Editing West (section)

==Symbolic meanings==
In [[Chinese Buddhism]], the West represents movement toward the [[Buddha (general)|Buddha]] or enlightenment (see [[Journey to the West]]). The ancient [[Aztec]]s believed that the West was the realm of the great goddess of [[water]], mist, and [[maize]]. In [[Ancient Egypt]], the West was considered to be the portal to the [[underworld|netherworld]], and is the cardinal direction regarded in connection with [[death]], though not always with a negative connotation. Ancient Egyptians also believed that the [[Goddess]] [[Amunet]] was a personification of the West.<ref>[[Joseph Campbell|Campbell, Joseph]]. ''The Mythic Image.'' [[Princeton University Press]], 1981.</ref> The [[Celt]]s believed that beyond the western sea off the edges of all maps lay the [[Otherworld]], or Afterlife.

In [[Judaism]], west is seen to be toward the [[Shekinah]] (presence) of God, as in Jewish history the [[Tabernacle]] and subsequent [[Jerusalem Temple]] faced east, with God's Presence in the [[Holy of Holies]] up the steps to the west.  According to the [[Bible]], the [[Israelites]] crossed the [[Jordan River]] westward into the [[Promised Land]].

In [[Islam]], cardinal directions carry spiritual significance, but the emphasis is often on the [[Omnipresence|omnipresence]] of God rather than symbolic geography. The West, like all directions, is encompassed by the divine presence. The [[Quran|Qur’an]] states: "To God belong the East and the West. Wheresoever you turn, there is the Face of God. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing." (2:115). This verse underscores the idea that spiritual truth transcends direction, offering a contrast to traditions that attach specific symbolic meanings to the West.

In [[American literature]] (e.g., in ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'') moving West has sometimes symbolized gaining [[liberty|freedom]], perhaps as an association with the settling of the [[Wild West]] (see also the [[American frontier]] and [[Manifest Destiny]]).