What is holy? Who decides?
The sacred appears in unexpected places: in art that stops us mid-step, in moments of profound silence, in acts of radical compassion, in the ordinary rituals that structure our days. For some, the holy is inseparable from the divine, a window into transcendent reality or the presence of God. For others, holiness exists entirely within human experience, arising from our capacity for reverence, our need for meaning, our ability to set apart certain moments or places as extraordinary.
This session explores what makes something holy and who gets to decide. We'll examine how different cultures and communities create and guard the sacred, how individuals experience holiness outside institutional frameworks, and what happens when competing visions of the sacred collide. The question of authority over the sacred touches everything from personal spiritual practice to political power, from artistic expression to social justice movements.
Our conversation will explore:
What distinguishes the holy from the merely important or meaningful?
Who has the authority to designate something as holy, and what happens when that authority is challenged or reimagined?
Can holiness exist in the profane, the broken, the rejected?
How do we navigate a world where the sacred means radically different things to different people?
What is holy? Who decides?
The sacred appears in unexpected places: in art that stops us mid-step, in moments of profound silence, in acts of radical compassion, in the ordinary rituals that structure our days. For some, the holy is inseparable from the divine, a window into transcendent reality or the presence of God. For others, holiness exists entirely within human experience, arising from our capacity for reverence, our need for meaning, our ability to set apart certain moments or places as extraordinary.
This session explores what makes something holy and who gets to decide. We'll examine how different cultures and communities create and guard the sacred, how individuals experience holiness outside institutional frameworks, and what happens when competing visions of the sacred collide. The question of authority over the sacred touches everything from personal spiritual practice to political power, from artistic expression to social justice movements.
Our conversation will explore:
What distinguishes the holy from the merely important or meaningful?
Who has the authority to designate something as holy, and what happens when that authority is challenged or reimagined?
Can holiness exist in the profane, the broken, the rejected?
How do we navigate a world where the sacred means radically different things to different people?
The sacred appears in unexpected places: in art that stops us mid-step, in moments of profound silence, in acts of radical compassion, in the ordinary rituals that structure our days. For some, the holy is inseparable from the divine, a window into transcendent reality or the presence of God. For others, holiness exists entirely within human experience, arising from our capacity for reverence, our need for meaning, our ability to set apart certain moments or places as extraordinary.
This session explores what makes something holy and who gets to decide. We'll examine how different cultures and communities create and guard the sacred, how individuals experience holiness outside institutional frameworks, and what happens when competing visions of the sacred collide. The question of authority over the sacred touches everything from personal spiritual practice to political power, from artistic expression to social justice movements.
Our conversation will explore:
What distinguishes the holy from the merely important or meaningful?
Who has the authority to designate something as holy, and what happens when that authority is challenged or reimagined?
Can holiness exist in the profane, the broken, the rejected?
How do we navigate a world where the sacred means radically different things to different people?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"Footnote to Howl" poem by Allen Ginsberg
Patti Smith reading "Footnote to Howl"
Preparation: < 30 min.
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"Footnote to Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
Ginsberg's poem declares everything holy in an ecstatic litany that democratizes the sacred. Written as a footnote to his famous "Howl," this work transforms what was condemned and rejected in the main poem into a vision of universal holiness. The poem insists that the holy exists not just in churches and temples but in jazz bands, rivers, cafeterias, and the mentally ill. It's a radical act of reclamation that challenges traditional religious authority over what can be deemed sacred.
Ginsberg asks: What if everything is holy? What if the sacred exists precisely in what society rejects or fears? Who gave anyone the authority to decide what lacks holiness?
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"Footnote to Howl" poem by Allen Ginsberg
Patti Smith reading "Footnote to Howl"
Preparation: < 30 min.
"Footnote to Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
Ginsberg's poem declares everything holy in an ecstatic litany that democratizes the sacred. Written as a footnote to his famous "Howl," this work transforms what was condemned and rejected in the main poem into a vision of universal holiness. The poem insists that the holy exists not just in churches and temples but in jazz bands, rivers, cafeterias, and the mentally ill. It's a radical act of reclamation that challenges traditional religious authority over what can be deemed sacred.
Ginsberg asks: What if everything is holy? What if the sacred exists precisely in what society rejects or fears? Who gave anyone the authority to decide what lacks holiness?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
"Footnote to Howl" poem by Allen Ginsberg
Patti Smith reading "Footnote to Howl"
Text Set A
Preparation: < 30 min.
Session Description
"Footnote to Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
Ginsberg's poem declares everything holy in an ecstatic litany that democratizes the sacred. Written as a footnote to his famous "Howl," this work transforms what was condemned and rejected in the main poem into a vision of universal holiness. The poem insists that the holy exists not just in churches and temples but in jazz bands, rivers, cafeterias, and the mentally ill. It's a radical act of reclamation that challenges traditional religious authority over what can be deemed sacred.
Ginsberg asks: What if everything is holy? What if the sacred exists precisely in what society rejects or fears? Who gave anyone the authority to decide what lacks holiness?
Patti Smith reading "Footnote to Howl"
Smith's performances of Ginsberg's poem adds another dimension to these questions about holiness and authority. As a punk poet and musician, Smith brings her own understanding of the sacred found in rebellion, art, and the margins of society. Her reading transforms the written word into embodied ritual, demonstrating how the act of speaking or performing can itself create sacred space.
Through Smith's voice, we encounter questions about transmission and interpretation of the holy:
How does one artist channeling another's vision of the sacred create new meaning? What authority does the performer have to reshape our understanding of holiness? Can the act of bearing witness to someone else's sacred vision be itself a holy act?
Text Set A
Preparation: < 30 min.
Session Description
"Footnote to Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
Ginsberg's poem declares everything holy in an ecstatic litany that democratizes the sacred. Written as a footnote to his famous "Howl," this work transforms what was condemned and rejected in the main poem into a vision of universal holiness. The poem insists that the holy exists not just in churches and temples but in jazz bands, rivers, cafeterias, and the mentally ill. It's a radical act of reclamation that challenges traditional religious authority over what can be deemed sacred.
Ginsberg asks: What if everything is holy? What if the sacred exists precisely in what society rejects or fears? Who gave anyone the authority to decide what lacks holiness?
Patti Smith reading "Footnote to Howl"
Smith's performances of Ginsberg's poem adds another dimension to these questions about holiness and authority. As a punk poet and musician, Smith brings her own understanding of the sacred found in rebellion, art, and the margins of society. Her reading transforms the written word into embodied ritual, demonstrating how the act of speaking or performing can itself create sacred space.
Through Smith's voice, we encounter questions about transmission and interpretation of the holy:
How does one artist channeling another's vision of the sacred create new meaning? What authority does the performer have to reshape our understanding of holiness? Can the act of bearing witness to someone else's sacred vision be itself a holy act?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
More conversation catalysts coming soon!
Text Set B
Preparation: < 30 min.
Session Description
At Premise, we’re always growing. Our sessions are shaped not only by the enduring questions we ask but also by the ideas and contributions of our participants and Chapter Leaders. We are a constructivist learning community, which means we build our learning experiences together.
More text sets for this question are on the way. Each one will follow our approach: short enough to prepare in under three hours, substantial and thought-provoking enough to spark deep discussion, and accessible to a wide audience.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you. If you have a suggestion for a story, essay, film, or poem that belongs here, please share it in the section below.
Text Set A
Preparation: < 30 min.
Session Description
"Footnote to Howl" by Allen Ginsberg
Ginsberg's poem declares everything holy in an ecstatic litany that democratizes the sacred. Written as a footnote to his famous "Howl," this work transforms what was condemned and rejected in the main poem into a vision of universal holiness. The poem insists that the holy exists not just in churches and temples but in jazz bands, rivers, cafeterias, and the mentally ill. It's a radical act of reclamation that challenges traditional religious authority over what can be deemed sacred.
Ginsberg asks: What if everything is holy? What if the sacred exists precisely in what society rejects or fears? Who gave anyone the authority to decide what lacks holiness?
Patti Smith reading "Footnote to Howl"
Smith's performances of Ginsberg's poem adds another dimension to these questions about holiness and authority. As a punk poet and musician, Smith brings her own understanding of the sacred found in rebellion, art, and the margins of society. Her reading transforms the written word into embodied ritual, demonstrating how the act of speaking or performing can itself create sacred space.
Through Smith's voice, we encounter questions about transmission and interpretation of the holy:
How does one artist channeling another's vision of the sacred create new meaning? What authority does the performer have to reshape our understanding of holiness? Can the act of bearing witness to someone else's sacred vision be itself a holy act?