John Thompson

9/2/13
Poem. I was a bit nervous to share a poem with the class because I was not sure what theirs were going to be. Some were much better than others depending on how open the person was willing to be. My poem expressed my normal struggle with understanding the world and seeking truth.
9/4/13
Discussion of flow being a merging of action with awareness. This does not mean zoning out, you have your thoughts while your senses are fully engaged. The difference from hearing and listening is also very different. You can hear someone talking but your mind can be somewhere else and not listening. The same can happen with hiking god can be talking but you are not aways listening. Praying to god is also a form of discipline.
9/11/13
Subject vs person-The differences between a subject and person. Subjects do not have projects and goals. A stapler doesn't have a project but it was crafted for a purpose.
Music- shake off the village. Silence is "so loud". Sometimes one has to leave the place of comfort. Silence of outside world leaves room for thoughts and inward journey.

9/16/13
Hesychia- is a sweet repose. This normally comes after purgation, interior stillness.
Askesis- is a way to reach this hesychia. It is the practice of self discipline to liberate the spirit.
Liminaltiy- is the threshold. In between the material and the divine.
Mantra- a repetition of action that helps settle the mind and focus.
This reminded me of many things we talked about in class on the Camino but when I can refresh and reflect the meanings of these words has much more impact. Especially Askesiss and that discipline is not a bad thing but a helpful thing.
9/18/13
Sublime- something beyond words. Of another realm.
Autotelic- ends in themselves. Not viewing people as objects.
Release the bonds of matter. Need to strengthen from the inside out. The armor you wear is your ego.
Saint Paul refers to the fallen world as flesh.
One of my biggest questions has always been about the fall and why the world is the way it is. I like that St Paul calls it flesh because I believe there is a spiritual world working with a material world. They both can effect each other but the spiritual is the most important.
9/23/13
Mentioned flow again which is definitely a feeling I had on the camino and there are different terms for flow. "In camino" was the phrase we used where you began to shake off the village and become absorbed in the trail. Kenosis means purgation and self emptying. Although the camino was not comfortable I was much happier after my purgation from many things I took for granted back home.
9/25/13
We all have a life story. We are aware of our past but also have goals of how we want our story to develop. We are never fully in control of our story. Others stories can inspire us. When I was walking the camino many sights reminded me of lord of the rings which was my favorite movies when I was a kid.
In some of these moments when the I and divine connect in can be called The Call. The call comes unexpectedly and is a dialogue not monologue. Prayer often is exotelic in which you are asking for something. Contemplative appreciation is the opposite and is autotelic.
9/30/13
Sometimes there can be "static" that is just distracting noise that takes away from your thoughts. This is why place is so important. Lane speaks of the phenomenology of place in landscapes of the sacred. The four axioms of place are it chooses, it's not chosen, can be ordinary places, can be tred upon without entered, it can resurface anywhere. I definitely agree with Lanes points because some of my places were only sacred to me and sometimes I hear a song or see something that reminds me of them.
10/2/13
Continuation of place. Discussion of Topas, which is a measurable location, and chora which involves imagination and is a pregnant place. This means that it has life in it or it can give birth to a sacred experience. I think the cathedral in Santiago is a pregnant place because it is a destination for so many pilgrims every year. When you get there you begin to reflect and realize its over. Santiago triggered many emotions for me.
10/9/13
Looking at the Appalachian trail at real evidence of these concepts happening. There was an old Route 66 sign on sacred spot in Scottland. Route 66 was a old highway in America. People use symbols and idols to represent or honor something. You could see memorials on the camino and sometimes you could read about it, but other times you can only wonder it's meaning.
10/14/13
Seeing pictures from the app trail makes me miss the camino. Im sure it's hard for most people to understand the importance and sublime features of a trail without experiencing it. The app trail is definitely more intense but it looks like most of the same things apply. Talking about trail magic was refreshing and reminded me that there are considerate and awesome people out there.
10/16/13
C.S Lewis and other stories speak of giants and supernatural creatures. People would see giant rock falling down mountains and would say that it was from giants throwing them. As a kid and even now I have always love mystical stories and even if the stories are not "real" they bring about real emotions and thoughts. There is no proof that love or many other things are real but we know they are from our feelings.
11/4/13
Trail magic is something so unique about hiking. The generosity and compassion of people is demonstrated far more than in normal society. Hiking enables people to share a common goal and relate to each other. The lady who saw Kip sick and did not care if he could pay was moving. Helping him regain strength and acting how someone should when