American Geographical Society

Sacred Landscapes and the Phenomenon of Light

Author(s): Barbara A. Weightman
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Geographical Review, Vol. 86, No. 1 (Jan., 1996), pp. 59-71
Published by: American Geographical Society
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 SACRED LANDSCAPESAND
THE PHENOMENON OF LIGHT
BARBARAA. WEIGHTMAN

ABSTRACT. Light is fundamentalto religious experience,and its symbolism pervades the

geographyof sacredlandscapes.As sun, fire,ray,color,or attributeof being and place,light
serves as a bridge between interpretationof landscapeand religious experience.To see the
light cast upon placesorientsbelieversin otherwiseundifferentiatedspace,groundingthem
in context of home. As sacredplacesarecreated,an inner light outweighsouterdarkness,and
a spiritualjourney commences.Keywords:hierophany,light,religioussymbolism,sacredland-
scape.

Life's universalcydes ebb and flow through tides of darknessand light. However
varied in interpretation,light is envisioned as the essence of life, whereasdarkness
echoes inevitabledeath. In biblicalcreation,Fiat Lux eradicatesdarknessfrom the
face of the abyss.It is no accidentthat "seeingthe light"heraldsemergencefrom a
murkyignorance.Absenceof light and darkpredudes biologicalexistence,and light
may have stirredlife from the primordialooze. Shelteris in part a structureddiffer-
entiationbetweenlight and dark,and the interfacingof the two is integralto notions
of place. Manifestationsor evocationsof light in particularmay be associatedwith
holiness and are criticalaspectsof sacredplace.
Understandinghow specific environmentalobjects,landscapes,and structures
are investedwith holiness is criticalto the geographyof religion (Kong1990). In-
trinsic to religion and associatedwith its spectrumof sacredrites are sound, smell,
color, and light (Fickeler1962). To many,the phenomenon of light bridges the in-
terpretationof landscapeand religiousexperience.In this articleI firstconsiderthe
diverseexpressionsof light and then exploreits role in the experiencerealmsof the
sacred.
The presenceof light in the manifestationof the holy spans multiple religions.
Light,through presenceor absence,sets apartthe sacredfrom the profaneand, in
its cognitive,aesthetic,and symbolicforms,revealsand delineatesthe world,fosters
sensual and emotional awareness,and gives life a literalfocus and meaning (Tuan
1978;Kepes1986).Color,as affirmationof light, revealsand defines relativepurity,
sanctity,and supremacy(Fickeler1962).Pervadingboth religious landscapesand
movements,light is fundamentalto religiousexperience,evokingvariedresponses
and representationsboth among and within particularbelief systems.
In at least four ways light is integralto sacredlandscapes:as the sun or some
other celestialbody; as fire,the sun on earth;as light raysor beams and color; and
as an attributeof sacredbeings and places.Eachof these affectshow a local geogra-
phy is perceived.

*a( DR. WEIGHTMAN is a professorof geographyat CaliforniaStateUniversity,Fullerton,California

92634.

The GeographicalReview86 (1): 59-71, January1996

Copyright a 1996by the American GeographicalSociety of New York
60 REVIEW
THE GEOGRAPHICAL

CELESTIALBODIES
Thesunis thesupremecosmicpower.Denotingcentralityof existence,it is theheart
of being.ToAmerindians it is the universalspiritandthe focusof the SunDance.
The sun is the lightof Buddhaand the "eyeof the universe"for Hindus;it is the

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_,_~~~~~~~~~-

FIG.i-A 3,200-year-old obelis fromLuxor,

Egypt,now standsin
Paris,France.(Photographby the author)

all-seeingandall-knowingeyeof Allahto Muslimns.

Thesun is a symbolof divine
will and guidance for Jews and the Sun of righteousness for Christians (Cooper
cultin the RomanEmpire,
1978).Helios(sun)worshipbecamethefastest-growing
in its infancy.In pagantimnes,
threateningChristianity MontSaintMichel
France's
wasknownas Dinsul,the holyMountof the Sun(Mann1993).
 SACRED LANDSCAPES AND THE PHENOMENON OF LIGHT 61

Ancient monuments like Stonehengewere constructedas solar and lunar ob-

servatories;the prediction of celestialactivity built social order by synchronizing
sentientbeings with celestialrhythms(Sharkey1975).The geometryof solar obser-
vation is remarkablycross-cultural.A sacredGreekstone calledthe benben was first
worshippedat Heliopolis,wherethe sun'sinitialraysfell.The obeliskevolvedas not
only a symbolictree of life and axis mundibut also a literalfingerof the sun (Lurker
1994) (Figure1). Templesat Konarakin India and at Macchu Picchu in Peru are
well-known earthlyartifactsdedicatedto the sun.
The sun is also fountainheadfor a global arrayof divinities.Amaterasu,sun
goddess of Japan,Inti, sun god of the Incas,and Maui, son of the sun in Polynesia
are but three of a long list of solar deities.A pantheon of the pagan Balts,Russians,
Slavs,and Siberianand North Americantribal peoples focused on sun goddesses
(Baumgartner1984;McCrickard1990). In Gaelic,the word for sun is grianor griene,
from Dia Griene,or sun goddess.Ancient times witnessed sun vigils and bonfires
to fosterthe sun'sappearance.Waterwas often employedto catchrays,and in Ireland
even today many holy wells and springs are associatedwith Griene (McCrickard
1990).
Planetarysymbolism, in a lovely Copernicanirony,was ultimatelyadopted by
the ChristianChurch,and the sun came to be associatedwith Christ.In the Western
catechism,ChristmasDay was fixed on the Feastof Sol Invictus,the unconquered
sun (Warner1983).Dionysiusthe Areopagitesawthe sun as divine illumination,the
irradianceof universalorigins (Duby 1981).To Dante, the sun was without peer as
a symbol of God (Cooper 1978).
By the MiddleAges,the moon, perceivedas a life-nourishingfeminineforce,was
associatedwith the VirginMary.Mary,throughher lunargrace,intercededbetween
penitents and Christ the Savior.And through her moonbeams, she deflected the
purifyingsolar light of Christupon them (Warner1983).
With its waxing and waning, the moon is the embodiment of earthlyrhythm,
universalbecoming,and cyclicaltime (Cooper 1978).Buddhist,Jewish,and Islamic
calendarsarelunar,and in the Muslimworld, the crescentmoon standsfor divinity
and sovereignty.Accordingto the Upanishads,the moon is the door to heavenand
changesin concertwith the vital breathof those who leavethe world.

Fireis anotherexpressionof light that is significantin sacredlandscapes.Firesym-

bolizes creation,destruction,transformation,transcendence,purification,and re-
newal.Fire,as the dwellingplace of the GreatSpirit,is sacredto the medicine lodge
of many Amerindians.In a Parseetemple, as in the candle flames of a Catholic
church,fire is the sacredcenter;it burns as divine light in the human soul. Fire is
often seen not only as sacredbut also as the manifestationof all-powerfuldivinity
(Cooper 1978).
In the Vedic religion of the Aryans,sacredfire was both focus and vehicle for
ritual activity.Construction of a fire altarreplicatedthe constructionof the world
62 THE GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Lordof the Dance,froma Hindutemplein KualaLumpur,Malaysia.

FIG.2-Shiva as Nataraja,
Shiva'sdrumsoundstherhythmof life;histouchsignalsdeath.Thewheelof fire,energyin itspurest
form,symbolizesthe cycleof birth,death,and rebirth.Natarajacrushesthe dwarfof ignorance.
(Photographbythe author)

by Prajapati,theprimordialcreator.TheVedicfirealtaris an imagomundi,withthe
fireof the godAgnirisingheavenward, passingfromdarknessto light,fromdeath
to immortality(Cooper1978;Eck1981).Byitsorientationeastward to therisingsun,
the firealtarsignalsa new beginning.
In Hinduism,fireultimatelyrepresents transcendentallightandknowledge.As
and
a ring of firearoundShiva,the god of destruction regeneration, fireand its
illuminationsymbolizeeitherthe cosmiccycleof creationanddissolutionor Sam-
sara,the earthlycycleof birthand death(Figure2.). Firecan also be viewedas a
horrificaspectof Hinduavatars-theearthlyappearances of gods-Kali,embodi-
mentof the forceof destruction,or Shiva'swife Durga,a protectresswithwarlike
dimensions.Morepositively,it can representthe Puranicgod Krishna's vital fire
residingin alllivingthings.
Onceestablished as organizedreligions,JudaismandChristianity ultimatelyre-
jectedthefirecultsof the competition,MithrasandZoroaster. Nevertheless, Chris-
tianworshipremainedfilledwiththesymbolismof fireandlight,and, likeancient
Romantemples,all churchescontaineda perpetuallyburningaltarfire. Sub-
sequentlyinWesternEurope,firewasgivena significantrole:to instillandreinforce
fearof purgatoryandhell throughpublicburningof witches,heretics,andothers
presumeddeservingof the consequencesof God'swrath(Goudsblom1994). Al-
 SACRED LANDSCAPES AND THE PHENOMENON OF LIGHT 63

though firealso appearsas a sign of divinepowerthroughwhich the Lordis revealed

to earthlybeings, it sometimes ragesas divine anger.
Relatedto fire is lightning, historicallyperceivedas evidence of celestialpower.
Consequentialdevastationor conflagrationon earth validatedfears of a heavenly
scourge(Krupp1991).Held in supremespiritualregardby Christiansand Jewsalike,
the gift of God's Commandmentswere deliveredto Moses in the midst of smoke,
thunder,and lightning.

LIGHT AND COLOR

Lightsymbolizesholiness and is a common element in sacredvisions. Forexample,

the Marianapparitionsat Fatima,Lourdes,and SanDamianowereall accompanied
by visions of bright light (Zimdars-Swartz1991).Christianhistory is repletewith
circumstancesin which light and color in brilliant,radiant,and lustrous glory dis-
close eventsand messagesfrombeings supreme.The pervasivenessof dramaticlight
and color in Christianvisionaryexperienceled to a theologyof light and color.Much
Christiandiscussioncenterson the meaning of thesephenomena,which ultimately
make manifesthumanity'sencounterwith the divine (Benz,1977).
Christiansdescribedconversionas illumination.The presence of light proved
the eternalpresenceof an immaterialGod. The Christianprocessof becoming and
appreciatingthis pervasiveforceinvolvedtheirextricatingthemselvesfrom worldly
desires and stepping beyond into the light (Sennet 1994).In the Scripture,divine
words were Logos,words upon which divine light had been cast.
Naturallight, deftly manipulated,reveals,clarifies,and structuresemanations
of the divine in sacred places. At once awed and mystifiedby light and shadow,
supplicantsareinspiredto communewith the holy.In the Christianrealm,the sacred
is evoked through the glitter of jewels and Byzantinemosaics, the luminosity of
gold-leaf embellishments,the soft, rich sheen of marble, and the heady colors of
artisticendeavors.In many of the best-lovedpaintingsof Velazquezand El Greco,
it is lambent beams that most drawthe eye.
Twelfth-centurycathedraltechnology of vaultingand flying buttressespermit-
ted the inclusion of enough light to presenta new and kinderconcept of humanity
and its relationshipto the realmof the holy (Anderson1985). Jerusalem,the fabulous
bejeweledCelestialCity of the Book of Revelation,was to be replicatedin the cathe-
dral (Duby 1981).In the Gothic church,the clerestoryderivedfrom the Frenchclair,
meaninglight. Sunbeamswerepermittedto enhancethe darkernavebelow (Whone
1990). Richlycoloredstained-glasswindows dramatizedthe effectof incominglight,
so that each heavenlybeam was a divine lancetfilledwith the promise of solaceand
grace.Suchinspiringlight effectedthe transitionof a secularstructureinto a sacred
sphere;figurativelyit createdheaven on earth (Walter1988; McDannell and Lang
1990).
Light,in symbol and substance,is fundamentalto Islam and the essence of Is-
lamic architecture.In the twelfthcentury,a specialschool of israq,or illumination,
based on the symbolismof light, was founded by the PersianSufi Suhrawardi(Nasr
64 REVIEW
THE GEOGRAPHICAL

| l -1_ l %'11 i ' S

FIG.3-Entry to a new mosque in BandarSeri, Begawan,Brunei.Blackmarbleand white marblegive

darknessand light an auraof luminosity.(Photographby the author)

withthejoyof thesoul,withthefunctioningof theintellect,

1987). Lightis identified
andas an orderingandsacralizing principle.Lightdefinesspaceandinfusesit with
the Word;Wordas lightreverberates and sanctifies.A mosque'sminaretis called
al-manarah,the placeof light.Islamicarchitectural masterpiecessuch as the Taj
Mahaland the greatmosquesof C6rdobaor Isfahanare,meaningfulfly, crystal-
lizationsof lightthatemitgeometricclarityandintellectuallucidity(Figure3).
Lightcanbeconceivedasyellowandgoldorwhiteandsilver,themostprominent
sacredcolors.Yellowis themainceremonialcolorof Buddhism,andBuddhasand
Boddhisattvas areoftenreplicatedin gold(Figure4). White,asa combinationof all
spectralcolors,is purelightandis a popularcolorforBuddhiststupas,monasteries,
and othersacredstructures.In Islam,the whiteturbanis a badgeof the faithful,
manygravemarkersarewhite,andpilgrimsto Meccaarerequiredto wearwhite
garments,symbolsof humility,unity,andpurity(Fickeler1962).Purityin Christian
cultureis symbolizedinwhitevestments,weddinggarments, or,especially,
baptismal
as
gowns, original sin is removed.

ATTRIBUTEoF BEINGSAND PLACES

Lightis an attributeof sacredpersonages, frequentlyportrayedwitha nimnbus, or a

mandorla-analmnond-shaped halo thatsurroundsthe body,or,likethe Buddha,
withan ushnisha-aflameof invi'sible lightthatrepresents enlightenment(Cooper
1978; Walker 1988). claim
Christians that JesusChristis the Lightof the Worldand
 SACRED LANDSCAPES AND THE PHENOMENON OF LIGHT 65

FIG.4-At WatPhoin Bangkok,

Thailand, saffron-robed monkschantbeforea goldenBuddha.Light
shimmersfrom multiplesources,castingbrilliantreflectionsthroughoutthis goldenprayerhail.
(Photographbytheauthor)

depicthimin artwitha halo.TheKoranstatesthat"Allahis thelightof theheavens

andof the earth."Islamis the lightof Allah,who illuminatestheworld;it is divine
knowledge.Oneof Allahsninety-ninenamesis al-Nur(TheLight),a nameof "Es-
sence"alsousedin concertwith al-Qaddus(TheHoly)and al-Haqq(TheTruth)
(Danner 1988).
In Hinduism,Suryais mentionedin the Vedasas creatorof the universe.In
contemporary Ar-
Hinduism,he is linkedto othergodswith celestialassociations.
juna,thegodof sunrise,is Surya!s
charioteer,whodriveshimtriumphantly through
the heavens(Jansen1993). EvenHinduism'ssacredcowhassolarassociations. The
Sanskritwordfor cowis go,whichalsomeansrayof dawnor rayof spiritualillu-
mination.The cow goddessAditibeganas a divinityof infinitelight;later,in the
Suryacult,she was imaginedto be the sun itself,whosenourishinglightwasher
milk(Lodrick1981).
Sacredplacesarealsocastas centersof light.Formorethan6ooyearstheHeav-
enly City of Beiing served as the Celestial Capital and cosmo-magical center of the
MiddleKingdom(SamuelsandSamuels1989).Althoughmuchchangedin modern
times,heroicrhetoricof "redsun rising"in referenceto China'scapitalreflectsits
inherentcosmogonicquality(deBeaufort 1978).
Varanasi(Benares),on the sacredGangesRiver,is alsoknownas Kashi,or the
Cityof Light.It is theembodimentof Shiva.Here,thelingaof Shiva,phallicsymbol
66 THE GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

of creation,rosefromthe darknetherworldas a fieryaxis mundito piercethe highest

heavens.Kashiis not simply the place of that event, it is the event itself (Eck1981).
Kashi,embodying the world, is the centerof everythingand incorporatesall. Kashi
is light, and through its brilliance,truth and vision are revealed.The transcendent
light of Kashiis the SadaShiva-Eternal Shiva-or Brahman,the One Ultimate Re-
ality sought ferventlyby the totalityof existence (Eck1983).

HIEROPHANYAND HOME

A hierophanyis a manifestationof the sacred.Everythingis said to be capableof

revealingits divinity,throughhierophany,to the seekerof the sacred(Eliade1987).
A hierophanystands apart from the milieu; it is qualitativelydifferent.As cosmic
immutabilityand its divine manifestationshave waned with scientific rationalism
and technologicalprogress,sense of place has also frayed,fueling the need to find
orientationand meaning in the chaos of an "explained"positivistuniverse(Bunkse
1990).
Sacredpersons,in particular,hope to escapethe endlessrelativityof the profane
world and baskin the certitudeof the sacredas "preeminentlythe real"(Eliade1987,
28). This has been a majorinfluenceon convents,monasteries,ashrams,and other
places devotedto full-time seekingof the light. If the sacreddoes not revealitself,it
is provokedto do so. In the absenceof hierophanousmanifestation,sanctityis con-
structed,not as a human work but as a reproductionof the gods (Eliade1987).
Fireis a criticalmodality in evokingthe sacred.Whethershining in Paradiseor
burning in Hell, fire is the one phenomenon with decided attributesof both good
and evil. Fireis one of the four elements,a part of universalexplanation(Bachelard
1964).Firealtars,such as the Vedic,takepossession of territory,are used to conjure
requisitedeities,and ensure communion with the holy. Here,sacredplace is estab-
lishedas home;home, accordingto Dovey (1985),is demarcatedterritorywithphysi-
cal and symbolicboundariesthat define the dialecticbetween orderand chaos.
When constructionof a traditionalHindu home has been completed,a firealtar
is set up in a centralroom,which is perceivedas the domestichearthor womb.Sacred
cow dung is burned,and offeringsof ghee and riceritualizeinsemination.The entire
processconstitutesa kind of creativeact,a ritualreturnto origins (Khambatta1989).
Firealtarsserveto centerand orient theirdevoteesin the spatiotemporallandscape
of the sacredand the profane,defining sacredplace as home and home as sacred
place.
Icons are essentialto the OrthodoxChurchand home, remindingbelieversof a
supremepresence.Lightis indivisiblefromthose icons,even fromthose thatpossess
no singlelight source.Accordingto the Bible,God'sKingdomis permeatedby divine
light,and no shadowsarecast.Among the artisticvirtuesof workingin the medium
of gold leaf is that light appearsto radiatefrom the icon itself (Hart1991).When the
icon is placedwithin a room, often in a corner,it is sacramental,and a lamp burns
before it. Russiansreferto this as "theglowing corner"(Cross1988).
 SACRED LANDSCAPES AND THE PHENOMENON OF LIGHT 67

Oil lamps and candlescan delineatethe light of intimacyand refuge(Bachelard

1969).They keep vigil on sacredhorizons,as beacons signalingpresenceof the holy
and transcendenceof the mundane. Such luminants symbolize eternal light and
infinite truth, orderingattributesof spiritualhome in the relativechaos of secular
experience.

DARKNESSAND LIGHT

A sacredplace is an ordinaryplace made extraordinarythroughritual (Lane1988).

In sacredplaces,materialphenomenaare dematerializedand worldlysubstancebe-
comes diaphanousas spiritualitypervadesand religiousexperienceis nourished.In
the process,outer darknessvanishesin the wake of inner light.
Plato, in the Republic,stressedthe spirituallycleansing effect of passing from
darknessto light. ForPlato,discoveryof the true sourceof being was made possible
by departingthe shadowy cave of human affairsand entering into the archetypal
light, a realm of luminous knowledge,truth, and goodness. Accordingto Hannah
Arendt (1958),the transferenceof focus from privateto public in antiquityis paral-
leled by the medievaltension betweenthe darknessof dailylife and the illuminated
splendorof the sacredrealm.
Lightand darkareintegralto numerouscreationmyths.Creationentailssetting
into motion relatedenergies and constitutes a sacredorder or hierarchy.Perhaps,
as with the Zuni, an upwardjourney between antipodes of dark and light reveals
the world. Or perhaps the trip is downward.An ancient Gnostic text attributes
creationto the loss of divinity.By contrast,the shining of divine light into darkness
constitutes a descent, with darknesstemporarilyabsorbingsparksfrom that light
(Maclagan1977).
The interplayof light and darknesswithin religiousstructuresis intrinsicto an
evocation of the holy.The dialecticof light and shadowin the Romanesqueand the
mystic luminosity and kaleidoscopiccolors of the Gothic are intended to inspire
ecstatic experience of place (Walter1988).But some believers,especiallythose in
sorrowor remorse,wish to prayor mourn in dim privacy,becausedarknesscan also
providea sense of the holy.Revelationsfrom the soul might best be expressedin the
hidden world of darkness.
That darknessoften signifies danger and evil, that light representssafety and
goodness, is apparentenough in literature-children'sand adults'alike (Brooker-
Gross1981;Porteous1987).Darknessalso implies death.As the common sayingim-
plies,when we sleepwe are "deadto the world."Lightmanifestscosmic creationand
is associatedwith consciousness,enlightenment,glory,splendor,and joy.Darkness
envelops at the Fall, and light is regained upon access to Paradise.Yet,for many
things, darknessis essential. It is the shade of privacy and inner contemplation.
Embryoniclife initiates in darkness,and the numinous is perpetuatedthrough its
mysteryand awe (Tuan1978).
From a spatiospiritualperspective,to reach the light is to attain the center of
existence. But sacred space is no single fact or attribute;it is multivalent.For the
68 THE GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Greeks,winds from the east or southeastwere called Eurus,the name linked with
brightness;the west wind was Zephyrus,meaningthe dark.Tothe Romans,the east
was Oriens,meaningto rise,whereasthe west was Occidens,meaningto fall (Krupp
1991).At sunset the greatwest rose window at Rheims,which portraysthe death of
the Virgin,becomes a consumingball of fireevokingthe end of time (Cowen 1979).
In the PureLandschool of Buddhism,however,the cosmic BuddhaAmitaba,"hav-
ing unlimited light,"dwells in an orange-redparadisein the western realm of the
setting sun.
In Taoisttradition,the interminglingof light and darkis the tangibleexpression
of balancingthe harmonizing,universalelements of yin and yang. Christ can be
relatedto the Taobecause He is the Lightin a world of darkness.An expansion of
light and dark is a metaphor for the process of redemption or growth of Christ-
consciousness (Wessels 1990).

SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS

In Christian temporality,the End terminates a journey from the Beginning, a

spiritual sojourn between darkand light, lost and found, awayand home. Master
masons alignedmedievalcathedralsfrom sunrisewestward,awayfrom a gnomon.
On the day of the saint to whom the cathedralwas dedicated,sunrise behind the
east altar chartedthe long axis of the nave (Mann 1993).This illuminated, sacred
path emerged as a linear hierophany,a metaphor for life passage and spiritual
journey culminatingwithin the church structureand ultimately illuminating the
inner sanctum of God.
Reflecting fundamentallymedieval visions, Dante's The Divine Comedypre-
sents a Christianmythology that has had lastinginfluence.Dante and Virgildepart
the darkness of EarthlyHell's enmity and despair.Their journey to the radiance
of God's throne, in the highest celestial sphere above the mountain of Purgatory,
culminatesin joyous fulfillmentin a brilliantcomplement of human love and love
for God.
MedievalSufismheld that the soul, derivingfrom the luminous land of Yemen,
is later imprisonedin a darkwell in the farwest. Subsequentto this occidentalexile
in darkness,the soul is increasinglyilluminatedon its sacredjourneyeastwardto its
spiritual home in Yemen (Schimmel 1991).
Pilgrimageis a sacredjourney with earthly and spiritualpathways.Ideally,it
involves a comforting or enlighteningtransformationof the self (Bhardwaj1987).
In earliertimes, the search for sacred center often entailed an arduous and even
dangerousjourney.Culminationat the sacredsite saw the bonding of similarlyin-
dined strangers,who had liberatedthemselvesfrom both perils of traveland trials
of everydaylife (Tuan1986).Evenin the modern era,an importantelement of pil-
grimageis leavingbehind the mundane or familiar,as pilgrimsapproachthe divine
to embrace an alien cosmos (Tuan 1984). As Dante (1980,1: 1-3) put it:
 SACRED LANDSCAPES AND THE PHENOMENON OF LIGHT 69

Nel mezzodel camminde nostravita I me ritrovaiper una selfaoscura,/ che la diritta

via erasmarrita.(WhenI hadjourneyedhalfourlife'sway/ I foundmyselfwithin
a shadowedforest,/ for I had lost the path that does not stray.)

In his study of Mount Sinai,JosephHobbs (1995)notes that,historically,one of

the most powerfuldrivingforces of pilgrimagewas the desire to experienceplaces
where holy people had been and where miraculousevents had occurred.He docu-
ments numerous examplesof radiance-endowedspiritualmetamorphosisderiving
from these ventures.The most frequentlyvisited site on Mount Sinai remainsthat
of the burningbush.
In Europe,pilgrimagepeaksduringthe long, warm daysof summer,and candle
lightingis a common occurrence.The shrine-linedrouteto Santiagode Compostela
in Spain is known as the Milky Way (Nolan and Nolan 1989).Around the world,
sacredmountainsfrom Fujito Kilimanjaroarescaledto reachthe summitat sunrise.
And the phenomenon of light is expressedin a myriadof waysat Meccaand at sacred
sites in the Holy Land.
In Hindu India the ultimate pilgrimage is to Varanasi.There, at the Mani-
karnikacremationground, a sacredfirehas been tended by the untouchableDoms
for a seeming eternity.Cremationrites are called "thelast sacrifice"and structur-
ally are associatedwith fire sacrificesin India.Through immolation as an offering
to the fire god Agni, the dead acquire the form and signs of Shiva, his crescent
moon and his trident. To believers, death is a time of illumination, vision, and
insight. In luminosity, the transition is not from life to death but from life to life
(Eck 1981, 1983).

CONCLUSION
Through these few examples, it is clear that light is expressedand understood in
religionsand belief systemsin innumerableways.Existingonly in relationto dark-
ness, it is prominent in hierophanousmanifestationor provocation.As a centering
force, it denotes home and therebyseparatessacredfrom profane and provides a
locus for spiritualjourneys.The phenomenon of light clarifiessacredspace and is
vital to the experienceof the holy.

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