Journal Entry 1

I recently went to the Cathedral Church of St.John the Devine. Here is my journal entry from the experience. Excuse the lack of proper terminology, I was writing quickly to get down the experience of the space. I am also experiencing this from the viewpoint of someone without a background of religious experience, having also never been to church. It is mostly about the space to me.:

the area where you, the "common people", sit is darker. It is encased in an area that is made of older, rougher stone. It has archways on the sides, but they are not windows, they are blocked up with a flat painted surface. The area where the magic happens, up where the clergy sit is smooth finished stone. It has all of the magnificence. it is where you strive to be. it is lit by the stained glass windows, by God's light, the commoner's area is lit by artificial light or candle light. there is a definite threshold, a proscenium between the two worlds. the analogy of spiritual striving.

scripted space. the hero's journey. enlightenment.

dramatizing experience.

the immensity of the ceiling is hard to grasp, dizzying. like the thought of eternity. like the thought of universal truth, universal plan.

red ropes.

dark wood.

just out of reach. I want to strive for these unreachable spots.

I am down here, stuck. but, I want to be up in the immensity of the vaults. to see better up there. to see up there.

this structure is man-made, i know it is man-made. it is just as much about our power as that of the devine.

the silence is soothing. the silence is important. there is so much space that anything said in here gets echoed and swallowed up. power and futility.

everything in here is a journey.

"three acts in one second"

pointing up.

you can't see every thing at once = can't grasp the complexity of it all.

you are always approaching.

the dome is God. Its presence unavoidable. you can see glimpses of it from all around the area that wraps around behind the high alter.