Landscapes #1

There is a particular example used in Landscapes of the Sacred when explaining the difference between “topos” and “chora” which stuck out in my mind while reading. The example explained a store like Mcdonalds as a great symbol of topos, a place that is not unique in any way and does not evoke any feeling. If something significant were to have occurred in a specific Mcdonalds (they use the example of a proposal), then it would become Chora. This example forced me to rethink what a sacred place truly is. Part of me already understood this, but I had never really critically considered it. To me there is a certain place in my yard back home which I considered “chora”. To anyone else to would look like a patch of grass, but to me it holds intense significance. This passage made me fully understand what was meant when the axioms of a sacred place say “sacred land can be tread upon and not entered.” I had never thought about it, but with reflection I noticed that this is an innately human thing. People can feel very intense emotions just from being at a spot such as a grave sight or childhood home, and this definition my broadened my view of what a sacred place can be.