Arturo Garcia Experience of a Natural Setting 2

Last Friday I was at the journal club. We were discussing a paper on obesity when, as usual the topic began to sway as a usual ( at the direction of dr. burke) the causes of obesity then lastly, the last time that we felt at peace or were satisfied, most people who gave an example, gave an example where they were in a nature setting. One person said the last time they were completely satisfied and at peace was when he was fishing, anther said it was when she was driving the mountains. I was left thinking about this novel concept, maybe nature has a therapeutic effect on us. We are not built for modern life, our eyes were designed to see thing in the distance, not inches in front of us. We need sunlight not florescent light to synthesize vitamin d . maybe those people were wrong, wilderness/nature  has sacred powers not because it is a foreign place, but because it id better for our selves than the modern world we have created. 

Arturo Garcia Experience of a Natural Setting

We were expecting good weather winds from the east and fairly consistent, the first four hours went smoothly, we were in the Chesapeake and were near the confluence of the Chesapeake and the Potomac river. We were about five miles away from shore ( the boats maximum speed is about six knots ) when my boss called, she had not been told that I had taken the day off, she told me that we were about to get hit by a storm. About ten minutes after this the storm hit. The clouds seemed to just materialize overhead. By this time we were worried, our boat isn’t big and we didn’t know how she would hold up in a storm. The wind picked up, gusting up to about forty knots. Waves up to 5 feet in height. At first we tried to fight it but it was futile. The storm was too powerful.  Then the lighting came. I am honestly surprised we did not get hit. We almost did, I was coming back up on deck when the bolt of lighting came down , it was terrifying, the web of florescent blue. Apparently it struck the water and was very close. 

Arturo Garcia Outside Reading 3

In the novel On Parole by Akira Yoshimura , the author makes extensive use of imagery, he explains the scenery in great detail, however he almost never mentions color. There is one color that he mentions many times in the novel. While it is easy to understand that the color of red is meant to be a symbol of his anger and violence based on context ,and the fact that in our culture the color red is a symbol of anger, sin, passion, blood, and guilt, it is interesting to note that in many Asian cultures red has a less negative connotation. In Japan the color red has a very different meaning, the color red is used in the Japanese flag to represent the sun, and the sun is  important to their culture(Nippon, the Japanese word for Japan means land of the rising sun), many Torii gates( Shinto shrine archways) are painted red, for the most part the color red has a positive meaning and is used more as a symbol of happiness and honor. The use of the color red as a symbol of murder is meant to be universally understood. 

Arturo Garcia Outside Reading 2

Kurt Vonnegut’s book Galapagos, is essentially the reverse Eden story. In the Eden story they eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, in Galapagos they cast away knowledge, they threw the mandrax into the sea. The mandrax is a computer, that can act as a translator and holds a considerable amount of literature. The Galapagos are also the reverse of the garden of Eden, the island they land on is barren and hostile. The author stated that his book has similarities with the Noah story. The novel ends with the destruction on humanity as we know it the people on the Galapagos evolve in to seal like creatures. From  the remnants of humanity that become stranded on the island 2 people are vital to the continuation of the human race, a kind of Adam and eve. 

Arturo Garcia Outside Reading 1

“ oh, well- he(she) wasn’t going to write Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony anyway.” The narrator says this after the deaths of Kazakh (canine) and James Wait ( human). The narrator then explains this line. This is a comment on how little we will accomplish in our lives.  The accomplishments of Wait are as insignificant as the accomplishments of Kazakh. In a million years the accomplishments of even the most influential people in this modern day in age will be insignificant and in consequential.  From an early age we are fed the blatant lie that we are all snowflakes, unique and special. We are told that we will do great things, that we will go on to have a great influence on the world. this is what we are told, and the worst part is we believe it, we hold the delusion that we are mighty, above average even. The so called Lake Wobegon effect, from Garrison Keillor’s radio show, a place where all the children are above average. We all cant be above average, and In all truth, even those of us who are, are probably destined for mediocrity. Even those who do great things will be forgotten 

Arturo Garcia Choice Topic 4

.  Blink is essentially about gut reactions and first impressions.   Gut reactions are encouraged in this book and are supposed to be remarkably accurate. The book begins with a story that illustrates the accuracy of gut reactions; this story is about a Greek statue that turned out to be a forgery.  At first the statue was believed to be an original, there is sufficient evidence to prove that it was not a fake, but many of the experts that saw the statue knew it was a fake.  They had no evidence to support their accusations; they just had a gut feeling. You don’t need to read to far into the book to know exactly what it is about; in the first chapter the author provides an outline of the book.

I see truth in some of the things that are stated in this book, and have been in situations where I needed to make split second decisions.  There were times that thinking about the situation would take too long, therefore my subconscious mind would take over and the decisions that were made were actually very good ones.   When I am sailing, in a regatta, and I have to round a mark I have to make very quick decision.  I really do not have time to think about it.  This is a situation where my instincts have to come into play.   I have to use my gut reaction.  

Arturo Garcia Choice Topic 3

As I was reading Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, I came across an interesting situation in the book the protagonist yossarian and Ms. Scheisskopf are arguing about the nature of the god that they do not believe in. The god that Ms. Scheisskof does not believe in is loving, jus and omniscient. While the god that yossarian doesn’t believe in is either sadistic or is a bumbling fool, and that a truly good and omniscient god would not have included phlegm and tooth decay in his creation. and he cannot believe in a god that would create things like pain. The loss of faith is a major theme in the novel and in the end even the chaplain begins to question his faith.  

Arturo Garcia Choice topic 2

The protagonist of the novel Catch 22, Yossarian, has one goal to live forever or to die trying. He bases this goal on the assumption that he will fail, he understands that he will eventually die. He is haunted by Death, this manifests it’s self in the for of Snowden and the dead man in his tent. The death of Snowden has a particularly profound effect on Yossarian. With the death of Snowden Yossarian comes to the realization that man is garbage, after this event his only goal is to protect his own life and the lives of those around him. He goes to great lengths to achieve his goals. He attempts to spend as much time as possible in the hospital, by exploiting the fact that he always has a temperature of 101 degrees, and claims that he has a liver problem. During mission he orders his pilots to take very aggressive evasive maneuvers to avoid flack.  He also obsesses over the ways he could be killed an is convinced that many people are trying to kill him. 

Arturo Garcia Choice topic 1

Kurt Vonnegut’s Galapagos. This novel is about our big brains. On the second page, in the second chapter of the novel Vonnegut asks 2 questions: the first, “Can It be that three-kilogram brains were once nearly fatal defects in the evolution of the human race?”, the second question, “What source was there back then, save for our overelaborate nervous circuitry, for the evils that we were seeing or hearing about simply every-where?”. He also answered the question “there was no other source, this was an innocent planet except for those great big brains.” In  the novel Vonnegut was attempting to show how terrible our big brains can be, and he may be correct in this. Our brain can be terrible things that can cause us great pain. 100 billon neurons, 1000 to 10000 synapses per neuron, 10 to 23 watts of power, about 70000 thoughts a day, Don Quixote, Othello,  Penicillin, Beethoven’s ninth symphony, aqueducts, atom bombs, gladiator fights, public burnings, schizophrenia, delusions, all products of a very powerful computer locate in our skulls. 

Sarah Ritter Image and Pilgrimage #3

            One idea that is discussed in this book is the concept of communitas.  Communitas is described as a spontaneously formed community of people that are brought together by a shared liminal experience and everyone is an equal.  Communitas most frequently occurs during pilgrimages because of the liminal phenomenon of the pilgrimage.  Liminality is the conscious state of being between or on the “threshold” of two planes, specifically between the ordinary and the sacred or divine.  By sharing such an experience it makes everyone equals and creates a strong sense of “togetherness.”

Sarah Ritter Image and Pilgrimage #2

            In Image and Pilgrimage in the Christian Culture written by Arnold Van Gennep, he discusses how the process of a pilgrimage is a liminoid phenomenon.  He discusses how a pilgrimage is a period where an individual escapes from the mundane tasks of everyday life in their day-to-day world and travels through a sort of plane to reach a spiritual world.  Whether the pilgrim seeks to reach this spiritual world consciously when they set out on this journey or whether it is simply a minor thought somewhere in their subconscious, every pilgrim will at point along the journey and in some degree experience this liminality.

Sarah Ritter Image and Pilgrimage #1

            I think it was interesting how in this book, the author Arnold Van Gennep breaks down the process of going through a rite of passage into three specific steps that are always followed and always in the same order in every rite of passage.  The first step in every rite of passage is separation in which the individual breaks away and becomes isolated from their culture. The next step is limen where the individual enters an entirely new realm, and the final step is aggregation when the individual returns to the world that they previously had detached from but enter it now as a more spiritually mature individual.

Sarah Ritter Landscapes of the Sacred #3

            Lane discusses in his book Landscapes of the Sacred that the composition of place is “a dynamic exchange between a culturally formed imagination and an embodied contact one experiences.”  In his discussion he states that we are unable to see and experience a place exactly how it is.  Instead of simply seeing what our senses are telling us at face value, our cultural background forces our brains to perceive our surroundings differently.  So because of this, what we experience as place is what we are directly experiencing that is slightly altered by our cultural imagination.

Sarah Ritter Landscapes of the Sacred #2

            In this book by Belden C. Lane, the distinction between space and place is discussed. I didn’t realize there was a distinction and thought that the two terms were synonymous but Lane describes them as two separate things. According to Lane, space is described as expansiveness where as place is a safe enclosure.  He states that there is tension between the two in American culture and says that there are positive and negative attitudes to each and it displays the spatially oriented experiences of God.  In relation to space, it can be seen as open and free but at the same time space can also be threatening because of the fear of being lost in space.  Place is the opposite and can be comforting and give a sense of security and stability, but it and also be considered constricting and smothering.  

Sarah Ritter Landscapes of the Sacred #1

In Landscapes of the Sacred, Lane discusses how the ordinary is a mask of the sacred. When I first read this section I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about and I thought he was making no sense but the more I read it the more it started to make sense.  Lane describes how like a mask, the ordinary simultaneously hides and reveals certain aspects of the holy.  Ordinary actions and places give you a glimpse of the holy which is behind it much like the eye and nose hole of an actual mask yet still reveals much of it as well.  In addition, the ordinary is actually a simplification of the holy which makes itself obvious in everyday things but because these things are so abundant and we see them all the time and they are constantly there, it actually hides the holy because we stop noticing it and end up not seeing the holy’s presence at all.  In other words the ordinary identifies and displays the character of the Holy but hides the actual identity just as a mask shows the character of the person behind it but hides their actual identity.

Sarah Ritter Natural Setting Experience

Out of all of the places that I have gone hiking, camping, and backpacking one of my favorite places is Great Falls in Maryland.  On the Maryland side of Great Falls is the C&O canal, which runs almost 200 miles along the Potomac River.  Right before you get to the falls there is a three-mile trail called the Billy Goat Trail that I have been hiking ever since I can remember. The trail is only about a 30 minute drive from my house so its really convenient and its one of those places that even though I’ve hiked it more times then I can count it never gets old. The trail goes along the Potomac River downstream of the falls and over the years that trail has provided me with hours and hours of quality hiking and great boning time with whoever I take out there with me.  I have so many memories all along the trail and it remains an important place in my life.  

Sarah Ritter Noland Trail

Although I unfortunately was not able to make it to the class that was held on the Noland trail due to underestimating the time I took to walk there which caused me to be late and was unable to find the class, I still had an enjoyable experience wandering on the trail looking for the class and it gave me time quietly reflect on my surroundings and on myself.  I have not been on the Noland trail very many times before but every time I do walk on it I feel so grateful that as a CNU student I have such a beautiful and sizable piece of nature that I can enjoy that is so close to school.  Walking distance the trail is only a short walk from campus and the trail itself is a five mile loop that goes through many acres of forest that contain all kinds of native wildlife.  Many times when my life is in turmoil and I’m stress out or upset by something, this trail has been a source of comfort and by walking in the peace and calm of the forest it helps to calm me down and soothe my mind and emotions.  

Sarah Ritter Outside Reading #3

            Over this past summer I read a book called The Shack, written by William Paul Young.  This was one of the most powerful and deeply thought-provoking books I have ever read and it really gave me a new perspective on spirituality.  In the book the main character goes through a horrifying trauma and his happy life is shattered.  Many years after this tragedy he receives a note from someone named Papa that summons him to a shack in the woods.  He hesitantly goes and when he reaches the shack he essentially has an intense divine encounter in which the shack is transformed and he gets to spend several days with God Him- or in this case “Herself.”  The shack is a deeply sacred place for him and although in Lane’s book Landscapes of the Sacred, he states the ordinary masks the Holy and the Holy and the Holy can’t be viewed without this mask, in the novel the main character does get to look under that mask and with the authors powerful use of language, he describes what he believes he would see.  This was a fantastic book and I definitely recommend it because it made me really think about my beliefs and my relationship with God. 

Sarah Ritter Outside Reading #2

            One book that I just recently started reading but haven’t had the chance to get all that far into it a book by Jon Krakauer called Into Thin Air.  This book is about the author’s attempt at climbing Mt. Everest and the tragic events that occurred on his expedition.  In the beginning of the book Krakauer gives some background of the history of the mountain and describes the many people that attempted to climb it over the years, some successful, some not so successful, and some who lives were claimed by the mountain and will forever rest in their icy tombs.  He describes how since the British discovered that Mt. Everest was the highest mountain in the world in 1856, masses of people have been captivated by the mountain and because of its staggering altitude, has become one of the most famous peaks in the world.   Much of the fascination of the mountain is because of its imposing presence and the immense liminality of the place.  From a geological standpoint, Everest it the most physically liminal place on Earth because its peak is literally where heaven and earth meet.  In the book the author discusses how for many people, that draw of being able to stand that close to the heavens is so powerful they are willing to risk their lives to get there. 

Sarah Ritter Outside Reading #1

Recently I have been rereading the Harry Potter series in order to give me something to do while I’m at work and after taking this class I was kind of surprised about how many of the themes and ideas that we discussed in this class appeared throughout the books.  One of the ideas that appeared in these books was the idea of mysterium tremendum and mysterium fascinans, particularly in relation to the Forbidden Forest.  The Forbidden Forest is a large forest on Hogwarts grounds and it contains countless magical creatures and other unknowns.  Through J. K. Rowling’s imagery of the forest throughout all of the books the forest is described as a place with many wonders and beautiful creatures, but at the same time filled with unknown horrors that make entering it a possibly terrifying experience. Because of these two characteristics of the place, it gives it a sense of having some sort of power that in the book is described as magical, but in a more general sense is very similar to the divine. 

Sarah Ritter Personal Topic #4

            In my many backpacking trips I have taken over the course of my life I have only been able to have a small taste of communitas but what I have been able to experience has been a very interesting experience.  Every time I have gone backpacking I have either gone with my family or my Venture crew and because of whom I have gone with I have not been able to experience a pure sense of communitas.  In both a family and a venture crew there is already an established hierarchy and individuals that make up each of these groups already have certain established relationships with each other that make it more difficult for communitas, which is an unstructured community where everyone is equal and share a liminal experience, to exist.  The closest I have gotten to experiencing communitas was on a two-week backpacking trip in New Mexico that I went on with my Venture crew.  It took a while to happen but as the trip went on and all of us went through more and more difficult situations together the group dynamics began to change and because of these shared experiences at times I felt that we were all treated each other as equals and felt a strong sense of togetherness.  It was in times like this that I began to feel what could be considered communitas and it was quite unlike any other connection I had had with any other group of people.  I think that if I were to go on another backpacking trip with people I didn’t know and without an already established hierarchy maybe I will be able to truly experience the phenomena of communitas.

Sarah Ritter Personal Topic #3

I feel as though in modern day society, it has become harder and harder for many people to have a grounded point of view on life and be able to truly appreciate the things they have yet understand that most of these materialistic things that have become so interwoven in our everyday lives are completely extraneous and don’t necessarily improve the quality of our lives. With all of the technology and information that we are bombarded with in our everyday lives and the constant chatter of the media which tries to warp our sense of reality and alter what we consider important, I feel that the only way to truly stay grounded and keep things in perspective is to go out into nature and get away from all the madness every once in a while to clear your head and be reminded what is really important in life.  But as technology and the media take a firmer grasp on our society, many people are becoming further and further removed from having a grounded outlook on life.

Sarah Ritter Personal Topic #2

            A couple of summers ago I had the great opportunity of being able to go to what is known as Philmont Scout Ranch which was definitely an experience of a lifetime. One of the most memorable experiences I had there was the day that I climb the highest mountain on the ranch, which was known as Mt. Baldy.  Baldy was probably the most challenging mountains I have ever climbed and its difficulty was derived from a combination of its high altitude which made breathing fairly difficult, the loose rock that covered the barren top of the mountain and made it more difficult to get solid footing for a substantial distance while summiting, and the extreme incline which was so steep that the last quarter of the way up I could reach out and touch the mountain with my hands while I was standing upright.  As I climbed/crawled up that mountain I remember feeling a sense of terror in the pit of my stomach at the sheer height and steepness of the mountain, and I had to will myself to try not to think about how easy it would be for my to slip and slide all the way down the mountain and break my neck if I lost my footing. However, I remember that through the apprehension and fear I also felt an underlying fascination with the mountain and when I dared to look up and out at the spectacular view below me what I saw was absolutely breath-taking.  After taking this class I now know that what I experienced on top of that mountain is know as mysterium tremendum and mysterium fascinans and because of that experience I was truly able to appreciate Dr. Redick’s discussion of these two ideas earlier in the semester.

Sarah Ritter Personal Topic #1

            Although by birth I am a Jew and my heritage is a large portion of my identity and who I am, I only really see myself culturally as a Jew but from a religious standpoint I find it hard to connect to God and I have formed my own separate ideas and beliefs about God and the spiritual aspect of my life.  Since I was born I have gone to temple on a semi-regular basis and observe many of the Jewish holidays and practice many of the rituals. But over the years I have found that although I do enjoy practicing these rituals and observing these holidays because it provides me a sense of comfort, I find it very difficult to feel close to God this way and I have realized that my spirituality lies elsewhere.  I personally find it hard to connect with God while I am forced to sit dressed up on uncomfortable benches inside a man made building while reciting prayers in a language that I don’t even understand and have realized that I truly feel closest to God out in nature where I can enjoy His creation.  I think that having a personal relationship with God is important and I believe that it is often easier to have one without the formalities of a church or a synagogue getting in the way.

Kristin Melton-- Noland

        The trip to the Noland trail opened my eyes to the nature we have around campus.  Before we entered the wooded area of the trail, we stood out in the open near the water and listened to Dr. Redick give instructions on our assignment for the day.  While in this open area, there were birds swimming in the water as well as a woodpecker in one of the trees.  His head was red and he did a good job of keeping himself hidden despite his bright cap and loud job.
       As we entered the trail, an array of plant life was suddenly visible.  There was the usual pine tree and poison ivy, but there were also some exotic looking plants as well.  The floor in one area of the trail was covered in short plants that mimicked the look of umbrellas. There were hundreds of them, thin stems and wide flat tops. There was also a strange type of ivy that I had not seen before. It did not simply wrap around a tree in one vine but covered the entire bark.  With no bark showing, it was inevitable that the tree would not be around for long being starved of its resources.  The ivy was an amazing sight, I found it astounding that it could completely engulf an entire tree.
     We continued on and came to a bridge where Dr Redick told us there is usually a large turtle swimming around. Even though we were unable to see this specimen, we did see other smaller turtle. One thing I found interesting here was the trail of bubbles that streamed up from the water.  Depending on where you stood, some were smaller and slow but others were quite large and fast.  It makes you wonder what is down there making the stream, how big is it, what does it look like.  I figure that is just another secret of nature.

Kristin Melton-- Topic of Choice 3

When looking at the ULLC classes, I found that there are tons of different topics.  There is one about sacred places (of course), healthy eating styles, Shakespeare, and even witches.  I feel there is more variety within the ULLC classes than within majors.  There are so many different options and even when picking electives for a major there seems to be a constraint.

Kristin Melton-- Outside Reading 2

While studying for one of my classes, abnormal psychology, I stumbled upon an excerpt in my book about a woman who was considered a 'hoarder'.  This term refers to severe cluttering of a person's home so that is is no longer able to function as a viable living space because of a large number of acquired items that appear to have no value the person has failed to throw up.  I found this interesting because it says 'items that have no value'.  I think this may be the case only in the eyes of outsiders and these things can have a sort of sacred meaning to the person that has acquired them.

Kristin Melton-- Topic of Choice 3

I believe that without the constraints of definitions, a sacred place can be anywhere that an individual considers it to be.  I find a sacred place to be back in the woods, a place that no one else has ever known of.  Others may consider industrial places to be sacred, just because of the meaning that is held within the place.  I'm not sure if people who attend pilgrimage would feel about this, but to me, a sacred place is where you want it to be.

Emily Jackson Dunlop- Image and Pilgrimage

Victor Turner describes pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. This made me think about my research paper topic in which I compared the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela of modern times and of the 14th century. Pilgrimages have been undertaken for years and much of the experience is very similar. Modern technology has aided in making the journey easier along with "slack packing". Some people do not walk to Santiago for religious purpose, but for the most part, pilgrims today still walk the Camino for religious reasons and they complete the journey the traditional way, by walking. There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving such a goal as completing a long pilgrimage across Spain. That feeling has stayed the same throughout the centuries.

Emily Jackson Dunlop- Habitat and Habitus

Lane describes the difference between habitat and habitus. He basically says that habitat simply the environment that we are in. It is just a background that we are walking through. Habitat is the world around us that we don't really focus on, it's just there. Habitus is quite different in that it is experienced on a different level of consciousness. Much like communitas, habitus is experienced where community and social structure is not. Those searching for a religious or transcendent experience must be in the realm of habitus to truly encounter it. It is harder to experience such a place in the modern society that we live in today because it is harder to evade society and social classes. Once liminality is achieved and one is away from modern day distraction, habitus can be encountered on a more personal level. In this environment, one can be there natural self, not having to conform to what others around them look like or how they act. I would really like to make an effort to escape from society for a day, maybe a week, and to experience habitus for myself.

Kristin Melton-- Topic of Choice 2

I feel that everyone have the ability to connect with nature and the wilderness, no matter what type of area they live in. I grew up in an area that had roads with no lines and a cow pasture every half mile. Since then, I have moved to a more urbanized area, but I feel more connected to nature now.  I believe this is a motivational factor -- since there is less nature around, i find myself more compelled to connect to it in any way.  I do believe this applies to other people too, and there is always a way to connect to the wilderness.

Kristin Melton-- Natural Setting 2

In class and while on the Noland trail, we talked about how people do not experience nature because they are distracted with technology. I found this interesting because often time I see runners outside who are jogging obviously for exercise.  These people usually have headphone in that are connected to an ipod or cell phone. The only reason I find this to be odd is because they are outside. If they were in a gym and listening to some type of device, it blends in, and the scenery is not so great so it makes sense to want something to distract yourself. When outside, there are various natural things to observe that people are just brushing by. Take out the headphones and listen to the birds sing.

Kristin Melton-- Victor Turner 3

Turner defines 'Marginality' as a category whose individuals often look to their group of origin, the inferior group, for communitas, and to the more prestigious group in which they mainly live, for the structural position, may be critics of the structure from the perspective of communitas.  This caught my attention because I have seen this term before in  Sociology courses.  From a sociological view point, marginality refers to the designation of a person or group as peripheral to the main group or groups of society/ the status of being part insider and at the same time part outsider in a society or social group.  This is often associated with the example of women CEOs.  This position has long term been male dominated and the women are often times marginalized by their male co-workers. Turner's definition can still apply to this situation.

Dan Matarazzo, Other 3

My girlfriend’s family has a long standing ritual of hunting early thanksgiving morning and celebrating with a large thanksgiving breakfast. Make no mistake, this is sacred to them; to the point that the first year of dating their daughter, I wasn’t invited.  The initiation for this ritual was waking up close to 330 in the morning to prepare to hunt and set up the blind. As part of my initiation into their ritual I was not to hold any of the guns and obviously wouldn’t then be allowed to shoot any of the deer if they would have walked by. I still enjoyed my part in their ritual and kept an eye out for deer. The morning was very slow with very little signs of deer. The only deer we saw all day was one I had barely spotted when I saw a flash of white along the tree line. The deer seemed to almost feel our presence as it walked the outside of the tree line like a tight rope to stay out of range of us. Just as it seemed the morning was going to be completely uneventful, a bald eagle flew above us. I felt very connected the natural world around me as we simply observed it for upwards of four hours. Also, the feeling of being accepted into another group’s ritual made the morning very special. 

Noland Trail Expedition Journal: Adin Katz

Recently we took a trip onto the Noland trail as a class and I had the opportunity to experience it firsthand.  As per the professors instructions I tried to take in as much as possible noticing little as well as big things all over the trail.  At first I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for but as I opened my eyes and became less focused on where we were going and more focused on what was directly around me I noticed quite a lot of interesting things.  Primarily these things, as I noted in my writings that day, were foliage and small animal habitats that had been recently vacated.  In this essay however I would like to focus on one sighting in particular.

I found what appeared to be a collapsed canopy of brush just off the trail.  I noted on my paper that the opening into the collapsed area was oval shaped but nearly round standing five or so feet in height and opening its maw nearly 3 feet across.  Upon closer inspection I found that the grass had been packed down in this place and that the area was inexplicably circular for something that had naturally occurred.  Before walking on I noticed that aside from the opening that I described above that the rest of the enclosure was walled in solid for feet in every direction by thick brush and thorns.  It certainly brought about some interesting questions such as why the brush was mysteriously missing in the center, and a gaping hole existed in the front.  At this point I was forced to walk on to keep up with the group but I returned a few days later to examine the spot more carefully and I realized that new growth had begun, ever so small but still there in the middle are just inside the hole in the brush.  Now I was genuinely curious so I came back to think on it at some length and research perhaps what it could be.

                By this point I obviously had some idea as to what it might be, my initial though was that it was some type of shelter, something that animals used in order to stay somewhat dry and insulated from the wind.   But my analysis did not stop there, as I continued I thought about similar structures I had seen before and the first one that came forward was one that existed on the outskirts of my property back home.  Just as with this shelter, the one on my property was formed out of a space in the brush and nothing grew in the middle or in front of hole similarly sized in the front.  So now that I have been able to identify what the thing is my next question is obviously what occupied it and why is it presently vacated.  Well in answer to the latter, the answer struck me moments later.  I remembered that the ceiling of the enclosure had fallen in, leaving it roofless so to speak most likely forcing its last tenants onward in search of new shelter.  The former however took a little more thought.  I would after my research assume that they were most likely deer, given that in a recent study by the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries they found that in Newport News only 16% of the land would function as deer habitat (p.16). Given this I would infer that Noland trail most likely functions as a bit of the habitat and thus deer probably exist in the park in certain regions.  Given that they live here it wouldn’t be that farfetched to say that they could have used this hole in the brush as a habitat during the cold months by laying together inside the brush to keep warm. This explains the lack of growth in the middle because they would lie nightly together and their combined weight was plenty enough to deny growth of any kind.  In conclusion I found this find rather fascinating that I was able to observe, analyze and infer so much from just a little hole in some brush.  I will remember in the future to remain more open to my environment so that I can have the greatest understandings of my surroundings at all times. 

Emily McDaniel - Nature Experience

I don’t spend a lot of time out in nature. Most of my free time is spent indoors and any trip outside for a prolonged period of time is usually a family event. The most recent, and even then that means nearly 10 years ago, my entire immediate family rented a cabin out at a wilderness park. Even with everything they offered, all we did was spend every day down by the lake swimming or, just once, we went out canoeing at night. I was the only one that had been canoeing before in my life so for once I took the initiative and pushed for us to go. A guide at the park led us out to the middle of the lake, and by the time we were out it was pitch dark. From out on the water, we could look further up the mountain and see where the light in the living room of our cabin shone through the window. Other than the outline of the mountains and the stars, that was the only thing we could see. I can’t say that I was altogether moved, being as young as I was, but I did feel an appropriate amount of awe at the sight. And scared. I liked canoeing, but it was dark and the water seemed very close all of a sudden. My younger cousin in one of the other canoes actually started to panic a little, and soon after we were being led back to shore. It’s only looking back on it that I see this as a time where I might have truly connected with nature.

Emma Byers: Personal topic 4

     In the article “At the Sanctuary: Further Field Notes on the Shrine Festival in Modern Tokyo” by Allen Sadler, he describes one festival that has been unchanged in Japanese culture called the shrine festival. A priest who has been trained in the traditional ways runs the annual festival, inviting the god out of the shrine and leading him around the festivities and then, after all of the rituals are performed, leading the god back into the shrine and closing the doors in order to keep the god there for another year. Music and dancing in this festival is not used as a portal for the god but just as entertainment for him so the god may be distracted while offerings are brought to the shrine. The teachings of the priests have been untouched for generations and have kept them close to their ancestor’s spiritual roots.

Emma Byers: Personal topic 3

     In taking this class I have realized that my life has been off balance for quite some time. I am in a desperate state, trying to figure out what I want out of life and what I believe in. I’ve been at war with myself trying to decide just what it is I think is out there and I realized that I have never ventured off on my own or taken my own path. I have never been detached from humanity, my family or friends. I need to be alone, away from civilization and have my own experience with nature. I thought spending 6 weeks on the hiking trip would be the perfect opportunity to disconnect myself from everything I knew and be at one with myself. Unfortunately my mom took away the one chance I saw of balancing out my life with reasons that weren't even relevant to the summer or the trip. All I want is to drive away somewhere with no destination planned or mapped out and just see where I end up and let the road take me where I need to go. I need to find my inner peace again. 

Emily McDaniel - Noland Trail

Going out on the Noland Trail, I decided not to stick to the path. I had gone separately from the class, so I couldn’t be sure if I was even in the same area they had been in to begin with. I went pretty far off the trail, just out into the trees and fallen leaves. It had been sort of rainy so I had to watch my step, and a few times my shoes started to get sucked under. Thankfully most of the really muddy spots were covered with the leaves so the going wasn’t too rough. I had been out there earlier in the semester, and I couldn’t be sure if it was the same part of the trail but it seemed similar enough. I had been looking for lizards and salamanders then, as a part of a class project, so I had been more focused on overturning every log I found and avoiding spider webs. This time I was still keeping a sharp eye for spiders, and after thinking a while snakes as well, but I still managed to come across a part of the trail further out. I had managed to skip over a good part of it, and after following it for another few minutes I was looking out onto a small body of water. I don’t know the layout of the Noland trail very well at all, and the angle I had from the trail wasn’t very good, but it appeared to just be a small lake or pond. No animals as far as I could tell, and the top layer of water was grimy looking and oily.

            I didn’t want to linger too long. The place was pretty gross and thinking back to the example we had been given, I thought finding a living thing to observe would result in some more inspiring note taking. That pond was very dead. Maybe there was something living at the bottom, but the ground between the trail and the edge of the water was a swamp. I also really didn’t want to get very close. I thought of maybe throwing something in. There were small burs all among the dead leaves, so I grabbed a handful and threw them in as best I could. Most of them were too light and missed the water entirely, while the rest just ended up sitting on top of the water. I don’t know if I should have expected them to sink, because I did, but I started to wonder if that oily sheen it had was some kind of film on top of the water that was keeping them afloat. Could there really be something living in that? It had been gross before, but now I suspected it wasn’t even a natural body of water at all.

            I left after that, followed the trail back to the beginning and kept my eyes peeled for anything but I guess it was too cold. I heard a few birds, but whenever I looked for them I didn’t see any. It was all a little disappointing, and really all I could think about later was finding a long stick to see if I could stir up anything from within that cloudy water I had found. Trying to think of the experience again later, I tried to take the experience as a learning experience. Even within nature, there are places without any life in them. If that had really been a natural occurrence, if that water hadn’t actually been polluted and somehow the water had gotten that way through natural causes, then just maybe there had been something living there. I imagine it was only mosquito larvae or something, though.

Tucker Frye- Ferns on the Noland

     Walking through the Noland Trail, there is a seemingly endless supply of nature. The only thing that reminds you that you are not in the wilderness is the gray pathway your feet follow and the occasional passerby. Colors swirl as if mixed in layers by a master painter. All around are different shades of brown that climb up into a sea of green. The pathway divides a floor of green that often extends above the ankle. Beneath the leaves clipping my legs is a soft ground of brown dirt, lush with life I cannot see. These are the most prominent and continuous colors that follow the gray pathway, but there are others that fill the forest with life. Flowers of many colors bloom in different positions. Some kiss our ankles while others poke at our heads. Beautiful whites, blues, pinks, and reds turn the ceiling of the forest into a light show.
     Among all these plants, there is one that seems to stand out to me. It is not the most exotic looking plant at first glance, but it is constant and I seem to notice it more and more. It's a fern. A green fern stares me in the face wherever I walk. The farther I walk, the more different they become. Ferns of different sizes and shapes litter the ground. The only thing that seems to connect them are the many jagged fingers that extend from the stem.
     Obviously there is something special about the fern if it appears so often on the Noland Trail. I did some research and found that there are about forty types of fern in Virginia. Of the forty different types, all forty are on the Noland Trail. In fact, the first thing you see when you first enter the trail is small stand of ferns. The different types of ferns were brought to Newport News park by George Mason, a hull designer who worked at the shipyards and was one of the original workers to help develop the park. Interestingly enough, Mason found that all but four species of Virginia fern already grew in Newport News park. He added the final four and called his collection complete.
     My first reaction to my research is "Wow how neat!" But after reflecting longer on the movement of the fern species I can't help but feel at odds with the man who so easily changed the natural habitat. Who is he to think that he can simply throw a bunch of ferns into an already established ecosystem? Then I began to think about what is the difference between a man putting seeds of a certain species into an area where that species had no previously existed, and the wind carrying the seeds or perhaps a bird dropping them off. The latter version is more natural right? A bird eats a seed from one place and then drops it off in a new area. Well, that is no different from George Mason's version. He did not pull out the genetics of one fern and mix it with another plant. George Mason took some seeds and planted them in a new area. Suddenly, this man-made forest has become much more natural again.

Emma Byers: Personal topic 2

     On December 4^th  2011, two of my residents, Kim and Sierra, were hit by a drunk driver going down the wrong way on Jefferson. One was killed instantly and the other one died in intensive care the next night. I had never experienced death so close to me before and did not know how to handle the situation at all. I cried every night thinking of how unfair it was for my girls to be taken away at such young ages, Kim still being 17. I had to be strong for the rest of my residents because none of them knew how to handle the situation either, I helped them all cope with it as much as I could, but neglected to make myself feel better in the process.

     On the day of their memorial service, my resident Abbie came up to me, a sense of loss and confusion blanketed her face as she looked up at me. I asked her what was wrong and she told me she just couldn’t figure out what to do about the death, she was experiencing the distress of losing someone close for the first time just as I was. I told her that they were such good girls that they couldn’t have ended up anywhere but heaven. She then started tearing up and clung to me and told me that she wished she could believe that but in her religion there was no heaven or hell and that once you died, that was it, there was nothing afterward for the soul. On hearing this I was in shock. I had never imagined what it must feel like to not believe in a heaven and how scary it must have been for her to think that Kim and Sierra’s lives had just vanished from this world with nothing for them afterward, gone forever.

     This made me begin to cry as well. I held her close and told her to think of the good things they did and the happiness they brought to people while they were here with us. Only think of the smiles they brought to our faces, the laughter we shared until tears rolled down our faces, and the long talks about our futures that we would always ponder while together. In my mind I recalled the poster that they hung high in their room that said “Smile every day because you are alive”. The girls who had the most wonderful outlook on life were the ones that had to be taken from this earth so unexpectedly. Talking to Abbie helped me heal, it helped me to talk myself into seeing the good things they had brought to this world and without those thoughts I don’t think I could have recovered from the incident. She saved me.

Robert Lannes: Transitional Phase of Life

     As everybody grows up, they live in a place they can call home.  A place that your family lives, and is somewhere where you can go no matter what.  Its a sense of consistency in your life.  But when you get older, at some point you move out of this house, permanently, or temporarily.  I personally, like all of my peers, are in this transitional phase of life.  I live on campus, and my living arrangement will change every year, lacking consistency.  I go home over breaks, which is also not consistent.  I am seeking out a degree so I can get a job, acquire an income, and hopefully regain the consistency of living.  Some might say that I am in a limenal phase of life, in transition, dealing with things that I am not used to.  I have formed a watered down sense of communitas by joining a fraternity, and living in the greek house.  Though these things aren't the same and being on a pilgrimage, I can find elements of it in my daily life.

Joe Conway Noland Trail

While walking on the Noland Trail, it's hard not to be distracted by the many sights and sounds around you. From bugs to birds and many other creatures, the area around the trail is surrounded by all kinds of nature that you dont see everyday. While being slightly afraid of nature and the unknown, these views perplexed me as i walked down the trail, trying to soak in all of the sights and sounds. After being stuck in bland classrooms all day, this refreshing experience brought a wave of interest to my thoughts.
As we walked down the trail i tried to imagine what it would be like to continuously hike on a trail like this for months, and the mere thought blew my mind. I have never been on a trail for more than a few hours, and the stamina that it would take to complete a trail is something that i admire. As i walked through i imagined what it would be like to be continuously hiking and the changes of scenery you would encounter throughout the trail. This would be the most enjoyable part of the experience for me being able to see all the different regions on foot and the connection to the land that i would gain.
The beauty and scenery of the Noland helped me escape from my perspective of the world for a while. Even though we were only a couple miles away from roads and cars and civilization, i was completely immersed in the wildlife around me. This feeling gave me a sense of calm and understanding, bringing me away from all the problems and craziness of society.

Landscapes of the Sacred #3: Adin Katz

In this final Journal on the landscapes of the sacred I would like to take a moment to talk about the difference between space and place in America.  The idea struck me as incredibly interesting, place being the refuge from the awful and scary space; The unknown vs. the understood, the contained vs. the wild.  As I understand the concept place is something created by humans that makes sense it has boundaries, you are aware when you are in it because it is safe and in a way walled in.  space on the other hand in wild and free.  It is entirely boundless, the frontier waiting for someone brave enough to enter and settle it.  People use place to escape space, people seem by the definitions of these two concepts to only want to spend a certain amount of time out in space.  Space provides temporarily relief from the everyday hustle and bustle.  However, people want to return before too long to the place that they know and understand because there are no unknown fears, nothing that we do not know about.  I think that people are certainly more afraid of things that they do not understand or when they are unaware of what might happen.  In place there may be harm that can be caused but they are all things that people are well versed in, space on the other hand is anything but well known.  It really makes you realize the bravery of pioneer and frontiersmen  no matter what the field of study or work is, pushing boundary of place into space could possibly be one of the most dangerous activities to be taken up.  

Landscapes of the Sacred Journal #2: Adin Katz

In this next installment of my journal I would like to take the opportunity to discuss my feelings on the three approaches to understanding sacred place introduced by Lane.  The  different approaches are ontological, phenomenological, and cultural.  Each approach delves into a different way to study sacred place.  If I were to pick an approach that I feel I most readily align with I would have to pick the ontological approach.  I  believe that places do have intrinsic power in the form of chthonic or numinous power.  Just from my own experiences of entering places that send chills up and down your body, being in a place where you can simply feel that something powerful exists here and for a small moment you hope its benevolent.  The cultural approach, believing that people assign meaning to place which have no intrinsic power, is flawed in my mind for this reason. It’s a weird thing to say that you just know something, you can feel it in your bones. I have experienced the power of certain landscapes and it certainly wasn’t because someone told me it was there before I got there.  Frankly, this whole though goes against the research mentality that I have adopted since entering college, my mind is begging my to cite this to some study in order to prove my point but in this case I don’t have one readily available and I make this claim that ontological makes more sense than cultural on the basis on nothing more than my own personal experience. 

Landscapes of the Sacred Journal 1: Adin Katz

In my first journal on the required texts I would like to take the time to discuss Lane’s axioms for the study of sacred place.  These axioms provide a few simple rules by which sacred places abide by.  There are four such axioms but in this journal I would like to focus on the third axiom which according to Lane (2002) is that “sacred place can be tred upon without being entered” (p.19).  This axiom is one that I find particularly interesting because it describes how sacred place is not universally so for everyone.  In fact sacred places can be so for individuals based on a personal experience, or maybe for a religion such as mount Sinai in Judaism. This axiom explains that other people can be in the sacred place, there is nothing preventing entry, however just by being there it doesn’t necessarily make the place sacred for that individual like it would for the group that holds it sacred.  Honestly when I read the four axioms this one probably is my favorite one to think about because it reminds us just how small and unimportant we all are and just how much we don’t know and understand.  If we can exist in a place and not fully understand what it means it just makes me wonder what else we don’t notice.  

Free Topic #4: Adin Katz

With my final free response journal I want to talk about how it would seem that people are too obsessed with their day to day lives to take some time out to venture into the wilderness or at least nature of some kind.  So often today we as a culture ignore or are simply ignorant of the world around us outside.  My observation is that we have become so obsessed with the goal or destination that we forget about the journey.  This rinse and repeat style of living discourages and even prevents straying from the mold.   Without the journeys in life though many people would simply argue that the destination isn’t worth it and this is true when wilderness is concerned. Exploration both introspectively and of the world around is a key part of learning and one of the best places to do this in in the wilderness.  As a people we have to turn the computer off, put down the remote, and get outside for a bit every day and not simply for exercise but for self discovery as well. 

Free Topic # 3: Adin Katz

For this journal I would like to recount the journey that I took in my Boy Scouts career to Philmont Scout Ranch.  Particularly, I feel as though my journey up to the top of Mount Baldy has a lot to do with some of the concept that we have discussed in class.  We began early before the sun had risen, which was technically against the rules but we wanted to summit first, and started hiking the five mile stretch to the top covering close to 4000 feet of elevation most of which was in the last mile.  The weather was brisk but began to warm as the sun came up and lit the world around.  The mountain came into sight seemingly out of nowhere as we came out of the trees and into an open field.  After an arduous scramble up the last mile or so of loose rocks that were devoid of life we summited.  The fourteen members of our crew stood alone on top of the world, the tallest thing for miles and miles around.  It was here that we had what I would now define as a bit of communitas, we all took turns commemorating out accomplishment by urinating of the side of the cliff, no it might not have been the most mature thing to do but at least we left no trace.  In that moment we all felt as if we had accomplished something great and together we were bound not by the fact that we were all boy scouts from the same troop but because we had shared the accomplishment of summiting this mountain together.  

Free Topic #2: Adin Katz

In this journal I would like to discuss an experience of liminality that I found to be rather interesting.  Liminality as we all know is a sense of being between places, on the threshold as it would be.  One common example of architecture that exemplifies liminality are the arches common in the Shinto religion of Japan.  These arches, as I understand them, are used as gateways between the real world and the spirit world through which people may pass through and pray to the spirits or kames of certain landscapes and spirits may pass into the real world.  The arch that I would like to talk about today is erected outside the National Botanical Gardens in Washington D.C. standing bright and red against a pale grey landscape.  Although this landscape is far from natural the arch represents a threshold as you pass under it.  You are venturing from the dead world of the city, a maze of granite and marble buildings full of offices and suits into a world of green plants from across the world protected within the greenhouse.  It truly is a different world that so many people pass idly by without so much as a second glance and frankly it is one of the most beautiful places in the city and a refreshing reprieve from the mover and shaker mentality of the city.

Free Topic #1: Adin Katz

Free Topic #1:  Adin Katz

In my first free response journal I would like to take the time to discuss my feelings on trail magic.  I would say that trail magic doesn’t detract from the actual journey that a hiker is taking it is part of the journey.  The Appalachian Trail wouldn’t be the same without people who set up places for hikers to stop through and get a hot meal, or kind individual who offer to slack pack.  The fact is that even though slack packing takes the weight of your back making the trail easier, the interaction with the individual willing to slack pack you is part of the experience and as such I feel that trail magic is just as much a part of the trail as Mount Katahdin is, well maybe not in so much of a physical sense.  I hope one day to hike the Appalachian Trail and for my part I can honestly say that I will willingly accept this “trail magic” where it is offered, because in my mind the trip isn’t about isolation, it’s about seizing the opportunity to experience everything it has to offer.  

Outside Reading #3: Adin Katz

In this final installment of outside reading journals I will use the book Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. This book is the final book in the series of the popular Eragon series.  Within this book there are several things that I could directly link to this class however the one thing that I would like to talk about today is the Menoa Tree.  The Menoa Tree is the oldest largest and strongest tree in the forest of the Elves, within their capital city of Ellesmera.  In this fantasy world, everything living has a consciousness which, if properly schooled, can be touched by your own and be able to speak and otherwise interact with the consciousness in question.  At one point in the plot Eragon, the main character, is forced to use this technique  to speak with the Menoa Tree. The result is what I would like to tie into the course theme.  When he reached out with his consciousness to talk to the tree, the consciousness he was met with was a flowing giant similar to an ocean that was so powerful that it didn’t need to be concerned for its safety against would be attackers.  When Eragon attempting to communicate with the tree he was met with indifferent emotions, the tree was so powerful that it didn’t care for one small little being in the grand scheme of things.  Perhaps this is the way the wilderness works in our world, a truly powerful entity that has this power intrinsically but chooses to remain indifferent to people who venture in and only those that truly search can be found with any form of success.   I must admit that this theory appeals to me greatly, it just seems fascinating.  

Outside Reading #2: Adin Katz

I had the opportunity to read a piece by Douglas Christie entitled The Wild and The Sacred which opens with a section that talks about the disregard people have the wilderness through an anecdote concerning Headwaters Forest in northern California.  The Pacific Lumber Company is trying to cut down these colossal fantastic trees and the people of the area have come together to form a protest.  I discussed this in a section of my paper as an example of communitas where people have lost their social structure and are here connected through a mutual goal of saving the wilderness.  At one point in the reading the author quotes a drummer who states that the people and the forest are sharing one heartbeat which struck me as extremely interesting.  This is due mainly to the fact that we have become so isolated from nature since the industrial mentality set in. these people at this protest are aware of the importance of the wilderness and how it must be protected so that people do not lose it forever because despite its great power it still is fragile compared to our destructive might.   I discussed in my journal about landscapes of the sacred Lane’s idea of space and place and the need for a balance of both.  Here we see where place is attempting to disrupt this balance and thankfully people are there to oppose it unified in the knowledge that wilderness is necessary just as much as place is.  

Outside Reading #1: Adin Katz

My first outside reading will be from something I stumbled upon while doing my annotated bibliography project that has stuck with me.  It comes from Hippy Kippy’s 2011 Appalachian Trail Journal.  He says “I have been a little under the weather and so the climbt to the top of the steps apped my strength.  However upon entering the woods and climbing toward Springer, I felt life enter my body”.   I feel as though this statement shows the true power of the wilderness, it has healing powers; the power to rejuvenate not just the physical body but the morale of even the most beaten person.   It is almost as though wilderness is capable of passing its own life into those that enter it.  The place is truly greater in power than any that we could create with our hands and technology.  The ability of the wilderness to provide energy and life is something that I would love to study further, I find it fascinating that it can bolster people so easily.  

Outside Experience Journal #2: Adin Katz

Outside Experience Journal #2: Adin Katz

The second outside experience I had was taken around the Noland trail after we went as a class.  Although I did the same section of I went at a different time of day and in different weather conditions.  I went this time at sunset as the sun was coming down over the water bathing everything will golden light.  Also the weather was warm and clear with a nice breeze compared to the brisk rain that we went through while in class.  It truly created a new environment for me to explore and understand.  I am glad that I went back under different conditions because it provided me with an insight, that part of the reason that certain places mean things to others that we may not understand is because conditions are always changing.  If sacred place can be tred upon but not entered perhaps part of the reason is that in order to see the sacred you have to in the proper conditions.  Gardens of moonflowers are perfect examples, they are nothing but green vines throughout the day but at night they become something truly beautiful.   I actually learned more the second time through the trail than the first as if my eyes were more open, I will apply this strategy of journeying places more than once before trying to apply judgment. 

Outside Journey Journal #1: Adin Katz

I would like to talk about an experience I had over spring break.  I was staying with my girlfriend in Gloucester, VA, which isn’t very far from the school but it certainly is different.  The area is filled with large plots of land and farms, huge expanses of trees divided by sparse roads some of which are unpaved.  It is a truly relaxing place in some parts I must admit.  This particular journey took place at a local lake where there is a long hiking path that takes you around it, it is similar to the Noland in a lot of ways actually.  We, my girlfriend and I, ventured into the woods together and I came across the most peculiar spot where I had a feeling as though something was important about this place.  I cannot explain why or how I got this feeling just that it was unmistakably there.  Then I began to think about this class and Lane’s third axiom about treding on place and I wondered if something important had happened in this area.  It was after all historical, not being far from many of the early settlements of the Americas by the English.  As I recount it the experience seems rather ridiculous, how could a place so common appearing have so much power, but there it is just the same.  I could feel something, it made my adrenaline rush and my hair stood up on its end.  The whole experience made me come to a conclusion which is that perhaps place doesn’t need to be particularly stunning or intimidating to be sacred or to contain intrinsic power.   

Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture #3: Adin Katz

In this last installment of the journals from Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture I found an interesting snippet of text in the conclusion in which the authors revisit the idea of polycentrism and the role pilgrimages played in its rise.  Polycentrism is best defined as the term given to describe when a place has multiple political, social, or even religious centers.  Now in the case of pilgrimages they were routes to a goal.  The goal or finish line if you will had routes spider webbing out from it that multitudes of people came in through and with the need of so many travelers arose the need for support systems along the way.  It is extremely interesting then to see the way that churches and hostels as well as markets and taverns have popped up along these routes at specific points that might not otherwise have been settled if not for the pilgrimage running through.  My thought on them is that they seem to be still living mimics of the ghost towns that popped up in and around gold digs in the old west.  If there was need of some sort of support through water, shelter, food, medicine, or the like people would flock to provide, albeit for a small fee.  That seems to me to be the idea behind these pilgrimage support routes as well except that they one still exist and two see slightly more benevolent given the nature of the journey and its travelers.  

Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture #2: Adin Katz

For this journal I would like to discuss how liminality plays a role in Pilgrimage.  The book describes how through “passage rites: release from mundane structure; homogenization of status; simplicity of dress and behavior; communitas; ordeal…”(Turner &Turner 1978, p. 34).  The list actually went on and on however I did not have the time in the journal to delve into each and every attribute the pilgrimage borrows from liminality.  Continuing on then, liminality obviously shares a great deal with pilgrimages in this journal I would like to discuss release from mundane structure.  Release from mundane structure in liminality I believe is referring to the breaking of normal molds when someone begins a pilgrimage.  You cross the threshold out of the everyday and into the unknown.  One thing I would like to touch on here is that at the end of the pilgrimage there certainly is the liminal phase of re-entry which occurs as you come back into the mundane.  However here I would think that things would be different due to some type of insight gained on the pilgrimage otherwise what really was the point of taking the pilgrimage in the first place.  

Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture #1: Adin Katz

Early on in the text, page fifteen to be specific, I came across an interesting idea which I felt I had to discuss.  This it they idea that pilgrims after they complete this fantastic awe inspiring journey of reinvention and religious piety they must return to the mundane existence that they had once occupied.  Well this is only partly true, in many cultures when a person returns from a pilgrimage they are no longer the normal person that they were and are viewed by the community as having a greater understanding of all things religious.  I find this interesting because the book then goes on to say that it doesn’t necessarily grant any advancement socio-economically; there are no shifts in position within society. In fact many times people may lose some status or position in their absence.  I think this speaks to the power of pilgrimage and religion that it could draw people away to set out for the sole purpose of understanding and knowledge knowing that they stood to lose a great deal in the time that they were gone, which could be considerable in the case of El Camino Santiago del Compostela which runs nearly 500 miles which would have taken a great deal of time. 

Dan Matarazzo, Nolan Trail

The Nolan Trail gave me the opportunity to let my mind think beyond the confines of the classroom. The boundary between experience and lecture was absent as we ascended into nature. Unlike the classroom, where the only stimuli I get is the smell of dust and the occasional feel of the air conditioning vent, being outside allowed me senses to relate the physical world to the lesson I am learning. As we journey into the wood I can feel the trees and the brush get thicker around me, I can smell the pollen their flowers give off, and hear the leaves as the wind runs through the forest.

As I progressed deeper on the trail, the small details become more apparent.  I can feel the difference between large soft needles as I walk over them and sharp, firmer leaves that crunch as I step on them. My original view was that the plants were just scenery and had no developing role in the forest. However, the more I observed the more I realized that the trees, ferns, and bushes dictated who and what got to live where. They had the first and longest lasting say. They are constantly competing with each other; we don’t tend to think of it because we do not operate in the same time frame of the trees. The vegetation is competing against each other the same we that we compete.

The wildlife is competing against each other in real time. Our first experience on the trail is the osprey diving for food. Along with the competition among food and resources necessary for survival, there was another competition that was felt. One could say that it would be us humans projecting our own personality and views on life onto other life, but there was a competition for our attention, or to be noticed. When we came to the lake, there were no immediate animals in sight. Within 10 minutes there were about 4 turtles all gathered around. As to not be outdone the snapping turtle came out to out impress the small turtles

After spending time on the bridge I got to really take in the scenery of the lake. The prospect of the lake made me feel distant from the world. Even though our vehicles and campus was just a short 5 minute walk back on the trail. I by no means felt trapped but the way the water bended around the trees I felt enclosed. I was able to be at peace and not worried by the trivial problems of school and social life. 

Joe Conway Natural Experience

Last week while enjoying some nice warm weather at huntington beach, i took a couple of minutes to sit back and enjoy my surroundings. While laying down and listening to the waves come to shore, i started to think about how many life forms and communities were in the water in front of me. As i thought about this it made me think of water in a deeper level, and it's purpose in this world. It is key to our survival, and also important for many different functions throughout the planet. I came to realize that water is one of the most important resources in the world, but is not rare and exists in vast quantities, so is easily underestimated and overlooked by most people.

Emily McDaniel - Misc. #4

I’ve never had a true moment of enlightenment, as far as I’m aware. At least not one where I came to any sudden, life-changing realizations about something. True that sounds kind of disappointing. I’ve thought plenty about a lot of things though, like religion and enlightened thinking. I’ve come to terms a long time ago with my religious views and stuff, but whenever the opportunity comes I’m fine with staying quiet and thinking about things in nature. I hope I get to have some kind of moment like that sometime in my life, when I finally realize something and knowing it makes my life better or more fulfilling for it. I feel like my life is fine now the way it is, but it would be interesting to see how it could change.

Emma Byers: Personal topic 1

     While researching Hinduism, I found it to be an extremely interesting religion. In Hinduism, all gods are emanations of one all creating god called Brahman but there are almost no temples dedicated to him at all. His power is broken up into three high gods; Brahma (god of creation), Vishnu (god of preservation of life), and Shiva (god of destruction). The Hindu people dedicate more temples to the lower rankings of gods to appeal to the emanations of the high gods, for which there are at least 9 of for each. One of the more popular emanations for Shiva is Ganesh, his son. The story was that after a long period of being away from his wife Parvati, he returned to find her in bed with another man and in anger cut the strangers head off. It wasn’t until after the deed that he realized it was his son and regretting his haste, he promised to bring his son back to life with the help of the next animal he saw. An elephant appeared at that moment and now, any statue or image of Ganesh is a human body with an animal head. At the temples where Ganesh is worshiped there is no shrine to worship him. Pilgrims bathe his statue with milk and hope to gain prosperity and a new beginning.

Zachary Kuhn: Choice #4- Nature as sacred space

While doing research for my term paper, I came across the topic of people worshipping nature. Nature was the main focus in this religion often given the broad name of paganism. This religion worships many different gods associated with nature. This really made me think about how important nature is and how nature is often times associated with being sacred. Many time people consider nature so sacred that they worship it and have an entire religion based around it. This relates to sacred space in nature in that many people consider nature to be sacred, and every single person sees nature differently. In all different cultures and religions there is often times something that associates that culture and religion with nature, and nature as sacred space.

Emma Byers: Outside reading 3

     A few weeks after my resident read my Terra cards, I was visited by a guiding spirit animal in a dream. I came across a thick forest in the middle of the night where a young girl dressed completely in white was standing looking up at me. I looked at her and all she said was “Don’t be afraid” and she vanished into the trees. I ran into the forest after her and came to a small clearing in which there was one tree in the middle of a great valley. I walked toward the tree and looked up and from the top branch swooped down a giant white bat that was half my size. I held out my arm and the bat grabbed it with its feet and hung there looking at me. I stood petrified from fear of the creature attacking me at any moment and when its face came closer to mine; my own fear jolted me out of sleep.

     In the book “Animal-Speak” by Ted Andrews, he describes the Bat totem as the symbol of Transition and Initiation. Although the bat is viewed as a negative sign in modern times thanks to movies and books, in ancient cultures it was viewed as a powerful symbol that represented souls of the dead, was a symbol or rebirth and, in medieval times, were looked at as miniature dragons. The bat represents the breaking down of one’s self through rigorous tests and facing your greatest fears. A part of your life must die because it is no longer suitable for you. People fear transition and change which is why the bat is a symbol of a difficult journey and looked at to be an extremely powerful totem. 

Joe Conway Pilgrimage

While reading about pilgrimages, i tried to think if i have ever been on an experience similar to a pilgrimage. The closest thing i can think of is a mission trip that i went on a couple of years ago. This trip was to Harmons, Jamaica where me and a group of kids from my church helped build several houses and bonded with the community there. While i did not think i would be too affected by the trip, i learned a lot about myself and my faith while on it. It brought a very strong bond between me and the other kids that were there, and brought a lot of passion and renewed vigor to my faith. This trip helped open my eyes to the world around me and showed how strong of an impact service can have on a person.

Robert Lannes: Hebrews 9:3

     In the book of Hebrews, speaks of a room in the Holy Tabernacle.  Hebrews 9:3, "And behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place."  This room was in the very center of the temple, and was of perfect proportions.  There was a four inch thick curtain that separated it from view of anybody.  This is the room that the presence of God would enter.  There was only one person allowed to enter the room, the High Preist.  Any other man that entered this room would die instantly.  The high priest was to enter this room only once a year on the day of atonement, with blood to atone for sins.  When he entered this room they tied a rope around his waist so the he could be retrieved incase he was struck dead in the presence of the lord.  The veil is there so the Lord wouldn't have to see the sins of man, and this room also contained holy items such as the Ark of the covenant.  I think that this is one of the best examples of the Ontological approach to understanding sacred places.  The idea that the Lord is so powerful that looking at him would cause death is mind boggling.  Once Jesus had died on the cross, as the ultimate sacrifice for mankind, the curtain, which was 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width, and four inches thick, was torn in two all the way down the middle.  This represented what had been done, because of Jesus, now everybody had access to God as the high priest had.

Joe Conway Religious Views

Growing up, i have been introduced to many different forms of christianity. My family moved about once every 2 years, and my mother struggled with finding a church and denomination that fit after every move. This resulted in us going to many different churches, from baptist to prodestant. Although their denominations were different, the concept of christianity was still the same. This gave me a broad view on my religious beliefs and helped bring me to my views today.

Joe Conway Communitas

At first, the concept of communitas was confusing to me, and i had trouble seeing the difference between communitas and community. Now i think i have a much better understanding of communitas. The concept does not work around what makes the community, but why that community comes together. Communitas requires a mutual understanding or shared experience, such as the rigorous action of hiking. This communitas of hikers is brought together by their shared passion and through that a bond is formed. This bond transcends society and is at a deeper level of understanding, where people are together not because that is how they are placed, but because they want to be together.

Emily McDaniel - Misc. #3

I’ve never been on a trip for the sake of an actual pilgrimage before. I’ve prayed the Stations of the Cross multiple times every year near Easter, but the only trips I’ve been on were for sightseeing. There was one trip though that’s stood out, and every once in a while I’ll find my mind going back to it if someone happens to remind me. There was a church in Spain that I visited, and the story behind it was unique. It had once been a mosque, and then I think maybe some type of temple. It wasn’t until much later that it became a Christian church, but I don’t think it’s open to the general public for worship anymore due to it’s age. The style of the building reflects its history though. Every time its purpose changed, the people using it would redecorate and build on in order to fulfill their religious needs and beliefs. In the end, it was a graceful sort of hodgepodge of religious symbolism and ornate paintings. Its amazing that with each change, the previous art and artifacts weren’t completely destroyed.