Last Axioms - Landscapes of the Sacred (Adam Stillabower)

     The third Axiom, as defined by Lane, is that “sacred place can be tread upon without being entered.” I have taken an understanding that one may come to the physical place that corresponds with someone’s sacred place, but if they do not bring the same reverence, knowledge, and/or belief, then they are not truly ‘entering’ the sacred space. This is echoing the sentiments of the first axioms, that sacred places are not chosen nor superficially extraordinary, but their worth and meaning come from within the individual. I remember that I used to go out to a stump in the woods behind my house as a child. To me, that unordinary place in the forest holds significance to me, whereas someone else stumbling into the very same place will not get the same satisfaction or experience the same sense of calm that I do.

    “Sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal” is the final axiom that Lane talks about in Landscapes of the Sacred. I can understand how this most certainly applies to the major world religions. The first example that comes to mind is the Muslims' reverence for the city of Mecca. While it has a local structure and is home to many people in its vicinity, not only do those people who live there have a sincere calling to that place. In the Pillars of Islam, it is asked of Muslims that they pray with their head pointing in the direction of the Middle Eastern city, regardless of where they are in relation to it. This sentiment and the fact that many people from around the globe practice these rituals speak to the universal nature of this belief and the centripetal effect that the sacred place has on the world.