religion

topic of choice #4

12/10/15

 

After taking this course and learning about spiritual journeys and sacred places, I have begin to wonder about my own spiritual beliefs. Being raised in a family that never attended church, owned a bible, or talked about religion, I have never been truly exposed to it. I claim to be agnostic but that is only because I don't know enough information about it. This class has inspired me to search in myself all the possibilities religion could offer me. I believe this exploration will give me answers that I have been asking for most of my life that my family could never answer for me. In a way I am grateful to be ignorant, it gives me the chance to research and discover my own values and beliefs without my parent's influence.

Phenomenology of Prayer

12/10/15

 

In The Phenomenology of Prayer, it asks the question, "what should we pray for?" I am not a religious person myself, but I can understand the idea of praying and the effect it has on so many people. The prayer that opens people up to the sacred is an imitation of the divine in its action of kenosis or self-emptying. The sense of self opening and/or self emptying  can be put in terms of praying for one another and for ourselves. When you pray for someone else, you are not competing against the divine, but rather hoping that good comes to someone else. The idea of praying for our own needs to be met can sometimes be looked at as controversial. However, to not pray for our own needs would seem as if we are of less worth than the other people we are praying for; that our own sufferings are not as notable as others. Prayer is related to goodness in that, one can pray for goods as long as it is also a means to do good. "All goods, all fulfillments of needs, should be prayed for as a means to become good". Instead of just praying to possess goods, it is important to become good. 

outside reading #3

12/10/15

 

For my last outside reading, I read a trail journal by a woman with the name of Wildflower She was retracing the same path she took a year beforehand in Colorado. However, a year before, her path was covered in snow whereas in this journal, it was a clear and sunny path. She analyzed parts of the hike that she struggled with, and was able to see the path in a much different light. During her struggle, she notes that she paused for ten whole minutes, just to absorb the moment and place she was in. It did not matter to her that she was having a hard time trekking up the mountain, she was perfectly content to just take her surroundings in and pause the hike. She also notes that she did not stop to eat, but stopped often to gaze and hydrate. "I don't know when I will have the opportunity to return to these Rocky Mountains, so I did not want to descend." When she eventually did descend, she ended her journal with the word 'sigh' and then proclaimed how much she loves those mountains. 

finals

topic of choice #3

 

 

In the midst of studying for finals, I could not help but think of all the places I would rather be. Although it may seem obvious, there are a million things I would rather do then be stuck at the library cramming an entire semester's worth of information in my head. I would rather be in Cancun, Mexico, sitting on the beach. I would rather be relaxing at home in front of a fire place. I would rather be catching up on sleep then constantly losing more every day. But then I thought about how studying for finals is something many people would want to be doing. Many people would give anything to be able to have finals to study for. I have the opportunity to receive an education, to earn a degree, and to do something with that degree. Not everyone gets that same opportunity. So as I was sitting here complaining about how stressful finals are, I could not help but think of how lucky I actually am. 

outside reading

12/10/15

 

 

For this outside reading, I looked up an analysis the Camino de Santiago based on drawings, pictures, and personal observations recorded during a July 2014 pilgrimage. The author believes that the Camino can teach humankind how our built environment can preserve human experience. She states that to earn a compostela, the minimum distance a pilgrim must walk is 100 kilometers which is established by the church. She claims that long-distance pilgrims and short-distance pilgrims are forced to interact, causing tension because of each group's different reasons and values as to why they are experiencing the Camino. However, the convergence of pilgrims in the albergues or hostels is an opportunity to preserve the Camino experience. Her analysis is meant to examine the albergues located along the entire route and how they support and/or undermine the qualities of the Camino.  Her study led to determining that some albergues were more successful in preserving the experience than others. The albergues that were more successful were the ones smaller in size and in general, more simple. The ones that were less successful offered too many resources or facilities, which took away from the experience of the Camino. 

 

 



landscapes of the sacred part 2

12/10/15

 

The concept of the ordinary as a mask of the Holy is intriguing. Lane states that the more common experiences becomes, the more holy it is. Common things, common actions, common relationships are all granted new definition because the holy has become ordinary in Jesus Christ. The truth of incarnation is that the ordinary is no longer at all what it appears. The mask of the Holy hides and reveals at the same time. "They understanding it simultaneously to hide and reveal certain aspects of the splendor, grace, or terror of the divine". Lane goes on to say that one of our deepest impulses as humans is to find the mask that invests with power and life. The Holy masked as the ordinary is a concept drawn out by artists and storytellers rather than theologians. The use of metaphor Lane states, is the most ultimate, faithful servant of truth. All ordinary things can be made extraordinary with attention and love. "The ordinary reaches out to be noticed-- it cries for recognition". 

vermont

experience of a natural setting

12/10/15

 

Every year my family and I take a trip up to Vermont to see our extended family for Christmas. However, Vermont is much more to me than just a time to visit family members. It is a time that I am able to escape from the pressures of my every day routine and people that I surround myself with. In Vermont, I exist within the beauty of the vast forests, the wide open fields, the large mountains enveloping me. I can take it all in without worrying about anything else. When I am there, all my worries disappear and I become full submerged in the environment. This experience is something I truly cherish and look forward to every year. Especially when we visit in the summertime. Vermont is so much more than an ordinary place to me, it is my safe haven.