Reflection

There are times when I will lay in bed and think about my day, what I have done, who I have seen, where I have been. Every night I think of the same place where I felt at ease. This place may seem common to most, but it is complex in its simplicity. The benches on the back end of James River Hall are so surreal. The bench that I sit upon is the only place on the Christopher Newport University campus that nine time out of ten, I can be completely alone. In my solidarity, I can think about what is going on in my life. I can come up with solutions and ponder on life as a whole. Accompanied with a nice Pall Mall and a cup of coffee, the hours I spend on the bench just thinking and enjoying the night air. It may sound a bit creepy, but when the occasional student walks past on their way in or out of the residence hall, I think about them, who they are, what they're doing with their lives, their hope and their dreams. I suppose I will leave this post in the same way I would leave the bench. Simple, just as experienced.

Erin King- Reflection

Last weekend I made a trip home to Ohio, and on a lovely 9 hour drive I noticed the different color changes of fall and also the difference in landscape. Granted I only saw the view from the high way, but never the less I still felt a sense of "home" as the landscape changed from a flat Virginian peninsula to a hilly and more colorful landscape. The trees in Ohio had already turned to fall, showing there best autumn colors and flaunting there beauty. Something about fall whether intermixed with the company of family and walks in parks creates this feeling of serenity and peace. When I am outside, walking the trails of a nature preserve that I know like the back of my hand it feels like the world is quiet, if only for a moment. The brisk air that calls for a sweatshirt, and the leaves of scarlet and gold make fall not only my favorite season, but it also exemplifies that feeling of harmony that takes over when I am outside. During the fall months, every time I am in nature the feeling of "center" kicks in almost immediately. I feel calm and connected with the earth so much more than in winter or summer. Ohio's fall happens a tad earlier than in Newport News, so I cant wait until the trees start turning here.

Outside Reading Reflection - Peter Ikeda

A few weekends ago I went to go see "Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga' Hoole" with a few friends. The movie is based on a series of books that revolve around a band of owls who seek a sacred tree who's legends tell of its nobility and goodness. I had read the books and after seeing the movie decided I should reread them. I had just finished my bibliography project on Yggdrasil, the world tree of Norse mythology, so my knowledge of trees and their significance within religion and life was freshly ingrained into my mind while I read these books. Throughout the series the tree serves as a place of sacred importance to the band of owls; first as a legend and a myth set to inspire them and then when they discover the great tree it serves as a place where they undergo a spiritual journey. The "Ga 'Hoole" tree was the tree where the first owl king resided, it is a legend to many neighboring owl kingdoms, and is more advanced than any other owl kingdoms as well. It serves as the axis mundi of the owl universe in this series just like Yggdrasil serves as the axis mundi in Norse mythology because it is the center of all the universe. In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil was the tree where all life was intertwined. Through it's branches the nine different worlds were connected and there are many stories of the gods' interactions with this tree. Both trees are in the center of their respective universes and their interactions with deities, heroes, and other cosmological elements attribute to their significance. This connection really struck me as cool and got me thinking about other trees and how they're so significant in religion and how they serve a multiplicity of purposes to describe mankind and its beliefs.

Rachel Hrovat- Reflection

On a recent trip that I went on to spend a weekend at home, I did something spontaneous because of topics that we had discussed during class. I was driving on I-64 and decided that I wanted to stop and hike up to Humpback Rock, which is a trail off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a glorious day out, and I had been sitting in my car for most of it, and just had to get out to breathe in some fresh air. All I had were my TOMs to hike in, but was determined to make it to the top. This was not the first time that I have made this hike, because my family and friends often make the trek with me. However, this was the first time that I made it on my own. Once at the top, but even the trek up, I took in deep breaths of the mountain air, realizing that, like we had discussed, there really is something different, sacred, about the wilderness. I made it to the top, and just sat gazing at the 360° view of the surrounding valleys. In Lane’s book, he says “the place became sacred for me in a way I had never expected”, when talking about the Vietnam War Memorial. (p.55) I felt the same way with this location. Even though I had been here many times before, it never had this kind of impact on me. Lane also talks about having “ ‘moments in Nature’ that in intrinsic to any exchange occurring” (p.56) between the setting and myself. And it was the “ambient array” of the mountains, the “sensuous surface” of the rock I was standing upon, the “ground” or giant mountain that I was atop of, the “arc” of the rolling hills, as far as the eye could see, and the “atmosphere” of just soaking in the beauty of God’s magnificence shown through his wonderful creation.

Wilderness Experience - Peter Ikeda

Tonight I was over at a friend's house discussing God and things about our walk while doing my laundry. She introduced me to a book about God's unending love for us and the first section of the first chapter discussed our interaction with God. It talked about how when we communicate with God it's usually just us talking and praying a lot to him without ever just soaking up God's glorious presence. This point resounded in me and caused me to ask myself how many times I began praying or talking with God simply by talking about things, problems, requests, and so many other trivial things that I never really stopped just to enjoy being with God and holding his love steadfast. I mean I just read James 1:19 which calls for "every man to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" and although I have applied this to my earthly life and relationships why had I never applied this to the most important relationship of all?? So after our discussion I had to walk back to JR, about midnight, by myself and as I was walking back I was reminded of the book and what it said. So out of mere spontaneity I put down my laundry, closed my eyes, and took in the Lord. I listened to the sounds of creation: the chirping of crickets, the subtle whistling of an autumn breeze, the crunching of leaves... it was all so serene, almost poetic. I looked around me and took in all of nature, all of God's creation to behold a beautiful autumn night the Creator had made. It caused me to remember all that he had done from Creation and the fall of man to our redemption through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. This calm, brisk setting had somehow moved my spirit in a way it had never been moved. As cheesy as it is the scene almost brought me to my knees in utter awe of how powerful nature could be as it directly represents the Lord in his full glory. To think about photosynthesis, the patterns of the moon, the change of seasons, it was all so overwhelming that my spirit was just overflowing with joy as I felt God in this place. No word was said nor was one needed. It was out of the quietness of nature that I heard God speak clearly "I am God and I love you."

Morgan Creekmore - Journey Symbol Reflection

I had actually been reading about heroes and journeys as represented in literature the day before we were given the Journey Symbol article in class. This was also the night when my umbrella broke and the sky fell out with torrential rain. As I headed back to JR from the library I couldn't help feeling as though I was a hero on a journey. I was faced with obstacles: rain, wind, ditches, deep puddles, a broken umbrella, and a leaking rain boot. As I stepped in my room, puddles in my left boot, I couldn't help but feel accomplished. Journeys can be big or small, spiritual or epic, and can occur in many contexts of life. My trek didn't last very long, bit it had the same concepts that constitute any other journey: a calling to get back safe (and hopefully partially dry), people like the Einstein's employee who aided my journey with hot coffee, and obstacles along the way such as broken equipment and geographical obstacles. In our article, it says that a journey can be as simple as ascending a ladder or as epic as climbing a mountain. What connects them all as journeys are the shared themes present in all, similar to the themes presented in my example. As we embrace any type of journey, we cannot help but relate ourselves to the heroes in literature, be it a knight or a hiker. Just as we do this, we as people relate our experiences to place, creating "storied place". Stories make pilgrimages into journeys, because we relate ourselves to our favorite characters and we become a part of the stories that represent place.

Food as Communion on the AT

Food as Communion

Morgan Creekmore

10/5/2010

All of the hikers on the AT and other similar pilgrimages experience extreme hunger. Hunger becomes one of the main topics of discussion amongst the hikers, therefore, connecting the people to one another and helping them make relationships that turn into stronger bonds by the end of the trail. Food also connects people by acting as a means of communion; when people share a meal, they share a common need as well as ideas and stories. Communion leads to community along the trail. Because when you share a meal, you share a lot more. Sharing meals also means that you trust your dinner guest; food is a vital necessity, and you wouldn't eat with someone you didn't trust. When we share food we create a fellowship with people, a trust, and a bond.