Jamie Richards-"Landscapes of the Sacred" #2

In his novel, "Landscapes of the Sacred," Belden Lane lists and summarizes four axioms that he proclaims will guide his readers to understand the character of sacred place. In conjunction with these provided axioms, Lane also recounts personal experiences to better illustrate the meanings behind these guidelines. In this outline, he suggests that sacred places are "not chosen, they choose," that they are "ordinary places, ritually made extraordinary," that they "may be tread upon without being entered," and that the impulse of them is "both centripetal and centrifugal." In other words, he is suggesting that it is ultimately up to the individual to decide if an area holds spiritual significance, that it is ultimately the actions of the individual that may provide for a sacred place, that one may enter or walk through a potentially sacred area without realizing this potential, and that a holy experience is unique and will not consistently occur in a single place. These ideas are all consistent with an experience I personally had recently. Although I have been to this nature area numerous times, it is not until circumstances were just right that I participated in a spiritual experience. It was my own intent to seek enlightening aspects of this area (a park trail) and a state perhaps comparable to light meditation that induced this episode. It is notable that I had actually passed through this trail multiple times and had, up until that point, not been subject to a similar experience.. I returned just a couple days later and witnessed the same scenario, but unfortunately, did not feel exposed to this previous sense of intimacy with the environment. I personally feel as if the circumstances were not perfect to provide basis for such an encounter. I am inclined to agree with all four of the axioms that Lane summarizes, and only feel more encouragement to seek comparable experiences in this particular area.