Sacred Communication/Journey 2019

The author of The Phenomenology of Prayer  discuses the concepts of the sacred in the "Prayer as Kenosis" section. These concepts seemingly are contradictory, in that the first is that the sacred cannot appear and the second is that the sacred can come into our world by incarnating itself. The first can be seen in many religions, with the author giving an example of Zeus appearing in his true form and reducing the person who experienced this to ashes, as well as the example from class of Exodus 33:18-20 where God could not show himself to Moses and God states that "no one can see me and live." The author then gives an example of the second with Zeus appearing as a wanderer who people of that time. This is the notion of kenosis and can be seen in examples like when God takes on the form of a slave. While at first these notions seem to be complete opposites, one can see how they also work together. While we as humans might not be able to fully grasp the glory of the d...

The author of The Phenomenology of Prayer  states a few things that can be learned from Samuel's prayer in the Prayer as the Posture of the Decentered Self. Some of these things that I usually do not think about, and might not do when I pray might include prioritizing God's divine speech and that silence is a critical part of prayer. So often when I pray, I often focus on my praise of God and my needs, that I do not take the time to listen. This goes hand in hand with the other, with silence being a critical part of prayer. The author states that "We cannot listen very well to the voice of God if we are chattering ourselves or even merely keep ourselves surrounded by noise." This silence is not just an external thing, but also internal. We should clear our minds from what we normally think about and focus instead on God. I hope to move toward incorporating this into my prayer in a pursuit to become closer to God.

4 Axioms of a Sacred Place 9/24/19 The 4 Axioms of a Sacred Place are 1. A sacred place is not chosen, it choses 2. A sacred place is an ordinary place, ritually extraordinary. 3. A sacred place can be treaded but not entered. 4. A sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. These four aspects come together to help a person understand how a sacred place works. Through learning the different ways the axioms have affected people's lives, I wondered if they are actually as periodically in someone's every day life as we talked about? I think it can happen in simple occurrences like going on a walk or driving to school. Like with the author of Landscapes of the Sacred by Lane Belden, and how he experiences the 4 axioms at a spot in a forest in Mississippi. But I think the axioms would be more prominent in big events like where someone has lost a family member or something tragic as happened where it's hard to forget that event. It takes a lo...

In Image and Pilgrimage in Christain Culture  the authors talked about how pilgrimage is different from a tribal affliction ritual. One of these differences is how the person undergoing it receives some therapeutic action, or healing. In an affliction ritual one would expect to be made healthy by partaking in it, while in a pilgrimage one should not expect any kind of healing. The author states that "If a miraculous healing does occur, it attributed to the grace of God." This thought is not something I think many would typically have. I know that at least for me before reading this, and maybe even after, I would expect some sort of healing, message, or some other divine interaction while on a pilgrimage. I'm sure there are many others who also share this thought, and this could be the reason why so many get discouraged while on some sort of pilgrimage. One should not have to search for and expect God's intervention, and they should instead experience it naturally.

Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture does a good job at explaining why pilgrimages are important to a society. It also explains why these pilgrimages in Christian societies are a good representation of the social, cultural, and religious aspects to people's lives at the time. For example, Mexicans undertake a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadeloupe where a painting of the Virgin of Guadeloupe is displayed. This painting holds religious value but also acted as a symbol for Hidalgo's revolt. This pilgrimage is unique in that it is not only religious but a national identity for Mexico. My only question is why the book doesn't provide more than just a few examples of pilgrimages like this. The book only brings up two social/cultural/national pilgrimages and makes valid points about them, but it completely ignores the majority of journeys out there.

In Image and Pilgrimage in Christain Culture  I thought it was interesting how the authors explained that at the end of a pilgrimage, one will often be taken away from the standard symbolism that they are used to. I found it interesting because of how they explained that it is not simply a cultural change or a nature change, but a symbolic one. This is different because while culture changes can happen, you may still see the same meanings in the surroundings. From buildings to art, one could see similar values being prioritized through different cultures. While on the other hand, a symbolic change is seen through the art and buildings, and even the people sometimes. Toward the end, one may go from seeing little to no religious imagery depending on where they started from, to entire locales that focus almost entirely on it. This can have profound impacts on a person as well, giving a sense of God's wonder and impact.

When reading Landscapes of the Sacred a quote stuck out to me, "who we are, in other words, is inseparably a part of where we are." Immediately I thought; is he speaking of 'where we are' physically, mentally, spiritually, or all at once? While the spirituality of the place is mentioned and alluded to in the book, I think the main focus is literally on the physical place. The location of a sacred place clearly depends on culture in this instance, since 'who we are' as a collective can only be described as culture. These sacred places act as a physical manifestation of culture, something that is typically observed rather than embodied in a single object. I think Lane does an excellent job highlighting this idea throughout the book both in the context of native american and early settler culture.

Lane Belden, author of "Landscapes of the Sacred" explains that sacred places have the ability to define the people who populate it. He gives a quote and then points out that "place not only has a way of molding personality, but it serves also as an anchor of human existence." When reading this quote, one might think to themselves: What is it that the land around me says about me and how it changes me? When I thought about this I began to think about how often the land serves as the center of our world. We focus on it regularly, whether through direct thought or subconsciously. Through this thought of the land it begins to change us. For example, lands with a lot of trails may influence us to enjoy hiking and being more of one with nature. The opposite is possible too, with city like landscapes possibly driving us away from the wilderness. This is also just a simple example, but one can begin to see how the land changes a person's thought process and their chara...

In "Landscapes of the Sacred" one key point the author, Lane Belden, makes is that all of the area surrounding us is sacred, whether it is extraordinary or not. This contradicts what most think of as a sacred landscape, with only the unique and sublime landscapes being special. Belden reinforces this idea by stating our past "has conditioned us to expect the holy place to be marked by excessive beauty and grandeur, or at least by idiosyncratic fascination." He then points out the second axiom that a sacred place is very often an ordinary place, and it ritually becomes extraordinary. The author again proves the point he is making by referencing the prophet Micah, and how he recognized Bethlehem as an extraordinary place. This is something that many do not think about but can be seen over time when thought about logically. For example, the locations of historical churches and other places of worship are seen as divine, but in reality many are not in unique locations, ...

Lane does a great job explaining how a sacred place comes to be. He shows how culture, religion, and geography all play a role in determining a sacred place. I noticed this mostly agreed with the axiom that a sacred place chooses itself. At first I thought the book was disagreeing with this axium since culture is a human controlled aspect of defining a sacred place. However, I realized that since culture is a result of the collective and not the individual, that a sacred place does indeed chose itself at least from a cultural perspective. However, when concerning religion I was less convinced Lane's view agreed with the axiom. Many sacred places are simply churches commissioned by priests or the Pope himself. And in many of these places the church location isn't anything significant and there doesn't appear to be any reason for its particular location. In other words the religious influence over a sacred place seemed too human controlled from my perspective. Why are many ch...

In My Room by Brian Wilson 9/17/19 "In My Room" tells the story of Brian Wilson, famous singer and songwriter who was a part of the Beach Boys back in 1960's. However, this song was a solo that Wilson wrote when he began to struggle with his mental health. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and agoraphobia, which is the fear of places and social situations- anything that could cause any sort of anxiety or panic he avoided. Wilson would spend days alone in his room, being isolated. To others, He had become a hermit, but to him, it was his way of life. His room was his sanctuary; it was a safe space, a place to escape and pray. Wilson's room was an escape from the every day marketplace that he would call the outside world. His sanctuary can be compared to holy places, as they were also known as a holy sanctuary. The comparison was the most intriguing thought in this lesson: how comforting that space was for him, even though it was so simple. But I always ...

After finishing the assigned portions of the book, I would say it could be simplified tremendously. Not that the book was bad, but it was far too long for too little content. Essentially, the main points of the book could be summarized and explained in a few pages rather than a 300 page novel. The book does make good points though. Some of the main ones being: Praise God for who he is, not just for what he has and can do Forget oneself and focus entirely on God when praying (Kenosis) When asking for things, pray will full belief that they will happen Despite the wordiness and unnecessary length of the book, it succeeds in its objective. It teaches how to pray to God in a respectful, praising, and knowledgeable manner. It shows he's not just a being who gives you what you ask for, but is also the essence of goodness.

One of the main themes in Phenomenology of Prayer is that people should praise God in their prayers rather than just ask for things. Jill Robins lists the following scriptures from the Bible to emphasize this, ""If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and the place where it stays. But if he says, ‘I take no pleasure in you,’ here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him’’ (2 Sam. 15:25–26). Job says, ‘‘I belong to you.’’ David says, ‘‘I am at your disposal.’’ And Mary says, ‘‘Let it be with me according to your word.’’" In all these examples the person subjects themselves to the will of God. This shows understanding and respect towards God as the supreme authority. Simply asking for God's will to be done is something few probably ask for, since they think their own desires are what they want. Yet only God knows what's best for each person and so allowing him to guide one's life is a testament of faith.

A Day at Great Falls 10/12/19 My cousins and I traveled an hour away from home to visit the park for the day. It was a pretty cold day in the fall, so the heat wasn't too much. We traveled on the many different paths and trails that led us all over the park. Some trails were tougher and longer than others, and it became more difficult as the day went on. The trails we were going on were really steep and there were cliffs right next to them that were hundreds of feet tall. I'm very terrified of heights, so I convinced myself that I wouldn't go too far if we were too high up. But as I started to think about it more, I realized that I should climb the rest of the path. This trail was sublime: it was a beautiful scene with a gorgeous view, but I was so afraid of the treacherous climb and how high up it went. The thought of climbing the ginormous trail where I didn't know what was going to happen next was horrifying and intriguing at the same time. With the convi...

The Lions Bridge River            On October 29, we met at the Lions Bridge River, located in Newport News VA, for class. We started out near the gate which hovers right over the water. As we looked out onto the water, we could see the sun beginning to set: it lit up the sky with bright purple and pink hues. We walked over to the huge statue of "The Conquering of the Wild". It towered over everyone: there was a horse and a man trying to tame it with a rope. Below the main statue are 4 men in each corner: each of the men had a specific item in their hand which represents the structure of a civilization. They have to tame the wild and use what they learn from the wilderness in order to build up their civilization. We then moved onto the different plants and trees that were around. There were huge Magnolia trees surrounding the area with bright red seeds falling off the trees right in front of us. We also saw Sassafras trees. We each took off a leaf ...

After reading this book, I was unimpressed with the contents because it was very difficult to understand due to the large words that would be unknown to an average reader who doesn't know much about the topic. I think it is important to share the ideas and findings of the authors in the book, though it was hard to even know what they were saying because the books contain words such as "ecclesiastical" and "ethnographic" that I couldn't figure out with context. I think it is an interesting and very intellectual book, though I think I would have gotten more out of it if it was written for more of the average reader, or even college student. It was also very confusing the way it was written because it has random stories throughout that, when it is hard to understand the normal text, makes it even more confusing and hard to read.

Identity is a question that everyone asks, although as seen in the book, " Landscapes of the Sacred",   "Personal identity is fixed for us by the feel of our own bodies, the naming of the places we occupy, and the environmental objects that beset our landscape." I think the book has a point, but I think there are so many societal pressures and technological conveniences that many just try to fit in with the "norm" instead of finding out who they truly are. I think these technological advances have allowed us to become closer with others with new ways to communicate, but everyone is also wrapped up in their phones all the time. I think this has created a barrier and separates everyone with the real world and the 3D world. I think it is an interesting take on how the world should be-- relating ourselves to the world around us, and not the technological world.

The book, " The Phenomenology of Prayer", states, "According to Girard, our socialization involved our imitating other. It thus leads us to desire what the desire and hence to compete with them, often in violent ways, for possession of a desired object." I think that this can be simplified to a single phrase-- peer pressure. It is interesting how peer pressure can be related back to religion, and that people feel desires to be like and have what everyone else has so deep that they feel the need to ask God for it, instead of working to get what they want themselves. I think this also goes to the point that in today's day in age, people are very greedy and narcissistic while not being grateful for what they have. This quote illustrates the problem that these characteristics pose. Prayer, in my mind at least, is supposed to be meaningful and selfless, and not just asking for what others have. In the Christian religion, it is preached to serve others, though when ...

I have always hated my introverted-ness and naturally quiet nature of my personality. Growing up, I was always more of the listener of the group and not the one that wanted be at the center of attention. In the book, The Phenomenology of Prayer, the author writes, "We cannot listen very well to the voice of God if we are chattering ourselves or even if we merely keep ourselves surrounded by noise, almost as a barrier to protect us from hearing the voice of any other." In the aspect of situations as those, I agree with this quote. Always waiting for others to talk, or just putting ourselves in constant social situations never allows us to listen to ourselves. I don't think that the "God" part of the novel is always correct because not everyone is of the same religion. Though, I would agree that it is important to listen to one's internal conscience, which cannot be heard when constantly in loud situations or with peer pressure. Although, there are situat...

I've never been a big distance runner. All throughout track in high school, I was a sprinter. I ran fast, and got all the pain over with in a short amount of time. Before taking this class, the thought of even walking 5 miles sent a shiver down my spine. I never understood why any of my distance running friends found it enjoyable to run so far. This class has taught me to see outside my interests, and to try new things. I have started running/ walking the Noland Trail every Sunday and Wednesday-- which is something I would have never done in the past. Although, I have realized that it allows me to become more "one" with myself and delve deeper into my thoughts as I peacefully run in nature. It also allows me to become more relaxed and think about priorities to me and my future. The nature setting brings a certain peace to my mind and allows me to let go of all my negative feelings. I think connects to the wildness of the wilderness/ nature, and it grants me access to be...

Viewing Nature Interactively #2 The Marching Captains had the awesome opportunity of going to Chicago to perform in their Thanksgiving Parade! However, when we weren't freezing our butts off marching down the streets of Chicago, we were allowed to explore the city on our own. My best friend and I decided to go to Millenium Park and continued to explore the city for the rest of our day. You would think in a city you wouldn't see any evidence of nature, but there was way more than we thought! We actually found a dead pigeon on our parade route showing the circle of life, it wasn't super evident how it died... There was also this calming energy that we felt going into Millenium park with all the trees, especially with the leaves changing colors. Even though they were breathtaking, the Chicago wind made sure not many leaves were left. There were also tree roots sticking out from most of the sidewalks near the park. No matter how much concrete we pile onto this planet, it wil...

MISC Topic #3 Why would you need music on something like the Appalachian Trail? I wonder what our lives would be like without the huge world of music streaming we have today. One hiker says "Some hike to discover themselves, others for spiritual reasons yet there are those who would hike to set a speed record. Then there are those who just want to get away from all of the “stuff” and the hustle and bustle. Oh yea, did I mention solitude and nature lovers. Music while hiking the trail might be useful for some to help them keep pace of the distance they are walking. I’ve heard that others use this time to catch up on tunes they haven’t heard from their favorite artist.  Yet again others just can’t exist without some type of noise." Even though I listen to music constantly, I think that I would avoid listening to it on the trail. There are pros to listening, however, If I were to distance hike, I would want to "shake off the village" completely to experience my is...

While out on the Nolan Trail, I found it hard to find any one specific thing to hold my interest for more then a few moments, but just when i felt my luck had ran out I found something. On my way back to the parking lot I took a path that led me in to a large open field. In the center of the field stood a massive oak tree that cast a shadow on to the part of the trail that I was walking on. I was immediately struck by not only the tree's scale but also it's presence in the other wise empty field. None of the other plants in the field came more then three feet off the ground. The tree stood alone and I found myself naturally being drawn towards it. when I got to the tree i reached out and felt it's bark. The bark was rough and had the appearance of cracked mud. Being underneath the trees branches I was also able enjoy the relative darkness of the area shadowed by the tree. I have always found the image of a single tree in a meadow or field very visually appealing. I don...

A few years back I went on a school trip to South Dakota. We visited resevations, the badlands, the black hills, but my favorite was the day we hiked Black Elk Peak. From the start of the trail we hiked over 1000 feet in elevation to the peak, which towers at over 7000 feet above sea level. Being on top of the mountain was an exhilerating experience. Surrounded by sheer drops and deep cracks in the jagged rock, I was both amazed with the beauty of the view, and frighted to venture beyond the path. As it became time to eat I decided to venture down a passage between two rock faces. To my surprise at the end of the path the was a large circular patch of green gress seemingly cut out of the mountain side, completly inaccessable from anywhere other than the passage, or so I thought. While I was eating with my friends we looked up to see a stark white mountain goat stainding just feet in front of us. We all sat there motionless, and watched as it went on to travese the verticle rock face th...

I have always been an outdoorsy person: I love hiking, especially hard hikes. I heard about my mom's cousin who completed the AT. After hearing that, I wanted to complete it sometime in my life. Watching the PCT movie, it made me want to go out and complete the trail. I liked how it is less urbanized and that the scenery is very different compared to the AT. I like the remoteness of the trail and how when you go on it, you are by yourself. I also like the look of the desert landscape that the first 50 miles consists of. I think it allows you to see the differences between the east and the west. Also, like how the landscape can dramatically change when you get from the desert to the mountains. It shows the inconsistency of life, and that you never know what is going to happen. If I were to choose, I think I would choose to hike the PCT over the AT. My family has travelled out to the West states, like UT and AR, and I absolutely loved the landscape out there. I know that Dr. Redick...

10/24/19   What a beautiful day to be outside.  Late October, this time (around 5pm), the sun is setting and very nice on the water.  The woods feel tranquil and quiet, with only the occasional walker/jogger to disturb.  It's not as cold as up north in my grandparents town.  They live in up-state NY, and there the leaves are at their end and you have to wear a heavy coat.  Still, similar to here, they have a lot of pine trees due to the prehistoric sand bank that is near by.  The pines here are a different type though, more coastal.  Other than them though, here the leaves are changing, and you can see and hear small animals on the forest floor looking for food to store for winter.  At first it would seem only the people on this trail are disturbing the peace, but upon closer examination you can see that's not the case.  Or perhaps this sense of "peace" is false, at least in it's traditional sense.  This whole wood is alive, and ...

MISC Subject #1 Turns out I've hiked part of the PCT! This part is somewhere in the Laguna mountains and it was just breathtaking. I remember it being a tough hike but the views at the end of our decided distance were calming and clearing. Nothing like nature to clear your mind. I was quite athletic back then, I was on the track team and the hike seemed easier. I'm sure if I tried to hike it now it would be slightly more difficult. I'm grateful that I got to see such a cool part of the Pacific Crest Trail!

I always enjoy going outside to walk around and explore a new area. I am not one who can sit and listen to lectures for hours; I tend to get distracted to fidgety. Going outside to get a fresh air clears my head and helps provide and healthier mindset, letting go of all the responsibilities and lists on my laptop that have built up over the week. Observing every little thing around me, using all my senses. I stare down at the outflow of the lake water, where the warmer fresh water full of nutrients meets the York River. Where this happens, small fish swim upstream fighting the strong current. It was brought to my attention that in the spring months, larger fish make a journey through the current into the lake to spawn. We then walked towards the tree line where we encountered several plants that were landscaped into the side of hill heading towards a statue. The plants had fresh scents; I particularly liked the scent of the rosemary herb. It reminded me of my Aunt’s h...

Whether a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago is secular or not, the individual experiences a spiritual journey. A reason a hiker might take the trail is to discover their purpose or cleanse themselves. Some choose to hike in order to free themselves from sin or feeling of isolation from society as a result of poor acts. Although secular pilgrims don't label their actions and feelings as sin, they simply define it without connecting religion to it. Could it be possible to label such feelings as sin without its religious connotation? Even though the Camino holds dense religious history, it can be spiritually experienced in nonreligious ways. In the discussion, a building in ruins seemed to draw attention from hikers in such a way causing them to experience it overnight into the sunrise. This could be seen as "a sacred place [that] is not chosen, [instead] it chooses." The hikers didn't choose to make it sacred, but the rich stories it possibly holds gave the place power...

The one item that caught my attention out of all the rest that Dr. Redick had brought to class, was what I presumed to be a rough-looking rock. When I first picked up the rock, I thought that it looked eerily similar to a part of a spinal column. I picked up the rock and felt that the texture was very jagged and bumpy. With my two observations, I thought about whether the rock was once smooth and had been eroded by the environment over time. This led me to think about the rock as if it were a part of a spine again, and I wondered if maybe the rock could be interpreted as a death symbol. As Halloween had recently ended around the time I observed the rock, my story line related to it. It read: "Haunted by death, I started to see rocks as bones. I am reminded that death is a natural cycle of life." Looking back on my story line and interpretation, I realized that single rock had such a powerful impact on my overall outlook on life/death. All things, living and non-living, und...

Outside Reading #3 On a more extreme level, Edward (Chip) Ordman, wrote "What is Sacred?", as an attack on modern society. He claims that modern society has completely lost any common notion of what a sacred place is. With the progression of technology and media, it becomes difficult to stay in touch with the physical feelings associated with sacredness. His solution to combat this negative progression is to retouch old religious traditions. " One of my solutions when faced with many questions which I think modern society cannot answer, or does not have a sensible answer to, is to go further back in religious tradition, to the Hebrew Bible (a/k/a the Old Testament) or the Talmud. I see two classes of answers there. First, the sacerdotal. Religious paraphernalia and ceremony were central to Judaism before the year 70 of the common era, and are much less so today. While their modern cousins merit respect, this is of a limited type."  For me, to stay in touch with ...

Like I mentioned in the previous post, my attempt at a trail journal, I went into this hike with little expectations so that I could try and receive the most unfiltered experience possible.  Especially when it came to the communitas of the trail, I wasn’t looking for much. After all, most of the people who were hiking Old Rag were day hikers like myself, who would be returning to the “market place” later that day.  We didn’t have much time to cast aside the conventions of society necessary in developing communitas, nor would most even have the thought to. Most of the hikers were just trying to finish in time to beat traffic on the way home. Or so was my first impression.  Even without the binding factor of an impending long distance thru-hike, attitudes were different on the mountain.  People were friendlier, more willing to talk and help. Since I was doing my best to be as open to the experience as possible, I made sure to greet and acknowledge the other hiker...

"Separate world" Upon first encountering the trail with the rest of our class, I failed to perceive that my surroundings were apart of a much more sacred experience. The intimidation of the tall equestrian statue, in its glorious roman realism, at the start of the trail, reminded me that I was still present in civilization. Still present in a world where humankind attempts to tame the wild. When our class stopped at a towering redwood tree, I found myself completed entranced by a nearby animal trail. The animal trail did not appear very noticeable, but the path led down past the redwood tree and towards the peaceful edge of Lake Maury. At that moment I became aware that I had walked into a separate world; a world where animal and plant life flourished independent of human corruption. I recalled a passage from Landscapes of the Sacred,  which described that Sacred Places are "transformed by the imagination to that which is awe-inspiring and grand" (Lane 29). By shi...

I have to admit, all those weeks of studying the AT in Dr. Redick’s class inspired me.  Hiking has never been a thing I’ve minded, and I’ve been on one or two, but I’ve never felt a need to go out and climb a mountain like some people I know.  The last hike I had been on had been a disaster in the Adirondacks which resulted in my mom getting sick and my little brother drinking bug spray when my father selected a much too difficult climb for what we were prepared for.  Nevertheless, after the assigned readings about spirituality in the wilderness and the accounts of communitas on the AT, I wanted to get a taste of it for myself with a new perspective. Instead of looking at a hike as a race towards a finish line or a conquest, I decided to head out to Shenandoah National Park and see what happened.  Keeping in mind the axioms of a sacred place, I wasn’t looking for a “spiritual experience”, and this is just an honest account of my experience, not embellished fo...

It's sometimes hard to imagine a rock, or even a pinecone having so much significance in our lives. Though, I saw after class that these everyday things can. Dr. Redick brought in multiple different objects to class including pinecones, shells, and different rocks. The red, igneous- seeming rock seemed to catch my eye almost immediately when it was put on the table. It was rough with reds and oranges spread throughout it. As a kid, my mom and I walked the dogs everyday through our back trails all over the town. Our dog was named Iggy, short for Igneous (my family has this weird thing of naming all of our dogs after rocks and minerals, I have no idea were it originated from). Just seeing that small rock sitting on the trail reminded me of all the fun walks that my mom and I went on throughout all our trails, with our dog, and finding all the cool rocks and things that were littered throughout the ground. It is crazy how such a simple things, a rock, can bring back such strong memo...

Enjoy the Little Things too Rocks are everywhere. Trees are everywhere. Ants are everywhere, but how ofter to we actually notice these abundant, yet spectacular, things on our Earth? Walking on the Noland trail lit an interest in me that I have never really had in me-- it is crazy that sometimes things so small are so important in the way things run, though many times they are overlooked. I think that happens in our society too. There are so many people who do important actions, yet the louder people are always seen. Similar to nature, we see the vibrant, beautiful trees, not always the small ant hills or blades of grass. Though, without the grass, we would definitely miss it and notice that it's not there. Walking on the Noland Trail brought these thoughts to me, and the importance to celebrate even the small things in life. We wouldn't be where we are now in life if we only had beautiful flowers and towering trees, and no ants or grass. Same goes for the little victories ...

As we all stood around the connection between Lake Maury and the James River, trying to memorize every detail of the nature surrounding us, I could only think of one thing. I needed to get into that water. While the class observed fish, birds, and fallen trees, I had already mapped out the fastest path to the water. I missed swimming, and the sight of the open water was tempting. I was reminded of the story in the begining of chapter 8 of "Landscapes of the Sacred." The first time I read it, I was left a little confused, and I wasn't sure how this grotto became so revered. If there was nothing particularly special about this copy of a fountain, why was it viewed almost as a holy site. This thought led me to a section on page 218 that says "Our attachment to any place arises from what we experienced there and, subsequently, from what we retain of it in our memories." What sticks out most in my memory from the walk was not something I payed much attention to afte...