Andrew Garmon Lane’s Three Approaches 2/4

In Lane’s book (Landscapes of the Sacred) we read of three approaches to a sacred place. The first is approach is the ontological approach. This approach is used to set apart a sacred place from one that is not. Lane describes it as recognized as manifesting its own inherent, chthonic power and numinosity. We spoke in class of chthonic power and inherent power. It was very interesting reading about inherent power. Inherent power is power that belongs to the place; it is there in its essence. Lane states that sacred places have chthonic and inherent power.

The second approach is the cultural approach. This is where the sacred place is viewed as having some attached cultural meaning, where the sacred and the profane overlap. Here Lane is saying there must be some cultural connection between you and the sacred place. This seems to be a reiteration of one of Lane’s second axiom. It is true that a place without a deeper cultural meaning cannot be a sacred place. The last approach is the phenomenological approach. This approach personifies the landscape, which helps one better understand the sacred place. This approach is about understanding, not about explanation. It gives the landscape a way of expressing itself, giving it life and a mind.

I found these approaches than helpful. Lane’s axioms seem to be more useful when evaluating a sacred place, but these approaches were still very interesting to read about.