Tray Norman Lane's Four Axioms

The four axioms discussed in Lane's book help the reader understand the character of a sacred place. The first one states that a sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. It's like the place seeks you out, and it is the construction of the imagination that makes it holy. It's where god chooses to reveal himself. You can come across a clearing in the woods when you're lost and it can become sacred. The second is that a sacred place it an ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary. Some places are recognized as sacred because of certain ritual acts performed there, setting it apart as unique. The ritual act that could occur in the clearing in the woods could be the act of silence. The third is a sacred place can be tred upon without being entered. This means that a place can exist without being ontologically recognized. It is sacred because of the consciousness related to the visitor. The clearing in the woods has been passed through by many, but it is especially sacred to a person who is lost. The fourth is the impulse of sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. There is movement between the everyday life and the sacred. Sacred places have the ability to pull you away from busy life, and guarantee the everlasting presence of peace.