Sunday, November 3, 2013

Seeing the sacred in everyday places



Hi everyone. Apologies for the late post! This past week (Week 5) we looked into sacred patterns that exist in the everyday spaces that surround us (home, work, school). We studied the work of architect Anthony Lawler who says that a "hero's journey" can be found in how all spaces are set up.

We can think of it like this - think of Neo (from the Matrix!), or Buddha, or Jesus Christ - they all led normal lives until they started to have questions - is this all there is to life? Unable to shake the question, they finally decide to embark on a journey to find answers. On their path, they experience many obstacles and challenges, but to keep them on their path they also have moments of insipration and reflection and finally realization. Every building can be seen as a manifestation of this journey. A "gateway" into a home is the decision to embark on a journey, the "path" is the route taken to the point of realization - the "lotus seat" - the place where you go to sit once home. "Steeples" and "Sanctuaries" provide places of inspiration and reflection along the way.