Cameron Browne- Virginia Beach

The beach has always been an important part of my life. I have lived in Virginia Beach all my life and I would never imagine myself growing up anywhere else. The beach is part of me my feet are meant to be buried in the sand, and I love the feeling jumping into the waves and surrounding myself with the ocean. In my high school we say Virginia Beach our vacation their reality, which is one of my favorite quotes that I have ever heard. I believe that the place I grew up in made me the person I am today. I feel more at home at the beach with my feet in the waves of the ocean than anywhere on this earth. The busy streets and the children running up and down the beach, is what VB is all about. The beach is the best back drop for my life. I love everything about the city and the many memories I have had there. Spiritually I feel connected to this place in so many ways. My growth in my religion was helped by the views from my front door of the ocean and the beach. It shows how wonderful and great God is and how amazing his creations are. Virginia Beach helps me believe in a higher being and living my life for him.

Cameron Browne- Freedom in Landscapes

The wilderness is vast and people can feel free there to express themselves in any way. There are different landscapes in the wilderness, for a variety of people to enjoy its wonderful beauty. In the city people feel stressed with jobs, families, and responsibilities. In the wilderness there is nothing to do but relax and listen to the sounds of the wind and animals moving about. The freedom in landscapes is special and can make an impact on someone’s life. Landscapes can be special in their own way to different people and affect people with different emotions. One example of freedom in landscapes was when I was in Hawaii and I was standing on a cliff above the ocean. I felt the freedom to dive or not to. I felt like I could see everything from the top of the cliff including all the open spaces of the earth. The water never ended and the horizon was so far away. I ended up diving into the water and I felt so free doing it. Flying in the air over the deep, blue Pacific Ocean was like I was in my own little world. The landscape gave me my own freedom and it was really special to me.

Cameron Browne- Appalachian Trail Movie

This movie about the Appalachian Trail was very informative. The movie followed a group of hikers on their journey through the AT. The trail runs through 13 states, from Georgia to Maine. Hikers were interviewed and asked why they wanted to make this long journey in the wilderness. Some of the answers were surprising to me; they were a better sense of environment, a mental cleansing, and a sense of personal peace. All these answers are spiritual ones to me. From the movie I could tell that it is not just a hike for the hikers but it is more a spiritually journey to find a purpose for life. My favorite part of the journey was the shelters along the way. The shelters provide protection for the hikers and a time for them to talk to other hikers and learn special stories from their fellow hikers. I believe the trail would not be the same if the interaction with other hikers did not happen. Another thing that the movie showed me was that regular pizza was a delicacy on the AT. I thought it was funny when the hikers were so excited about finding a shelter with a phone so they could order pizza for dinner. This movie was really touching and I learned so much about the AT from it. This movie was the best all year and I am really glad Professor Redick showed it.

Cameron Browne- Noland Trail reflection

When our class went out on the Noland Trail it was a beautiful day. The birds were chirping and flying around in the fall winds. The noises of the wilderness made this place calming and special. I felt like everything around me was affecting me all at the same time. My favorite part was the colors of the fall leaves on the trees. The colors were anywhere from brown to green with yellows, reds, and orange ones. It looked like a young child took her finger painted hands and colored the leaves. I didn’t think that this school trip would be a life changing experience but it was. At first everyone seemed just excited to leave the classroom and get outside and hangout. Professor Kip Redick asked us questions like what feeling do we have in a certain spot from the trail, and how do we think that a piece of a branch made it in the middle of the trail. It was interesting because my first thought was the rain storm that we had a week prior. That was one thing I was thinking about the whole time when we were walking down the trail. Every tree or turned leaf had its own story of how it changed or was moved by the weather changes or animal movement. The trail made me think more about the nature side of the world that we use and abuse in this world. I want to try my hardest to help preserve the earth we live on today to help it for the future.

Cameron Browne- School environment

Coming to school was a big change and I was so excited to come. Before coming here I felt complete and knew what I wanted in life. I feel after coming to school I am not sure of myself at all. Watching how school changes certain people, I am not sure if I want to be here anymore. At home my friends believed what I did spiritually and I was spiritually fed there. Now I have to be strong and spiritually feed myself. It’s hard to do that and I feel myself falling from God’s calling. Going out into nature I feel it is a time for me to forget everything and become myself again. I like to go and see God’s beautiful creations. Reflecting on everything that is going on in my life, and forget all the bad things going on is easier in nature than staying in the real world. Nature is one way to be spiritually fed in one’s soul.

A place that is sacred to me… by Cameron Browne

My parents got divorced when I was very young and my mom and sister and I moved down the street into an old little yellow house. That house was my favorite house that I have ever lived in. The house was filled with so many memories bad and good but it got us through the bad ones and we were able to preserver. At this time in my life everything was changing but I could always go to my room and feel so comfortable in that house. The floors caught my tears and the walls knew all my feelings of sorrow. That place comforted me through the hardest thing that happened in my life. My sister and I grew up there and it aided my mom in raising us. It was so nice because I felt safe there even when I was all alone. We sold the house and moved into a bigger house with my step dad. It was very sad because the new owners wanted to tear down the house and build a new one. I was very sad that house was there through everything growing up. I remember crying the day the house was being destroyed. That house was spiritual to me. I feel like that house with all the memories was my most spiritually place in my life.
In class we were talking about that one’s spiritual place has to do with memories there. Whether it is a closet, park, or a vacation spot, memories are an important part in making a place sacred to someone. When something happens that is significant to someone, in a certain place that can never be taken away from someone; making it sacred to that person.

Laura Boleyn- Connection to Comm.

Martin Buber’s I and Thou, does not only connect to our class, Wilderness as sacred place, but also to, as I found out, my communications class. As I was reading through the book, I found a side note that related the ideas of Martin Buber and his I-Thou, I-It to interpersonal communications and the relationships we have with the people in our lives on a personal and impersonal level.
In class, we learned Buber’s idea of reciprocity, where we are touching but we are also being touched by the surrounding environment; its animals as well as geographical features. When in a place, you are touching the environment and communicating with it but you are also being touched, spiritually or otherwise, by the location. In communications class we learned I-Thou relationships where two completely different people are interacting and not only are they different but they are also changing moment to moment. The I-Thou relationship focuses on the moment and how we are in the present, not on how we were in the past. For communications, the I-It relationships can be personal or impersonal and focus on people as objects, as what they can do for us. This relationship is stable and detached, and also predictable. For example, getting someone to love you or getting someone to pump gas for you.
This lesson on interpersonal communication also suggests the importance of both I-It and I-Thou relationships. You cannot have one without the other. Buber states that humans cannot exist without I-It relationships and if we exist only on I-It relationships, then we are not fully human. The lesson of this side passage in relation to Martin Buber was to consider our most important relationships and ask the questions, “To what degree can they be described as ‘I-Thou’ or ‘I-It’, How satisfied are you with this level of relating, and What obligation do you have to treat others in an I-Thou manner?” The book challenges us to analyze our communication styles and change them based on our answers. Through the ideas of Martin Buber, we are asked to question how well we communicate interpersonally and how healthy our relationships are.

Brittany McClure-- Class Reflection

My place can't be narrowed to a single building or tree; rather, it was the woods behind my home when I lived in Jessup, Maryland. What makes those woods so significant is the memories I have associated with it. I lived in that small town cul-de-sac for three years, from age ten to twelve, and that stretch of forest that surrounded the area behind the homes was the stage of many an adventure, both solitary and in the company of friends. Whether it was hot or snowing didn't matter. I'd come home from school, finish my homework, and run out the door, not to be seen again until dinnertime. Those woods hold more memories that I have space to write down. Even a pair of my socks are likely still out in the creek that ran through it... but that's a tale for another time.
Now as to my place's religious value as Lane describes it, I don't know that it fits his outline. It is as spiritual to me as anything can be, though. The childhood love and the freedom I gleaned from that place are near enough to religion, the rush of good feeling that suffused me a form of prayer. It was a transcendent experience (though my ten-year-old self never realized it). It uplifted me and sparked ideas and passions. Yet if I returned to walk through those trees again I know it would be different. The sentimental value would still be there, but the actual feel of the place would be altered somehow.

Elizabeth Watkins - In-Class Reflection

The place that is most spiritual for me is probably not a specific place at all. What is most spiritual to me is a sunset. The wonderful thing about it is that I can see that "place" almost anywhere. Wheter its driving home from school, or when I'm at the lake house in North Carolina, if I see an amazing sunset it just strikes me. I think what impacts me is not just the fact that it is high up in the sky close to God and heaven and all the things I believe in, but also it is incredibly and indescribably beautiful. Whenever I see one I stop adn stare and just feel a sense of awe come over me.
When I see a sunset I can relate to Lane when he talks about how sacred place can be both transcendent and immanent. I see the sunset as transcendent as it relates to God. I feel that it is something that he creates thats beautiful. At the same time the sunset is immanent. It is in this world and I can see it and interact with it. I can also see how a sunset is hard to define and the place as sacred is subjective. Many others may not feel the way I do or they may feel that it is sacred but in an entirely different way. Sacred place is something very personal and open to interpretation.

Megan Geers- Drive to NJ

Over the break I went with my family to visit my cousins in New Jersey. This has been a family tradition for years, every thanksgiving we make the trip up. And usually I am not awake for most of the ride just because cars kind of lull me after awile. Instead I noticed things I hadn't this time, it's almost like a drive through a trail. There are all sorts of trees and shrubery along the road. The groupings of trees ranged from yellow, orange, red and deep purple! I saw the purple trees grouped together in the middle of an obviously cut down forest. It looked like a sign of hope in a world full of chaos. I found myself drawn to see what the trees would look like next as opposed to just seeing them wiz past and just get lulled to sleep. I guess I'm making progress...

Elizabeth Watkins - Questions for Lane's Book

I think it would be pretty cool to be able to sit down with Belden Lane and ask some questions about his book. One thing I'd like to know is what about all the people that don't read his book? What about students that never take a course on Sacred Landscapes? Do they know how to identify sacred place? One thing I know is that I would have never equated that sublime feeling of a place with the concept of sacred place. Actually, I probably wouldn't have known what to equate that feeling to. What's sad is that before this class I would have never really sat down and thought about the spiritual and sacredness of a landscape. On page 53 Lane says that "One's actual embodied experience in encountering a place perceived as sacred is crucial, then, to the sense of magic or awe that one finally attributes to it". How many people then actually feel that magic or awe in their lifetime? And is that feeling different for each person or more or less the same? I'd like to know about the people that Lane has encountered who don't care much for nature (not because they dislike it, but because their culture or environment has never really educated them on it). How many people really appreciate that "magic" of a place?

Elizabeth Watkins - My Own Visit to Noland Trail

Ever since our first visit to Noland Trail as a class, I've been going back to run the trail. I really loved it when the class visited it and I decided to go back many times. I like to jog the five miles during the day because you always see new things. I just love the experience. I always see people walking their dogs. I love that you run on dirt, sand, and even seashells. I enjoy running alongside such a beautiful lake that is surrouned by gorgeous trees that are a variety of colors. Not only do I see the many different shades of red, yellow, and orange when I look up at the trees, but they are spread all over the trail so I see them as I run. Another thing I found interesting at Noland Trail was the wildlife. There are so many fearless squirrels and cute birds. I noticed about a week ago that if you run from the north entrance to the east entrance you'll see this tree on the side of the path that has a hole cut out of it at the base. It looks as if some animal uses that for shelter at night. I just love the experience at Noland Trail and I absolutely love the relaxing environment.

Ellen Crabbe - Appalachian Trail Movie

The AT movie was a wonderful movie. It was more informative than I thought it would be. Unlike the other movie we watched on the AT this one served more as a guide to the trail than a documentary of what goes on the trail. The other movie we watched was a lot more personal. It showed one man’s journey on the trail and who and what he meet on the trail. What I was most shocked about was the fact that Virginia makes up twenty-five percent of the trail. While watching this movie though it did make me consider wanting to be a thru-hiker. I have been considering doing this but I had no idea when to start or what I would need. After watching the video I did decide that I would want to be a thru-hiker. What I have to decide now is when to hike. I think that in the future if these videos are shown the documentary should be showed before the more personal documentary on the thru-hiker’s journey. That way one can view it objectively and then subjectively. When I began taking this class I had very little information on hand about my surroundings. As I have stayed in the class longer I have been able to learn more about nature and the beauty that lies beneath it. These two movies on the AT only improved that for me.

Ellen Crabbe - Democracy in Danger.

Attending the Democracy in danger inter-panel discussion was one of the most refreshing discussions I have been to since I began attending CNU. Dr. Redick’s take on the matter was that democracy was in danger because of the fact that the government was giving away sacred lands and deeming them as useful due to the fact that they were being altered for recreational purposes. He spoke of the fact that many Native American monuments and sacred places over the years have been stripped of their sacred title due to climbers wanting a new, more challenging experience. This did prove that democracy was in danger. Mostly because if lands the Native Americans considered sacred was being given away, the government cannot turn around and claim that what Americans consider their sacred grounds- i.e. mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument etc- cannot be trespassed upon in such a manner? The answer is …they can’t. Unless the flaw is recognized and corrected, in the near future democracy will be at its end and there would be very little that people can do to stop it.

Ellen Crabbe- John Adams = Environmentalist?

In a previous class we discussed Gatta's Book and read John Adam's take on nature. My preconceived notion was that John Adams would speak of nature in relation to the government. This is mostly due to the fact that I and many others in this world view him as a politician. Anything else to the contrary is secondary. Believing that John Adams and the rest of the founding fathers did have religious conviction it was quite easy for me to believe what he had written. He did ultimately say that nature was of its own inherent value because God created it. Because of this statement I would like to believe that John Adams believed that nature was entirely a sacred place. Gatta said that Adams was not greener than Emerson and that is very evident we read and discussed. Although I still hold on to the fact that Adams was a politician, I also believe now that he was an environmentalist. He may not have been one in the extreme form as Thoreau- spending months in a home by himself in the wilderness- but he did state his convictions about nature. To me he might have been a little greener than Emerson.

Elizabeth Watkins - AT Movie

This movie about the journey of the Appalachain Trail was very interesting. There was a lot of information in the movie that surprised me. One thing I thought was pretty cool was the history of the Appalachain Trail. Apparently, a man by the name of Earl Chafer was the first to complete the trail. What shocked me was the year that he accomplished this: 1948! I would not have thought that many people were interested in hiking in that decade. Also interesting was the average miles a person travels in one day for the first couple weeks that they hike the trail. According to the movie, the average person walks six to twelve miles during those first weeks. That seems like such a small amount when you think that to complete the trail you must go from Georgia to Maine. Crazy! That makes me wonder what motivates a person to go to such great efforts just to complete the Appalachain Trail. I found my answer, however, in the testimonial of one lady. She said that the experience was "an emotional, spiritual, mental cleansing". That, to me, is what makes it all worth it.

Megan Geers- The AT

Today we watched a movie on the Appalachian Trail, and it was pretty informative. I’m not much of a hiker at all so seeing how these people live and get around was a learning experience for me. I had no idea there were so many rest stops all along the trail, but I guess it’s a good way to make money. I wonder if these people are running around hiking for months at a time, how are they affording to take the time off? Do they have to pay for the rest stop service? Its funny how there are trail “angels” that leave a cooler of snacks and drinks behind, too. Oh, I would be so grateful, especially after a 10 to 20 mile hike, to find that cooler! I like all the carbohydrate consumption going on as well, because carbs make my life; but it’s great to keep energy up as well! It looks appealing on screen at moments, but besides the carbs I probably wouldn’t like it.

Ellen Crabbe- Cold Fever

Cold Fever was a perfect example of finding the meaning of a journey in the journey. With Ewert Cousins’ idea of journey symbols and the idea of journeys Cold Fever does fit the criteria for a journey. While watching the movie, if you do identify with the main character-Hirata- you will be able to follow his journey and be able to identify it. He meets helpers and obstacles and goes through a plethora of purification tests before he does get to his destination. Hirata was not for the ritual and due to the fact that he was not open to the experience as well he missed out on a lot of experiences. At the beginning of his trip he gets his first chance to cleanse himself in the blue lagoon and refuses to do so. Then he meets his first helper, the cab driver, on the trip who he sees as an obstacle. The cab driver tries to introduce him to ritual but he refuses to partake in the ritual, hence he shunned his second indication that the ritual was to be a sacred one.
Later on he meets his first recognizable helper - the lady that sold him the car. She comes to him while he is in the bar of the hotel and tells him that she can help him. I seemed like she was ripping him off but she really did help him to find a cheaper form of transport. That is when his journey really does begin because he is faced with the choice of whether he wants to continue with his trip or return home. He does continue with the trip and that is how it begins to be evident that Hirata is on the right track of his journey. Somehow it seems that he is now more open to the idea of the ritual. This is by the sheer fact that he bought a car to make the trip.
Ewert Cousins’ idea of journey and how they take place, and the motions one has to go through all of a sudden begin to be evident at this point in the movie. By Hirata acquiring the car he is able to meet all the helpers and obstacles that shape his purification process on his way to performing the ritual for his parents. The most influential of the helpers were two people, Laura-the funeral collector, and the old man who ends up helping him go through his final purification phase before he performs the ritual. Cousins’ idea of the purification process begins and ends with the two people. It begins with Laura and ends with the old man.
Cousins’ idea that the person does not fully understand the journey until the purification process is complete completely comes into play. Hirata does go through a thorough amount of purification and testing before he reaches the end of his journey. Laura introduces him to the sacred nature of rituals and how they are actually beneficial to the soul. Laura is the first person who helps Hirata to understand that his performing this ritual was not for about him but really something greater that he refused to acknowledge. The old man teaches him that he has to face whatever it is that he is trying to combat inside of him before he can perform the rituals for his dead parents. The helpers are few, but they do get to him and when they do help him he does seem to become more enlightened on what he is to do and how he is to achieve that goal.
The obstacles are what make Hirata’s experience a true test. With the main obstacle being the couple- Jack and Jill- who start out as his friends and ultimately try everything to hinder him from reaching his destination. His real test comes when he is asked to choose between going on their path and getting killed and he chooses to continue. That is when it is most evident that Hirata is just about ready for to perform the ritual. It is evident that he is physically, emotionally and spiritually prepared for the ritual. The fact that his car had broken down many times was also a factor but didn’t seem to be a real limiting factor. He kept persevering through all of those times. At those times it is evident he isn’t ready because even when the fairy does help him start his car back up he isn’t phased and continues with his journey.
Hirata does reach his destination eventually but all through his journey he is prevented and helped. When he is completely ready he is able to climb the mountain and purify himself physically one more time. This time he is ready hence he does cleanse himself in the ho t spring and after the old man-who takes care of him all the way to the top of the mountain- decides he cannot go, Hirata is not phased and proceeds to go over a treacherous bridge and reach his ultimate destination and perform the ritual. What he tells his grandfather in his letter is what does some up his journey.
“Sometimes a journey can take you to a place that is not on a map.”

Megan Howard Cold Fever Nov. 13

Cold Fever was a difficult movie to follow. Using mainly visuals to depict one man’s journey, I quickly understood how it related to the ULLC Wilderness as A Sacred Place. This movie was much like the journeys we had previously discussed in class. Like a hike up the Appalachian Trail or a trek across Scotland this man was undergoing a spiritual wilderness experience but in a less obvious way. Most of the journeys discussed in class involved the direct decision to undertake a physically challenging hike through the woods for many miles with the intent to undergo an emotionally awakening through a spiritual connection with the wilderness. In this man’s case however he decides to go to Iceland not for spiritual or superstitious reasons but for the purpose of properly respecting his parents in the afterlife. Although he originally decided to not go to Iceland but Hawaii Lane’s 4 axioms began to take an active role in his life and after several mystical and supernatural moments he changes his mind. Throughout the movie Lane’s 4 axioms of Sacred Place is not chosen it chooses, Sacred Place is ordinary ritually made extraordinary, Sacred Place can be tread upon without being entered and the impulse of Sacred Place is both centripetal and centrifugal local and universal play a key role in the Japanese’s man spiritual reawakening and the experience of wilderness as a sacred place.
Sacred Place is Not Chosen it Chooses
In the film Cold Fever the main character embarks on a journey to Iceland in order to perform a ritual for his deceased parents. The country Iceland chose the Japanese businessman in several ways. First, he was originally intending to go to Hawaii for a golf retreat but had to give up his tickets to go to Iceland. He then was in his home and the TV flipped on and had a message from his parents asking him to go to Iceland. Also, he continually encountered people praising the country and telling him he would love it. Although he originally chose Hawaii Iceland chose him and thus the sacred place was not chosen by him but chose him.
Sacred place is ordinary ritually made extraordinary
Although Iceland was not a particularly significantly sacred through the Japanese businessman’s actions it became extraordinary such as when he performed the culminating activity of performing a ritual for his parents. Although the river was already special in its location by being unusually far north and treacherous to get to it then became extraordinary through the ritual the man performed and the spiritual moment he experienced there.
Sacred Place can be tread upon without being entered
The Japanese businessman experienced a Sacred Place without entering it when he traveled through the area, which was inhabited with “fairies” while passing through on his dangerous journey. Although he saw the “fairies” and saw the lake he never entered the mystical and spiritual place and experienced the sacred place.
The impulse of Sacred Place is both centripetal and centrifugal local and universal
The presence of Iceland was felt everywhere in the main character’s life. He was not even in Iceland yet felt the sacred place calling him through TV messages, his grandfather and random strangers who praised the country. He did not have to be in the country to feel its sacredness thus the Sacred Place was universal without him physically being there. Once he was there, he still experienced the spirituality of the island and the sacredness continued during his journey. He did not undergo one sacred moment but a sacred journey his venture the Icelandic wilderness.

Megan Geers- Gatta's 1st Chapter

So today we discussed the puritan's view of america when they first arrived. It was kind of funny to here that they thought the landscape was desolate, which makes me think of ugly. But then I found out that the wilderness was not as populated with trees as it is today. It must have been really ugly, because we're constantly clearing our natural resources to make room for more economically stimulating edifices today. Back then it must have looked like there were just little spots in the wilderness. In my head it looks really funny but I doubt it's exactly the way I am imagining it. But eventually I think the newcomers got into the land as per some of the very descriptive sections of writings from a few select puritans. Oh well, I just thought it was interesting...

Cold Fever - Martin Konkel

During the first few minutes of the movie, cold fever, I just couldn’t see how this movie would turn out. A Japanese man going to Iceland seemed like a fairly interesting plot for a good cheesy comedy form the 1980’s, but as I soon found out this was by far a comedy, no, this movie was meant to have a deeper meaning then some random Eddie Murphy film.
Our main character starts out as fairly timid Asian man who blends into the hustle and bustle of (then) modern Tokyo; the typical young businessman, trying to get on with life. He meets up with his grand father who tells him he must lay his parents spirits to rest but in this scene, along with a few others in his native country, there is a strong split between new values and old customs. It wasn’t until his dead parents called out from him in the TV (via VCR tape). For whatever reason, this changed his mind, and off he went to the Iceland.
It quickly became apparent that Iceland was going to be quite the bizarre place and that the main character was not going to fit in too well. From the go, the Icelandic people seemed far different from what Hirata was used to back in Japan. First was the Taxi driver who made a pit stop to participate in a Nativity scene. This angered Hirata, so he started to walk down the cold deserted road, something that we see throughout the movie. He meets up with another weirdo, this time one those dark metal hippy chicks you usually only find in Europe. She sells him a Citroen DS, which he promptly calls a hunk of junk. The Citroen DS is a quirky little French car that was quite innovative for the time it was produced. One thing that jumped out to me was when the Citroen had a flat tire. The Citroen DS uses a hydro pneumatic independent suspension system which has adjustable ride heights (as evident when the car rose when he turned it on to drive it away for the first time). The suspension setup is quite unique, and in case of a flat tire the other wheels can be adjusted down (raising the body) while the one flat tire can be raised up towards the body taking it off the ground. Had he known this, he could have easily driven the car until he found help instead of wandering around in the cold and almost dying of hypothermia. Luckily some nice native people took him in for the night and took him back to his Citroen in their Willys wagon. For me, that car became like a character in the movie, although I do not think it was meant to be considering it didn’t last too long after the stereotyped rude robbing Americans jacked it.
Coming to the Axioms, the first, the most obvious of them all, is that sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. This is pretty obviously considering the Hirata had a trip planned to Hawaii and he ended up going to Iceland. He didn’t choose Iceland, more or less Iceland choose him.
Second Axiom is that sacred place is ordinary place made extraordinary through rituals. Iceland is a pretty bleak place, and quite awful during the winter months. While unique geographically, it’s not a place many people would get excited about. The locals talked of fairies hidden in huge rocks by the ocean and spirits that roamed the wasteland. Also, most sacred places are considered dangerous, and he wandered into dangerous territory at a fork in the road. Here the Citroen broke down, but a fairy appeared, exploded some snow in a few places by making this awful sound, and then somehow fixed his French car.
The third Axiom is that sacred place can be tread upon without being entered. Hirata never seemed really engulfed in the landscape that surrounded him. He had a goal, and he did everything to fulfill that goal and didn’t let much stand in the way. He frequently wandered down the road himself, traveled the landscape in his Citroen, and in the end crossed it by horseback and then even foot. However, he never showed great excitement for the place, granted, he stood back and looked at it a few times, but not once during the movie did Hirata ever become really excited, upbeat, or emotional. Perhaps he was being portrayed by an awful actor, but I’m guessing this is how the character was supposed to be. It wasn’t really until the end that he seemed to “enter it” when performing the rituals.
The Fourth and Final axiom is that everything is centered. This does not relate as easily to the movie as the other axioms, but you can say that Hirata grew more spiritual through his wilderness journey, although really the final destination does not center on much in the movie. I honestly thought it was going to be a village or so, but instead it was some random river in a place that seemed to be nowhere. The goal centers on his spiritual ness, and eventually he is pulled into it at the end.

Peter Michalski--Cold Fever

In the movie, Cold Fever, all four axioms are illustrated during the main characters journey through Iceland. The reason why he was traveling across the cold desolate landmass was to go to a river and perform a ceremonial ritual for his dead parents that died there in an accident. Given that the purpose of the journey is to perform a religious ceremony the main character with have spiritual encounters even though he has no care for such things. At first the main character even refused to go on the trip but finally decided to go, but even then only went out of duty rather than for the purpose.
The first axiom, sacred place is not chosen, it chooses, is encountered in sever parts of the film.
A notable part is when the main character takes a left down a road with a huge sign that says “Warning! Does anyone know you’re going this way?” After a bit of driving the main characters car stalls and stops without warning at the top of a hill. The movie then cuts to him waking up in his car and seeing a little girl standing outside. He gets out of his car and approaches the girl, he stops a few feet away and suddenly the girl gives out a piercing screech that causes rocks to fall loose and makes a geyser erupt. Along with those the main characters car start to run again. The girl who disappears after that represents one of the fairies that lives in the rocks, she came in his time of need to help him. That place will always be with him from then on, the combination of the geyser with the scenery and the experience as a whole. The main character did not choose to stop there, if it where up to him he would have kept going to reach his destination. Instead his car forced him to stop because it stalled allowing him to witness the fairy.
The second axiom, sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary is depicted near the end, when the main character finally arrives to the river near where his parents died. That place represents the second axiom because there was nothing special about that place until his parent’s accident happened and they died there. Their dyeing there made him travel all the way there learning and experiencing along the way. When he finally reached the river he had changed and the ritual he preformed there will leave a permanent mark and always be special to him.
The third axiom, sacred place can be tred upon without being entered, can be seen all over the movie. The main character is on a spiritually journey but is not spiritual himself. He is confronted with many places that represent sacred place but he is so focused on doing what he came to do he doesn’t even realize what they are. For example when the taxi driver pulls over and goes into the barn the main character gets impatient and goes to see where he went. When he looks through the widow he sees a group of people reenacting the birth of Jesus Christ. When the main character realizes what the people are doing, he goes back to the taxi grab his luggage and continues down the road on his own.
The fourth and last axiom is the impulse of sacred place is both, centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. This is shown in the beginning of the movie as well as the end when his grandfather first asks him to travel to Iceland to perform the rituals. His grandfather knew how important the ritual was and put forth the effort to get him to go. When the main character gets to Iceland and almost to the river he becomes stuck. Everyone says that there is no one to get there during the winter and he has to wait for spring. Everyone says that except for one man who also knows how important the ritual is and goes the extra mile to help him. Half way across the world in two different countries two men both know the importance of the journey and help the main character to accomplish it.

Cold Fever By: Jack Long

In the film “Cold Fever,” the main character is a Japanese man who encounters a journey both physically and spiritually. Initially, Hirata is a non religious businessman who travels to Iceland for a month to perform a ritual for his diseased parents who died in a car accident in Iceland. Hirata must travel to the spot of their death and carryout their burying rights so that his parents souls can be laid to rest.

Lane’s first axiom states that place is not chosen it chooses. An example of this in the movie “Cold Fever” would be when Hirata is traveling on a bus when he first arrives in Iceland and the tour guide tells the passengers that fairies live in the chimney like rock structures off to each side of the road. Hirata is not a superstitious or religious man but when he sees the fairy that appears as a young girl yelling into the night he becomes more open minded. Another instance would be when he buys the beat up old sedan from the strange woman. The woman tells Hirata that it was his destiny to purchase the car. This makes me wonder whether the woman was a fairy because of the mischief associated with the breaking down of the car. It makes me ask the question was that supposed to happen the way it did? Or was it meant to be just another obstacle that Hirata has to overcome.

The second axiom tells us that place is ordinary ritually made extraordinary. Hirata meets a woman in a diner who goes and takes pictures at many funerals. She has what she refers to as a “funeral collection” and teaches Hirata that ritual is very beautiful. The woman scrapbooks pictures of mourning that she takes from funerals of people that she has never met before. She convinces him that his parents would be proud to have a son like him to make such a perilous journey. When he performs his ritual on the ice towards the water the old man watches Hirata. The man is fascinated by the Japanese customs and in every culture it is true that ritual s extraordinary.

Lane’s third axiom states that sacred place can be tread upon without being entered. When Hirata arrives in Iceland he views it as a baron wasteland. He doesn’t see much sanctity in a wilderness full of blizzards, obstacles and strange people. When he arrives at the tavern at the climax of the movie he drinks with an old man who is willing to help him on his quest. They both venture form the lodge on horseback to the bride that leads to the river where his parents die. The old man has a dream and in this dream he see Hirata traveling alone among spirits. In a sense he is treading sacred place witout physically being there.

The fourth axiom of sacred place dictates that sacred place is both local and universal. The river when Hirata’s parents died is local to Iceland but is universal in spirituality because of what took place there. Perception is what determines topos and chora as well as the sanctity of place. God is never confined to a single local, therefore holiness can be focused in a particular place of divine encounter s well as the rest of the universe at the same time.

Cold Fever- Ben Stewart

When the japanese man starts his journey he does not believe in ritual and sacred space whatsoever. He is talking to his grandfather and refuses to go to iceland because he says it is dumb and he would rather go to hawaii on vacation where he can enjoy himself. His granfather tells him that he needs to to do it to honor his parents. He is still not going to go until he is shown supernaturally that he must. He is show shocked by the tv turning on and seeing his parents that he realizes that he has no choice. He begins his journey to iceland and as he gets there he has nothing but distain for the place. He hates everything about it and it does not speak to him at all. As the plot begins to unfold however Lanes 4 sacred axioms begin to act on him without him really trying. The first axiom is that a sacred place is not chosen it chooses. This man obviously did not choose for this sacred land to happen to him. He wanted absolutely no part in it. It however chose him and he began to experience it as he continued through the plot. Like the different things that happened that he had nothing to do with. For example how he was led to the religious gathering by the taxi driver or how he sees the lady that can do supernatural things. The second axiom is that sacred space is ordinary space ritually made extraoridinary. Obviously iceland is a ordinary place that is very cold. The spot where he conducts his ritual is not special at all until he does his ritual. It is then that it becomes special to him. The third axiom is that sacred space can be tread upon without being entered. He obviously treds upon a lot of land in iceland before any of it becomes sacred to him. In fact he absolutely hates the area at first. The fourth axiom and final axiom is that sacred space is both local and universal. Hirata was in the local area and tried to become accustomed to it. As he performed the ritual however the place became universal to him as he felt like he was connecting to his parents who had passed away and gone so long ago. Basically this movie is about how Hirata manages to go from not caring about anything ritual and sacred and is then shown how amazing it can be. He did not really try that hard to find it, i think that it more found him.

Cold Fever Laura Boleyn

The main character of the film, Cold Fever, goes through a journey to perform a ritual for his dead parents. Along the way, this non-religious man who finds no meaning in ritual, finds meaning in his life through this journey and the ritual performed. He encounters many obstacles, but also characters that are willing to help him overcome these difficulties and fulfill the necessary steps to complete his journey. Through the journey, the man finds meaning in his life and one can see ways in which he is able to understand sacred place through the four axioms listed by Lane.
Once in Iceland, the man is not only faced with a language barrier but also an annoying woman who insists on taking pictures of funeral rituals. He is also unable to get to his desired locations and is required to buy an old beaten car to take him to the destinations of his journey. Another journey quality is the presence of supernatural beings, in this case, faeries. Also, the man must overcome the obstacle of an American couple, which hitch a ride with the man and later force him out of his own car. This forces him to compete the next step of the journey, which can be seen as a test or a diversion from his quest. There is also a character that takes the place of a helper who will assist him on his journey. The man is unable to get to the river for his parents ritual because of the inclement weather and an old man helps him to get there and complete the final step of the journey. The man must cross a bridge alone to get to the river and perform the ritual. He does so and is able to fulfill his journey and bring meaning to his life.
The man is able to enter sacred place and understand sacred place, but only through his journey. Through the death of his parents and the trip he must take to perform the necessary rituals, he is able to complete an important part of his life and find a spiritual connection with the world. With the first axiom, sacred place is not chosen, it chooses, the river where the man’s parents died was not chosen as sacred place but instead the river place chose the man for the place of ritual. In this way, the river place serves as an axis mundi for the man. At this place, the man can connect with his parents who are in another world. The sacred place has chosen the man and his parents to serve as a connection once lost. The second axiom, sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary, can be also be seen at the river place. To anyone else, this particular place is just another part of the environment. Because the man’s parents died here and the man must perform rituals for his parents here, it is made sacred, even if just for the man. The third axiom, sacred place can be tred upon without being entered, can be seen throughout the movie, especially in the beginning of his journey. Any part of the Icelandic environment could be sacred, but because the man is not religious or in connection with sacred place, it is not entered by him, he only treds upon it. The whole first part of the man’s journey he is at a loss of connection with sacred place and the Icelandic environment. The man sees the area as cold, desolate and does not want to be there at all. He does not see it as a distinct, holy ground. The final axiom, impulse of sacred place is both local and universal, can be seen in the final scene when the man is performing the ritual. He now has a connection with Iceland and its surrounding environment, and with the universe because he is able to be in connection with his parents and the world through this river place and that particular place.
The main character of the film, Cold Fever, is able to find meaning in himself and in Iceland and the world through his journey. He is obligated to complete the necessary rituals for his parents but along the way he is able to complete a journey and find sacred place through Lane’s four axioms.

David Ross - Cold Fever

In the movie "Cold Fever," the first axiom to affect the Japanese business man was the fourth Axiom. This states that a sacred place has an impulse, both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. Although he doesn't realize it, the sacred place, the place where he must perform the ritual where his parents died, is already calling to him. He's playing golf in his house, and the ball bounces off an object and into the TV remote, turning on a video of his parents. This is the place's way of exerting it's universal power, to call him to Iceland to perform the ritual for his parents.
When the movie starts out, he isn't involved with anything spiritual, and throughout the movie he learns more and more about it from the "helpers." This is a 'local' way that the spiritual place is involved in bringing him to it. He must make his way through many challenges before he can understand the importance of a sacred place and the ritual, but he will also receive help along the way. One of the helpers was a spirit incarnate in the form of a girl with a banshee cry. This actually kind of scared me when I saw that, because I thought she was going to make him explode too, but she was really just showing the power of what she could do. Earlier in the movie, it talked about faeries and faerie stones, so I think she may have been a faerie. But she definitely was one of the helpers, as she started his car with her scream.
Another of the axioms, the third one, doesn't need much explanation. It states that a sacred place can be tred upon without being entered. This is so because the sacred place he goes to is seemingly out in the wastes of Iceland. Anyone could have walked through that area and crossed that stream, but not realize it was a sacred place. It was only sacred to him because that is where he performed the ceremony for his parents. Anyone else wouldn't see it as a sacred place.
The second axiom relates back to the previous paragraph. It states that a sacred place is an ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary. As I said before, it was just an icy spot along a stream, no different from any other part of the area. But the businessman performed a ritual there, and therefore made it an extraordinary place. Perhaps it may not have looked that way to anybody else, but to him it was sacred. Finally, the first axiom states that a sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. This certain spot along the stream was not chosen by the businessman, it chose him. It was where he was headed throughout the entirety of his trip, though he may not have known it when he first started. When he arrived to perform the ritual, that sacred place spoke to him, and told him that was where to perform the ritual for his parents.

Cold Fever- Erika Sikon

Ritual and Sacred Space

Belden C. Land tells about the four axioms of a sacred place in his book, Landscapes of the Sacred: Geography and Narrative in American Spirituality. He says: a sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. Sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary. Sacred place can be tread upon without being entered and the impulse of sacred place is both centripetal and centrifual, local and universal. Each of these four axioms can be found within the movie Cold Fever. The journey itself is a typical one when it comes to the people Hirata meets and the obstacles he must overcome before ending his journey. However, this experience transforms Hirata spiritually. In the end he knows why he was supposed to perform this ritual.
Hirata travels to Iceland to perform a ritual for his parents. When he first starts his journey he wants to just go to Iceland, do the ceremony for his parents, and get home back to work. He does not realize how this journey is going to change him. To him it is just a vacation to do something for him parents.
Sacred place is not chosen, it chooses. The river became a sacred place to Hirata because that is where his parents died. Iceland is a sacred place because of all of the fairy stones. Iceland holds powers that no other place has. Hirata’s car breaks down in a random place in the middle of nowhere. He is saved by a fairy. That place is a sacred place. The powers choose for the car to break down at exactly that spot. The graveyards Hirata and Laura visit for the funerals are all known sacred places. People who live in Iceland love Iceland. It is a scared place for them. Sacred place is ordinary, ritually made extraordinary. Hirata wanted to go to that part of Iceland by that river to pay respects to his parents. For many that place is a regular place. The old guy even mentioned it to Hirata right before he crossed the dangerous bridge. He told Hirata that people cross this bridge all the time in the summer. It was nothing. However, that bridge and that journey he made alone was something extraordinary. He was learning the sacredness of Iceland and on his journey to his parents “grave.” He found another part of himself on his journey.
Sacred place can be tread upon without being entered. This is the most prominent axiom in the movie. Hirata hates Iceland when he first arrives. He does not understand all of the “magic” that Iceland holds. He drives many days without ever looking at all the pretty snow and mountains he is driving through. He does not even take the time to read signs. It is not until we meet the crazy couple that we begin to realize the beauty and sacredness of the landscape. The guy talks about Iceland and the fairy stones and points out aspects of Iceland Hirata would not have seen on his own. To him Iceland is just a cold and confusing place. He was not prepared for anything he experienced while he was in Iceland. He did not bring the right kind of clothes. He did not bring any food. All he had was money, cigarettes, and the things he needed to perform the ritual for his parents. He did not have an idea of where he was headed. Many people asked Hirata, “How do you like Iceland?” His reply would always be pessimistic like, very cold or very strange country. He did not yet understand it.

“The impulse of sacred place is centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal. Hirata was taken out of his comfort zone during this journey. He grew in his spirituality because of it. He was in a foreign place and relied a lot on other who was local to the area. You saw a small progression through the movie of Hirata to his surrounds and spirituality. It was not until he was tempted and boozed up that he began to see it all. It was perhaps a way of clearing his mind and making him more open. Also the man bathed him and fed him. It was a way of cleansing and nourishing him before he finished his journey. He clothes Hirata and helped him find his way even though he completed the journey by himself. He made it to the river and performed the ritual for his parents. He will forever have that sacred place no matter where he is.

Cameron Browne- Cold Fever

When watching this movie in class I felt like it was boring. Towards the end it was better and I found that I thought about what the movie meant the rest of the day. It was more that a movie that just talked about a Japanese businessman rather it was a movie about his spiritual journey to Iceland. I believe that moral for the story was about striving for goals but the real reward was when something magical happened out of the blue and one not knowing it made that impact on their life. The Japanese men, Hirata, needed to go to Iceland to perform a spiritual ritual at the river were his parents died. It was important in Japanese culture for a ritual to be performed at the site of death seven years after the death took place. In this film Hirata travels in Iceland on his own spiritual journey to find meaning in his life. I do believe that at the time he did not know how much the journey would actually change him as a man. Along the way he meets different people that aided him in his quest. This example of meeting people along the way is found in the packet, The Journey Symbol, where it explains that spiritual journeys have helpers that assist in ones pilgrimage. During his journey he meets a lot of symbolic people but I believe the most significant was the old man. The turning point in my eyes was the part in the film that the old man left Hirata and made him cross the bridge to the river by himself. This part is important because before Hirata was being guided on his journey but now Hirata is leading himself on his journey. Hirata is the only one in charge and is the only one that can help him make the ritual successful. Once Hirata made it to the other side the old man watched over him carefully. I believe that the bridge acted as a metaphor for man vs. nature and man vs. man. The old man wanted Hirata to perform the ritual by himself and knew that was the only way it could be done. After the old man waved to Hirata it was like the old man was telling him goodbye and letting him go on his journey. This journey was the beginning of something special in Hirata.
This can be explained by Lane’s four axioms. The first axiom is “sacred place is not chosen, it chooses” is showed through Hirata. Meaning the Hirata didn’t choose where we went on his spiritual journey or where the ritual had to be held. The river was an honored place and should remain that way because his parents died there and I believe he realized that on his journey. The second axiom is “sacred place is an ordinary place ritually made extraordinary” is showed in many ways in this film. The part when Hirata is actually performing the ritual at the river. It shows that any piece of ordinary land like the side of a glacier or a piece of ice from the frozen land can be made extraordinary by what might have happened there. The third axiom is “sacred place can be tred upon without being entered” can be showed my Hirata’s journey in Iceland. He went there to do one thing and only that one thing. I don’t believe that he knew that he would go back home with a different aspect on his own life. He didn’t take in the beauty of Iceland or the sacredness of the river where the ritual was performed in honor of his parents. And lastly the fourth axiom is “sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal” was shown by the growth that Hirata experienced on his journey. He became in touch with his spiritual views while one his quest to perform the important spiritual ritual for his parents. I thought that the movie was slow at time but the end result was a great outlook on how important a spiritual journey is to a man, when he himself doesn’t even know it.

Rebecca Culbreth- Dorm Wilderness

I just read Megan's entry on how her wilderness is her dorm room, and it occurred to me how true that really is. Upon first walking into my "home away from home" I was terrified. A prison is the perfect way to describe it. My future looked bleak. When my parents said those dreaded words, "Alright well have fun! Call us in a few days!" I wanted to throw a temper tantrum until they agreed to take me back home with them. Home; where I am comfortable and at ease in my surroundings. Daily I faced new things; "wild" things. The new odd smells (the reeking clothes and equipment from the hockey player's room next door), the unnerving sounds (my hallmates screaming at all hours of the night), and sharing a bathroom with three other girls all made life here very hard to adjust to. However, I think that almost everyone has conquered their wilderness. Whether it is with posters on the plain white walls, making friends with their suite-mates, or burying their nose in the books, we have all come to know and trust the place around us. Now, halfway through the year, this wilderness has lost some of its "wild."

Rebecca Culbreth-Cold Fever

Cold Fever follows a young man in his journey toward self discovery and realization of the importance of ritual. To honor his deceased parents he travels from Japan to Iceland to perform a post-death ritual ensuring their peaceful passing. Because ritual has no meaning to him, the trip was insignificant and tedious, as his attitude obviously shows early in the film. However, as his trip goes on, he comes to understand how important ritual and sacred place truly are. Through the people he meets and the obstacles he encounters, he begins to cling to rituals and in the final scenes of the movie he is overwhelmed by how sacred the place where he stands truly is.
There are four main axioms for understanding sacred place and each one of them ties into the movie Cold Fever. First, “Sacred place is not chosen. It chooses.” This axiom rings very true for this film because upon arriving in Iceland, Hirata’s disgust with the country is blatantly obvious. He is disgusted with the place. The viewer can obviously see that he would never choose to visit that country. He did not choose to go to Iceland, he needed to. Iceland chose him. The second axiom states that, “sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary.” This relates obviously to the movie. The whole reason for Hirata’s trip is to perform a ritual. The riverbank he stands on would mean nothing to someone else. However, because he is performing a ritual, the place is made special by that ritual. The third axiom: “Sacred place can be tread upon without being entered.” Again, in the beginning of the movie, Hirata had no appreciation for ritual and sacred places. This comes into play when his taxi driver stops to re-enact the “Christmas scene.” Hirata becomes angry and leaves instead of realizing the importance of the sacred place he had entered. The fourth and final axiom states that, “the impulse of sacred place is centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal.” In Lane’s book, the sentence after this axiom is, “One is recurrently driven to a quest for centeredness… and then at other times driven out from that center with an awareness that God is never confined to a single locale.” For Hirata he had to leave Japan in order to find God; the same God that so many others in Japan knew. He had to leave; he was driven out, in order to find what some found in their center.
This movie, while not on my top-ten-favorite-movies-of-all-time, was easy to relate to Lane’s four axioms. Hirata experienced all of those axioms and eventually found himself bonded to both ritual and the importance of sacred place.

Chelsea Gilbert-Cold Fever

The movie is centered upon a Japanese businessman whose grandfather has told him he has to perform a ritual for his parents who died seven years ago. At first he is unsure and unwilling of such a task because he is not a religious man. But with some time he decides it will be the right thing to do so he goes to Iceland from Japan. After arriving and traveling some on foot, he buys a car from a weird girl who talks about the car as if it was a divine creation. Then he gets a flat tire, making him on the verge of giving up on this seemingly impossible trip. However, he meets a couple who takes him in and then gives him a spare tire. This example is found in the packet The Journey Symbol, where it is stated that spiritual journeys have helpers assist in the pilgrimage. During his trip he meets a variety of symbolic people who prove to be other challengers and assistors to his journey. There is the woman who photographs funerals. She tells him about death, ghosts, and spirits, making him think twice about his nonreligious beliefs. The next day he hears a scream, which starts his broken down car. Hirata would not have been able to continue his journey without gaining some knowledge from the woman. He also meets a crazy American couple that kills a young girl for a hot dog and then leaves the man stranded on a road, taking his car. They serve as a diversion from the quest and possible sin. Lastly, the most significant person he meets is a wise old man (Journey Symbol). He helps Hirata to get to his destination and requires him to cross the bridge by himself, which turns out to be the pivotal part of the movie. The Japanese man can rely on no one but himself and his desire to perform the ritual. He eventually does, all the while, making a memorable journey that lasts a lifetime. Hirata experienced what we have learned as a sacred journey. This is best explained by Lane's four axioms. The first, "sacred place is not chosen, it chooses" is portrayed because the man did not choose where he wanted to have a sacred ritual, but rather he had to go to Iceland. He did not want to go there, however it was the place that they should be honored and remain sacred forever. The second axiom "sacred place is an ordinary place ritually made extraordinary" is seen in effect a few times throughout the movie. It is most importantly seen when he performs the ritual at the river, but also when the man is digging the grave at the funeral procession. This proves that any piece of once-ordinary land can be made extraordinary. Even a simple place like one's backyard or in a park can one day be seen as sacred. The third axiom "sacred place can be tred upon without being entered" is represented by Hirata's travels through Iceland. Although he is walking there for his journey, he never really let himself, nor wanted to let himself, be open to being there until the end. He did not wish to see the beauty or experience the sacredness of where the ritual was performed. And the fourth axiom is about being both local and universal, and is shown by Hirata's newfound knowledge about religion and spirits. He became more in touch with the idea of what religion means after traveling his journey and performing the ritual. This was an interesting movie and a little strange at times, but it showed many examples of what defines sacred place and how it can come about.

My walk at the Noland Trail by Chelsea Gilbert

During class we went on a trip to the Noland Trail. This was exciting for me because I love going outdoors and seeing nature in its true beauty. Throughout this visit I was able to experience several different emotions by viewing the natural setting around me. I felt relaxed and at peace while looking at the water. It flowed perfectly and had this aura about it that made you feel happy that you were there and could see such beauty. The trees were individually different in their own way. There were some that were shaped larger and curved, or some that were very skinny. It was also cool how at each bridge you crossed, you saw another one almost directly across from it. In this journey, I also saw evidence of the trail being a popular place for other people. On the benches throughout the trail, there were initials carved into the wood, different phrases, and other traces of human interaction. The people who were traveling on this trail while I was there were very friendly and polite, which made it more obvious of the beauty and simplicity that nature can hold.

Elizabeth Watkins - Cold Fever

I found the movie Cold Fever to be a very intriguing and unique story. Aside from the strange happenings, such as the sock puppet scenes, the movie was a very interesting story. It was of a young Japanese man that goes all the way to Iceland to honor the spirits of his parents. They passed away seven years ago and their son wishes to perform a private memorial service for them. While the young man was at first not interested in making the journey, he later decides that going to Iceland is important because he must make sure that his parents can rest peacefully. Upon this trip, the young man encounters the four axioms that Belden C. Lane discusses in his book. Let us first look at how the first axiom relates to the film. The first axiom is that “sacred place is not chosen, it chooses”. It is obvious in the film that the young man would agree with the notion that wherever his parents were laid to rest would be sacred to him. That place happened to be Iceland. If it were up to the young man, the sacred place where his parents lay would not be in Iceland but elsewhere. He clearly does not wish to go there at first. However, it is also evident that he cares for his parents. So perhaps in his perfect world his parents would be nearby so he could honor their gravesite in an easier manner. But sacred place does not allow a person to choose its being. The film also relates to the second axiom which states that “sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary”. We see this axiom come into play for a short while in one scene at the beginning of the movie. When the young man first arrives to Iceland and stops at a gravesite, we see a funeral procession in the background as the young man talks to an older man digging a grave. While in the past this site was probably simply a piece of land, it is now a sacred place because of the funerary rituals that take place there. We can also see a relation to the third axiom in the film. The third axiom states that “sacred place can be tred upon without being entered”. In Iceland, the young man meets a woman who told him that she would provide him a car. Whether the girl was haggling prices with the young man or not, she was very serious about the car having a certain presence. The young man, however, did not see this. It is just an example about how some people cannot see things that others can. This relates to the ability of sacred place to be ambiguous and not clear to some people who encounter it. The fourth axiom also relates to the movie. This axiom maintains that “the impulse of sacred place is both centripetal and centrifugal, local and universal”. I like to think of this axiom’s relation to the movie as something one would not conventionally think of being a relation. I believe that the young man’s entire journey was an impulse of sacredness that was not universal but local. His encounter of sacred place was not in the way he thought he would find it and instead sacred place came to him in a different way than he had imagined.

Lindsey Ceniviva Cold Fever

Life is full of transitions, whether it is from a young child to a full grown adult, or a carefree person to one with goals and standards. Deep within every transition there is a distinct defining moment that signifies the presence of change. One could experience a subtle, inner transition or on the other hand a more abrupt obvious one. People could also have many transitions within a life time without even noticing it themselves, the possibilities are endless. In the movie we watched in class, a man experiences some transitions of his own that he was certainly not expecting. The movie, Cold Fever, contains evidence of Lane’s four axioms and is clearly based upon this theme of transition and changing due to life’s inexplicable events.
First of all, the movie begins in Japan where the main character, firm business man, resides and works. His parents had lived far away in Iceland and he did not visit them much. Unfortunately his parents have passed away and he is now asked by his grandfather to go to Iceland and perform a ritual in honor of them. Being the nontraditional, nonreligious man that he is, did not hesitate to deny this task. But when encountering an old video of his parents by accident, he realized he had to answer to “The Call” and carryout this ritual for them (Journey Symbol). Upon arriving in Iceland, the business man is reluctant and still very close minded. He continues to tred upon the inspiring location without even entering it. This man has yet to open his eyes to the beauty and wonder of Iceland. The more the film shows the magnificent landscapes, the more they become their own character. In addition, the place has been chosen as sacred due to its truly sublime setting. It has interacted with this man in a way that he had never experienced before, or expected to. Like every journey this one consisted of numerous obstacles which tried his necessity to continue through this treacherous wild. Among these obstacles was, not having a car, getting lost, the car breaking down, the terrible weather, and of course other travelers he encountered. Even though he was constantly being let down, he was always making positive movement towards his goal. It was as if he was taking “three steps forward and one step back” which is how life usually goes (Journey Symbol). When facing obstacles it is always helpful to have some assistance. In the movie the man had some divine assistance from what appeared to be a screaming girl, but could very well be a fairy. She helped him get back on track when he took a short diversion from his quest. There also seemed to be a number of overlapping episodes of supernatural representations. He kept running into this odd woman who claimed to be funeral collector. She was very interested in rituals similar to the one the Japanese man was going to perform. Another odd woman this man met was very fixed on selling him her car that she said he just had to buy because it was magical. Towards the end of the movie, our main character meets a wise old man who happens to guide him to the conclusion of his journey. He was a concerned man who let him finish the journey alone and on his own terms. The business man was met with an unsafe bridge that he was left to conquer on his own. This act of crossing the bridge unaided was the defining moment of his transition on his journey. He showed that he was no longer reluctant on carrying out this task, but extremely committed and proud of his journey. The location was then made sacred to him due to the ritual ceremony performed for his parents. He placed candles in the snout of a glacier and let them float out on the water. His parent’s souls finally found peace in the centripetal actions of their son. He followed his morals and beliefs throughout the entire journey and did not let them down no matter what he encountered.

Megan Geers- Cold Fever Blog

At the beginning of the film Cold Fever, Atsushi is just a regular Japanese business man who thinks nothing of sacred space or ritual of any kind. I can relate to this because this is my mentality completely. His parents die in Iceland and his grandfather says he owes it to his parents to go to this river in Iceland and perform the appropriate ritual for the dead. He declines of course, because he is ignorant of just how much it means. But like it says in the Journey symbol handout, there is always divine intervention and even before Atsushi begins his journey this is true. He is practicing golf in his room and the ball hits the remote which turns on the last video his parents sent him from Iceland. Then he finds it tough to refuse so he hops a plane to that destination. Here’s where the journey actual begins.
Atsushi meets a lot of interesting people on his journey including some convict Americans, singing Icelandic cowboys, a crazy screaming fairie lady, a lady who takes pictures to commemorate her life, an old couple who help him change his tire, and an old man who has prophetic dreams. And like it says in the handout some hinder his journey, like the Americans and some are major helpers like the prophetic old man (which is also a major point in the journey symbol reading about the narratives). I think the old man is possibly a divine figure making itself known in human form, I mean he knew Atsushi had finish his journey (cross the bridge) alone. Also the fairie lady is possibly the land showing itself to him in its own way. In the end, Atsushi realizes that Iceland is more then just a cold wasteland, it has a magic about it. Through his journey he has embraced being in a sacred place.
As for the axioms of Lanes’, Iceland seemed to be helping Atsushi on his journey, in a manner of speaking. The place itself is what made it sacred, because he would never have had the same experience if he had gone to New York City to perform the ritual. It would have been different. The second axiom is clear cut, Atsushi made the river extraordinary by performing the burial ritual for his parents there. This also opened his eyes to the fact that Iceland itself was made extraordinary through his journey; whereas at the beginning when he thought it was just a cold weird country. In the third axiom it is also clear, at the beginning of the movie Atsushi was treading upon sacred space without entering it because he was not fully embracing his reason of being there. He looked at being in Iceland as an obligation and he just wanted to get it over with. But once he was with the old prophetic man toward the end he began to have dreams about the land and even started to see it in a whole new light (the scene where he’s just looking out at the landscape and they do a close up of his face). And the fourth axiom I think is best represented by Atsushi’s dream about the spirits drifting over the snow. It shows it is not just a local spiritual place it is also a link to the spirit world which in most stories is a whole different realm thus making the terrain universal.
I thought the movie was a little slow for my taste, but only because I’m the action movie type. But it was very relevant to class and I probably would have never watched it otherwise. So it’s good that I’ve seen it because it kind of forces me to broaden my horizons, which helps my experiences become less limited in the end.

Lindsey Ceniviva Noland Trail Interaction

Our class took an adventure on the Noland Trail last week. Professor Redick guided us along initiating our senses and opening our minds to the trail’s beauty. He showed us how two different views, open and obstructed, could be of equal attractiveness. We took a close look at different types of plants along the trail, some we could smell, or even taste! We were then instructed to try and find a spot along the trail that personally interacted with us. As we broke off individually I kept my mind blank and attempted to take in all that was surrounding me. I then stumbled upon a gorgeous spot that drew me in. As I sat there, I could smell the crisp fall air and feel the cool breeze brush across my face. I felt as though it was telling me to choose it in order to capture the trial’s full magnificence. At this spot, some of the trees had fallen over into the lake with their branches bent towards the water to gain more nourishment. The leaves changed now to their bright, rich colors and blanketed the ground in a lovely fashion. The spot on the Noland Trail interacted with me in a way I had never felt before. That autumn day was the perfect time to encounter the Noland Trail and to feel the full energy of wilderness itself.

Lindsey Ceniviva On Phenomenal

In class we were reading through Lane’s Book, Landscapes of The Sacred, and began to thoroughly break down some of his descriptive terms. He expressed how “Language is the house of being” and how the house is actually our world that we live in. He goes on to say how God is the creator and we are the subcreators. We described this as, when our senses are being stimulated there is a raw sensation, when is organized around space and time as well. Space is noted as an esthetic feeling and time is a perception. The phenomenal produces a stimulant that gives us a raw sensation, and then the mind translates the transcendental. The result is the knowledge that we are cut-off from that world. The phenomenal is the world that we have access to; the noumenal is God’s perspective. Although this is a complex approach to Lane’s theories, breaking down each term really helped. In class we discussed how the senses perceive certain stimuli and how they differ from our perspective of the world and God’s. I found this very fascinating and after going over it with the class, I could imply it to the example in the text.

Lindsey Ceniviva Reaction to Reading

When I first began reading the book, Landscapes of the Sacred, I found myself questioning its connotation. How one could “discover God in a mystic encounter” simply by being in the wilderness was very puzzling to me. I deem that if you are looking for such an experience so attentively that you may come up with it on your own. It may just be a coincidence, but since you are so in search of something miraculous that it appears to be a mystical encounter. Also, I did not completely understand how a place is not chosen to be sacred. If a particular place is not chosen in that manner than how are some of these places known around the world to be sacred? Apparently I had never experienced the wild in the same way other people had because I was so befuddled by all the stories in this book. When the author spoke of “letting yourself be there” his suggestion did not make sense to me. If you are in a location how are you not really there? A lot of the approaches and styles of these journeymen had never occurred to be before. However, I kept an open mind throughout the readings and continued to try to relate to them. Eventually I found myself wanting to experience these things others were describing and to have a mystical encounter of my own. I realized that the wilderness is a magical thing and for those who tred upon it must be open to its perceptions. I may have been a bit juvenile and judgmental in the beginning of reading about these experiences, but now I am starting to understand their perplexity and impact on human lives.

Megan Geers- My wilderness is my room!

So if the wilderness is supposed to be a scary unknown, unsettled place then one could argue that the dorm rooms on campus are unknown territory, just that. White washed bricks and plain wooden desks make the room at first glance look like a prison. It scared me that the next few months I would be expected to concentrate in this bare white life-less room. But I'm sure if the walls could talk they would tell at least a few years of history, but so would the woods outside right? I had to cover the walls with some type of color so now posters line my walls along with a number of knick-knacks that mean something to me. So I guess one could digress that now my scary wilderness room has been transported into a place of sacred security. Now I feel safe here...how strange. I take for granted that the room used to be unknown and scary to me and it could have been any room in this building but by luck of the draw it was this second-story room. How weird is it that places can change connotations so fast?

Megan Geers- Democracy in Danger

I just came back from the panel and it was very informative. I particularly agreed with the part of the argument that money takes a higher precedent than the land itself. It does seem like the new and improved religion is the "almighty dollar" rather than praising of the holy land or even just appreciating one spot for its beauty or splendor. If this is so, have we all lost our souls? Do we really have no appreciation for anything besides our own self gain anymore? Did we ever have that appreciation to begin with? Its a sad thought...Along with the thought that everything we believed to be true and just will eventually collapse around us to be replaced by a different and possibly better regime. What if this new form of rule doesn't even need us, the people? Then we'll really be screwed...I hope this never happens while I'm still alive, but it will eventually happen whether it's during my time, my childrens, or my children's childrens and so on. It's a real downer. I guess that's why we have to escape into our imaginations every once in awhile. We have to get away from this sad reality.

Elizabeth Watkins - Lane's Book (Axioms)

I've been really trying to understand Lane's book more and to do this I've been trying to relate to the book. For example, if I'm reading a chapter on Giving Voice to Place, I try to find examples in my life that will serve as a better understanding for what I'm reading. If that is not possible, I try to think of fictional examples that would work just as well. I really could relate to the chapter on Axioms for the Study of Sacred Place, however. To me the Four Axioms for Sacred Place make complete sense to me. The axioms reveal the other-worldly power of sacred place. They reveal sacred place as very assertive, also. I focused in on axiom number three. This axiom states that "sacred place can be tred upon without being entered". I definitely feel that I can relate to this axiom. Upon our trip to Noland Trail I felt after I left that this was most definitely the case for me. I had found a spot on the Noland Trail that I decided to write about for my essay. It was beautiful and, to me, a very powerful place. The place was a steep fall into the Maury Lake and at the bottom was a fallen tree that was floating on the lake. The tree was not dead, but appeared as if it was giving in to the power of the water. What makes me sad is that if you had asked me whether or not I saw that place as sacred, I would say no. However, looking back I do believe that I was in a sacred place without realizing it, which is the premise of Lane's third axiom. This serves as a wake up call to me. I now see the importance of really understanding the places around you. And I feel upset that I fell victim to going to a place that was probably sacred and not realizing it.

Elizabeth Watkins - Our Trip to Noland Trail

On Tuesday, our class took the day to go over to Noland Trail and explore. I had never been there before and did not know what to expect. When the professor dropped off the first car load and told us to walk towards the field next to the river, I was really surprised at what I thought of the place. The river was absolutely beautiful. The waves lapped onto the shore and the setting was so serene. If you looked past the shore you could see a blob of trees across shore that were so far away that it made the river seem almost endless. After walking that path, we all came together and the class as a whole began on the Noland Trail. I learned a lot about nature. I was surprised at the things that Dr. Redick picked up on that I would never have noticed. He told us that we could really learn from a place and learn its story if we just listen and observe and think about what we see and how it got there. For example, Dr. Redick picked up a branch and shook the dead fall leaves that made an interesting musical sound. He then asked if we would expect to hear that sound from leaves in the spring. The answer was most definitely not. However, I never would have picked up on something like that on my own. This trip taught me to look at our natural world in a different way. I can learn a lot from just observing and really get to know the world around me.