The Problem With Products Being Labeled as “Sacred”

I recently saw, for the umpteenth time, a product labeled “sacred.” And that led me to contemplate something that had been bothering me for some time. Namely, if everything is labeled as sacred, is anything actually sacred anymore?

Don’t get me wrong. There are things that are truly special and sacred. But there’s also marketing. And lately, in certain spaces, it feels like everything—every experience, every product—is labeled as sacred.

Sacred cacao. Sacred ceremony. Sacred sound. Sacred jewelry. Sacred retreats. Sacred bath salts.

As if you can slap the word “sacred” on a label and suddenly it’s more meaningful, more spiritual, more mystical. Or maybe it’s just more sellable.

Do we even need to label something sacred? If everything is sacred, then is anything? Or is the term becoming diluted, one of those words that sounds special but doesn’t actually point to anything real anymore? And what are we actually trying to say when we use that word?

The cool thing about what annoys us is that these experiences can prompt us to reflect. And as students of yoga, regular self-study and reflection is as equal a part of our practice as Down Dog. Or at least it should be.

What Does Sacred Mean?

Maybe the issue isn’t overusing the word. Maybe the underlying issue is that we’ve been conditioned to think sacredness is something we can buy. As if it exists in or can be contained by an object. Or a label. Or a brand. Or something imported from India. Or something that looks “spiritual.”

Wouldn’t the most sacred act actually be the opposite? Wouldn’t it be showing up and seeing everything as sacred? Every experience. Every encounter. Every instant. Not because it has a certain aesthetic or price tag. Not because it’s branded that way. Because we decide to radically show up to life as if everything is sacred.

Maybe what makes something sacred is the mindfulness, appreciation, and conscious decision behind treating something as such. A relationship between us and each experience.

So the hack isn’t like buying somebody’s product or experience. It’s recognizing that everything around us is already sacred. That’s what flips the switch from unnoticed and ordinary to memorable and absolutely extraordinary.

How would life shift if we treated more of our ordinary moments as such? Our tea. Our relationships. Our grief. Our joy. Our bodies. Our messy kitchens. Our prayers. Our weekdays, our weeknights, our weekends—even the boring parts.

Certain things and experiences might help us experience sacredness. But the life hack is recognizing that everything around us holds that potential. And that’s something everyone can afford.