Thin places

The phrase “thin place” comes to us from Celtic Christian spirituality.  A "thin place” is where the boundary between heaven and earth is especially thin. It’s a place where we can sense the divine more readily.

There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller. A thin place is where the veil that separates heaven and earth is lifted and one is able to receive a glimpse of the glory of God.

A contemporary poet Sharlande Sledge gives this description:

“Thin places,” the Celts call this space,
Both seen and unseen,
Where the door between the world 
And the next is cracked open for a moment
And the light is not all on the other side.
God shaped space. Holy. 

The New York Times did a story on "thin places" for its travel section in March 2012.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to be in Portland, Maine.  This is a thin place for me.

Just seeing the sign pointing to Maine was a huge relief to me.  I felt lighter.

Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine

My hometown of Hoboken, NJ and nearby New York City.  I feel lighter as soon as I come into the city limits.  No matter how long I have been away, I can always find my way around as though I never left.  Even though both places are incredibly noisy, the sirens, the horns honking and tires screeching and trains going by - it lulls me into the deepest sleep come bedtime.  I'm home.