Chap. 9-Making Nature Sacred, Laura Boleyn

One of the most interesting parts of chapter 9 is the section titled, “Annie Dillard’s Interrogation of Creation.” Through Dillard, I can learn to appreciate the connections made of Christianity to nature. Gatta educates the reader into Dillard’s ability to “show deeper involvement with the dynamics of religious doubt and with disturbing features of nature.” I don’t exactly fully understand this excerpt from this section but it opens my mind to thought and deeper analysis into understanding how people connect Christianity and nature. I also find it interesting that Dillard explores “spiritual paths mapped by traditional exponents of Christian orthodoxy.” I appreciate that Dillard asks questions of creatures and God, but in a fierce and appreciative manner and uses two methods, via negativa and via positiva, through meditation to reflect on and approach reality. Via negativa is the belief that cannot be known and that anything said about God is untrue while via positiva is the belief that God “possesses all positive attributes.”
I am probably most interested in the fact that Dillard’s spiritual pilgrimage to Tinker Creek offered security for her and held “mystery of the continuous creation.” While there, she examines every part of nature from the beautiful to the grotesque. She wants to understand all of nature and evolution, even the most “grotesque” and “perverse” parts of nature, like the Giant Water Bug. She also learns how to look at a creek and informs the reader that is a difficult skill that requires learning, patience and stillness. All of this takes spiritual connection and an understanding of all of nature, from the most beautiful to the ugliest and most shocking animal and insect behavior.