Trent Heath- Description of the Axis Mundi

Trent Heath

Blog #2

December 3, 2009

Lane’s Description of the Axis Mundi

Lane writes “the sacred place becomes the point at which the wondrous power of the divine could be seen breaking into the world’s alleged ordinariness. As a result, that fixed point becomes the center of the world, the navel of the earth or axis mundi by which passage can be obtained to the cosmic region beyond, from where all meaning derives.” In reading this I understand that a place that is deemed sacred, becomes the center of the world, to the individual who has deemed that place sacred. If the goal of the spiritual being is to connect with other worlds, then the place at which an individual is able to do that, is the center of the world for that individual.

I believe often times we do not see our sacred places or spiritual grounds as the center of the world, or understand them as axis mundi, because the majority of us do not visit them frequently. For example, individuals who go to church often only go for one hour a week, and it is possible that where they attend church does not fit Lane’s description of a sacred place. How many Americans feel going to church is an obligation? Do we only participate in the bare minimum because of our fear of going to hell? I cannot answer these questions for anyone but myself, but I do believe in my personal opinion, that the fear of going to hell is more of a motivator than the desire to go to heaven.

Churches are, more often than not, in the middle of populated areas, not in the wilderness and they contain such structure that freedom of thought is out of the question. When you go to church, you do not embark on your own spiritual journey, but every hymn, prayer, and other action is planned out for you, so how can we notice the divine breaking into the ordinary if we have to keep on a schedule? We cannot. The concept of axis mundi is very interesting, but I do not believe that we allow ourselves to appreciate it the way that Lane has described it, or the way that it should be appreciated.