Walking With The Gods

Today has been one of the best days of this trip so far. We traveled to Delphi for a day trip and spent some time in a monastery before reaching the Oracle. Our assignment today is to blog about walking with the gods. I wasn't really sure what I was going to write about until I discussed it with a few of the classmates with me, but Richard said some pretty inspiring things and it took off from there. 

Oracle!!

Visiting these ancient cities is not just about looking at old buildings or temples but about the culture and religious beliefs of the people that built them. For example, at the Oracle at Delphi, priests would interpret the 

messages of Apollo via beautiful young female oracles. Not to burst their bubble, but its very possible that their inspiring visions were little more than hallucinations due to an overdose of noxious gasses released at this site. Either way, the ancient Greeks believed that Apollo would come down and imbue these oracles with hidden knowledge, much like Enoch and God, whom we have been studying in class. 

This reminded me that today, not only did I walk across the remains of an 

Temple of Athena

ancient city, but I also walked where Apollo would have walked, where Athena would have walked. These sites where believed to have been sacred places where the gods existed as well as common man. It's pretty cool to think about who else has been here before me, way before me. But what I loved the most, and what we talked about at dinner tonight, was who we were walking with NOW. This trip is more than a simple vacation plus lecture. Throw 18 students into a life changing class and they become a family. Some of us entertain by making jokes, some of us quietly listen while still enjoying the experience, and some of us lend support when one of our own is stressed out. We have grown together and bonded and I have gotten to know many of these people more than I originally thought. We are such an eclectic group and its incredible the way we all get along despite how different we are. I am making fast friends that I know I will keep for a very long time, if they'll have me!

The Family

 I would rather walk with these people than with gods any day. 

I walk with them, and I love it.