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Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion pp 805–806Cite as

Sacred Time

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In profane understandings time appears to be a constant linear sequence of moments, but all religious and spiritual traditions conceive of a “sacred time” that is outside of or other than this sequence. Commonly, this sacred time is said to be an “eternal now” that is located “between” (or above or beyond) the moments that make up linear time. Time is an agent of death, corruption and the finite; spiritual traditions seek a realm that is ever-living, incorruptible and infinite and therefore not subject to the flux of time.

The psychological perception of time is inconstant. Time will often seem to either “fly” or “drag” and it seems to pass slower to children and pass faster as we age. Similarly, there are cultural differences in the perception of time. The nomad, for instance, has more of a spatial than a temporal consciousness. For the nomad the starry sky is a map, while for the sedentary city-dweller it is a clock. The decline of nomadic life and the arrival of sedentary life...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Philosophy & Religious Studies, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC, 3550, Australia

    Rod Blackhirst

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  1. Rod Blackhirst
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Blanton-Peale Institute, 3 West 29th Street, New York, NY, 10001, USA

    David A. Leeming Ph.D.

  2. National Institute for the Psychotherapies, 250 West 57th Street, Suite 501, New York, NY, 10019, USA

    Kathryn Madden Ph.D.

  3. Pittsburgh Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, 4527 Winthrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-3722, USA

    Stanton Marlan Ph.D.

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Blackhirst, R. (2010). Sacred Time. In: Leeming, D.A., Madden, K., Marlan, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_601

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