The idea or concept of an individual’s sacred space can be defined in two ways. The first is a person’s own unique sacred place that he or she shares with no one but him or herself. The second is the ultimate connection that humans share with a god or gods, and can be shared with many, many people. Although both sacred locales differ immensely from each other, as humans, we all have both residing within us.
In our everyday life we all are presented with different circumstances that have unique stresses. Coping with these stresses is extremely difficult and strenuous at times, making it challenging to handle everything without any added help. Thus, we created our own distinct and pure sacred place. These special sacred places allow us to escape from all the realities of our world and society. “It forms a stable backdrop to ordinary life, which is dominated by death, flux, the endless succession of events, and the cycle of the seasons” (Armstrong 13). When we go to these meaningful spots, sometimes your room or the top of a mountain, we lose our grip on reality and get lost in a fantasy world. Anything seems accomplishable and nothing is going to stand in your way, but when you leave this place you know that that ‘dream’ is most likely ungraspable. And yet, we revisit this place repeatedly. Why? We do so because our minds need a break from the exhausting cruelties of the world, an escape, and to have something to look forward to, whether or not it is out of reach.
Outside of our individual selves, there is a much larger sacred place and that is the one between humans and the divine. Similar to our singular sacred space, it also serves as in escape from reality and an answer to our questions, just on a much broader scale. The human race cannot relax if there is an “unknown” factor in the world. The divine or God fills this void and creates a sacred place for humans to go to and connect to an unreachable dimension. Usually these places are churches and other holy ceremonious buildings. But other cultures, such as the Australian Aborigines, performed ceremonies to become closer to their god and this was their sacred place. For example, they would travel into a trance state named ‘Dreamtime’ and they reported to have journeyed into the spirit world. This is a completely different experience from the individual sacred place because it is a shared one. You are allowing others to take you to another world, and not relying just on yourself. It brings humans much closer together because they have to trust one another to carry them to their most sacred place, God.
While I feel you had a well defined definition of saced space, there are a few points with which I disagree. One is when you say that in a sacred space a person enters a fantasy world. I think that a part of what makes a sacred space so special is that you have an other worldly connection to something very real, thus not a fantasy. If a mountian is your sacred space, then you are still able to feel connected to the mountain while also sensing something else. My other point that I disagree with is that a sacred space forms and link between a person and God. Although I do not deny that this is true for many people all over the world, I feel like you are leaving out all those who do not believe in God. By your definition, it appears to me that atheists are not capable of having a sacred space because they do not believe in the god that they are forming a connection with in that space. Those things aside, I enjoyed your explination of the necesity of a sacred space. After all, aren't we all just looking to escape every now and then?
ReplyDeleteFollowing your definitions of sacred space, I do not feel it is correct to say "as humans, we all have both residing within us." One of your explanations of sacred space implies a connection with a god, however, as all humans believe they share a connection with a god, they would not have both types of sacred space "residing within." That said, I would like to move away from the god aspect, and discuss the sacred space you speak on in relation to escaping our stress. I would argue that many people go out in to nature, our to their rooms, not to escape reality, but instead to your closer to there areas. I know that personally, when I stand alone at the top of a mountain, I do not feel separated from the reality, but instead as if I am one with there world- more strongly connected to what is around me than I am in my day to day life.
ReplyDeleteI recognize that most people go to religious sites and religious services in order to focus on some connection with a religious figure, but I believe there are other reasons as well. I know that as a nonreligious person, I am still able to find locations such a churches, sacred. I truly enjoy attending church services, for many of the reasons you state about the individual sacred spaces. The service are something I find can help me escape stress from my own life, and just feel as peace with the world.
I think retreating to a sacred space does not make us loose reality just the opposite. Sacred spaces make us appreciate reality differently, confront reality, even clarify it. Who does not seek solitude when faced with a particularly difficult thing to ponder? I think our mind doesn't ignore the obstacles but figure out ways to over come them. Our mind may need a retreat and our dreams may be ultimately unreachable but why does that make a place sacred and not just fantasy or a dream? Where is the connection to something greater? Or is the dream the greater collective conscious? Finally, are we always trying to escape or just trying to stop and comprehend? Just food for thought.
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