Adrianna - Natural 1 - Be Still

Adrianna Carter

Be Still and know that I am God. – Psalms 46:10

To be honest I was not totally excited about our class adventure to the Noland Trail when I first arrived. It had been a busy day and all I wanted to do in that moment was skip class and just “be”. But as I illegally parked my car and walked to our meeting cite, I couldn’t help but let God fill me up as if I were a balloon. Every step seemed to be in the direction of peace – talk about a sacred journey. I approached the crew as Dr. Redick began calling attendance and for some reason I knew this would be a great opportunity to experience God for the day.

            We began by “being”. We stood and all of my senses were thoroughly engaged in my surroundings. To my right I heard a still creek; to my left a rushing river. Lavender, soft pink and orange clouds back dropped by the sun taking his leave filled my gaze. Gnats irritated my nose as my hands clenched my pen for warmth as the sun tucked himself into his blankets.  Usually it takes me some time to empty myself from the day and “be” in the moment but today it happened incredibly quickly. God revealed himself to me almost instantaneously.

            As a believer in Jesus Christ, prayer, meditation and flow are critical to being in relationship with God. That Wednesday, in particular, I had not yet spent one moment talking to God or allowing myself to experience him. I needed to experience flow; I needed to zone in and just “be” with my creator amongst the things He created, despite the presence of my classmates.

            As I began to zone in and grasp some type of flow overcoming me there was one verse of scripture that was setting just as quickly and beautifully as the sun.  “Be still and know that I am God” from the book of Psalms chapter 46 verse 10. I needed to be still and embrace the now sacred place that I had so quickly been introduced to. I have been to this spot on several occasions but none were quite like this one. My surroundings had never spoken to me so vividly before. As we transitioned through the trail everything came to life. I had stepped out of everything homogenous and embraced the new and unique. The birds sang melodiously, the smell of pine was potent and this moment was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.

            This experience taught me a lot more than I thought it would. Day-to-day I am always n the go but in every moment there is a time to just be still, take in your surroundings and experience life in a new, surprisingly cool way.

            I could also recognize that the elements spoke to each one of us very differently. I can recall our walk back through the trail hearing the chirping of crickets. To me it was outstandingly calming, still, and quiet but for another student it was loud. That in and of itself speaks to our differing journeys and the difference in what we find to be sacred. 

Adrianna - Outside Reading - Sacred Music

The “Sacred” in Sacred Music by Joan L. Roccasalvo

Music; something that can be felt with every ounce of our being. Something that brings so much peace; something that can express emotions from the depths of a yearning soul and can be as sacred as prayer.

Roccasalvo discusses the sacredness of music which spiked my interest because music (listening to it, dancing to it, worshipping to it or singing it) is one of my favorite things. Roccasalvo looks closely at music from a spiritual perspective and proclaims that music helps us in our sacred journey; it is a huge part of reaching the holy.

The way in which music is written, the lyrics (or lack thereof), the instruments, the beat the melody all play a role in reaching the holy. Roccasalvo points out a number of other factors that play into the sacredness behind sacred music. Firstly, she discusses the familiar. Sacred music appeals to every one of our senses – those things that are most familiar to us. This reminds me a lot of when I hear my favorite worship songs and I can literally feel the presence of the Holy Spirit surge through my body – I’m therefore encountering the holy. Basically, Roccasalvo is saying that hearing the music is one thing but allowing it to appeal to the human senses can only foster contact with the sublime. Openness to the experience is also critical.

Secondly, Roccasalvo takes us from the familiar to the unfamiliar and discusses melody, harmony, and rhythm. The sacred music Roccasalvo is dissecting is music fit for intimate time with the holy. That type of music is mostly without lyrics, filled with peace and tranquility and is incredibly free. The first thing I could think about was the album Without Words by Bethel Music. The entire album is praise and worship to God without words just instruments; freeing; relaxing; fostering openness to the holy.

Lastly, Roccasalvo says that sacred music pushes us to take a leap of faith to the sacred.  After it appeals to our sense and we move to the unfamiliar Roccasalvo professes that “the mind and heart will interpret the mood of the music as sacred if a positive predisposition is brought to the musical encounter. Purified, the music mediates the presence of the holy and prompts the mind and heart to make that leap to the sacred”. At this point I believe that we well on our way to no longer being in the liminal. We are reaching the holy. We are about to fully encounter what we set out to from turning on the music.

Music can be powerful and I believe Roccasalvo said it best: “sacred music satisfies our human longing for the sacred”.

Adrianna - People of Color - My Choice

Why don’t people of color hike?

            We are half way through the semester now and overall this has been a thrilling experience. This is one of the few classes that I have taken here and have been challenged in my own spiritual journey. I am growing in ways that I could never imagine. It’s been pretty great.

            But, there is still one thing that I cannot help but to ponder? Does hiking, sacred journey, sacred place apply to people of color? If we looked at the pictures and movies we’ve seen in class the answer is clearly, NO. There have been little to no representation of people of color in class and I wonder why. Though this is a topic I will be exploring more in my end of the semester thesis paper I think there are a lot of other reasons why black people do not hike.

             As a college-aged black woman I have grown up in a culture where things were just not “cool” for black people to do. Some examples: listening to country music, eating green bean casserole, not liking friend chicken, and not being able to dance. All stereotypical things, yes, I know, and hiking and being in nature is another one of those no-no’s. Why though? Is hiking one of those opportunities that people of color believe they cannot afford? Do people not hike out of fear of ridicule from their peers? Can people of color be spiritual (or experience God) outside of the church? All of these questions are ones that I myself have never thought of but since being in this class I can honestly answer in opposition to the stereotype.

            Hiking expenses – yes you may need money to eat, stay in hostiles, and other extraneous things but we must realize that a good majority of people who hike are homeless, jobless and poor. Expenses seem to be a nonfactor. Ridicule from peers? Honestly if you are living your life every day to its fullest, who cares what others have to say? I can think of several things that I have done in my life that did not fall under the category of “black” in my neighborhood: listening to country music; not loving fried chicken, and taking AP courses and doing all that I can to get into college. I’ve found that setting myself a part as made me a lot better off in life. Now getting to my favorite question; can black people, specifically, be spiritual outside of the church? Historically, the church has been a haven for people of color. Slaves, activist during the Civil Rights Movement and many people today still utilize the church as a place of business, community, meeting with God and a variety of other things. 

Adrianna - Landscapes 1

Adrianna Carter

Blo  Tell me the landscape in which you live and I’ll tell you who you are.

I am a product of my environment is the first thing I think about when I reflect upon the text, Landscapes of the Sacred and the title of this blog. Everything aspect of our lives plays a role in who are, who we become and who we were. Our home environment, schooling, how our parents grew up, what church we went to and even the type of we lived in. It all roots us and gives us identity as our text sums it up.

Why is space so important and how can you tell that who I am by the landscape in which I live? Do I take on the qualities of the comfy couch I sit on? Do I “flow” down a drain like the water out of the faucet? Does my hair really feel like the carpet from my childhood home? In some of these cases, maybe, but I think this quote, just like this class is searching for a deeper meaning than physical characteristics. I think the search is for how every ones space makes me unique.

My landscape, or space, in which I live, is one very unique to me. It is the most familiar to me. Every day I infiltrate its walls and use it for special purposes and practices. No one could ever understand why and how I use my space for my life’s enjoyment and fulfillment. This place seems right – everything about it is right and no one and nothing could ever change that. My space has taught me right from wrong. It taught me Christian values. Its walls cancelled out petty bickering over money and cheating. My space filled daily with the stench of long shot put and band practices. My space trapped me in myself and never let me escape when I needed to. It was, is and always will be mine.  

My space chose me; it is an ordinary place but through ritual has been made extraordinary; it is tread on without entering and affects me individually but is a craze universally. It helped me unpeach the peaches. What could this space be? What landscape has given and taken so much from me...  MY ROOM. 

Adrianna - Yoga - My Choice

Adrianna Carter

Blog  – Yoga as a part of Sacred Journey

I am currently enrolled in Religions of the East and we are discussing Hinduism. A huge practice in Hinduism is Yoga which is the bringing together of two separate entities to strengthen their bond. Going into our fourth class discussion of yoga in my Religions class I could not stop comparing it to and remembering the many discussions from Phenomenology of Prayer we have had in Sacred Communication.

Yoga is a sacred journey and place, in my opinion. It “constitutes a break in the homogeneity of space”. It is rooted in askesis (self-discipline) and kenosis (self-emptying) and of course connects the performer to the spiritual realm for true growth to occur. One of the most critical elements of Yoga is that it is done in process compared to prayer which has very little to no technique, though both bare the same result.

Yoga is comprised of eight limbs Samadni (Ecstatic absorption), Dyana (meditation), Dharana (concentration), Pratyahara (sense of withdrawal), Pranayama (breath extension), Asana (bodily positions), Niyama (observances) and firstly Yama (avoidances). These eight limbs, step-by-step help you ultimately reach Brahma and unlike prayer, must be taken from my understanding of Yoga. Prayer, on the hand, does take a step of emptying the self but places you immediately in front of the face of whoever you’re praying to. In Christianity prayers literally (and spiritually) places you broken, humbled, stressed, angered, and happy right in front of God. There are very little steps take or rules to follow when it comes to prayer except, do it often and wholeheartedly.

As I reflect on both Yoga and Prayer from Phenomenology of Prayer is see that they both go beyond just asking for things. They encourage and allow you to be in the presence with a higher power, garner strength, truth, understanding and a ton of other valued quality character traits used to fulfill your calling in this life. Through yoga and prayer, we seek God or Brahma because we recognize something in them that we lack and desire to be a part of us. Though we are fulfilled in life through a variety of ways, yoga and prayer seem to be the two that garner the most fulfillments after participating in both.

Adrianna - Nature - Be Still and Know

Adrianna Carter

Be Still and know that I am God. – Psalms 46:10

To be honest I was not totally excited about our class adventure to the Noland Trail when I first arrived. It had been a busy day and all I wanted to do in that moment was skip class and just “be”. But as I illegally parked my car and walked to our meeting cite, I couldn’t help but let God fill me up as if I were a balloon. Every step seemed to be in the direction of peace – talk about a sacred journey. I approached the crew as Dr. Redick began calling attendance and for some reason I knew this would be a great opportunity to experience God for the day.

            We began by “being”. We stood and all of my senses were thoroughly engaged in my surroundings. To my right I heard a still creek; to my left a rushing river. Lavender, soft pink and orange clouds back dropped by the sun taking his leave filled my gaze. Gnats irritated my nose as my hands clenched my pen for warmth as the sun tucked himself into his blankets.  Usually it takes me some time to empty myself from the day and “be” in the moment but today it happened incredibly quickly. God revealed himself to me almost instantaneously.

            As a believer in Jesus Christ, prayer, meditation and flow are critical to being in relationship with God. That Wednesday, in particular, I had not yet spent one moment talking to God or allowing myself to experience him. I needed to experience flow; I needed to zone in and just “be” with my creator amongst the things He created, despite the presence of my classmates.

            As I began to zone in and grasp some type of flow overcoming me there was one verse of scripture that was setting just as quickly and beautifully as the sun.  “Be still and know that I am God” from the book of Psalms chapter 46 verse 10. I needed to be still and embrace the now sacred place that I had so quickly been introduced to. I have been to this spot on several occasions but none were quite like this one. My surroundings had never spoken to me so vividly before. As we transitioned through the trail everything came to life. I had stepped out of everything homogenous and embraced the new and unique. The birds sang melodiously, the smell of pine was potent and this moment was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.

            This experience taught me a lot more than I thought it would. Day-to-day I am always n the go but in every moment there is a time to just be still, take in your surroundings and experience life in a new, surprisingly cool way.

            I could also recognize that the elements spoke to each one of us very differently. I can recall our walk back through the trail hearing the chirping of crickets. To me it was outstandingly calming, still, and quiet but for another student it was loud. That in and of itself speaks to our differing journeys and the difference in what we find to be sacred. 

Adrianna - Removing myself from the Marketplace

Adrianna Carter  – Removing myself from the Market place.

Every day, every hour, every moment I am presented with an opportunity to grow or be challenged in a different way; but do I take them? Am I willing to step out of the familiar, normal mundane life I live? Can I leave my marketplace?

In class thus far I have learned the overall concepts of sacred journey, sacred, communication and sacred place. What I think sticks out to me the most though is something vital to beginning the journey – removing oneself from the marketplace. The marketplace or the village refers to place where everything is normal, the place where some people are stuck and have been stuck for too long. A lot of theorists within the study of sacred journey stand behind the premise that in order to effectively journey one must remove them from what they know. One must be willing to take the risk of getting out of the unfamiliar or challenging the status quo.

For my own personal journey I have seen this time and time again – especially being a Christian. To grow into the person Christ has created me to be I had/have to be willing to stop living a mundane life. I have to take risks; I have to do the un-ordinary and go against the normal. That is the only way to know how I fit into the grand scheme of life and what I can bring to the table.

Removing myself from the marketplace is tough – no question. Who wants to leave everything they have ever known to live a life of constant fear and uncertainty? Certainly not me – until I realized how much I was growing and how much my personality and personal attributes were necessary to the village. Stepping out of the village helps us realize how valued we are inside the village and to other aspects of our lives. It is an incredibly cool and useful concept in which everyone should strive to remove their selves from at some point in their lives. Seize the moment, take a risk and step out of the marketplace.