Recently I have been giving thought to the idea of “the
sacred.” Not long ago we had a visitor
who led us into thinking about nature as sacred space. I find that intriguing. Since the majority of Americans are now urban
or suburbanites, I don’t think we give nearly as much consideration to nature
and our natural world as in the old agrarian days. Having grown up on a farm, I know I am much
less aware of and observant of my natural world.
Most of us probably don’t live very close to nature. Of course, we are all in nature, but it often
is not “natural.” If I am honest, I
leave my house and jump in the car. If
it is cold outside, the windows are up and the heater is on full blast. Most of the time the radio is playing some
kind of music. If it is hot, the windows
are up and the air-conditioner is on full blast and the radio is playing some
kind of music.
I arrive at the building where I have a pleasant study and
where I teach my classes. Most of my day
is spent there. Seldom are the windows
open. It can be sunny or cloudy and
normally I am not very aware. A good
thunderstorm might catch my attention.
And then I go home in that same car with the windows up and the radio
playing some kind of music. And days
repeat days.
The opposite of sacred is profane. Think about the role of profanity in our
vocabulary. It contradicts the language
of the sacred and holy. How often have
you heard someone lately “bless”
you? More often, there is just the
opposite. We are “cursed!” My interaction with nature is not
profane. It is “secular.” Secular is the land between the sacred and
the profane. Being unaware is the most
normal way we deal secularly with nature.
Obviously you and I exist in nature. We occupy space. But again most, if not all, of my space is
not sacred. I have a house, a car and
that’s about it. I don’t own any
land. So actually my physical space is
pretty limited. And I am not
unusual. Think about the ten million (or
more) inhabitants of New York City. They
may have less than I do!
But let’s think about space in a different way than
physically. We can deal with it
psychologically. I have heard people ask
to be “given space.” If I am feeling
pressured, I ask for some space. Space
is different from place. Actually, my
house is a place. It has an
address. But is also contains
space.
So it is with me as a human being. I occupy a place. Right now, I am sitting in a chair while I
type this. But I also contain space. And it is in this vein of thinking that I
begin to ponder the relationship of space and spirituality. I am convinced there are a connection and a
relationship.
To help develop that connection, listen to the words of
Gerald May, the late psychiatrist who was associated with a center for
spirituality. May says, “When you think
about it, it makes sense that space would be intimately associated with
salvation.” With this quotation May is
even more specific than my idea of connecting space with spirituality. May boldly says space is associated with
salvation---intimately associated. Let’s
follow his lead.
May elaborates by noting, “Space is freedom: freedom from
confinement, from pre-occupation, from oppression, from drivenness, and from
all the other interior and exterior forces that bind and restrict our spirits.” Space is freedom. I am sure this is also true for
salvation. I like how May defines
freedom. He uses terms that make sense
for modern men and women who may be less free than we think. No wonder we long to be saved---to be free.
At first glance, I assume I am free. But when I use May’s terms, I may be more
confined than I realize. Have I ever
been pre-occupied? Of course I
have. And I might live much of my life
pre-occupied by various things.
Pre-occupation is not freedom and I need to be saved! Have I ever been oppressed? I have not been oppressed by people with
knives and guns. But I have been
oppressed by a variety of other factors. I need to be saved.
I know all-too-well the bondage of drivenness. It is not a universal axiom, but I would
guess most people who are relatively successful are driven in some way. And too often, those who are not relatively
successful are driven to be successful.
Again I need to be saved.
Save me: I need some space.
To be saved spiritually means I need space, not confinement. I need space, not to be pre-occupied. I need space, not oppression. I need space, especially when it comes to my
drivenness.
Ah, the grace of space…thank God!
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