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.

May 8-Landscapes of the Sacred 2-Adrienne Jones

In chapter 8 of “Landscapes of the Sacred,” there is a diagram outlining the tension of space and place within American cultural life. On the left side of the diagram is Comfort, “The Myth of the Small Town.” This myth is based on the sense of comfort and security that is associated with a “homey” place. Although this place may be most comfortable for someone, it also presents a sense of restrictiveness in a person’s life. For example, when a person lives in one area for their entire life, they begin to feel restricted and closed in.

May 8-Landscapes of the Sacred 1-Adrienne Jones

One of the readings in “Landscapes of the Sacred” is about the Medicine Wheel serving as a sacred place. Here, Lane attempts to show the reader the importance of the interpretation of a sacred place in order to fully understand it. The Medicine Wheel is a circle of stones on the top of a mountain. The Medicine Wheel was used by Native Americans to worship the gods, and to perform sacred rituals. In order for one fully appreciate a place like this, they must understand the cultural, spiritual, and historical significance it has—otherwise, it will only be a bunch of rocks.

May 8-Making Nature Sacred 3-Adrienne Jones

In “Making Nature Sacred,” Gatta speaks about Wendell Berry, a highly asteemed author. Berry grew up in the Baptist church and practiced many of its structured, religious studies. Soon, Berry decided to move to Kentucky and start a life of his own, not to completely divide from the Christian faith, but to submerge himself with nature so he could better understand the magnificence of God. One point he made that was very significant to me was his ideal of heaven. In the Christian church, Heaven is seen as a reward for those who have done everything they needed to do while they were on Earth and deserved a paradise when they die. Berry slightly disagrees with this. Instead of saying that Heaven is a just reward to man, he sees it as a “divine gift to a fallen people,” meaning that it is because of God’s grace that we will live in paradise when we die.

May 8-Making Nature Sacred 2-Adrienne Jones

In “Making Nature Sacred,” Gatta writes about Thomas Morton’s Idol Experiment. Morton’s book, “New English Canaan” evaluates the idea of ideology in Puritan practices. The Puritans see themselves as being higher than all others, and essentially, being pure. Gatta argues that the Puritan lifestyle is valid, in some ways, but also extreme, in others.

May 8-Making Nature Sacred 1-Adrienne Jones

“The ‘divinely beautiful’ luminosity of these heights sets the tone of his account in The Mountains of California. Pressing toward the summit of Mount Ritter, he perceived the rosy evening alpenglow to be ‘one of the most impressive of all the terrestrial manifestations of God.” Throughout “Making Nature Sacred,” Gatta uses examples from authors to express his feeling toward his belief in combining religious practices with nature.

May 8-Class Adventure 2-Adrienne Jones

In class, Dr. Redick showed us a lot of sacred places that he got to visit. In one place, he spoke of a beautiful tree that he spotted while backpacking. I thought that this was extremely significant because in the picture he showed us, there were no signs of civilization or sources of plant life, except for that tree. This tree reminded me of the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. This was especially apparent when Dr. Redick showed us a picture of the tree a year later, dead and completely fallen over.

May 8-Class Adventure-Adrienne Jones

In one class, we got to go to the Lion’s Ridge. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. Just being able to learn about this place made me have a warm feeling of peace and serenity inside of me. This experience definitely opened up my eyes to something. Newport News is definitely not a place of great wonder and possibility, but this experience showed me that there is always more than what meets the eye. I can only hope that I take this experience and apply it to my personal relationships.

May 8-Coming of Age In Mississippi-Adrienne Jones

In the book “Coming of Age in Mississippi” by Anne Moody, she talks about the struggles she had to face as a young black female in the South. Throughout the book, she is reminded of the prejudices of the world but finds solace and peace within her home. This reminded me of chora, place, where there is comfort, peace, and serenity in the midst of a chaotic world.

May 8-Linden Hills 2-Adrienne Jones

In “Linden Hills,” by Gloria Naylor, a man gives up all he owns to create a housing area. The dedication page was quite stricking to me:
“Grandma Tilson, I’m afraid of hell. Ain’t nothing to fear, there’s hell on earth. I mean the real hell where you can go when you die. You ain’t gotta die to go to the real hell. No? Uh uh, you just gotta sell that silver mirror God propped in your soul. Sell it to who—the devil? Naw, just to the highest bidder, child. The highest bidder.”
This page, alone, shows the importance of finding one’s true self whether it be through nature or through religion because if you don’t, someone else will find you and take everything you have away from you.

May 8-Linden Hills 1-Adrienne Jones

In “Linden Hills” Gloria Naylor stresses the importance of a good understanding of self. I believe that we can find ourselves with time and patience. A good way to do that is to explore the world. By exploring the world, you isolate yourself from others to help you become more aware of your likes, dislikes, wants, and desires.

May 8-College Beauty-Adrienne Jones

Going to a new college is quite nerve racking. Trust me, I know. It was not easy to leave the comfort of a nice warm bed to a small room shared by a stranger. But from the moment I came to CNU, I knew it was different. There are so many college brochures that show the “beautiful” side of campus. But CNU is the only school that I experienced to actually emulate that beauty in real life. In the morning, I wake up early so that I can enjoy the sunshine and beautiful trees, grass, and flowers on my way to class. To me, that is peace and serenity. To me, that is sacred.

May 8-My Space-Adrienne Jones

This year I have the privilege of living in the CNU Apartments. As you probably know, each apartment has a kitchen, a living area, and separate rooms for each person that includes a private bathroom and a walk-in closet. This may sound petty, but this is sacred, to me. I have ten classes, three jobs, church participation, mentorship programs, as well as school organizations on my plate. So to have my own room represents me being isolated from the chaos of the world.

May 8-Shiloh Baptist-Adrienne Jones

My church is a sacred place, also. Stereotypically, people will always say that a church is always going to be a sacred place because it is a venue of religious affiliations. But my church has very special significance because I feel like I grew up there. As a military brat, I didn’t have a set place to call home. But Shiloh Baptist Church was always the place we came to visit when we were in Virginia. It also helps that all my family members live in the Tidewater area, and those on my dad’s side of the family grew up in that church.