The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World

Since ancient times islands have been equated with sacred space. They have been seen by Pagans and Christians as places where land and sea are closest. The Celts called them thin places where the veil between heaven and earth is thinnest and humans can feel connected to the cosmos. The ocean has bee...

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Main Author: Brinklow, L
Format: Book Part
Language:English
Published: Springer 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/110396
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spelling ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:110396 2023-05-15T17:22:34+02:00 The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World Brinklow, L 2015 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/110396 en eng Springer http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4 Brinklow, L, The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World, The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics, Springer, SD Brunn (ed), Netherlands, pp. 97-113. ISBN 9789401793759 (2015) [Research Book Chapter] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/110396 Studies in Human Society Sociology Environmental Sociology Research Book Chapter NonPeerReviewed 2015 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4 2019-12-13T22:10:52Z Since ancient times islands have been equated with sacred space. They have been seen by Pagans and Christians as places where land and sea are closest. The Celts called them thin places where the veil between heaven and earth is thinnest and humans can feel connected to the cosmos. The ocean has been arguably the most powerful and enduring metaphor for the eternal while the island represents the self. The shoreline where they meet is an especially powerful liminal space, where, as Prince Edward Island author David Weale says, The eternal makes love to the temporal. Today islands have become a refuge for people escaping mainstream society as vacation getaways or as a place to strip down to essentials and get in touch with nature and the self: the outer journey mirrors the inward journey. Artists find islands attractive for their inward journeys to creativity. On islands they can connect with a place geographically, psychically, spiritually, and emotionally, surrounded by the ocean, which is a powerful symbol for the unconscious, a metaphor for limitless possibility and inspiration. Indeed, for some island-dwellers, island living is another kind of pantheism, often expressed through art and writing. Based on research on island artists who are poles apart, Newfoundland and Tasmania, I explore the role islands play in artistic and spiritual expression. Book Part Newfoundland Prince Edward Island eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) 97 113 Dordrecht
institution Open Polar
collection eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania)
op_collection_id ftunivtasecite
language English
topic Studies in Human Society
Sociology
Environmental Sociology
spellingShingle Studies in Human Society
Sociology
Environmental Sociology
Brinklow, L
The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World
topic_facet Studies in Human Society
Sociology
Environmental Sociology
description Since ancient times islands have been equated with sacred space. They have been seen by Pagans and Christians as places where land and sea are closest. The Celts called them thin places where the veil between heaven and earth is thinnest and humans can feel connected to the cosmos. The ocean has been arguably the most powerful and enduring metaphor for the eternal while the island represents the self. The shoreline where they meet is an especially powerful liminal space, where, as Prince Edward Island author David Weale says, The eternal makes love to the temporal. Today islands have become a refuge for people escaping mainstream society as vacation getaways or as a place to strip down to essentials and get in touch with nature and the self: the outer journey mirrors the inward journey. Artists find islands attractive for their inward journeys to creativity. On islands they can connect with a place geographically, psychically, spiritually, and emotionally, surrounded by the ocean, which is a powerful symbol for the unconscious, a metaphor for limitless possibility and inspiration. Indeed, for some island-dwellers, island living is another kind of pantheism, often expressed through art and writing. Based on research on island artists who are poles apart, Newfoundland and Tasmania, I explore the role islands play in artistic and spiritual expression.
format Book Part
author Brinklow, L
author_facet Brinklow, L
author_sort Brinklow, L
title The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World
title_short The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World
title_full The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World
title_fullStr The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World
title_full_unstemmed The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World
title_sort island mystic/que: seeking spiritual connection in a postmodern world
publisher Springer
publishDate 2015
url https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/110396
genre Newfoundland
Prince Edward Island
genre_facet Newfoundland
Prince Edward Island
op_relation http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4
Brinklow, L, The Island Mystic/que: Seeking Spiritual Connection in a Postmodern World, The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics, Springer, SD Brunn (ed), Netherlands, pp. 97-113. ISBN 9789401793759 (2015) [Research Book Chapter]
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/110396
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_4
container_start_page 97
op_container_end_page 113
op_publisher_place Dordrecht
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