Sacred places turn our assumptions on their heads. In such places it is impressed upon us viscerally that the notion of people as owners of the land and shepherds of creatures is not the case. Our temples and churches and monuments appear shallow echoes of timeless forms when contrasted with sacred places that have existed for millennia with very little change. Our true place within the tapestry of life in the universe is set in perspective as we experience how small and insignificant we are at the same time we are reminded that we are an essential part of all that is unique and integral and indispensable. Unlike man-made sacrality, no message is involved in the sacred places of the world. They speak volumes by saying nothing, gifting us with silence in which to hear our own hearts, our own message, and the beauty that is our true selves. Whether terrifying or wondrous, sacred places allow to drop all social masks and roles and truly open ourselves to our own “I Am.”
Such sacred places confront our understanding of the natural world. If the geography is sacred of its own accord, if it exists with its own suchness apart from human interaction, then can it be a commodity to be owned or is it something else entirely? Is it something to be respected like ourselves? Our relationship with land, with Nature, and natural resources is challenged in the face of sacrality and we are forced to consider becoming partners in relationship with it instead of consumers.