Nate Morris - Reading Review - Lane 1

In class, we discussed the 4 Axioms for the Study of Sacred Place:
1. Place chooses person

Here, we recognize the fact that there is a great power of sacred place to draw individuals to it. Individuals are drawn to a sacred place as they exude this sense of spiritual wellbeing and a connection to a higher power.

2. Ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary

Through routine and through physical activities of a sacred nature, a place, such as an open field that would otherwise hold no intense connection to the landscape is now a place of ritual and of great value and importance with a history that can be of great importance of an individual or a group of people, dependent upon the situation.

3. Can be trampled on without being entered; be there without experiencing it

One can be in a sacred place without actually entering into this sacred place. Oftentimes, when one does not open up to embrace the spiritual nature of things in this place, they are not truly entering into and becoming and integral part of this place.

4. Locally Universal; significant in particular location, significance can expand universally

Sacred places are categorized as locally universal in that they can either be significant to a particular individual or a larger group. For instance, the surface of the moon is sacred to the United States as it marked an enormous milestone in the nations history, but it is potentially even more sacred for the individuals, such as Buzz Aldren and Neil Armstrong, who actually set foot on this coveted surface.