Sacred Communication/Journey 2021

Chapter 3 of this book is a deep dive into why people pray and how, or if it helps them. There are multiple reasons why people pray. Some people do it because they want to thank their gods, others do it because they want to ask their gods for something or to forgive their sins. This chapter describes six of these reasons. These reasons are passion, correcting your mistakes or forgiving your sins, escaping everyday life, having a better relationship with God, and making yourself feel better. People who pray because they are passionate pray because they have a passion for their religion, not just happy with everyday life. Praying to correct yourself or to forgive sins is exactly what it sounds like, people pray like this to be liked by God later. Some people just pray because it helps them to escape their ordinary life and this is also common. Others pray because they want to have a better relationship with God, even though this may not be possible. People can pray just to make themselve...

I went to go see Lion's Bridge over fall break. While I was there, I had an amazing experience. I was able to go there around sunset, and it was beautiful. Everything about this park is spectacular. I took a few moments to sit down and absorb the nature around me. I heard birds singing and the sound of trees rustling in the breeze. I saw the sunset over the water and it was amazing. I sometimes do not like being out in nature, but I loved every minute that I was in the park. Soon, it got dark and I had to leave. I am not a religious person, but I can understand why someone might call Lion's Bridge a sacred place. I had a wonderful time there and I hope that I get a chance to visit it again soon.

 I have mentioned in the past that I am non-religious, however, the prospect of spirituality is one I relate to rather heavily. I grew up with parents who were also ultimately non-religious, however, my father in particular is highly spiritual. To me, nature isn't some way to connect to God or a higher power necessarily but I do use it as a means to connect with myself. On the day of class, I walked to Lion's bridge, and I walked home as well. The walking was nothing new to me as I do it quite often to ease my mind. Out on the Noland trail, I couldn't concentrate. Too many classmates, the lecture bored me out of my skull since I grew up here, and the weather was too hot to be enjoyable. That being said, I later went back out to the trail on a later date by myself. This was when I was truly able to connect to it. While still aware of my surroundings, such as the various dogs being walked about, the dead animals on the side of the trail, and the bugs flying past me, I felt as...

           I really relate to the very opening of this book. The author talks about being told that prayer was simply asking God for things you want or need. As a child who grew up in a modern day Christian Megachurch, I was told the exact same thing. And it has taken years and years to try to pry that idea out of my brain so that I can truly understand and appreciate prayer for what it is. And what it is, is different for every single person who prays. I love the idea that this book suggests that prayer begins decentering. I haven't ever encountered the idea of decentering as a good thing.      As the book moves forward, it goes into how different people pray which is one of my favorite things to learn about. The uniqueness of prayer keeps it so incredibly interesting. There's a fantastic youtube video I watched just the other day about how different people pray. I loved it. Just as the book says, prayer precedes language. Even when there ar...

      Multiple times this semester, I have noticed words and concepts spoken in this class that are also commonplace in the world of theater. It confirms for me that theater is a sacred practice and that a run of a show may even be a pilgrimage or journey.      In class we have talked briefly about dual consciousness, the idea of being both completely aware of two separate realities or trains of thought. When in theater, we must exercise dual consciousness so that we as actors can make character choices but also so that we can be safe on stage. In the instance of stage combat, we must have real reactions to the situation we are in as characters but also be very aware of our blocking as to not hurt our castmates, ourselves, or our set. This practice of dual consciousness benefits me in my day to day life as well. I am able to focus on something but also be mindful and aware of my surroundings.      Another thing both mentioned in this class an...

      I thoroughly enjoyed being able to have a class outdoors exploring nature. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in nature because of my parents' influence. We went hiking and exploring in nature often. My mom always encouraged me to be fully present and to fully observe my surroundings so this exercise was not new to me. Even still, I spend ample amount of time outside. Nature is what truly grounds me.      While out on the Noland trail, I was observing most everything around me. A few things, however, showed themselves to be more prominent in my mind. The smell of the salty air is something I have always had a positive association with. The salt stings your nose in such a familiar way. It makes me think of just how vast the oceans really are. I also found myself focused on the ground. Most of the time, the ground is overlooked. People simply think of it as the place their feet travel upon. But as I looked at the ground, I noticed life. Tiny plants of al...