The Sacred and the Profane (book)

"The Sacred and the Profane" by Mircea Eliade explores how humans experience and interpret sacred symbols, rituals, and spaces across different cultures. Eliade argues that the sacred is a universal aspect of human existence that connects people to divine or transcendent realities, often distinguished from the mundane or profane aspects of daily life. He examines how sacred elements, like temples and rituals, serve to reenact cosmological myths, helping individuals find meaning and orientation in the world. The book highlights the deep, symbolic ways in which cultures seek to bridge human experience with the sacred dimension of life.