Bret Marfut topic of choice 2

In this class, we have learned a lot about the nature of sacred places. We have studied different theories that talk about the source of the power to produce sacred experience, from the internalized power of the ontological approach to the socially constructed state of the cultural approach. In addition to place itself, however, I think that what the person having the experience is doing adds to the sacred nature of the place. For example, I am an avid snowboarder. Pursing this hobby, I have been to a lot of mountains that have an extremely powerful, sacred presence. I feel closest to nature when I am riding between the trees, interacting directly with the contours and features of the mountain. I get into a state of flow when snowboarding, where actions just happen naturally, without conscious thought or guidance. This state makes the act of snowboarding something that is almost sacred to me. Because of the relationship between the action and the place (I could not ride if it were not for the mountain), the place becomes sacred to me by association, even if it is a commercial place where thousands of people ski every day.