Can you think of a place where you feel a spiritual connection? Perhaps there’s a location that feels sacred to you – a site you perceive as holy or divine or that evokes feelings of reverence or devotion?
Over the years, I’ve thought a lot about this. Increasingly, I recognize the importance of my hometown church, where I participated in so many religious rituals that stay with me to this day, including the funerals of my mom and dad. I recognize a special relationship I have with the north shore of Lake Superior, a “thin place” for me that was the setting for me kneeling and proposing to my wife decades ago. I think of the armchair in my living room, a spot I quietly associate with spiritual reflection, as it tends to be the place where I most often read, meditate, and attend online Quaker meetings. And I recall the small stone bridge in a remote Scottish village where I once had one of the most profound spiritual experiences of my life.
What is it about these places that means so much to us?
New Research on Our Spiritual Ties to Place
In a recent article published in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, psychological scientists asked 832 North American Christians, Jews, and Muslims to describe – in detail – a place where they had a spiritual connection. Their responses revealed four primary types of spiritually significant places:
1. Places of worship.
The most commonly mentioned places were the most predictable. Churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, and similar sites exist in large part to allow individuals and communities to engage in religiously and spiritually significant behavior. Interestingly, when individuals in the study described their ties to places of worship, they often emphasized their shared experiences with others – family members and members of their communities, for example – highlighting the interconnection between places and people.
2. Natural settings.
Then there were the natural landscapes – the forests, mountains, oceans, and parks – that individuals frequently identified as spiritually meaningful. Unlike places of worship, these places tend to foster solitary experiences. People described feeling awe, wonder, and amazement most often in these locations.
3. Home and private spaces.
For many, spiritual connection happens close to home – often in personalized, private spaces like bathtubs surrounded by candles, reading nooks, meditation corners, or outdoor fire pits. Cabins often serve this purpose as well. These areas offer peace, stillness, and a refuge from the demands of the outside world. Among all the categories identified in the research, these were the places where participants most frequently sensed the presence of God or the Divine.
4. Places infrequently visited.
Finally, participants described sites they had visited only once or long ago – pilgrimage destinations, travel locations, and sites from childhood. The fact that these places often evoke a sense of spiritual connection demonstrates that frequent visits to a place isn’t necessary for them to hold a special position in a person’s life.
Why Ties to Sacred Places Matter
Feeling spiritually connected to a place isn’t only for the mystics; it’s available to all of us. Sacred ties to a place can create powerful psychological dynamics and provide opportunities for greater individual and community well-being. People form strong attachment bonds with spiritually significant places, meaning they may want to remain close by or at least touch base with them in some way on occasion. These locations often become associated with vivid memories and powerful emotions and may function as grounding points for rejuvenation and renewal. They often become so precious to people that they may inspire an urge to honor and preserve them. On the flip side, it’s worth noting that this can also turn into conflict and struggle if the sites are desecrated or threatened.
Deepening Your Connection
What can you take away from this research? Below are some suggestions.
- Identify your own personal sacred sites. To help with this, think about where people tend to feel spiritually connected most often: places of worship, natural settings, at home or other private spaces, or in places from your past.
- Spend time at these sites, whether physically or symbolically. If possible, make it a point to spend more time in these locations and feel their significance to you. If this isn’t possible, use reminders – photos, objects, and other keepsakes – that help you reconnect.
- Tell stories about the places that mean the most to you. Sharing your experiences about these places with others can deepen their meaning and help you understand your own spiritual journey. Writing about your stories in these places can also help you experience positive effects.
- Create your own personal sacred space. Whether it’s a formal place for prayer or a place you set apart in your thinking that nobody else even knows about, cultivating a private place for spiritual practice can add a new way for you to pursue a lifestyle devoted to wholeness and well-being.
- Explore new places. Consider visiting new destinations that might inspire you spiritually. Even a single visit to a pilgrimage site or natural wonder can leave a lasting impact.
In an age marked by widespread disconnection, finding ways to spiritually connect with places can be especially meaningful. Such connections offer powerful reminders of what matters most – our relationships, our connection to the land, and our most cherished memories. They provide a grounded and practical path to what we hold most sacred.
