{"id":704,"date":"2025-06-26T18:22:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/?p=704"},"modified":"2025-06-26T18:22:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T18:22:41","slug":"reclaiming-my-sacred-places-a-journey-back-to-meaning-and-gratefulness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/26\/reclaiming-my-sacred-places-a-journey-back-to-meaning-and-gratefulness\/","title":{"rendered":"Reclaiming My Sacred Places \u2013 A Journey Back to Meaning and Gratefulness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When I lived in Cork, Ireland, 25 years ago, I remember feeling puzzled during my morning commute to work at Apple Computers. Riding the bus from town up to Hollyhill, where Apple was located, I would occasionally see people making the sign of the cross as we passed a Catholic church. In fact, most of the Irish people on the bus did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not something that\u2019s common in Denmark\u2014I\u2019ve never seen it here. It struck me as something we\u2019ve collectively forgotten to appreciate. I mean, when was the last time you felt a place was truly sacred?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I often think about this when I pass a church, walk in the forest, or take part in collective rituals and traditions like Sankt Hans Aften\u2014our Nordic midsummer celebration. When did these events and places stop being sacred? When did we start canceling holidays simply because we forgot why we had them in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of these sacred traditions, all this appreciation for history and nature\u2014what has replaced them? I believe modern life has eroded our sense of sacredness. Maybe it\u2019s the speed, the technology, the noise. Or maybe we\u2019re just too busy to look around and truly appreciate what\u2019s around us. I wonder if the people in Cork still make the sign of the cross going up Hollyhill\u2014or if they\u2019re now just looking at their phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is sacred to me?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve started to make a list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Places of devotion such as churches and temples<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nature\u2014especially the forest and the sea<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>My body<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Food, family recipes, and dishes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Homes\u2014especially my own<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Family traditions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Singing and playing music<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Walking barefoot to my atelier and drinking my morning coffee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Long walks with friends and deep conversations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026and the list goes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think we\u2019ve drifted away from these things because we started taking them for granted. We stopped appreciating them. They stopped being loaded with meaning and became just traditions\u2014no longer rooted in something ancient and important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, in Denmark, we walk around the Christmas tree singing on Christmas Eve. But my dad would rather skip it\u2014he doesn\u2019t see the point in acknowledging the tree. He\u2019d rather go straight to opening presents. Meanwhile, my mom and I feel it\u2019s really important to honor that moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflecting on your own sacred places<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been really important for me to reflect on my own sacred places and traditions. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve missed\u2014and something I want to appreciate more in my day-to-day life. I don\u2019t want to forget them. I don\u2019t want to forget the roots of the society we live in today. And I don\u2019t want you to forget either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think it\u2019s important that we keep remembering and appreciating. It doesn\u2019t matter whether your sacred places are the same as mine\u2014or anyone else\u2019s. What matters is that we see them as sacred, that we appreciate them, and that we remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s one tradition or sacred place you want to reclaim for yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"70\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/rock_on_henriette_transparent.png?resize=200%2C70&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"rock on\" class=\"wp-image-14\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I lived in Cork, Ireland, 25 years ago, I remember feeling puzzled during my morning commute to work at Apple Computers. Riding the bus from town up to Hollyhill, where Apple was located, I would occasionally see people making the sign of the cross as we passed a Catholic church. In fact, most of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183,63],"tags":[185,184],"class_list":["post-704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-reflections","category-spirituality","tag-reconnection","tag-sacred-places"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_3379.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":754,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/27\/activist-feet-sacred-ground-hiking-lake-esrum\/","url_meta":{"origin":704,"position":0},"title":"Activist Feet, Sacred Ground: Hiking Lake Esrum","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"October 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, I walked 26.2 kilometers around Lake Esrum \u2014 a training walk for the Mammutmarch in Berlin this Saturday, where I\u2019ll be walking 42 kilometers around the city. I\u2019m convinced I can do it. It will be a full marathon of movement, breath, and connection. The walk around Lake Esrum,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Activism &amp; Sustainability&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Activism &amp; Sustainability","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/activism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5802.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5802.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5802.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5802.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":721,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/07\/embracing-kinship-a-scandinavian-perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":704,"position":1},"title":"Embracing Kinship: A Scandinavian Perspective","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"October 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"in Scandinavia, kinship is more than family ties\u2014it's a way of being. It lives in the rituals we inherit, the animals we honor, and the landscapes we belong to. Inspired by Carina Lyall\u2019s Earth Medicine Mentorship, I explore how kinship shows up in Nordic traditions, from candlelight in the dark\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Activism &amp; Sustainability&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Activism &amp; Sustainability","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/activism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5655.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5655.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5655.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_5655.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2012\/10\/02\/inner-business-bliss-i-want-you-to-love-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":704,"position":2},"title":"Inner Business Bliss: I Want You To Love Me","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"October 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Before I acquired my inner business bliss as a mother and as an entrepreneur, I was once a strange girl craving for other people's love and approval. The strange girl at the back row When I was a kid, I was the strange not-cool girl in the back of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sustainable Business&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sustainable Business","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-2020-10-01-06.36.30-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C461&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-2020-10-01-06.36.30-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C461&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-2020-10-01-06.36.30-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C461&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-2020-10-01-06.36.30-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C461&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-2020-10-01-06.36.30-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C461&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":576,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2011\/04\/01\/investors-startups-rocknroll\/","url_meta":{"origin":704,"position":3},"title":"Investors + startups = Rockn&#8217;roll?","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"April 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"at Geeknrolla it sure was. I attended Geeknrolla in London, which was an amazing and funpacked conference for investors + startups. Seriously I can't stretch how important it is for you as a startup\/investor to be at places like this. Anyway, I personally, made the trip over to Geeknrolla for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entrepreneurship&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Entrepreneurship","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/business\/entrepreneurship\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"rock on","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/henrietteweber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/rock_on_henriette_transparent.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":327,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/07\/how-to-rise-up-to-huge-opportunities\/","url_meta":{"origin":704,"position":4},"title":"How To Rise Up To Huge Opportunities","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"May 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"We're in times that are both challenging but also filled with opportunities. I am grateful for this global time-out because there's something in it that has to teach us something bigger as humanity. It's a horrible horrible way for us to learn though. So many lives lost, so many numbers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sustainability&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sustainability","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/sustainability\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":642,"url":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/2011\/02\/03\/can-business-literacy-change-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":704,"position":5},"title":"Can business literacy change the world?","author":"Henriette Weber","date":"February 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Im in a process where I'm thinking a lot about the things I do business-wise, both because I'm trying to grow the tiger, having a partner in the company, but also because I am personally driven by doing good in the world. The biggest compliment I personally can get is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Impact&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Impact","link":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/category\/business\/impact\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=704"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":708,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704\/revisions\/708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrietteweber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}