I personal like the Turner model of pilgrimage the best. I also feel like I can best relate to that model. One of the biggest pilgrimages I made was from Winona State University to University of Sioux Falls. WSU is a state school in Minnesota and USF is a private college in South Dakota.<\/p>\n
My world of convention consisted of parties, boys, and huge classes. I didn\u2019t go to church and I lived with 4 other girls in a house and they loved to party. My weekends were the same almost every time; they included drinking, swearing, boys, and late nights. The college I was attending was a big school and my smallest class was probably 50. The rest of them were 300 student lectures and it didn\u2019t matter if I was in class or not.<\/p>\n
I chose to leave WSU because I wasn\u2019t content with who I was or where I was going. I decided to move 5 hours from home (in Wisconsin) and attend a new school. The limin for me was when my parents came and helped me pack everything I owned at my house in Winona, and we drove 5 hours to Sioux Falls and unpacked. When they left I was completely on my own. I knew nobody and I had no job. It was a huge leap of faith.<\/p>\n
The anti-structure was the smaller classes. It felt like I was in high school again. Campus was much smaller and everybody knew everybody. I also wasn\u2019t used to prayer before classes, let alone hearing \u201cGod\u201d come out of my professors mouths.<\/p>\n
I got plugged into a ministry called YoungLife. They became my home away from home and I could lean on them. They were my support team and my family. I also got a job at a natural smoothie shop called Juice Stop, where I met more girls my age. I also became a frequent goer to a church called Falls Church. I sang a couple times with the worship band and I felt extremely welcomed by the families at the church.<\/p>\n
I think my metaphorical death happened out of order. I felt like something was different when I decided to move. It was unlike something I would have done and as I drove away from Winona, I felt like I was moving on and leaving the old behind me.<\/p>\n
The only piece I don\u2019t have according to Turner is a return. I haven\u2019t gone back to Winona but I did transfer again\u2026 to Morningside. Morningside is different from USF. It is even a little bit like WSU.<\/p>\n
If I were using Eliade\u2019s method, my axis mundi would be my faith. That is the one thing my life revolves around and keeps me centered. I found it in church and through ministry and I carry it with me. My relic is prayer and it is a big part of my life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I personal like the Turner model of pilgrimage the best. I also feel like I can best relate to that model. One of the biggest pilgrimages I made was from Winona State University to University of Sioux Falls. WSU is … Continue reading