A Spiritual Phenomenology of Miniature Spaces: Reading Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space

This paper proposes a spiritual rereading of Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space, focusing particularly on the phenomenological significance of miniature spaces. While Bachelard explores the intimate relationship between imagination, memory, and dwelling, this study argues that miniature spaces can also be understood as loci of spiritual experience. Drawing on Christian mystical traditions, particularly themes of interiority, recollection, and contemplative inhabitation, the paper develops a dialogue between phenomenology and spirituality. Through an examination of images such as the corner, the nest, the drawer, and the miniature world, the study suggests that spiritual growth often unfolds not through expansion and mastery but through a movement toward interior depth and attentive presence. In this way, Bachelard's phenomenology provides a valuable framework for understanding the symbolic and experiential dimensions of spiritual life.