Thursday, January 26, 2012

easy to find definitions of elusive word : sacred

1. sa·cred/ˈsākrid/
Adjective:

Connected with God (or the gods) or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration: "sacred rites".
Religious rather than secular.


2. Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy (perceived by religious individuals as associated with the divine) or sacred (considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspiring awe or reverence among believers in a given set of spiritual ideas). In other contexts, objects are often considered 'holy' or 'sacred' if used for spiritual purposes, such as the worship or service of gods. These terms can also be used in a non-spiritual or semi-spiritual context ("sacred truths" in a constitution). It is often ascribed to people ("a holy man" of religious occupation, "holy prophet" who is venerated by his followers), objects ("sacred artifact" that is venerated and blessed ), times ("holy days" of spiritual introspection, such as during winter holidays), or places ("sacred ground", "holy place").

comment:

The concept of sacred is one that is worth exploration. Some say sacred has an opposite, which would be  mundane, but what if the sacred and mundane are wedded together by the fact that there is a spot of one within another, not unlike the yin/yang symbol. Sacred denotes a sense of otherworldly special, as though that which is regarded sacred, is not necessarily connected to the world we live in and experience on a daily basis. The sacred object/image/symbol/experience is leading us to believe in more than what we take for granted via our five senses. We experience the sacred in countless ways, ask 5 people what is sacred to them, chances are you will get 5 varied responses. No two people are going to define it or experience it the same way, or if they do, that will create phenomenon unto itself that is worth looking into. Yet, in my quest to pin down a reasonable definition, I find much more contradiction and disagreement than harmony.....

No comments:

Post a Comment