American Camino: Wilderness as Sacred Space - Natalea Odell

American Camino: Wilderness as Sacred Space.


I agree that while in what we think of as nature, there is, “sometimes search for a connection to the sacred, engage in embodied prayer, meditation, and contemplation” (188). I do not identify with any particular religion, but I do participate in the practices of meditation and contemplation. As we discussed throughout this course, being in nature can have healing and calming effects. If I were to align myself with any religion, it would be one that highly prioritizes oneself with nature. I think it can be quite scary to think, while outside among other beings, that we were simply lucky enough to end up as a soul inside of a human body. Not only does this connect the idea of sublimity, but it also makes nature a sacred place, in my opinion. The trees we see have been here much longer than we have and many will outlive us, both on an individual level and the human race as a whole. Without trees, plants, water, etc., we would not exist, we absolutely have to have them. I find that to be sacred.


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