Thin Places

  I recently ran across a term I had never heard before: "thin places".  I instantly connected with it because although I didn't know what to call it, I have certainly experienced these places when I travel. 
  From what I understand, it was first used by the Celts and later Christians to describe certain places where the eternal world comes closer to the Earthly world.  Native Americans had a similar idea, as in this Apache proverb: "Wisdom sits in places."
   The actual definition seems hard to put in words, and one person's thin place is not necessarily experienced as that by someone else.  I think a thin place is unexpected and mysterious, and when you enter it, it changes you and how you think.  You experience a connection with God or Spirit or whatever word you use, as well as (for me) with others who used the same space before.

Glendalough, St. Kevin's Kitchen (photo from the Wikipedia)

   I've been thinking about the thin places that I have entered and returned from with new understanding.  The first place that came to mind was Glendalough in Ireland.  It was a cold November day and I was young and alone there all day, but I never felt alone.  I felt immersed in peace, good will, wisdom, the past, and I was absorbing it all effortlessly.

Ceiling of Canterbury Cathedral

   A recent thin place for me was Canterbury Cathedral in England last March.  I have visited a lot of beautiful cathedrals in several countries, and while Canterbury is beautiful, it's not the most beautiful.  But for me it glowed with that feeling of connection with the past, with the humans who worked there, who worshiped there, who died there.  I physically felt surrounded by the presence of Ancients, of peace, of wisdom and knowledge, and felt able to absorb and understand important things. I knew when I left that I would never be the same.
   With the New Year all spread out ahead of me, I've been thinking a lot of where I am going to travel this year.  I love planning a trip almost as much as taking the trip!  We received a phone call this week about the sudden death of a close relative, and as her husband talked about his grief, he said his only regret was that they had not traveled more while they were more fit and able.  It's a good reminder and helped me focus my planning a little differently.  Instead of a tour of China, I'm going to be planning some more strenuous travel while I can still do that.  I really hope I encounter some new thin places this year!
  
     Thanks for reading my blog.  I would love to hear about Thin Places you have experienced.