Sacrifice: The Heart of Wisdom

The archetype of the mother who sacrifices all for her children is a beautiful one—yet often misunderstood.

When it comes to nourishing and protecting our children, what kind of sacrifice is truly beneficial? When is sacrifice noble and wise; and when is it unhealthy? To begin this exploration, let’s take a journey into the realm of etymology…

THE ROOTS OF SACRIFICE: TO MAKE SACRED

What’s quite interesting is that the word “sacrifice” shares an etymological root with the word “sacred.”

The English word sacrifice is derived from the Old French word sacrer, which means “consecrate, anoint, dedicate” and from the Latin word sacrare, which means “to make sacred, or consecrate” or the Latin word sacer, which means “holy.”

So, the etymological ancestor of sacrifice is sacred!

A true sacrifice is one that is rooted in the sacred. It is to offer our human life—moment by moment—to love and gratitude. It is to make our life sacred by speaking and acting from the energy of Presence: the light of the Divine.

But sacrifice is often misunderstood, and distorted into something that’s not at all healthy …

IMMATURE & UNHEALTHY SACRIFICE

What does immature or unhealthy sacrifice look like?

An erroneous notion of sacrifice might include the belief that sacrifice requires neglecting or abandoning oneself; ignoring legitimate human needs; or denigrating our heartfelt passions.

This so-called “sacrifice” is often rooted in unresolved childhood wounding: feelings of unworthiness or a lack of confidence. It’s based upon the mistaken belief that one’s sense of worth is derived from something external—rather than the spark of Divinity within.

This counterfeit “sacrifice” is no more successful in bringing happiness (to ourselves or our children) than a counterfeit bill is in purchasing a bag of groceries. It just doesn’t work!

KARMA YOGA & HEALTHY SACRIFICE

Healthy sacrifice is akin to Karma Yoga: It is a fully committed action that perpetually releases its fruits to the Divine, to unbounded Wholeness, to the greater good. Karma Yoga is the true path of selfless action.

This healthy form of sacrifice arises from a nondual wisdom that realizes the non-separation between self and others. It spontaneously appears as selfless service to our own children, as well as to all living beings.

We experience unconditional love for all beings—even as we acknowledge a special responsibility for our own children, with whom we have a unique soul-level connection: an agreement to learn and grow and love together.

Accessing the soul-essence of the baby/child and the mother can support a relationship rooted in Higher Wisdom. This allows our interactions to be more gentle and effortlessly expansive. It allows the everyday routine of pregnancy and motherhood to be infused with the sacred—with “sacrifice” in its true sense.

SACRIFICE & COMPASSIONATE SELF-CARE

This kind of celebratory sacrifice to the Divine within all beings is not mutually exclusive with appropriate self-care and good boundaries (physical and emotional).

Setting boundaries is also a form of kindness and compassion. It’s a way of modeling care and respect, within the context of nourishing and protecting one’s children. Mother and child, equally, are Divine—and embody the truth of the following Yoga meal blessing and practice:

“The food being offered is Brahman (the Divine). The individual offering the food is Brahman. And the process of offering itself is also Brahman. Therefore, I perform this offering with full awareness of Brahman alone.”

In this way, we offer our everyday ordinary activities to the hearth, the eternal flame inside, to the Divinity within ourselves and all living beings. This is true sacrifice.

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