Daniel DeWyngaert - Belden Lane's First Axiom

As explained in earlier postings, Belden Lane wrote four seperate axioms within his book Landscapes of the Sacred. Each of these is a key to a better understanding of the connection between landscapes and human spirituality. The first of these is the basis to the rest of these four axioms. The first axiom is stated in his book as "sacred place is not chosen, it chooses." This is essentially saying that a sacred place is not created freely by a human who wants a sacred place to be there. They choose the person by showing beauty or power or serenity. With that it causes a person to have a realization and see that location as sacred ground. An example of this would be a person is climbing a mountain. Originally, that person only saw the mountain as a challenge to be completed. However, along the way, it is revealed to that person the beauty and majesty of the mountain causing a feeling of belonging. The person no longer sees it only as a challenge and now a place of peace for that person.