Space is universal and abstract, an "everywhere" where everything is interchangeable. Place is specific, anchored in locality, history, presences, stories.
"Place" carried negative connotations for me, when thought of as territory that must be defended or expanded. Only recently did I realise that universal "space" carries its own danger in its neutral flavourless-ness, because everywhere is interchangeable.
Through an urban postmodern animist lens, "place" has become something that shines, vibrates, inhabited by vital force.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Thailand, where even dense cities tend to the spirits of the land. Miniature spirit houses (san phra phum, ศาลพระภูมิ) mark building grounds from houses to hotels and resorts, while wrapped trees and roadside altars receive offerings of red Fanta, food, and flower garlands.
We can speak of two different orientations: there are very practical spiritualities of PLACE which are about acknowledging the living presence of the territory and asking for protection, success and wealth. Then there are spiritualities of SPACE, focusing on universality, openness, emptiness, and the abstract sphere of ideas.
It is easy to dismiss practices of place as primitive materialistic transaction. You don't need to be a deep spiritual person for criticising that. Just last week a tourist asked me: "Why is it always about attracting wealth, fortune and success?"
But engaging with place is not about making deals with spirits. In an era of ecological crisis, we can no longer afford to treat localised practices as a romantic fad. For too long, we extracted from the earth without asking. Ultimately, our hunger for relational connection to the (human and non-human) presences of Here might be what saves us.