Tareva - Week 4

In class this week you read some sentences out loud from papers of the past with poor grammar. One of the papers you read from mentioned the "third eye." I sat back and watched half the class think that she meant a literal third eye (I was part of that half by the way) and the other half of the class acknowledge that, because of the context, she must have meant the religious third eye that views everything spiritually. I was thinking, "What the hell?! I've never even heard of that! And I'm pretty religious!" But what that made me realize is that a person who didn't know the relisious meaning of a third eye would have never made that connection, with or without the context. Isn't it crazy to think that unless we know everything about everything we might miss something?

Tareva - Week 3

In class that week you showed us pictures of your backpacking travels so I wanted to blog about how those pictures made me feel. First of all, they made me feel like a lazy slob because I don't know that I could ever bring myself to do anything like that, not to mention I'm allergic to, and terrified of, almost everything outdoors. But at the same time I felt inspired and pure while I was looking at your pictures. Each photo had a sense of openness, beauty, and vulnerability to it that I experience when I go to the beach, or sing jazz in front of thousands of people. Those pictures forced me to acknowledge that when very different people approach, or are confronted with, very different places, they CAN experience the exact same emotions. When I get the chance to sing I feel excitement and beauty. When I marvel at the ocean and ask God how He keeps it there I feel wonder and purity. Looking at those pictures, I got to see people experiencing excitement, beauty, wonder, and purity, and it made me very happy. What's almost even more amazing is that people can be in the exact same place at the exact same time and "take it all in" in very different ways. For example, I remember when we went on the Oxford trip a few years ago. I've kept in touch with a lot of the peole that were on that very same trip with us and it seems like each time we talk about our memories we all remember very different aspects of the exact same moments. It's strange how that works, but incredible at the same time.

Tareva - Week 2

Week two of class was somewhat of a life changing experience for me. We discussed the idea of recreating cosmos or cosmic renewal. First of all, before that week I had no idea what the word cosmos meant so thanks for that information. But most of all it made me realize exactly how often, or how easily, I, and I'm sure others, can commit to a reality before I fully understand it. I very well might have just talked in circles so allow me to elaborate. When we watched that video clip of the man trying to escape but he was lured back and then forced himself to recreate his cosmos, that blew my mind a little bit. It made me think about myself and my cosmos to which I've committed myself and I wonder, if my world were ever shaken badly enough would I recreate my cosmos or stick to missing my old one? I am a strong Christian woman and have been raised to believe in the teachings of the Gospel and that God is my Creator. People could line up around the block for miles to tell me that God is not real and everything I have been taught is fiction but I'd never change my mind. Do understand that, although I have been raised to believe these things, my life experiences are proof enough for me to believe that I am being watched over by a power far greater than any of our own. Faith plays a major role in why I believe but proof is tangible, and the several times I've witnessed miracles in my personal life are proof enough for me. Now back to the idea of cosmos, what would it take for me to recreate my own? Definitely not "he said, she said" but persecution? Slavery? Death? Scary.

Tareva - Week 1

I feel somewhat foolish for just now beginning to blog considering it is the fourth week of classes, but have no fear, I have been keeping a written tally of what I want to blog about each week.

For the first week I want to talk about the Gary Snyder text. I missed the very first day of class so my best friend picked up all of my assignments. When I received word that I was to read a section out of the Gary Snyder text, my first thoughts were, "Who the hell is Gary Snyder"? Once I started reading his work, however, I was blown away. He has the ability to take the reader all the way into the places he's been. I feel like his writing makes me connect with my surroundings ("nature") in a way I never have, nor ever thought was possible. In class discussion we talked about how Snyder introduced the idea of "sacred energy exchange." Wow! That's a very deep and profound way of looking at the life cycle. I was telling my roommate just the other day that I enjoy meeting people, or reading books, or having professors that make me think about things I don't think about all the time or have never had the opportunity to think about. And trust me, I'm a thinker! But when I read Snyder's work I feel as if my thinking is being rewarded! He gives us something to ponder in such a way that is unusual yet philosophically smart, if you will. I'm rather impressed by Snyder's ability to play with language in order to really tap at the soul of the reader. "Nature is not a place to visit, it is home - and within that home territory there are more familiar and less familiar places." That is one of my favorite lines. There is so much power behind his writing! I'm excited to finish this book.