Holding Sacred Space Together: Reflections on “Experiments in Spiritual Spaceholding”
On July 29, 2025, something quietly unfolded within the Oasis series. Deviating from its usual format, the special edition titled Experiments in Spiritual Spaceholding offered a rare and intentional container for collective exploration into the sacred. Hosted by @JamesBaker and @Danijohn the gathering didn’t center on instruction, but rather on the subtle power of presence, shared inquiry, and spontaneous co-creation. It was a space designed not to teach about spirituality, but to remember it, together.
What distinguished this session was its experimental nature. Rather than offering a defined template for spiritual experience, it invited participants into a field of open-ended possibility. Grounded in an atmosphere of gentle attentiveness, the gathering began with meditation, allowing the group to collectively arrive in the present moment. This quiet anchoring gave way to more dynamic modalities: a collaborative sound experiment that welcomed each voice, small group dialogues that deepened intimacy, and a talking stick circle where participants could share from the heart.
Through these evolving layers, a new picture of spirituality emerged, one that is not confined to solitary practice or belief systems. Instead, a relational and emergent form of sacredness came to the fore. Many participants spoke of the deep nourishment that came from being witnessed in spiritual inquiry. Others described moments of surprise and connection as group practices like humming or energy sensing revealed new dimensions of presence. What united these experiences was a shared realization: the sacred is always here, but it becomes more vivid when we choose to notice it together.
This shift marks a movement from what some call “Game A” spirituality, focused on individual enlightenment and personal transformation, to a “Game B” paradigm that centers collective coherence, interdependence, and systems healing. In this emerging model, spirituality is not something we achieve alone. It is a shared field we enter, co-create, and nurture with care. This does not mean abandoning personal practice or sovereignty. Rather, it asks us to hold those things within a broader relational context.
The gathering exemplified this balance beautifully. Each participant was encouraged to bring their own language, background, and understanding. There was no pressure to conform or translate spiritual insight into a common vernacular. And yet, there was a palpable sense of unity, a flow that emerged from mutual listening and attunement. The space held paradox with grace: autonomy and coherence, structure and spontaneity, silence and sound.
Technology, as in many contemporary spiritual spaces, played both an enabling and limiting role. The session was held virtually, making it accessible to a wide network of seekers. Yet participants acknowledged the subtle losses of digital connection, the absence of touch, of shared physical breath, of embodied resonance. Still, the gathering proved that sacredness can indeed cross screens when held with enough care and intention. Simple actions like optimizing Zoom settings for sound quality and designing for co-presence helped strengthen the digital container.
Importantly, Experiments in Spiritual Spaceholding did not pretend to offer definitive answers. Instead, it surfaced essential and generative questions. How can we hold spiritual space without replicating hierarchy or control? How do we ensure that collective practices uplift, rather than override, individual discernment? What does it mean to carry spiritual responsibility not as a weight, but as a gift we offer to the group?
These questions are not obstacles, but openings. They point toward a more ethical and alive form of spiritual community, one that honors both the mystery and the mechanics of shared practice. And they reflect a growing desire among many spiritual seekers for spaces that are not only safe, but sacred; not only inclusive, but transformative.
The evening concluded not with resolution, but with a deepened sense of trust. Trust in the group. Trust in the process. Trust in the unknown as a legitimate terrain of spiritual growth. For many participants, the experience was a reminder that spirituality need not be solitary or static. It can be dynamic, co-creative, and relational. It can emerge in the spaces between us, not just within us.
In a world marked by spiritual disconnection and social fragmentation, gatherings like these point the way toward new possibilities. They show that we do not have to navigate our spiritual paths in isolation. We can weave them together, creating a tapestry that is richer, more resilient, and more reflective of the interconnected world we inhabit.
Experiments in Spiritual Spaceholding was, at its heart, an act of remembering. Remembering that the sacred is not a distant ideal or private possession. It is something we hold, and are held by, when we show up with presence, with openness, and with each other. As we move into an uncertain future, such practices offer not just solace, but guidance. They teach us that holding space is not just a technique or a role. It is a spiritual art. In a time when many feel spiritually untethered or isolated, this session was a soft yet potent reminder: we don’t have to do this alone. We can remember the sacred together.