.jpg)
If you're not familiar with the term sacred wound, you might be confused, because most of us don't equate woundedness with great reverence. But as human beings in an imperfect world, there comes a time---usually early in our lives---when something happens that we can't emotionally handle. Mommy rejects or abandons us, brother abuses us, or a loved one dies. This early trauma creates an energetic monument around which our personality is formed.
This monument marks the site of not only our sacred, primary wound, but of our path to transformation. Why? Because when we make progress in healing and forgiving that which stole our innocence, we access our greatness. Our wound is sacred because it paves the way to our personal evolution.
This monument marks the site of not only our sacred, primary wound, but of our path to transformation. Why? Because when we make progress in healing and forgiving that which stole our innocence, we access our greatness. Our wound is sacred because it paves the way to our personal evolution.
The problem is that we (Westerners) tend to overreact or under-respond to our wounds. We either build shrines to them and let them define and limit us, or we deny their existence and never get close enough to them for healing to occur. In either case, we may try to master ourselves in order to keep the wound at bay (we focus on physical attractiveness, worldly success, or perfecting ourselves in some other way), but this doesn't work because we haven't healed the festering wound within.
What to do? Healing the sacred wound requires us to foster a loving and accepting relationship with it. Instead of rejecting, denying, or dishonoring it, we approach it with reverence. When the telltale shame or grief or humiliation arises, we see it as a hurting child who needs a moment of kindness. We exercise compassion toward ourselves, thus healing the the wound a little at a time. This is the sacred journey.
This week, I invite you to identify your sacred wound and what it is asking of you. For instance, If your primary struggle is with self esteem, you may be on a journey of discovering love within. Try to view your challenges with the utmost acceptance and respect, recognizing that each moment of kindness you extend to yourself represents a step on the path to mastering self love. 
