Temenos is an ancient Greek word. It means something like; a piece of land designated as separate from the common domain and dedicated to god. A sanctuary.
Jung used the term to describe the therapeutic space; a space of perfect holding in which growth can occur. In his conceptualization it is not simply a safe place where we go to rest, it is also a place where challenges await; a sacred space where we may meet and learn from our change agents.
Holding and shaping...that is the work of therapy. I invite clients to find their own temenos in my office, their own sanctuary, a place marked off from the demanding unsureity of the world; held. We can then start to shape their experience and their thoughts and their very spirit into the truth they most long for.
However, it is my opinion that you can find temenos outside of a therapy office. You can find it in the delicate combination of a book and a cup of tea; comfort coupled with conflict. Temenos is alive in those moments when we can still ourselves and let our hearts open to mystery.
Perhaps growth is just on the other side of this breath.
Take it.