Finding Your Kairos

Walking in Sacred Time

Every day, before I sit down to my writing work, I spend a few moments taking care of a few of those life tasks that we all have. Load the dishwasher, start the laundry. Pay a bill online. Return an email. This gives me a clear and present mind before I attempt the creative work of the day. When I start the writing, I’ve done what I can to quiet the mental to-do list.

Different Types of Time

My work in mythology has taught me the word the ancient Greeks used for these kinds of tasks. The Greeks understood something more nuanced about time than we do in modern, Western society. They had two words that they used for time, because they recognized that our experience of time can change, depending on how we’re spending it. The time that I’ve just described, that chore time, running errands time, basic tasks of life time, was known as chronos. We can still see the traces of this word in our language, such as in the word “chronology.” This is the kind of time that most of us experience most of the time, but it is not the only way to move through the flow of time, and it is this type of time that I turn to when I start my creative work.

The Greeks knew that we move in chronos, but they also had another word for time, called kairos. Kairos is a word that, very specifically, refers to that moment that an archer has her arrow notched, ready to fly, at which she releases the arrow. The perfect moment when she knows it will strike true. More generally, the word came to be used to describe those moments of sacred time in which we feel like we’ve almost stepped outside of the flow of time temporarily. When “time flies,” like the arrow flew. If we allow ourselves to think about it for a few minutes, we can recognize those sacred times that we found kairos in our lives. Sometimes it’s when we’re worshipping, or playing our instrument. Other times we’re spending time with someone we love, or we’re making art. In every case, it describes a time when we’ve slipped, somehow, sideways into the world of the gods, the place from which the sacred and the creative flow.

How I Cultivate Sacred Time

In the years that I’ve been working with these concepts, I’ve learned how to cultivate kairos time when it’s needed, and to let it go with gratitude when I’m ready to resume “everyday” life. Every morning, when I’ve finished my chronos time tasks, I sit down and try to empty my mind of what came before. I open myself up to kairos, inviting that sacred energy into my workspace. It is a prayer, a meditation, a sacred act. Once I’ve extended the invitation, I begin my work. In the act of doing this I’ve created a temple of sorts around myself in which I can pull generative energy through myself and onto the page. When it’s time to stop, I release the energy, close the space, and give thanks for the work that came through me.

Preparing for Kairos

Recognizing the difference between when we’re in chronos time and in kairos time can be a really useful tool for not only understanding our lives but also making them better, whether or not creative work is something you enjoy. If you’d like to give it a try, this is what I suggest. If you have any particular chronos time tasks on your mind, do one or two of them, so that they aren’t pressing on you too much. You’ll never be able to do everything, so don’t attempt to run through an exhaustive list, but ticking a couple of items off of your mental to-do list will give you a sense of accomplishment, which will be useful for the next stage.

Cultivating the Sacred

When you’re ready to make the shift, allow yourself a few moments of quiet, if possible. If you intend to use your kairos time for the creation of art, close your eyes and imagine yourself setting down any remaining chronos tasks that haven’t yet been accomplished that might be weighing on you. They will be there for you later, but you don’t need to worry about them right now. Once you are free of the burdens of day-to-day life, hold your creative project in your mind. Say a little prayer of thanks that you have a few moments to spend in the “temple” of kairos, and invite the inexhaustible energies of the world of the gods to pour through you as you paint, or write, or dance, whatever creative modality you prefer. Try to hold that energy of gratitude and openness to kairos as you pick up your pen or your brush. Begin the creative work. If you still feel stuck and unable to start, if there’s something that your mind is having trouble setting down, hold compassion for yourself and try again. Sometimes this takes some getting used to, but if you trust the power of your intention, kairos will come.

Once you’ve used the time that you have and you’re ready to go back to the ordinary world, set your brush or pen down, and stop, but with intention and gratitude. Say a prayer or a few words of thanks, for the work that you’ve done and the time that you’ve spent. If you can, leave your mental editor on the outside of the space; the time will come for that, but later. Take a deep breath, and step back toward chronos time with purpose. You are now free to pick your to-do list back up, if you need to.

Kairos Outside of the Creative Process

This approach is useful anytime you might like to be more present and mindful in your life, to make your life more sacred. If you’d like to bring kairos into your time with your children or with other loved ones, take a beat, just inside your own mind, and invite kairos in. It can be done in just a few breaths, and it can change everything. Let us all create space in our lives and minds for sacred time.