Casey Estep: Landscapes of the Sacred 1

Landscapes of the Sacred by Belden Lane helped me develop my own understanding of sacred places as well as pilgrimages. I believe that their significance comes from the persons perspective, Lane writes that it goes further than that. Lane writes that it is not perspective, but participation in a sacred place that makes it what it is. That it is more than a persons imagination that causes the place to be significant. This makes me think of Mt. Rainier and our discussion about it in class. Everybody that I have spoken to who has interacted with that mountain has stated that it was significant to them, but I truly don't understand. I understand beauty. I understand challenge. But I do not understand right now how a place of no real historical significance can hold inherent spiritual significance. I understand that people have personal experiences on the mountain that lead to deep moments in their lives. Perhaps that is why I need to take a journey and discover why these places are so significant to so many people.

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