In my humble opinion the concept of Sacred Space is not just exclusive to Holden
Village. For a very short period during my time here I found a way to connect to the nature and sacredness of the native land that Holden Village occupies by going on a hike past the foot bridge every day alone for four consecutive days where I enjoy the feeling of the nature around me. Every day was a different experience, for instance, on my first day I found the quote “Where the River Flows, Life Abounds” on the back through the foot bridge. I figured this was a sign to embrace a dance of freedom and a deeper spiritual experience bigger than myself. I later found other forms of sacred space different from the spiritual hikes and outside of the designated Sacred Space time. At the beginning of my time at Holden, I hosted a music listening session for my previously unreleased album that I decided to release while here. In my last week I hosted two events titled “Sharing From the Heart: Diverse Voices” where I hosted an open space for people to talk about things on their heart in the moment. This was open to many forms of diversity and also open to the whole village, not just staff. The events ended up being sacred experiences themselves. In addition, my experiences building a chess set in the Holden Woodshop with a very legendary staff member have been sacred in itself and I’ve enjoyed a feeling of fulfillment and joy while working on something tangible that I can say I made with my hands. It has also been great working with such a great teacher. Considering I’ve never done woodworking before I think it’s pretty amazing that I was able to create this amazing project.

These things, along with all of the other positive experiences I’ve experienced here at Holden have helped me realize my purpose and potential. Whether it was a deep conversation about the concept of aura with other staff or being a supportive friend to those having a hard time. I have positively influenced this place, and I know this because I not only feel it, but people around me have validated that I am making an incredible impact on Holden Village. My purpose at its core is to leave a positive impact on the world so big it will be talked about for generations even long after I am gone. I feel that I have so much potential with that purpose among other things and as Uncle Ben from Spiderman would say “With great power, comes great responsibility.” I think that applies to other things too. Having immense potential can change people in ways that usually aren’t good, but I intend to use my immense potential as a tool to leave that positive impact on the world. I also plan to stay the same person I am today, because I believe humility is what makes us strong.

Esai Hernandez, Holden Village