This quote in Image and Pilgrimage really struck me. I agree that a large part of what defines place is the cultural influence the people prescribe to a place. The stories about places as being spiritual draw people into pilgrimages to these places and they also influence the experience we have within that space. The stories we hear give us these preconceived notions about how the place will be and how we will experience it based on how others have experienced the place. For example, at the ashram there is a large dome for meditation, now we know that meditation practice is possible anywhere but still we have this dome. People like to meditate in the dome because they believe it has really swell energy and hope this will help them in their meditation, going back to the idea that people believe God is more present in certain places. We all love to visit these places to live out the stories we hear about them. If the stories weren't so important to place, then we wouldn't have the plaques and things we have explaining them. Also, even if it's only myth or legend, places still celebrate them, in many places festivals and celebrations play out ancient stories of the place, like creation myths.
No comments:
Post a Comment