Campbell - The Sacredness of Space
Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World. New York: Vintage Books, 1996.
In Abram's The Spell of the Sensuous, anthropologists studying the significance of storytelling in Native American culture find themselves amidst an Apache village in the Southwest United States. The anthropologists live with the Natives for quite some time, picking up the intricacies of their language and discovering the sacred locales of their homeland. Abram recounts a passage from one of the anthropologists: "Placeless events are an impossibility, everything that happens must happen somewhere. The location of an event is an integral aspect of the event itself, and therefore identifying the event's location is essential to properly depicting - and effectively picturing - the event's occurrence" (p. 161). For this Apache tribe, these places were maintained by oral stories and the natives could essentially relocate themselves to these locations within their minds. The significance of these specific locations may only hold sacred meaning to the Apaches, but the sacredness of space overall contains universal depth to people around the world.
The Native Americans of the Apache tribe placed distinctive natural scenes on a pedestal, but this is not the only means through which space is sacred. As a baptized Catholic, I have understood the deeper prominence of sacred structures, specifically churches and cathedrals. During my travels in Europe, these structures were magnificent and breathtaking, even though I don't feel a Christian connection to them anymore. The high vaulted ceilings, eloquent stained-glass windows, and lofty rows of ancient wooden pews were enough to make anyone stare in awe. During my tour of Westminster Abbey, I felt rooted to the cracked cemented floors of the aisles, studying the engravings of the countless names who were buried there. The amount of detail within the structure was utterly daunting and reflected the holiness of the whole place. Beyond the physical demeanor of the abbey, Westminster was completely quiet. For most of the tour, I was listening to an audio guide with a set of headphones, attentive to the facts and facets of the abbey. Within one chamber, however, I decided to take the headset off and just listen. It was chilling how quiet the abbey was, despite the crowds of people roving around. There was a clear reverence held for Westminster Abbey, whether or not one was Christian or even religious at all.
I see a similar notion with the status of mosques in the Islamic faith, even though I am not familiar with the tenets of the religion or what exactly is sacred within these structures. However, I do know that mosques are inherently holy and symbolic of the central meanings of Islam. One of, if not the most, famous mosques in the world is the one in Mecca, where thousands of Muslims make pilgrimage to each year as a part of fulfilling their holy duties. Even though the structure itself is not embellished with impressive physical feats, the meaning of this site is attached to the location itself. The mosque at Mecca represents an ideology which only devout Muslims can truly understand and appreciate. As someone with an outside perspective, I can only scratch the surface of what this mosque - and all other mosques - mean to these people considering how well I understand the sacred weight of Catholic churches and Cathedrals. Thus, regardless of the specific meanings which locations have for their followers, people understand that space can be innately sacred when important meanings are applied to them. What are some sacred spaces that are relevant to you, religious or not?
In Abram's The Spell of the Sensuous, anthropologists studying the significance of storytelling in Native American culture find themselves amidst an Apache village in the Southwest United States. The anthropologists live with the Natives for quite some time, picking up the intricacies of their language and discovering the sacred locales of their homeland. Abram recounts a passage from one of the anthropologists: "Placeless events are an impossibility, everything that happens must happen somewhere. The location of an event is an integral aspect of the event itself, and therefore identifying the event's location is essential to properly depicting - and effectively picturing - the event's occurrence" (p. 161). For this Apache tribe, these places were maintained by oral stories and the natives could essentially relocate themselves to these locations within their minds. The significance of these specific locations may only hold sacred meaning to the Apaches, but the sacredness of space overall contains universal depth to people around the world.
The Native Americans of the Apache tribe placed distinctive natural scenes on a pedestal, but this is not the only means through which space is sacred. As a baptized Catholic, I have understood the deeper prominence of sacred structures, specifically churches and cathedrals. During my travels in Europe, these structures were magnificent and breathtaking, even though I don't feel a Christian connection to them anymore. The high vaulted ceilings, eloquent stained-glass windows, and lofty rows of ancient wooden pews were enough to make anyone stare in awe. During my tour of Westminster Abbey, I felt rooted to the cracked cemented floors of the aisles, studying the engravings of the countless names who were buried there. The amount of detail within the structure was utterly daunting and reflected the holiness of the whole place. Beyond the physical demeanor of the abbey, Westminster was completely quiet. For most of the tour, I was listening to an audio guide with a set of headphones, attentive to the facts and facets of the abbey. Within one chamber, however, I decided to take the headset off and just listen. It was chilling how quiet the abbey was, despite the crowds of people roving around. There was a clear reverence held for Westminster Abbey, whether or not one was Christian or even religious at all.
I see a similar notion with the status of mosques in the Islamic faith, even though I am not familiar with the tenets of the religion or what exactly is sacred within these structures. However, I do know that mosques are inherently holy and symbolic of the central meanings of Islam. One of, if not the most, famous mosques in the world is the one in Mecca, where thousands of Muslims make pilgrimage to each year as a part of fulfilling their holy duties. Even though the structure itself is not embellished with impressive physical feats, the meaning of this site is attached to the location itself. The mosque at Mecca represents an ideology which only devout Muslims can truly understand and appreciate. As someone with an outside perspective, I can only scratch the surface of what this mosque - and all other mosques - mean to these people considering how well I understand the sacred weight of Catholic churches and Cathedrals. Thus, regardless of the specific meanings which locations have for their followers, people understand that space can be innately sacred when important meanings are applied to them. What are some sacred spaces that are relevant to you, religious or not?
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