The Power of Two

The combination of speech and action is a very strong thing. People always talk about how words have power, and I agree with this, but I think that accompanying the words with action gives them more powerful and all the more meaningful. This is how it was in the Bronze Age as well. For example, if you lived during the Bronze Age and wanted to curse someone you couldn’t just use words to do so. In order to successfully put a curse on someone you would have to perform a combination of specific spoken words and physical actions to go along with them. Only then would your curse be successful (helpful information, I know).

This type of thing can very much be applied to modern life. Most of us may no longer know the proper way to apply a curse to someone, but following your words with actions is still extremely effective in most situations. This includes holding yourself accountable and following through.

Even though the Bronze Age was, well, ages ago, I’ve found that speaking things into existence, even after all these years, is an effective way to get things to happen. Making a verbal oath to yourself and/or others makes things all the more legitimate. This can apply to running into the Aegean Sea in the middle of the night after saying you would do it or it may just mean that you hold yourself to your moral principles after verbally declaring what they are.

I don’t have a photo of any of us running into the Aegean Sea at midnight, but Turkey looks nice at sunset.

Here in Greece we are being exposed to many new things, not all of them familiar or in our comfort zones. Not everything is easy to do (that just applies to life in general). But words have power behind them. Making verbal promises to yourself and others holds power as well, but I would also argue that without following action, they are empty.

As a class we have learned about ancient rituals and how the powerful combination of logos and praxis was used to right wrongs and exterminate pollution. Surprisingly enough, today we learned just applicable these types of rituals can still be to our present lives (see Amber’s post for more on that). Even though we may no longer have a need for specific curse rituals (at least I hope we don’t) the people of antiquity had the right idea. Words and actions on their own are powerful, but together they are effectively progressive.

Words, Actions and Healing

Logos and Praxis.  Words and action.  Those words seem so simple, and yet they are actually complex when used together.  In the context of religion, we use the term to define a religious action, but we can apply these words to our daily lives as well.

This week, our group hit a large bump in the road and it was because we our actions did not match our speech.  We lost our way.  We struggled, fought, cried.  It was a rather emotional 72 hours.

On top of the emotional struggles that we were all facing, we experienced 4 earthquakes that were above 3.0 magnitude, howling winds, rain, a raging sea and a couple of storms.  One of our trips was cancelled due to the vicious weather.  It seemed as if the world knew we had lost our way and it was showing us that we needed to fix things.

(Video of the angry sea)

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake! Yikes!

Today we finally had a talk.  We talked about how we said we wanted to enjoy our time here, but our actions weren’t showing it.  We talked about and came to an agreement on how we should overcome our obstacles.  We decided that we needed to be more mindful of our actions matching our speech.  If we promise to do something, we should do it.  If we say we are going to take care of one another, we should take care of one another.

After we came to an agreement on a few major issues, we decided to let our grievances, fear, anger, hurt and pain go by way of a scapegoat ritual.  We all selected a rock and made a procession, in the howling wind, down to the angry sea.  There, we imbued the rocks with our pollution.  Together, we raised our rocks high into the sky, spoke our words or screamed, and cast our pollution into the sea.  There, we performed logos and praxis together, as a community with its sights set on healing.  Hopefully nature will see our actions and become calm again.

The site where we performed our scapegoat ritual

While we still have a ways to go to overcome our obstacles, we united as a community to agree to move forward towards healing and love.  This is what makes me proud to be a PLU student.

Sunset from the Acropolis of Rhodes

Dear Erin, I Promise. -Erin

When I was a kid, I knew two things for sure: brownies made by my mom are the best thing on the planet, and pinky promises are basically a legally binding contract. Even today, at 20 years old, I still take the small, yet significant act of winding our smallest fingers together very seriously. Here’s the thing, saying that you will fulfill a promise is one thing, but adding a physical act to it validates it, and shows commitment of both my word and my actions, my logos and praxis.

When I got older, I began to recognize the similarity between the pinky promises I made in elementary school, and the art that I decided to put on my body. My first tattoo was for myself, as a reminder of how far I have come in my life. Growing up with anxiety and other mental health issues has not been an easy road, and I am so thankful that I have had wonderful support from therapists, friends and family, and my mom in the form of guidance and, you guessed it, brownies. One of the recurring themes throughout my years of treatment was the emphasis on breath. Remembering to breathe through a difficult and stress inducing situation is often hard to do, and so I remember hearing my mom tell me “just breathe” many times. So, I decided that the words “Just Breathe” deserved a place on my left rib, to remind me that I am strong, and I can get through anything.

My physical reminder to watch my breath when things get hard

My second tattoo is in honor of my biological father. I don’t really open up about this part of my life very much, so this tattoo and the story behind it are very personal and meaningful to me. On the morning of the day I was born, the clouds were gray and moody, but just before I arrived, the sun came out. Because of this, my dad called me his “sunshine girl”. 10 months later, he passed away. He decided that he wanted to have a burial at sea, I suspect partially because he always loved the water. His reasoning that he gave my mother, however, was that he didn’t want us to feel the need to visit one certain physical place to be close to him, so he said, “go to the water, and that’s where I’ll be”. And so that’s what I do. Whenever I need to talk to him or just be near him, I just go to the water, and I can feel him with me. I decided to get a tattoo representing our relationship. I am the sun, and he is the wave, we can never physically touch, but we will always have a connection with each other.

My small reminder of the bond that I have with my dad

Tattoo number three was acquired on Tuesday. I mentioned in an earlier blog post about how I tend to move very quickly and don’t take much time to stop. My latest piece is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the ride. A wise Greek man told my friends and myself, “life is a moving picture in a static universe”. The universe is this incomprehensibly massive beast that is (from our tiny perspective) immovable, while we whizz through life on a high-speed missile with no way to stop it. I decided to take those words and turn them into action with the help of my amazing professor, who translated the quote, and a very skilled and kind tattoo artist on the island of Rhodes. Every time I look at the piece, I am reminded of the power I have over my own destiny, and I am constantly rewriting the script to the moving picture that we call life.

Fresh ink, so no swimming in the Mediterranean for me!

All of my tattoos have a very important place in my heart, and they show the transformation of words and feelings into actions. Unlike pinky promises, however, I am able to keep these pieces of art as a votive of my commitments. I hope that with each breath that I take, every relationship I form, and all the choices I make, I will continue to keep these promises to myself, and live the best life that I can in the time that I am given.

Who Do We Travel For?

It’s no secret that talking about travel is exciting and fun. Traveling is an easy way to start a conversation and connect with someone, but why are people so excited to announce, “I have been to (fill in the country)”? I have found it can feel like a contest to how well-traveled you are. The thing I have to remind myself is that I am in Greece to experience a new culture, step outside my comfort zone and learn ancient religion. I am not in Greece simply to add it to my list and say, “I have been to Jamaica, Haiti, Belize and Greece.”

I have been reflecting a lot on how to make my short month in Greece as meaningful as possible. A couple things I have been trying to practice is spending as little time as possible on my phone and truly experiencing the place I am in, instead of only being worried about how many photos I am talking. Of course I want to capture the amazing beauty of Greece, but I also want to capture my feelings I get as I stand of top of the Monasteries in Meteora, for example. I have been specifically making use of my journal because I believe when I look back in 10 or 20 years, remembering how I felt will be more impactful than a photo. I want to remeber how windy it was in Lindos and how much dirt I had on my hands after petting the horses for an hour. I want to remember the smell of farm that made me feel like I was in Colorado again and the mud that coated the bottom of my shoes. 

My new friend, Daphnie

In class, we learned about the concept of a speech act, which requires both an action and the correct words to legitimize the concept. In other terms, we defined the speech as logos and action as praxis so to have a speech-act you need logos and praxis. I wanted to question the idea of logos and praxis in a modern context that seems relevant as many of my friends and I am abroad this January. I see the praxis of studying away as physically being in a foreign country and the logos is going home and saying I have been to Greece. I want to challenge myself to refrain from flaunting Greece too much because I came for personal growth, not to check a country off my list.

In class we learned that you can’t have logos without praxis in the context of ancient religion, but what if in the case of study away, we can have the praxis of being here with out the logos of bragging about one more country we have been to? 

A Forever Reminder

Back in the Bronze Age, words were very important to all involved in the conversation. But, words alone weren’t the only important aspect; actions were also a huge deal. Logos and praxis, which mean speech and action, is the proper way of discussing this concept. One can’t have words without action or action without words because one without the other loses meaning and significance right away.

One of the ways that the Israelites showed their speech acts was through a religious sacrifice. If someone committed a sin, the first thing they needed to do was repent for that sin. They needed to admit what wrong they had done out loud, so it was public and not hidden. From that point, a very popular act to do next was sacrifice; animal sacrifice specifically if the person had enough money. The animal was symbolic in the way that the animal’s life was being taken instead of the human who committed the sin. This is a perfect example of logos and praxis. The Israelites would declare their wrongdoing with words and proceed to rid themselves of the sinful act with the action of sacrifice.

I can relate to the Israelites in a sense. Not in the whole animal sacrifice way, but following through with religious beliefs and acts. I am a Christian and have been my whole life. It’s one thing to say that, but a whole other ball game to live it. To remind myself on a daily basis of my beliefs and how I want to act, I got a tattoo of a cross behind my ear. In a way one could call it a votive; or a physical reminder of a vow I made. Every time I see or feel my tattoo it reminds me to live my life for God.

My tattoo behind my right ear

My personal logos and praxis are saying that I am a Christian, but then living it every single day. Some actions that I believe go along with my logos is going to church on the weekend, going to bible study, and reading my devotionals each day. Without those actions, my declaration of being a Christian might seem empty. Having either logos or praxis without the other does not work out in the end.

Sorry Mom

Artemis, my inspiration. The goddess of the hunt, goddess of the wilderness, protector of the young. I want to live my life like her. As previously stated in my last blog post, I live for nature. It is my sacred space. The wilderness has always been a huge part of my life. From hiking, to cross country running, to just simple road trips and exploration with my dad. Nature is there for me when nothing else seems to be. I want to be reminded of that

Along with nature, comes my love for kids. I currently coach gymnastics and have a team of 34 young girls who complete my life. I get to watch them grow and succeed and find their happiness through the sport. For the future, I’m aspiring to become a pediatric nurse. I want to be there for the children who may not have anyone. I want to hold their hands through the rough times and smile through the happy times. I have an immense love for kids and I want to be reminded of that.

I told myself what my values were, and I acted by creating a physical reminder, a votive. For the rest of my life I will be reminded of the vow I made. I love the values Artemis portrays, and I want to be reminded of that.

I have told myself I will live by the values of Goddess Artemis, and for that reason, I have gotten her Greek name tattooed on my hip. This whole process was an example of logos and praxis, a speech act; meaning, you say something and then you act on it. 

Though my mom may not be ecstatic that I inked my hip, I sure am… sorry mom. 

The tattoo Parlor I went to: Wizart Tattoo in Rhodes

Pinky Promise?

Evaluating prime examples of a logos and praxis, I correlate the terms to a specific pinky promise. When someone gives me their word for a certain task, I always respond with the words, “pinky promise?”. With a simple pinky promise, the words you give to the individual must be displayed with actions that you will fulfill that promise. Those who do not follow their word, I do not trust nor respect their actions that follow.

A few years ago, I had an amazing exchange student named Wan. Being an only child, I considered her like a sister from the moment she first entered our household. As the months flew by with multiple memories and laughter, the time for her return to Thailand grew near. On August 17, 2016, it was time for Wan to return back home. We all became super emotional to the thought of not seeing each other for a long period of time. We said our goodbyes and waved as she went through security, but I was not quite finished with my farewell. We began to have a conversation, giving each other our word that we would see each other again someday. The conversation ending with me responding “pinky promise?”. Till then, we have detailed the plan of seeing each other again one day.

The conversation Wan and I had 2 years ago

I consider a pinky promise to be source of someone’s trust and dedication towards an individual.  This can be an example of simple arrangement or even certain religious beliefs. One main logos and praxis that I have observed throughout this trip is the dedication the members of the monastery towards their religion. They have constantly sent prayers of promises to their Jesus Christ and follow their promises with changing their daily lifestyle, their attire, and praxis.

Me wearing a required skirt within the monasteries.

The monastery’s logos and praxis are somewhat similar to a medical profession. When a physician is assigned to a patient, they give their word to figure out what is the cause of the patient’s discomfort. When I will become a Physician’s Assistant, I will have to give the patient, as well as their family, my word. Since I have known the requirements of a pinky promise throughout my life, I believe my actions will satisfy the needs of becoming a great Physician’s Assistant.