Ryan McGovern Outside Reading 2

Sacred Landscapes and the Phenomenon of Light. 5-1-09

This article was written by Barbara A. Weightman and was published in the Geographical Review. It deals with the concept of light in sacred places. She says that light can be used as a bridge between the mundane and the profound. Maybe she means that the presence or absence of light can create different experiences. Maybe sometimes the presence of light will reveal things that were once previously hidden. Or the way it shines through fog in the morning can be seen as holy light reaching out and touching you. The light can also feel like a second coming of life after a hard rain, warming your body after being cold for so long. But the absence of light should not be overlooked either. For perhaps it acts as a mask of the holy, and what is concealed can also reveal at the same time. For maybe the night can create a sense of mystery, and reveal things once hidden again. Or perhaps the presence of the moon light can create the necessary mood for a religious experience, which many people believe. All in all, the absence or presence of light can create a stage for the holy to shine through.