Not this past Saturday but the week before (the 4th of February), I got to experience the transformation of an ordinary place into an extraordinary place. As mentioned in Lane's Landscape of the Sacred, the second axiom states that sacred space is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary. I got to experience such a phenomenon first hand as I participated in the pledging initiation for Kappa Sigma's new Fraternity Colony here at Christopher Newport University. In every other circumstance (for me at least), McMurran 114 was just an ordinary lecture room used for classes and meetings through out the week. But during the pledging initiation process held that morning, room 114 became more than just a regular lecture room. It became a special place of gathering amongst me and all the other Kappa Sigma brothers. My pledge brothers and I underwent a special ceremonial event together that we will never forget for the rest of our lives. We participated in different rituals and rites that transformed an ordinary class room into a sacred place that enveloped more significant value. This particular occasion made clear to me first hand how sacred place is just an ordinary place, that can ritually be made extraordinary.
-Steven Chung
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