landscapes of the sacred #1

11/30/2015

 

In Landscapes of the Sacred, Lane lists the four axioms that make up a sacred place. The second axiom is an ordinary place can be made into a sacred place. Something that was once simply just a plain, ordinary place can have extraordinary significance. It can happen suddenly or over a period of time based on the experiences the place encounters and the ritual that accompanies it. One cannot build a place or establishment and call it sacred, it must happen through ritual. The idea of ritual making a place sacred shows how important it is. Ritual makes the place unique because each place has its own ritual or experience to make it extraordinary. One must interact with a place in order to be in the correct state of consciousness to experience the sacredness of it. The word ritual is often associated with the term “liminality”. Liminality can be defined as the transitional period or phase of a rite of passage, during which the participant lacks social status or rank, remains anonymous, shows obedience and humility, and follows prescribed forms of conduct. To put that more simply, it is when a person is able to step back from any concerns or problems they may have with everyday life and in some way escape reality and experience the ritual that makes a place sacred.