Wilderness As Sacred Space

This study examines the basic ideas of the wilderness ethic and analyzes their role in giving form and definition to human encounters with nature. There are four chapters in the study. Chapter I "Sacred Space and Geopiety" uses concepts derived from phenomenology of religion to consider the wilderness ethic as a belief system and wilderness purists as a community of believers. This section attempts to define key terms, to establish the nature and characteristics of sacred space, to describe the fundamental assumptions about man/environment relations which underlie the wilderness ethic, and to sketch the social characteristics of the community of Wilderness purists. Chapter II "Object and Subject in Reciprocal Relation: Inward Action" considers the process by which individual experience is generalized to a group mode of perception by means of the development and dissemination of wilderness imagery. Verbal and visual images lend significant form to individual feelings and help define the wilderness experience as an event central to one's inner life. Chapter III "Object and Subject in Reciprocal Relation: Outward Action" discusses the political implications of inward action. Individual behavior in wilderness and group political action on behalf of preservationist goals are shown to be dependent on wilderness imagery for conceptual definition and for public visibility. Chapter IV presents a summary and conclusions, in the form of six themes which characterize the wilderness preservation movement as a belief system and as a political program. (Author/RM)

In a series of pioneering studies, this book examines the creation—and the conflict behind the creation—of sacred space in America. The essays in this volume visit places in America where economic, political, and social forces clash over the sacred and the profane, from wilderness areas in the American West to the Mall in Washington, D.C., and they investigate visions of America as sacred space at home and abroad. Here are the beginnings of a new American religious history—told as the story of the contested spaces it has inhabited. The contributors are David Chidester, Matthew Glass, Edward T. Linenthal, Colleen McDannell, Robert S. Michaelsen, Rowland A. Sherrill, and Bron Taylor.

In this 2005 book, leading historians examine sanctity and sacred space in Europe during and after the religious upheavals of the early modern period.

Sacred Space for the Missional Church examines the strong link between the theology and mission of the Church and the spaces in which and from which that theology and mission are lived out. The author demonstrates that the built environment is not incidental or even subservient to mission. Rather it is a key player in the fulfillment and the communication of that mission. The book begins with a working definition of the missional church, underscoring the connection between God's mission (missio Dei) and the Church's mission. The reader is presented with historical and theological frameworks for sacred space, and reminded of the pivotal role of the built environment in the fulfillment of the mission of the Church. The design and construction of sacred spaces are shown to be fundamentally a theological exercise and not solely a matter of function, pragmatics and fiscal astuteness. The author questions the uncritical application of blanket statements such "form must follow function," and challenges the conviction that it does not matter where worship occurs, only that it occurs. The book addresses genuine concerns such as legitimizing the cost of church buildings and concludes with practical suggestions and essential questions that must be considered in posturing the built environment within the missional praxis of the Church.

This book explains the role of language in causing and in resolving the ecocrisis, showing that ecologically adaptive behavior can be facilitated through language. The authors explore the discourses of deep ecology, ecofeminism, Judeo-Christianity, quantum theory, and Native American world views, all to the end of empowering ecosocial change.

An anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays celebrates and contemplates the relationship between nature, spirituality, and the supernatural.

"The Hidden Wilderness" is Linda Ann Suddarth's exploration of "other places" as she calls them. Listen to their litany: sacred space, behind a story, where happiness reigns, some wild space, forever, snowy places, enchanted spots. These are places of the imaginal, where reason and rationality struggle to enter." Dennis Patrick Slattery These poems are a collection of what is hidden in the natural world and also within. The relationship between nature and the inner self can be reciprocal, if one learns to listen. The poems also include the thorny yet beautiful relationship between humans. The natural world exudes healing, beauty, and honesty giving a place of rest. These poems were conceived in a sacred natural space in the Appalachian region of Virginia, near Charlottesville, where there is the familiar landscape of childhood, and ancient familial spirits of earthy hard-working ancestors. This region is full of enchantment of the old-fashioned variety which is also found in Ireland's sacred spaces, as is alluded to in the poem "Born to Earth: Newgrange." The woods, and tops of mountains, still speak in lovely ways. Much can be learned about how to be human when stepping into the invisible delineations of sacred space.

In Practicing Psychotherapy in Constructed Reality: Ritual, Charisma, and Enhanced Client Outcomes, Stephen Bacon charts a radical and provocative new direction forward for psychotherapy. Based on the research finding that techniques have no inherent power, and the insights of constructionism, Bacon explores new ways of understanding therapeutic rituals, therapist charisma, and client-centered therapy. Special emphasis is given to an analysis of the work of master therapists, and all of the concepts are illustrated with numerous clinical examples. Finally, Bacon develops a geography of constructed reality which pragmatically supports deliberate practice and therapist mindfulness.