Jillian Daniel- Landscapes of the Sacred 3

In the "Landscapes of the Sacred" Lane has three approaches to understanding a sacred place. The first approach is the ontological approach. The main question asked with the ontological approach is how place and time were understood in the earliest mythic tales of tribal wisdom. The question was more or less explained with the statement that "a sacred place is set apart from everything profane." A sacred place is a place that is valued more than any other ordinary place because of its religious importance. To some, myself included, spirtiualism and sacrality are confusing and somewhat mythical. A physical location for a sacred place helps to confirm it's meaning. When lane stated that "it's a place of heirarchy where supernatural forces have invaded the ordinary," I thought that it related to how I feel about sacred spaces. Religion has never really made sense to me, so by classifying sacrality as a "supernatural force" it led me to the realization that sacrality isn't necessarily interlaced into all aspects of life. In other words, religion doesn't necessarily have to be the predominant force in all things. Instead it can be hidden within certain places where these "supernatural forces have invaded the ordinary." The second approach he identified was the cultural approach, which states taht every human attribution of sacrality is always a social construction of reality. I can better understand where he's coming from with this approach. I've always questioned why people valued a church or religious monument to the extent that they do. I do believe in God, but I don't want to limit my beliefs to one religion or church. This approach talks about how places are void of meaning, which I believe to an extent. I feel that the individual senses which places are important to them, instead of being provided a religious place (such as their weekly church). The third approach is the phenomenological approach focuses on the intersubjectivity etween the human and more than human world. It stresses the importance of touching, speaking, and being embraced by the environments surfaces. I can relate to this as well. Elements in nature such as rain, smells, and sounds have always influenced my mood therfore have allowed me to be more open to spiritual encounters.