Mircea Eliade contends that the world space for persons without religion, is flat and one-dimensional; that it is “homogeneous and profane.” The world does not begin for any person, according to Eliade, until they find a sacred and centered place (space) in it. To do this, the religious devotee must engage in a ritualized process to differentiate sacred space from homogeneous and ordinary space.
What then, is sacred space? To answer this question, it is necessary to first understand, that the Universe, according to Eliade, exists on “three cosmic levels: Underworld, earth and sky.” Because of this, “Man” needs what Eliade calls an “axis mundi,” so that “he” can unite these worlds. In unifying the cosmos, man, as Eliade pens, “irrupts,” homogeneous, ordinary space, in a sense going vertical and creating sacred space. For Eliade, this axis mundi is brought into existence via the design and usage of the abode: Cathedral, temple, home. Eliades home is designed and built to unify the “three cosmic levels.” The successful result… space is “consecrated,” placing its resident in “communication” with the divine and holy moment and “at the center of the world.”
The Eliade ideal, in its apparent obscurity and final judgment, presents the modern reader with both difficulty and opportunity. It was Eliades’ contention that the modern, industrialized dwelling was constructed merely, “as a machine to live in” and that one consequence of this type of living was that its occupants were fated to live perennially in profane space. If this is the case, then how can modern readers truly comprehend the meaning of the Eliade metaphysic? Indeed, can Eliade, even if he has experienced “sacred space,” convey his experience, even to other “believers?” Should he want to? Finally, is it possible, that for whatever reasons, Eliade underestimates the number of routes to the “top of the mountain” and that there exists a simpler and more timely, yet no less profound set of nomenclature to describe that path, a path that would render the sacred available to a modern audience, situated in their profane, utilitarian dwellings? After all, who could need it more.
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Eliad's writing in the "Sacred and Profane" brought one significant thought to my mind. As a grown person who was not raised in a religious environment, I have always been intimidated by the idea of church. I feared that I was not "holy" enough or "good" enough to be accepted by God. Eliad's work simply states that man is either sacred or profane. His description is so black and white. It simply reinforced the fears that have kept me from exploring religion for the past thirty years. At what point does someone become "holy" enough to be accepted by their higher power? What does a man have to do that will classify him as crossing over into a profane space and does he have the chance to turn back?
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