Places of worship in all faiths have a point of physical focus like a deity, symbol, altar, blank wall, cardinal direction, book of scripture or burning flame that evokes the feeling of reverence in us.
Likewise all of them have a primordial chant like Aum, Amen or Ameen that activate the energy of the soul and one or several scriptures that guide the seeker towards divinity.
Just as hospitals are centres to treat diseases of body, places of worship are centres to cure maladies of the mind and invoking feelings by re-establishing its connectivity to the Soul.
Places of worship are charged with divine energy because divinity is consecrated in the altar there.
Though we may be devout followers of our faith, this kind of consecration is not possible in our houses which is why we do not experience such strong, pulsating divine vibrations at home.
Moreover, these centres of energy are set aside only for the activity of worship and hundreds worshippers gather to participate in the rites, rituals or prayers performed there.
All this further increases and magnifies the divine energy already present.
So, when we go to such places with a feeling of devotion and reverence, there is a complete cross exchange of energy — all the negative energy in our aura is sucked out and replaced with vibrant, positive, divine energy.
That is why we feel so light, confident, calm and peaceful after we visit a place of worship.
This divine energy that we receive is called ‘divine grace’.
In our world today, we call divine grace ‘good luck’ and lack of divine grace ‘bad luck’.
While we are in the ambience of grace in the place of worship, we must also practice our breathing techniques and meditation without fail.
This completely recharges and rejuvenates us because our feeling of reverence gives us a greater sense of focus and receptivity.
People of all faiths also have the tradition of undertaking pilgrimages to sacred places with the intention of tuning into divine grace and bringing about a spiritual transformation within themselves.
Pilgrimage centres are power houses of divine energy.
They have been charged by centuries of worship and the prayers and meditation of seers, sages and spiritual aspirants.
Millions of pilgrims have obtained peace and fulfilment there.
So, every grain of sand we walk on is pulsating with divine energy and grace.
When we go to such places to meditate, our negative energy is unlocked, our karmic blocks are dissolved and we progress very swiftly in our spiritual journey.
This article is taken from the book “Between You and Me — Meditation Made Simple” by His Holiness Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji