Noni Personal Pilgrimage Reflection

Personal Pilgrimage Reflections

Project Proposal: For my personal pilgrimage I decided to start incorporating meditation into my daily life as a way to manage the stress that accompanies senior year. 

           Reflection #1:

"Today as we began the construction of our class labyrinth, I was able to connect my experience to many of the texts we have read in class. Many of the texts we read incorporated patience, communication, and problem solving, which we were able to use while accurately measuring out twelve concentric circles and making sure everyone was able to participate. Once we got the hang of it, there were many moments of silent communication and teamwork. When one person would move the string to make the next circle, other people would do the same, creating a system that worked well for everyone. At one point everyone was silently watching the paint cover the string, creating the circles. These silent moments where everyone was focused on completing the task, made me appreciate this process even more and reminded me of the Siddhartha quote “ he thought these thoughts, listened with a smile to his stomach, listened gratefully to a buzzing bee. Cheerfully, he looked into the rushing river, never before had he liked water so well as this one.” (8.49)  Just like in this quote I began to appreciate the space on Arden more for its peaceful nature and for providing us with room to work towards the endpoint of our labyrinth project."

Reflection #2:

Although the rain can be seen as a burden, I see it as a significant contributor towards the final project. The unpredictable weather will make us work more efficiently and stay focused because our time to finish the project will be limited. The rain will also cause more appreciation for the labyrinth when when we finally get it done.

Just like in The Road, we are challenged to think and use our resources in order to get the labyrinth done most efficiently. In order to survive in the story, the man had to use every resource he could find in order to keep himself and the boy alive. “In the service bay he dragged out the steel trashdrum and tipped it over and pawed out all the quart plastic oilbottles. Then they sat in the floor decanting them of their dregs one by one, leaving the bottles to stand upside down draining into a pan until at the end they had almost a half quart of motor oil.”(7.1) Just like the man, we used the resources around us to make contraptions out of sticks and rulers to accurately measure out concentric circles.

            Reflection #3: 

"When the idea of creating a labyrinth arose, I was very excited because this project fit hand in hand with my personal pilgrimage towards meditation. Previously I thought meditation could only be done while sitting with one's eyes closed, however after walking the labyrinth I realized that meditation comes in multiple forms. The entire labyrinth project was very meditative. There was a sense of reflection and peace while walking the labyrinth on our field trip and while creating our own labyrinth on Arden. When the class walked the labyrinth on the field trip, the only sounds came from the rain, which made me feel one with nature. There was also silence while the class worked together, which formed a sense of stillness and observation of the labyrinth forming around us."

Final Pilgrimage Reflection

   My personal pilgrimage was focused on meditation. Meditation has always been a practice I have wanted to incorporate into my daily life, but I never had the opportunity until now. As a stress reliever from school, I decided that everyday I would come home and meditate for ten minutes, however as I got further into the process I decided that meditating a few days a week instead of everyday would be more efficient. Not only has this process allowed me to become more centered in stressful situations, I have also learned about meditation itself as a practice. Another part of my personal pilgrimage was to research symbols associated with meditation. One meditation symbol that I learned about is called “Aum,” which is known as one of the most common and spiritual symbols associated with meditation. It is believed that chanting the word “Aum” is a way to become connected with the universe. “Aum” is also associated with tranquility and peace, which is what I was striving for when starting this personal pilgrimage. Throughout my pilgrimage, I have used many resources around me and I am very happy with the progress I have made in my meditation.I have already thought of other ways I can expand my process for the future. I now realized that reaching a meditative state can be accomplished in many forms, whether through meditating in my room to even walking around my neighborhood observing my surroundings. Although the semester is coming to an end my pilgrimage towards meditation is not. I will continue to incorporate meditation into my daily life and find new ways to do so.