Sacred space is any place where we mortals can connect with the divine. “A place of tranquility where people could be at one with the spirits of the place’ (Spivey 132). All people have important places that keep us tethered. The difference between people is whether we seek a sacred place or make the sacred come to us.
The Aborigines know the places where their ancestors reside. They know “the shape of a particular rock, some configuration of cracks and striations in a cliff” (Spivey 128) and go to the spirits to commune and worship. Eastern people build temples to house and enclose ancestral spirits. Celts worshiped in groves where the divine live, but westerners seem to have a different approach. Though we have sacred places to pilgrimage to, for everyday worship we go to a man-made building where the divine is summoned.
Is it our fear of nature that prompts us to find god where there is none or is the congregation of humanity what makes a space sacred? It is said that the body is a temple and Genesis says we are made in the image of god and are creators. So does this mean when the masses meet together that all of our godly bits come together to create the divine? In this line of thought, the human body is a sacred space and therefore must be respected by all people as part of the divine. I like that idea, that we all carry the essence of a higher being.
The divine demands respect whether it is in a rock or ones self and that is the most important part of sacred places. They are places in which we express our humanity. Our little piece of god.
Wow this is some quality composing! I was immediately grabbed in your opening paragraph when you said, "All people have important places that keep us tethered." Right away I imagined two astronauts tethered together, making sure they stick together and accomplish their goal. For you and others around you, the goal for you adventurers is to succeed in life and enjoy it to the fullest, and everyone is tethered together so that we can accomplish this. Not only did your fabulous writing let you explore your creativity, but it sparked greater thinking in me as well! I wouldn't say it is our fear of nature that drives us to find God though, because I've believed in him for my whole life, and I've always felt that nature is God's offering to humans looking for sustainability.
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