The Spirit House
"In some countries of the world, Thailand for example, people put up miniature dwellings for spirits. Introducing a photo essay of sacred spaces, architect Elizabeth Padjen writes that 'the construction of these "spirit houses" is an ancient practice rooted in animism, which continues in Thailand despite the adoption of other religions.' She notes that Christian churches are larger-scale spirit houses, built for the inhabitation of human beings; furthermore, sometimes these buildings are as distinctive as features of a culture and of a regional landscape as their miniature counterparts. For example, early Congregational meetinghouses, built in the northeast United States, gradually were replaced in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by 'the most enduring symbol of New England: the white wooden church.' These were constructed, and still stand, in an 'enormous variety of styles: Federalist, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Victorian,' each one of them designed and constructed as a spirit house, a place to shelter and nurture the spirit of their congregations, their communities, and their regions.
" 'Spirit house' fits as a description of other places we build for the investment of our personal time and our deepest concerns. These include but are not limited to houses of worship and houses for families to live in, to clubhouses and playhouses. Each of these might provide spaces for the exercising of our spirits and for the preservation of memory and hope.
"Native Alaskans have a tradition of constructing spirit houses for their homes: composite artworks that interpret a family's history by representing individual family members as well as formative family events. Bethlehem nativity scenes, appearing in churches and homes, might be called Christian spirit houses. The small, stylized dwellings shelter Jesus and his mother, the two figures who embody the spirit of the Christian faith. In a Christian congregation or a Christian household, Mary, Jesus, and the supporting characters of nativity scenes represent the spiritual heritage and a lineage of faith."
