Ryan Rusbuldt-Outside reading 3

This summer I am going to study abroad in Germany visiting the great cities of Munich, Berlin and Dresden. I was reading a basic book about German called, well.."facts about Germany" (real original right...). Well in this book, it tells the readers all about the history of Germany all the way from the beginning to moderen day. Also, the book describes the cities and primarily the significances they had in both WWI and WWII. I am really excited to see the country because well one, i am 75% German, and two, it is going to be a completely different landscape than I am used to. They describe these cities as magnificent Gothic like creations. Though German does not primarily have old Gothic steeples everywhere it does show a lot of history and is going to be a great trip. I am really excited for the new landscape I am about to witness and I am looking forward to learning much more about the place where I come from!

Ryan Rusbuldt-Landscapes-3

Lane shows a diagram of space vs. place in chapter 8. The diagram made sense to me because I think that to much space in one place can be very frightening. I am from a very big county in Virgina (Fairfax county). I don't get scared when I'm out in the open or anything, it is just the fact that there is so much space in one place. I have lacked the experience of that "small town feeling" because where I come from doubles the population of Alaska, OUR BIGGEST STATE! It is kind of annoying when people think they know much about you because of one acquittance. I wish I would be able to know what it would be like to have that small town feeling, the closest I ever got to that was in upstate New York in a small town called Penn Yan. My grandparents, aunt and cousins live up there and is always fun to go up and see them. I thought this chapter was pretty interesting because Lane shows both the pro's and con's of living the life as a normal human, and I feel he shows us what it is like to be a balanced person in today's world.

Ryan Rusbuldt-Landscapes-2

"In the fullness of primeval time, certain cosmic figures began an upward journey which brought them in the world as we know it Lane,75." Lane explains that there are more important places where there is mythically reconstructed in every ceremonial hogan where the ritual of creation is still rehearsed today. He is talking about the Navajo Indians how they have many ancient myths the tell the world in their prospective. "They emerged from their underground origin at a place which continues to serve as a vertical axis mundi, the location where contact with numinous power is still made (Lane, 75)." Obviously Lane is stating how important and necessary these traditions are and how they are so powerful and meaningful to them.

Ryan Rusbuldt- Landscapes- 1

Lane had three approaches to understanding the "medicine wheel" as Sacred Place. He said that these 3 skills will help interpreter the personal experience of a place. The approaches that Lane teaches are the ontological, cultural, and phenomenological approaches. The ontological approach means that a sacred place is RADICALLY set apart from everything profane, or evil. The cultural approach explained that the "notion that sacred places inherently possess an intentionality and power drawn from within or beyond themselves(Lane,43). The Phenomenological approach was demanding the attention of the people to the realization that the existence between humans and a "more than human world." However, Lane stressed the importance of "embodiment in the human experience of place (Lane, 44)."

Ryan Rusbuldt- Making Nature Sacred-3

In the book, Dillard talks about an experience where she is walking along a creek and then saw "the tree with lights in it. I saw the backyard cedar where the mourning doves roost charged and transfigured, each cell buzzing with flame (Gatta,211). She called this experience a "vision". Dillard's definition of a vision is an imaginative in-sight beyond physical sight. Since I did my paper on Tom Brown, who is well known for his vision quests, I can see the resemblance between both Dillard and Brown's definition of the Vision. I believe that Brown goes much more in detail with his Vision, however he has probably gone on many more vision quests. To me, Dillard seems to have a more general, easy to comprehend definition of her vision. Tom brown was very challenging to figure out what all his Vision quests had to do with his actual vision, but was very interesting how they all somehow puzzled together.

Ryan Rusbuldt- Making Nature Sacred-2

Everyone has an "imagination world", or a place you can find in your mind that can help clear your troubles in life. People also have imagination worlds within certain landscapes, places, and space. "Every landscape is exotic, from the perspective of those who stand apart from it. Even places we assume to be familiar remain, on some plane of perception, implacably strange (Gatta,175)." This passage makes me realize that places can be "exotic", or more or less wild. Even if it is not in the actual wilderness, some people can find places where they can escape from their problems and clear their minds of whatever may be troubleing them.

Ryan Rusbuldt- making nature sacred 1

Reading parts of John Gatta's book, has made me realize that nature serves a much more important role to the body and mind than i thought. Gatta explores the quest of
"Natural revelation". He does this by reading books, primarly the bible, and re-examines the views on which is put upon wilderness. He explains that nature is notoriously elusive, but strong belief and faith in his religion helps his outdoor experiences. Also Gatta believes there is to much secular skepticism in the United States today. Even though religion is still practiced today, he stresses that nature may not be looked upon as good as it would be if everyone was spirtuality developed.