Landscapes of the Sacred-Blog #1

I would like to discuss one of the three axioms Belden C. Lane discusses in his book, Landscapes of the Sacred.  The third axiom “concerns the means by which entrance is made into the place of numinal presence. It affirms that simply moving into an allegedly sacred place does not necessarily make on present to it.” (p. 29) As a person rather confused in her journey of spiritual and religious findings, this axiom really hit home for me. I first felt that I could not really relate to being completely present in a singular place, and if I had I could not make the connection to it being sacred. Then, I remembered I had truly been present in a place I NOW consider sacred. In December of 2014 I embarked on the MV Explorer, a ship holding about five hundred curious college students who would travel the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. Though it doesn’t seem like a place that holds the scared values of temples or mountains, I had heard stories of everlasting friendship, exciting adventures, and discovery. I had been drawn to the ship in some sort of idealistic way, and I did everything I had to, to get to it. I spent one hundred and eighteen days on the ship and on our sixteen day journey from Cape Town, South Africa to Buenos Aries, Argentina I felt I really had found a place of presence or “dwelling” as Lane refers to it. I came to this conclusion in a rather difficult way. From hating the feeling of being trapped on a boat, to admiring its serenity, I found that no matter the emotion I felt a connection with this place. There was never to be a day I didn’t feel something. Based on Lane’s analysis, I now realize that not all places of “dwelling” bring joy and happiness, but sometimes bring that of negativity and doubt. I really had truly been present; all of me, for the first time in my life, and it was completely sublime.