John Gunst 4 Axioms

4 Axioms

-Lane gives us four guiding axioms to help us with when reading his work. The first axiom is that a sacred place isn’t chosen, but it choses. This means that people cannot seek out sacred places, but when they come across sacred land, it may choose them, and interact with them. The second axiom is that ordinary place becomes sacred through ritual meaning that when a group of people, believers or followers of any type of religion may make a place extraordinary through rituals and ceremonies. The third is that sacred place can be treed upon but not entered. This one is the most interesting to me and the one I want to focus upon for this blog. I like this axiom and to me I believe it means just because you go somewhere sacred doesn’t necessary mean anything, you need to be willing spiritually to experience the what it is that makes that place sacred. I just wanted to add my two cents about what makes this axiom meaningful before moving on to the next one. The fourth axiom is that sacred place is both local and universal. To me this means that you can go to a sacred place (local), physically, but when you leave, the memory of that place and meaningful revelations had there will always be with you, everywhere you go (universal).