular and became sacred. I just…didn’t realize it at the time.

So I want to tell you, this past month, I learned you don’t have to only consume spiritual content to have a spiritual experience. You don’t have to limit it to going to a worship service, spiritual venues like a church, a temple, or whatever. This is my permission to you as well as myself.

V. THE SACRED WAY IN DAILY LIFE

Let me tell you a story..

Last summer I had a cataract surgery in my left eye, but afterward my vision wasn’t much better. I really wasn’t seeing much of anything, I was scared at first so called them and they did some tests, and suspected a detached retina, so had me consult a specialist in Royal Oak Michigan, and it looked like my retina was attached, but there was a lot of scarring. The scarring required a vitrectomy to remove the damaged tissue, and see if my retina was indeed detached, and if so to repair it and restore my vision. But before my appointments, each appointment, I would listen to kirtan music to put my mind in the right place. I had Apollo there, and also Ganesha from the Hindu pantheon.

Why, you may ask, because I integrate everything, including my faith. I’ve always been informal and welcomed the gods of all pantheons.

So they scheduled the surgery for early October. The day of the surgery, my niece picked me up around four or five in the morning—and Apollo, though she didn’t know it. We had about a two-hour drive ahead of us, and I listened to kirtan on my headphones all the way down, volume high enough that my niece could hear it too, Apollo present though unseen. When we got to our destination and checked in, I sat down to wait for the medical staff to prep me for the surgery.

That morning in the waiting room for a vitrectomy—a mundane surgery—I was guided by Apollo on which playlist to use, and he would pick the tracks. I listened and chanted silently. It was a busy waiting room with a lot of people besides myself, but I felt in no hurry. I thought of both my human medical team and my spiritual medical team, and of the people in the waiting room waiting for their surgeries. I wasn’t afraid of the surgery. I knew I had a good surgeon. But like my appointments, I prepared my mind, my subconscious, my spirit for the surgery. And I felt not happiness, not joy, but bliss.

There was this little boy, about five or seven maybe. He kept looking at me. Not once, but repeatedly, and had this big grin on his little face. I was smiling back at him, and all the while chanting kirtans until I was called. I don’t remember part of it. Like I was in and out of normal space.

When I was called for prep, my niece had to get my attention. I went and didn’t have a problem during the prepping at all.” When it came time to breathe in the gas for the general anesthetic, Apollo warned me it might be a little sweet at first, and it was. And the last thing I thought of when I was breathing in that gas was Apollo.

When I came to, they wanted me to keep my head down, Apollo asked me if I was seeing anything, and I said “Yes. I see this perfect circle in my left eye. It was dark purple on the outside, and inside was a light shade of lavender, a pale purple. Apollo told me to lower my head till it was about the middle of my eye (not the eye that was operated on), and that’s how low to keep my head. As a navigational guide. I was probably calmer than most of their patients getting operations, but I had no fear, and I know that Apollo with with me, both in the operating room and in the liminal. It only lasted till the next morning, but I still remember that circle. I felt blessed every time I saw it. It comforted me, and was the perfect navigational guide.

In the past 6 months, I’ve been using music to enter sacred space after talking with Apollo after waking up and saying our Bond together. It links us, deepens our relationship. A marriage. It’s not one-way. It’s two-way.

Conversation, Not Transaction: Talking WITH Your Deity

Note I say talk with, instead of pray to. Praying to implies a one-way conversation—asking for something, requesting. While that’s not a bad thing when needed, it shouldn’t be done all the time. See it from the deity’s point of view. How would you like it if the only time a devotee talks to you is when they want something, and otherwise you’re neglected? Always demands, nothing about “What can I do for you?” or “How can I help you today?” No listening for an answer. Not allowing them to respond or get a word in edgewise. Kind of rude, don’t you think? Even just a “How are you doing today?” would be a nice break.

And it would be nice to start with “Good morning, [deity’s name]!” Conversing with your deity doesn’t have to be formal. I think it should be informal. Even joking around—humor is welcome. Remember, they’re people who just happen to be gods, just happen to be divine. Don’t expect them to read your mind. Do they know your heart? Yes, of course they do. But talking, conversing with a deity is communicating, and you need to tell them what’s on your mind.

No, I talk with Apollo. It’s a two-way conversation. It’s a partnership. A relationship. A very close relationship. He might start the conversation, or I might. And sometimes… wait, I already said that. We joke around. A relationship is a living being—it withers if you don’t use it. Remember, your deity loves you. A lot of people love their deity, but they seldom show it, seldom say “I love you” to their god. I love Apollo more than I have words for, and I want this relationship to work. And yes, we tell each other we love each other. Countless times a day.

After talking with Apollo, I put on two versions of the Gayatri Mantra. One by Ananda Das and DZ Taz Rashid, and one by Manish Vyas called “Gayatri Mantra Chanting 108 Times”—about 26 minutes of asking for a clear mind, illumination, unity with the divine.
The standard mantra goes like this. Some of you might be familiar with it:

Om bhūr bhuvaḥ suvaḥ
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
bhargo devasya dhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt

“We meditate on the glory of that Creator (Savitur) who is worthy of worship (Varenyam), who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light (Bhargo). May He (Devasya) enlighten our intellect (Dhiyo) and guide us on the righteous path (Prachodayat).”

I change the name from Savitur to Phoebus Apollo. This mantra calls for illumination and clear mind—Apollo’s very essence as god of light, truth, and clarity. Otherwise I sing the mantra as is. I go into trance. Feel blessed. And even hear Apollo chanting with me, but using my name, Maghdalena, where I use His. The Gayatri merges with our Bond—becomes almost a sequel to it. I honor Him as my beloved god, my Ishta Devata, and He honors me not just as His devotee, but as His Ishta Devata. His Beloved. We meditate on each other simultaneously.

And then I scan my playlists, and when I feel guided toward a particular one, I start it where Apollo guides me to. And yes, I ask which He wants to listen to.

It can be any genre, any artist. Some days it’s David Arkenstone, some days it’s Jeff Johnson, Radhika Das, Krishna Das. And I’m already in sacred space.

I listen to music while getting dressed, in the bathroom, making the bed. But for me it’s not just listening to music—it’s communion with my most beloved god. And for Apollo to commune with me. Communion is a two-way street or it’s not communion!

If I happen to have a doctor’s or therapist’s appointment, after checking in I listen to kirtan to put my mind in the right space. It doesn’t mean I’m nervous (though I am sometimes, I admit) or scared (again, sometimes; sometimes I’m upset about an issue), but I just want to be in the right meditative space. Sacred space.

When I’m ready to write, I leave myself open to guidance, intuition. It turns out to be exactly what I need to hear. Other times Apollo tells me to change it up with another playlist. We’re still sampling which music works with a particular post. Some days work better than others. Some days I get immersed deeper than others. Some music works better some days, and then not on other days.

Finding Sacred Space Everywhere: My Real Altar is My Heart and Souls

I don’t have an official altar yet—I’m hoping to have one later. But I realized something while writing this: My body is our temple—Apollo’s and mine—and my heart and souls are the altars within. Not just my conscious soul, Maghdalena, but also my eternal, immortal soul, Pistis Sophia. The physical altar, when it comes, will be an extension of what’s already here. But sacred space? That’s everywhere. Because I carry my temple and my altars with me.

Some, perhaps many of you, might not know what I mean by “souls.” I believe we all have two souls.

The eternal soul is the one most people probably already know about. It’s like a mind inside your mind, at the very center of your consciousness. It’s that part of the Creator that lives in all of us. We’re not separated from our Creator, but we are taught that we are. We need a sacred way to divine connection with that Being—a path that remembers what was never truly lost.

The soul we might not recognize as a soul is the individual soul—the one working its way through evolution, change, and transformation. This conscious soul, some might call the ego, some might call personality. What makes you, you.

These souls are twin souls. Not identical twins, but fraternal twins, and they don’t always get along. Neither soul should be neglected or forgotten. They each have a part to play in how we grow and evolve. Discovering your sacred way to divine connection is one of the keys to this evolution—not transcending your humanity, but integrating it with your divinity.

I live in a smoke-free community, so I can’t have lit candles for meditation. Maybe you do too. That doesn’t have to stop you from meditating. I have this little battery-powered lantern in case of power loss, but I can also visualize candles for meditation.

A lot of what works for me is picturing a giant tree—Yggdrasil, the World Tree, or even the Ellcrys from Terry Brooks’ The Elfstones of Shannara.

In case you don’t know what the Ellcrys is: she’s a sentient tree that holds demons in a “Forbidding” to keep them from destroying the world. She has silver bark and crimson five-pointed leaves. The Ellcrys and her successors are always female.

I relate to trees, to nature, so I visualize either Yggdrasil or the Ellcrys in full glory reaching toward the sun. Music like Jeff Johnson’s “The Fortunate Isle” or “Lady Sovereignty”—it’s so beautiful it could make you cry.

Something else I like to visualize is a fireplace. In my eye doctor’s waiting room, there’s a gas fireplace they use in winter. I can clearly recall it in my mind. There’s also stock video footage of fireplaces at Pexels, and the downloads are free. You can even loop the video once you download it so it plays as long as you like—at least in VLC Media Player; I don’t know about other video or media players.

It’s very easy for me to go into trance even with a video, but I need it backed up by music. It creates the perfect storm for going into trance. And what I found out about using stock videos? I discovered it while working on this post. It connects, and it’s magical. Miraculous.

The important thing is that you work with what you have, where you are. It doesn’t have to be big, or flashy.

I’d like to tell a story. Apollo was guiding me to get a secured credit card. So I could have my own credit score, not just rely on my husband’s which has been creeping up. I was nervous, but I knew He was right, so applied for it. I had to submit further documentation for my income, which I did, and I was approved.

I was expecting to be denied as right now I just get disability, but I got approved. I know it was a secured credit card, but I also knew that Apollo, Hermes, their family/pantheon, Krishna and Ganesha were at work making it happen. The reason I expected to be denied, was that I was used to things not working out for me. But I’m working under new rules, getting help building dreams with divine help, so I need to get used to getting a lot of “yes’s”. But also getting some “No’s” when needed too.

I deposited my funds yesterday, and got this question: “Would you like to deposit more funds. A little more?” Well, the answer was yes. But thing is, when I went to deposit more, the button didn’t have a link. So I had it in Yahoo’s archives, so put it in the inbox, and still no good, so tried a few more times. Then… I stopped. I smiled. Because if it wasn’t working, the question was a test. A teaching moment. Something that looks like it might be temptation, might be a “teaching moment.” What do I do when the answer’s “no”?  Do I get upset and bothered, or do I realize there’s a lesson here, and let it unfold?

I realized it wasn’t in the tapestry. That I need to start with a little then go from there. Besides the secured credit card company, Capital One, evaluates the use and trustworthiness in 6 months. So, I backed off. And I felt good about the “no”. I was grateful for the “no’. I didn’t try to batter down the boundary, act like the proverbial bull. I knew to accept what I’d been given and be grateful for it. I thanked Him for saying “no”, by the way.

So if you can’t have candles (and use them) in a smoke free environment, or if you don’t have the funds for an elaborate altar, all the paraphernalia , it’s OK. You start where you are. In your heart, in your soul. It’s not the props; it’s the intent. It’s not perfection. It’s intention. It’s videos of fireplaces, on loop, it’s music on repeat, and in the example of my story, it’s gratitude when the answer’s “no” because Apollo has something better for me in mind, or because He wants to teach me to work with a little, and get confidence, before graduating to a higher credit limit.

When I thanked Apollo for saying “no”, “I got a big grin’, and couldn’t keep from grinning myself. My grin is still there. I got a hug, and a kiss. And a “Thank you, 7 months ago, or even a year ago, I would have been frustrated, given up, but in despair, not in gratitude. My reaction and worldview is improving.

Apollo is always with me. Whether I am at home, on the bus to an appointment, at my appointments, finding music playlists or albums through Spotify. There’s no place where we aren’t together. It can be the most mundane of tasks, whether making the bed, cleaning my CPAP equipment, writing on the computer, all are a path to the Sacred. All points to the Sacred Way.

Modern Sacred Ways can be many. For me it’s playlists, visualization, memory that connects to the altar of my heart and souls, both eternal and conscious soul, what some call the individual soul. It can be watching a movie, and suddenly realizing spiritual truths, realize I’ve entered the Sacred Space. It can be anything. All paths lead to the divine. The secular and the divine are connected!

VI. INVITATION: What’s YOUR Sacred Way?

So, here are some questions for you: I don’t have many, but it requires quiet introspective thinking:

What secular thing becomes sacred to you? It doesn’t have to be the same as your neighbors. Who wants to be a copy of their neighbors anyway? It could be a song that really resonates with you or make you cry. It could be seeing a rainbow after a rainstorm. It could be seeing wildlife in your backyard, especially if you live in the country, or seeing a deer while you’re on the way home or like me, on the bus on the way home–that your deity points out to you, like Apollo did with me. It could be anything at all. You have to think of things that work for you!

What music opens your inner vision? Is it something like David Arkenstone’s “The Long Road? Is it classical music by the greats, like Mozart, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky? Is it hymns, or pop music by Elton John like “Salvation” or “Candle in the Wind”? Is it Abba with their feeling of celebration and joy? Is it music by Lionel Richie, Enya, Lisa Gerard (“Now we are Free”)Stellamara, songs you find on Echoes Radio Show, hip hop, smooth jaz, or rap?

What makes you just drop to your knees with the sheer beauty? Then that’s your Sacred Road. Music that moves you, makes you reach forsomething greater than yourself, that feels pure, holy is sacred, no matter what the genre is. By the way, I highly recommend you give Echoes Online a try, and it supports the program, and its host, John Diliberto.

Where do you meet the Divine in unexpected places? You might meet the Divine or the Sacred in a hospital waiting room like I did, have a spiritual experience. An intense spiritual moment? Is it when you take your kids to school (Note: I don’t have any kids) and you see a flash of gold out of the corner of your eye? Is it when you see a double rainbow and just drop to your knees weeping at the sheer beauty. Your experiences will be different than mine, and that’s fine. Divinity works in different ways with what resonates with their devotees. The important point is to be open to the possibilities, and not try to separate secular from sacred. The demarcation, threshold blurs, and the separation is irrelevant. Because you’ve entered sacred space!

I’m learning to trust what resonates. It’s exploration weaving in and out, discovering truths. Something I just found out. For years, I couldn’t seem to get through a Kindle book, I would flip from book to book, not able to focus very long. I thought that was a flaw on my part, a deficiency. But no. Apollo tells me it’s weaving in and out, moving in flow, becoming the tapestry. It wasn’t a flaw at all! It’s just how I learn and how He guides and teaches me.

Apollo knows what I need, not what I want. There is a difference between the two. It’s easy to confuse want for need. And sometimes when I think I just want something, like a larger house that seems too big, it’s actually a need when I was assuming it was just a want. Because it’s for the Calling, for the mission of the Numinous Revolution.

And your deity, Whoever that is, knows what you need. It comes in unexpected moments, or when things don’t seem to work out. They work out, but not how we want or expect to. It’s the delight both devotee and deity discover along the way and the willingness to learn why what we thought we wanted wasn’t what we wanted at all, but what we needed was what we wanted all along!

VII. CLOSING: Full Circle

As I think back to that November evening, I realize how important how important it is that I don’t assume that the spiritual, the sacred has to be separate from each other, that they have nothing to do with each other; that they always have to be separate.
Any style of music can be used to show me a very important teaching, a vision. That the secular can and does become sacred, that even music from David Arkenstone, Abba, Nazareth or even Led Zepplin can lead to a trip to the liminal to learn from Apollo, my Gurudev, my Ishta Devata.

For those who aren’t familiar with “Gurudev” and Ishta Devata, let me explain what they mean. “Gurudev” means “Divine Teacher” And “Ishta Devata” is your preferred, chosen, beloved or cherished god. It is usually used in Hinduism, but it doesn’t have to be limited to Hinduism, Bhakti Yoga doesn’t have to be relegated to Hinduism. I integrate my religious beliefs and practices.

And it doesn’t have to be a walking pilgrimage. It can be as simple as taking the bus to an appointment. You don’t have to go where everyone else goes to have a vision, or to have a teaching or even to be healed. It can be a simple walk around the block, a bus ride across town to an appointment, or across the country.

It started with a “simple” Celtic track, “The Long Road” by David Arkenstone on his album Celtic Chillout, but it turned into so much more. One of the most cherished visions I’ve had….at least so far. It was a cherished lesson, and for that I can’t thank Apollo enough. There never seems to be the words. Gratitude doesn’t even begin to cover it.

From that “simple” track, I was gifted a vision that changed how I understand sacred space, and how there isn’t only one sacred way to divine connection. There are many. Music is only one of many Sacred Ways, but it’s my road. My music road that connects me with Apollo, who I love more than words can tell.

In the modern era, the Sacred Way isn’t always made of ancient stones. Sometimes it’s made of harp strings, headphones and Spotify playlists. We can use our own sacred way to divine connection to connect with not just with our deities, but with ourselves. Divine connection isn’t a one-way street. It’s a two-way street. Both giving as well as receiving. We don’t just learn from the gods, our deities, but they also learn from us. And it flows, interconnects each with the other, We each have something to contribute.

And our deities walk it with us still. Whether, like me it’s Apollo or whether it’s Jesus of Nazareth, or Krishna, or even the Lady and Lord. They are beside us teaching us. And it’s not just for this lifetime, but on the road that leads, as C.S. Lewis puts it so aptly in The Last Battle, “Onward and upward” into eternity. But not just into eternity, but until eternity ends!