Phenomenologylogy of Prayer numero uno- you know dis, Kenosis

Kenosis is self-emptying. In Phrenology of Prayer, it compares this to Jesus Christ. "In its specifically Christian sense, incarnation involves the notion of kenosis, that is, of God in Christ
emptying himself and taking on the form of a slave." Jesus pored himself into the world for the sake of human sin. I think of kenosis as basically the ultimate act of humility, at least according to Christ. Emptying oneself according to hiking the AT for example consists of letting go of your former life, and taking on this journey with an open mind and clean slate.

Image and Pilgrimage of Christian Culture- UNO liminalitayy

In Images and Pilgrimage of Christian Culture, it talks about the topic of liminality. It says, "During a right of passage a person enters a phase of separation from a previous group which is followed by an "in-between" or liminal phase during which many aspects of life are likely togo through a phase of change or distortion." Right after communitas, this liminal phase comes. This is when the person is in isolation, away from the group that they once were with, and get to focus on themselves. This inward thinking causes changes to occur mentally and spiritually as they are to reflect on who they really were, are, and will be in the future.

Landscapes of da Sacred numero uno

Tigerlily is a hiker who has decided to take on the Appalachian Trail. People hike the Trail for many different reasons, but some people don’t really have a specific reason. Tigerlily explains her reason- or lack of a reason- to hike the AT in her journal. “I still find myself asking WHY do I want to do this trail, what is the pull and there is a pull. I don’t have the answer which in my case may be the answer…I find myself feeling lost, searching for something meaningful. Looking for that purpose in my life and I just don’t feel that I can find it here. This “pull” she is experiencing, it can relate back to “Landscapes of the Sacred” and the fourth axiom. The fourth axiom states, “the impulse of sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal.” Since centripetal is moving towards a center, and centrifugal and moving away from a center, this impulse, causes one to be drawn in, and also drawn out. I think of this also as a way of looking inward but also outward; to learn about oneself on an introspective level, and also to learn about others, and life around you in a more outward sense.

Outside reading numero dos

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song.

I read this poem, called A Minor Bird by Robert Frost and it kind of made me think about some people's view of nature. People take things as simple and beautiful as a bird chirping for granted. People believe that they have everything. Their materialistic view of life keeps them completely satisfied... or so they think. When one truly embraces the essence and beauty of nature, then you can truly see what we have really been missing. I believe people are hardwired with a yearning for a connection with nature. But with modern day tech-filled hullabaloo fills our minds blotting out or casting a shadow of that need for nature. 

Outside readin numero uno

From Trailblazer.com, a hiker Cozy says that while in elementary school, she read the book, “My Side of the Mountain,” and ever since then she believed that God planted a “seed” or desire in her heart to hike the Appalachian Trail. She then talks about the feeling of that desire. “I suppose that’s how it begins for many of us. There’s a high interest, a strong desire, a gravitational pull that leads us to the Trail. People who don’t feel the pull will never understand why we need to go. But those who do feel it understand completely.” In Landscapes of the Sacred, it talks about the different axioms that categorize a place as sacred. The first axiom states, “sacred place is not chosen, it chooses.” This simply means that you cannot just declare a place sacred. This “pull” that Cozy talks about is a part of that. She is drawn to this place by a force that she cannot control, herself. The trail picked her; she did not pick the trail.

Mt. Reiner

A simple or ordinary landscape such as a mountain like Mt. Reiner has a holy mask. In Lane's axiom, a sacred place is an ordinary place made extraordinary by some act or ritual. Mt. Reiner can be a sacred place because although it is a ordinary mountain, it has massive glaciers making it extraordinary. This mountain is also called "the mountain that was God" and thus the idea that God always remains hidden makes a lot of sense. The mountain itself holds the idea of mysticism because if everything becomes God, then nothing is God. Thus, Mt. Reiner was considered the mountain that "was" God rather than it "is" God. Nothing is set in stone, nor is anything truly Christ because everything is hidden behind a "holy mask". This is the concept of Seeing and not seeing. Mt. Reiner may look just a mountain, but can have a whole other spiritual meaning behind its mask of ice.

Image and Pilgrimage Post 2

Turner describes how, " for the majority, pilgrimage was the great liminal experience of the religious life" and this is because one's own self discovery can occur. Pilgrimage offers something in return to the Pilgrim, but only when the journey is truly and deeply affecting on the person taking it. For example, " Pilgrimage, then, offers liberation from profane social structures that are symbiotic with a specific religion system" and thus this liberation comes from the liminal experience. So Pilgrimage awakens a liberation from the way of life in the hopes of improving the spiritual life of people.

Image and Pilgrimage Post 1

Pilgrimage creates a sense of accomplishment, but also brings new depth to a person's being. When Kenosis is discussed, a sense of communitas is also founded on long journeys even ones of salvation. Communitas can be considered what detaches a pilgrim from original social structure and what creates a new equal structure or home. In my opinion,  communitas creates a sense of home. For example, on trails such as the Appalachian Trail, hikers are diverse people who form a new kind of family relationship through experiencing the same struggles and bliss. Thus, communitas is in a sense the creation of a new family, home, structure while on spiritual journeys.

Phen of Prayer Post 2

In the Phenomenology of Prayer, the concept of Passion in life is described. The text describes how " prayer belongs to the life of the heart, to the life of the passions and sufferings, and joys of mood and emotion" and this describes how prayer affects people on assortments of levels. Passion is found in all hearts and resides there as some may call it as the " center of the soul". I agree with this because as the text describes, " without passions, there would be no urge to speak or know or do" and to continue this there would be no language or desires to commit or lead a great life. To me, passion is what drives people whether religiously or generally. Life without passion,  is a life without purpose.

Phen of Prayer post 1

Prayer is said to be what connects us to what is considered "divine" and  that the divine can not be encountered without self reflection. In the Phenomenology of Prayer,  Kenosis is described as the leading act in which people may encounter the divine. Kenosis, the voluntary emptying of one's self results in the ability to truly interact with God.  For example, the idea that we must empty ourselves in order to be called forth by God rings clearly in this book. The prayer of Samuel describes being called forth rather than calling God himself. In order to be called or truly encounter the divine, emptying of one self is needed.

Topic of Choice #4 The Trail

The trail also has taught me a healthy respect for the power of creation and shown me how powerful my God is. On one of my trips in upstate New York, I experienced being on a a bald peak as lighting struck the top as well as being between a full grown female black bear and her cub. Before this, I had a bit of a romanticized view of nature. But after seeing how close to death I came with the lighting and the bear and realizing that I had virtually no control over either of these two incidents and that my life was completely out of my hands and in the hands of God. I learned to have a healthy fear of God on that trip.

Topic of Choice #3 The Trail

Another time that I had intense communion with God was this past May on the Appalachian Trail with Dr. Redick and my fellow classmates. One of the last days in the Grayson Highlands, we went on a day hike to a waterfall. I decided to walk downstream by myself and took all of my clothes off as I walked with only my Bible in my hand. I walked for a while praying and then saw a patch of moss on the sunlight where I decided to sit and read the creation account. I was struck with an overwhelming sense of connection to all of the creation as I was in it and a part of it as I was encountering the God of the universe.

Topic of Choice # 2 The Trail

The Trail was also the first place where I really experienced who God is. I was backpacking for a couple days in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks in upstate New York with Deerfoot. I was young, probably around 13. We climbed the McIntyre range which had the second tallest peak in the region, Algonquin. This was the first peak that I had ever summited. When I got to the top I had this crazy experience where I felt the presence of God as I looked over at the mountains and I realized that the same God who made these mountains made me and wants to be in a relationship with me  

Topic of Choice #1 The Trail

My heart has always been drawn to the mountains and the trail. I think it may have been ignited when I went to Deerfoot Lodge in upstate New York. The mission statement of the camp is to "build godly men in a Christ centered community through wilderness camping." I built some of my closest friends at the camp and I realized that this happened when I was on the trail with them. I think that this is because when you are on the trail, your only project is to eat, drink, walk, and sleep. I suddenly became aware of other people's projects because they were so similar to my own. We were able to experience communitas

Phenomenology of Prayer -2

One of my favorite prayers goes: “Lord, I ask not for a lighter load, but for broader shoulders.” I think this is in line with Benson and Wirzba’s assessment of prayer, calling it decentering. I think this prayer speaks to me because it asks for strength, or the character and courage to carry out a seemingly difficult task. It recognizes that prayer requires humility and that prayer requires establishing a relationship with the divine. Anytime I have a difficult task, I think about Christ on the cross, who lived out his duty to God. His task was far greater than any I could ever imagine, but he gave God his full obedience. Likewise, I do not think it should be fair for me to ask for an easier road, but simply the strength and obedience to complete my task. I realize it sounds a little silly, but it goes for anyone who encounters hardship. The journey may be long, and the road hard, but with it comes strength. All you have to do is ask.

11/21/14 Outside Reading: Numb3rs

            In the Book of Numbers the Israelites have to journey from Mt. Sinai to the Dead Sea, if that doesn’t qualify as a sacred journey I don’t know what is. The cloud lifts from above their camp and they take it as a sign to start. Start they did, under the command of Moses once again. After Moses saved the Israelites from the clutches of the pharaoh they practically worshipped him. They made him their leader and decided to trek to the Dead Sea. The first thing Moses did was split up the Israelites into groups: the camps of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan. They left in that exact order and after that God told Moses that he would not accompany them; he said he would go back to his land and his people. Moses begged for God to stay and help them, but God did not. The Israelites decided to continue and eventually made it to the Dead Sea. Moses had to push through this struggle by himself and find out what it meant to go on a sacred journey. I would say this was a pilgrimage but it has only happened once and most likely will not happen again. The journey of the Israelites has be told numerous times through out history and will continue to be told as long as the Bible is printed.

11/20/14 Outside Reading: It’s Raining Frogs

            Moses had an extraordinary experience almost like Noah. God came to him on the top of a mountain through a burning bush. He told Moses to venture to Egypt, where a Pharaoh imprisoned the Israelites. Now is where Moses differs from Noah, he questioned God asking what to do if he was asked who sent him. God told him to tell them that ‘I am’ sent him, because he said, “I am who I am,” which is a representation of God’s inner ego, balancing his id and superego. God doesn’t straight up tell Moses his name, and yet he does not hold back and give him nothing. Moses thinks about what God told him and his response, when asking his name and decides to carry out what God has asked him to do. Through out his venture Moses conquers many obstacles. When he finally frees the Israelites they are encountered with a major problem, the Red Sea is in their way. Moses has no idea what to do, but then God speaks to him. Moses proceeds to split the Red Sea in half and take the Israelites home. He had to have a lot of faith in one man, God, in order to carry out this task, and a lot of courage and motivation to save those slaves. Not many people have the concentration like Moses did, that is something that only God could see in a man. Yet that is in every human being and anyone is capable of doing anything.

11/17/14 Outside Reading: The Pink Bible

            The bible is the most sold book in the world, mainly because of its contents. The thing about the bible is that even if you don’t believe in the Christian God, you can still learn from it. If we need to relate sacred communication and journeys to the bible, I could draw on almost any story from it and relate it to sacred communication and journey. Even so, I have decided to pull from Genesis. Noah is told by God to gather two of animals and build an arc to place them on. God said that a rain would come and flood the world, and told Noah to only bring his family. Noah had to set out and gather two of every animal; he had never had a task this great and of this magnitude. Without question he found two of every, single animal on the planet and coaxed them to the arc. Sacred communication is major in this case; Noah had to communicate to the animals that they were in danger. Last time I checked it is a strenuous task to talk to animals. The only way they would be able to understand him would be through emotion and feeling, which are major components in sacred communication and journeys.

11/15/14 Natural Setting: The Lion’s Bridge

The trip to the Lion’s Bridge was a really opening experience. I’ve never had a class take place outside! When the question “Do trees feel emotions?” was brought up, I didn’t think you were serious. As I delved further into the question, I saw that it was a completely relevant claim. “Places themselves participate in the perception that is made of them” (Lane p.44). When you look at a tree it is just standing there, not moving and boring. The first thought that pops into your head is that this object must not be able to think. Simply because it cannot move doesn’t mean it can’t think. A tree, even more the forest itself, is very alive. People forget that as well. Think about all the living material and organisms beneath he soil. There are so many, you may think they are connected and can talk through each other. Therefore they must be able to feel emotions. When you stab a hole in a pine tree, is that sap that comes out, or is it the trees way of crying? Lane says that to experience place, you must get “involved in touching and being touched by its particular array of rocks, trees, animals, and geographical features. Which means that you cannot judge or claim to see everything somewhere unless you have experienced the entire system of that place.

11/13/14 Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture: The Square Root of Pilgrim

            There are four main ways to classify pilgrimages: prototypical, archaic, medieval, and modern pilgrimages. Prototypical pilgrimages were established by a founder of a historical religion or by individuals that are quite important to the religion. If not started by the founder, the individuals be a prominent in the religion and be able to be backed by the populous of the religion. The second type of pilgrimage, archaic, is when the pilgrimages have evidence of syncretism with other religious symbols. An example of this is Chalma in Mexico, which has obvious Ocuiltecan and Aztec adornments. Next we have the medieval pilgrimages, which explain themselves. They took place during the Middle Ages and are mainly located in Europe. The last pilgrimages are modern pilgrimages. These pilgrimages tend to have very devotional tones and take place during the post-Darwinian era. Not necessarily meaning the time we live in now, but the time that occurred after the Middle Ages up until now. These different characteristics of pilgrimages have allowed the definition to broaden and allowed more research to be done on the topic.

11/9/14 Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture: The Oregon Trail Got me

            Pilgrimages are strong at heart but weak physically, Turner talks about how: “Pilgrimage systems are peculiarly vulnerable in that they do not have their own means to defend themselves by force.” This simply means that while taking part in a pilgrimage, there is no guarantee of safety or protection. This journey tests the pilgrim’s ability to survive and push through the hardships that are thrown at them. It shows how willing the pilgrim is to risk his life to finish the task. However the pilgrim is usually not alone in this endeavor. This is their biggest advantage, the perseverance. The sheer amount of people taking part in the pilgrimage will influence each one of them to keep pushing on. The fact that the amount of people sharing this experience is so monumental, cajoles the weaker pilgrims to strive on and reach for the sky. Completing this journey is so significant to the pilgrim that they have to wait until they are of age, usually the age accustomed with manhood, to start the pilgrimage. The journey is perilous and full of drudgery, this weeds out the weak, to where only the strongest prevail and move on in the culture. Pilgrimage also brings out the inner being of human, brings out the soul. “Pilgrimage provides a carefully structured, highly valued route to a liminal world where the ideal is felt to be real, where the tainted social persona may be cleansed and renewed” (Turner p.30). Opening up on a pilgrimage, is said to be good for one’s self. People say that in order to achieve that, you must have an abundance of moxie, courage or whatever you would like to call it, in order to push through the trial that is a pilgrimage.

10/29/14 The Phenomenology of Prayer: You Only Live Once

            Phenomenology has many different meanings, none of which are the normative one. This means that phenomenology doesn’t have a definite translation of what it means, because they are all so different. Martin Heidegger, taking over what Wilhelm Dilithey, classified phenomenology as a hermeneutical enterprise. Heidegger splits Hermeneutical phenomenology into two parts, life as we live it in the now, is already a meaningful thing, and that history is not to be seen as a multitude of ‘facts’ that represent the past, but as an abundance of expressive and eloquent moments in time. Heidegger goes on saying, “Life is not a chaotic confusion of dark torrents, not a mute principle of power, not a limitless, all-consuming disorder, rather it is what it is only as a concrete meaningful shape” (Prayer p.119). Life is more than a road travelled by everyone, where everyone experiences the same situations. You have to life on the edge; no day can be the same. Martin Heidegger basically is saying that Phenomenology is not set in stone, but what is set in stone is that life happens and what happens throughout YOUR life is under your control. What you do with you life is up to you; prayer can enhance the experiences you have by changing the outlook you have. When you are involved in prayer, things become clearer and you make better decisions. Basically you have a more experience filled life.

10/23/14 The Phenomenology of Prayer: First Name Prayer, Last Name Attention

            “Prayer is a logos or speech that is not susceptible to truth or falsity” (Prayer p.88). This chapter in the book has shown me that prayer isn’t one thing by itself. Prayer contains many elements, one in particular being attention. Attention is important because without the proper view on your surroundings, you will not be able to correctly take into account what you’re praying for. Knowledge of your surroundings can also help you clear your conscience and allow you to have a just, humble, and compassionate regard for others. The main idea involving prayer and attention is you must eliminate all thoughts of ‘I.’ All those prayers you made as a child, wishing for stuff, don’t actually qualify as prayers, because they were centered around yourself. You must release all thoughts of selfishness and open yourself to the world. Let in the prayers of many, listen to them and see what you can do to contribute to the pool of prayers. “Simone Weil insists that without the discipline and the waiting of attention we close ourselves off from the truth and grace of the world, and consequently run the risk of embracing a counterfeit world” (Prayer p.89). Weil is correct when she says that without attention we would be taking on a completely new and fake world. It takes discipline to see the world for what it really is. It is not all nice and easy like it may seem to you. Once you learn to see the truth in everything and not focus on ‘I’ you will truly understand the meaning of prayer and how to carry a prayer correctly.

10/17/14 Landscapes of the Sacred: Common is Uncommon?

            “Dorothy Day once said of property: the more common it becomes, the more holy it is” (Lane p.65). I completely disagree with her theory; it makes no sense and contradicts the idea of holiness. If something is holy, isn’t it supposed to be at least uncommon? What makes something ‘holy’ is not that it is common; it is that it is not common to those who don’t find it sacred. Let’s say an individual has a sacred place such as the playground of an old primary school. This place would be sacred to him as long as he is alone there, by himself. The second people start to intrude on his ‘holy’ ground, it ruins the moment, therefore making this, now common, ground unsacred and unholy to the individual. “Common things, common actions, common relationships are all granted new definition because the holy has once and for all become ordinary” (Lane p.66). Yet when this happens, it should technically become even less holy. Look at the definition of the word holy: specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority. Religions are based around their own beliefs. If something holy or religious was ‘common’ then is wouldn’t be unique to the religion, making the holy, unholy.  Furthering my point that something cannot become more holy, by becoming more common. It contradicts the actual definition of holy, making it wrong twice. I just wanted to voice my opinion on this, because I thought it was wrong, when I was reading through the Landscapes of the Sacred.

10/12/14 Student Choice: Gandhi is That You?

            Meditation is something that some people take very seriously, while others disregard it. It’s gotten to the point where some people do not even know what meditation is. Either that or they have the wrong impression of what it is, and how one carries out a session of meditation. Most people would be led to believe that meditation is just sitting by yourself and thinking for a long while. In fact, it is much more than that. Meditation is an art; it takes time and effort to perfect it. You cannot just sit down and ‘BAM!’ meditate. If you really want to meditate and reach your inner self, you must refer to my last blog, I talked about Kenosis, self-emptying. Now take Kenosis and silence and put them together, it is pretty tricky to pull off. How is one supposed to be selfless without talking? Well it is a simple question, so it deserves a simple answer. You just empty your thoughts. Have you ever caught yourself spaced out in the middle of a class, just looking off into the distance? That’s what it feels like to meditate. You go into a trance-like state that is almost uncontrollable, unless you’re trained. Some human being decide that they like the feeling meditation gives them so they focus their life around it. People have also said that yoga gives relatively the same experience, but it depends on the person. Not many people have the same encounter with meditation. It can always be interpreted differently. Meditation is not essential for sacred communication, but it definitely will enlighten you, and your views may change.

10/3/14 Student Choice: I Think I’ve Got Kenosis

           Kenosis, coming from the Greek word κένωσις, means emptiness. Translated in the way that we use it today would be ‘self-emptiness’ or the doing of deeds that rid one of id. Id is the opposite of super ego, the force that drives selfishness. An example of Kenosis is when Jesus chose to show everyone that he is just as human as everyone else, by turning himself into a slave. He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeliness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…” (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus came down from his ‘perch’ as the Son of God and emptied himself in front of everyone, to show that he was no greater than any one person. Kenosis requires you to lose all thoughts of selfishness and become one with your surroundings, whether those surrounding are friends, enemies, or strangers. You must learn to acclimate to become a better, a more selfless person. Some cultures even take it to an extent where to achieve Kenosis you must go through some trial of humility and presuppose to God. Which essentially means you have to be embarrassed, because you do not believe in what God can do for you. There are multiple views based on the theory of Kenosis. These two are the main notions that most individuals believe in.

9/30/14 Student Choice: Kairos is My Best Friend

            Kairos in its simplest definition is time. The Greeks first came up with this term to describe a certain type of time, not quantitative but qualitative. Kairos is a passing instant when an opening appears, which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved. Essentially it is, when the time is right go for it, but go with ALL your might and effort. Aristotle sees Kairos as, “the point at which the proof will be delivered.” He thinks about Kairos in relation to the audience of a play and when they will realize the plot’s ending or twist. Kairos was implemented into both major Greek schools, which shows how much they cared about the success of their students. If you have good experience with Kairos, you will know when to carry out a task and how to do it correctly. It was something that they implemented when training their army. The Greek’s Soldiers were one of the strongest and most well trained forces in the world at that time. A large portion of their success can be taken from acting at the right time and succeeding. Being able to do what needed to be done, at the right time and place. Also, you have to learn to recognize Kairos; it is not easy to see with the untrained eye. It is a great ability to have, to be able to notice an opportunity and seize it. Go for the moment and seize the opportunity. Carpe diem is Latin for ‘seize the day,’ which is essentially Kairos on a daily basis. Find the opportunity given to you every day and take it.