Power of Sacred Spaces

I found it so powerful that someone with atheistic values could feel such ecstasy and reverence as is described in the Temple Mount by those who gathered there so long ago. In particular, the powerful bonding feeling described, is said to be "inseparable from the physical space which was the setting for that ancient solemn gathering" (364). Part of the sanctity of the Temple Mount appears to be both the physical space, as well as an inaccessible object of the imagination. Through this personal account, the charm of the sacred space is revealed as well as awe at all the Mount had to offer. Although the Muslim shrines are described as breathtaking, a feeling of continuity was strongest that could be accounted for. In particular, "walking on the platform laid by Herod at the heyday of the Jewish Temple" and the thought of "directly connecting to the dreams and aspirations of [one's] own roots, overwhelming" (364). At this point I felt as though the churches I've been in do not pale in comparison to the feelings being described in this personal account at the Temple Mount.

The question of whether one needs the physical presence in order to connect to the dreams and imaginations of previous generations, is surfaced, in essence, questioning whether these physical scared spaces are necessary for a modern secular Israeli? For a Christian? For me? There is an undeniable need for this physical presence to connect to ideas and this direct connection with such a physical space has associations with people, ideas, and creations of the imagination (365). I see this own need for such a physical connection in my life- as much of what may sometimes feel subjective (thoughts, beliefs, ideas, imaginations, etc) can be made more objective or more concrete when it is associated with a powerful physical space, such as the Temple Mount.