Monday, October 22, 2012

Sacred Day & Favorite Films


Sacred Day
My sacred day would have to be New Year’s Eve. It is the time of a year when, as Eliade (2005) figuratively describes it, “the abolition of time is possible […], in which the world is destroyed and recreated” (p. 62). It is a day when my families and friends gather together at a friend’s house to enjoy and celebrate the start of a new year. On this day, everyone in my family would make a New Year’s list of resolutions while we drink our glasses of Sparkling Cider, and begin the countdown of New Year’s Day. This day represents Eliade’s idea of regeneration. People and objects regain definition; structure and order take shape but with new energy and vitality.

Favorite Films
1. Insidious 
2. Room 1408
3. Valentine's Day

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Archetypal Patterns Within Lambchop's “Is A Woman”


In the song, “Is A Woman,” Lampchop conveys the notion that life is an endless cycle. He expresses this idea through Eliade’s archetypal patterns: abolition of past time, restoration of primordial chaos, and repetition of cosmogonic act. In his music video, he portrays an end of profane time and a start of sacred time by showing a dead leaf gently drifting away from a tree in the fall and entering the river in the winter. As the leaf steadily flows through the river, it seems it has come back to life because the animal starts to notice the leaf’s presence and winter is shifting toward spring. By coming back to life in the natural world, it has become supernatural; the spirit of the dead “lives” again. When the leaf finally gets out of the river, several other leaves join with it – representing indeterminate unity – to search for a tree. After the long journey through the river, a sense of rebirth or renewal comes into sight when the leaves climb up a tree and attach onto the branches while the sun gradually rise from the horizon. 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Celestial Model & Sacred Center


Celestial Model
DAVID: It is derived from the Hebrew name (Dawid), which means “beloved.” It could be pronounced in various ways: DAY-vid (English), dah-VEED (Jewish), da-VEED (French), DAH-vit (German, Dutch), dah-VEET (Russian). David was the second and greatest of the kings of Israel, ruling in the 10th century BC. Several stories about him are told in the Old Testament, including his defeat of Goliath, a giant Philistine. According to the New Testament, Jesus was descended from him.
My dad named me David because he likes that name; he thinks it is masculine and it represents bravery, nobleness, and determination.

Sacred Center
One of my sacred centers is the tennis courts. From the time when I was six years old, I spent a majority of my time playing on the tennis courts. It is the place where I am able to physically express some of my emotions: disappointment, sadness, anger, and enthusiasm. It is also the place where I am able to reflect upon life and myself.