Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Post for 9/16

On page 42 of Ariadne's Clue, Anthony Stevens writes,

"Many of the symbolic rituals devised by our ancestors rose out of the anxieties that inevitably afflicted human beings living in the environmental circumstances in which our species evolved [. . . ] Our capacity to find symbolical means of dealing with these fears is one of the most striking characteristics of mankind.  When in need, we seek symbolical expression as well as practical fulfillment of those needs." 

For this blog post, describe one symbolic object you have (or used to have) to help you deal with a fear.  It could be a good-luck charm you carry, a pair of lucky socks you used to wear for the "big game," or the stuffed animal you used to need in order to get to sleep at night.

For example, I carry a medal of the Virgin of Guadalupe and a Turkish evil eye bead in my car in order to keep me and my family safe from all the hazards of the road . . .

33 comments:

  1. When I was six years old, my mom was in the hospital for a long time due to complications of her pregnancy. I missed her a lot and didn't get to see her often, so she gave me a small stuffed animal unicorn and told me to keep it with me when I was missing her. That unicorn was a symbol of security and love and made me feel at ease when I held it. I still have that stuffed animal in my room with a picture of my mom and me, as well as other unicorn collections. To me, unicorns are symbolic of the good feelings I felt as a child because they reminded me of my mom.

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  2. As a child, I had trouble going to sleep at night. So to help me get to sleep, I had a silk blanket that I would have to sleep with where ever I would go. This blanket made me feel safe in the dark and make all the monsters go away. When I got older I no longer needed it and gave it to my younger brother so the monsters wouldn't get him either.
    ~Kayla Risenhoover

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  3. As a child I use to fear the dark really bad. I couldn't sleep because I thought I saw ghost hovering around my bed, so as a comfort thing, I use to hold a blanket that was given to me, I called it my secret blanket so as long as I would hold it tight I would be OK.

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  4. As mentioned by another classmate, I feared the dark. I counld not fall asleep because I thought goblins lived underneath my bed. I never had a symbolic object to help deal with the fear. My mother tried giving me a teddybear but at night everything looked "spooky".
    ~Lakela Spencer

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  5. I used to have a necklace with the image of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. I would always wear it wherever I go and whatever I do as a reminder that I am never alone and that God is always there. Also, I also used to have a lucky pencil that I would use in all of my exams. I lost that pencil a few months ago :( .

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  6. When I was younger I watched a horror movie called "Candyman," and the movie was about a serial killer who approached you from behind and stabbed you in your bacl with a hook. Since, watching that I have always slept with a teddy bear on my back. Today, as a young adult, I stll sleep with my teddy bear on my back.

    Another, object that I carry around with me is a bible. I keep the bible in my bag because reading the bible always seems to calm me down. so, if I come across any situation that seems like a burden, Ill turn to my bible and seek advice from the word. I was taught that the bible represents a sword. Whenever I am in a battle ill pull out my sword and fight any conflicts that comes my way.

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  7. Just like many of my classmates I also was afraid of the dark as a child. I had a blanket that my grandma made me that I slept with every night. I still have the blanket.

    Ashley Coyle

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  8. Last summer I went camping with my family. It was my first time camping and all of it was new to me. We spent three days together enjoying nature and spending quality time with each other. One of my cousins brought a yo-yo. During the camping trip it broke. I took it and secretly put in my cousins pocket. On the way home we stopped for gas. While at the gas station my cousin approached me and gave me the yo-yo I put in her pocket. Since she gave it to me I keep it as a keepsake from that trip. Even though it's broken it still hold some sentimental value because of all the memories that are attached to it.

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  9. Like most parents out there, my parents are always worried about my safety when I am not home. For this reason, my mom has placed a holy rosary that I got from my first communion in my car. Every time I get into the car, I see this rosary hanging from the rear view mirror and it makes me feel safer when I'm out on the road.

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  10. As a child i always carried a cross necklace it reminded me that i wasn't alone and that i always had someone there to protect and look after me. Every time i wore it i always felt like i was having a good day. Once i grew out of it i decided to put it away to protect it from tarnish

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  11. When I was a child, I used to wake up crying at night as a result of nightmares. My mother would have me read Psalms 91 with her and I would soon fall asleep as it would bring me comfort. As long as I can remember, I have always kept a bible on my nightstand and it is always open to Psalms 91. When I fear anything or if I wake up from a bad dream I always read it. It brings me reassurance and peace of mind.

    Erica Hernandez

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  12. My family very catholic, so I'm used to carrying and wearing many things. For example, when I was little I used to wear a scapular for protection. Then, I would always wear a necklace of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In my car I carry a little stamp of Child Jesus because my mom is very devoted to him. Last year my car was stolen and she had put the stamp so she prayed to Him, so i would get my car back and then my car was found. I know that maybe my car was found because the police was doing their work, but then I bought another stamp to carry in my car to feel safe.

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  13. When I go backpacking, I carry a gratitude rock. My uncle is a hippie that introduced me to this idea which he says will help me get closer to nature. I found this particular gratitude rock on my dad's last backpacking trip. He ended up dying four months later from cancer, so the rock reminds me of the fun we had on his last trip. Basically, when I potentially have a close call with my life at risk, I rub the rock to say thank you.

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  14. When I was a child I watched the movie "Arachnophobia" which scared the living day lights out of me. We watched at family friends and in order to get the scary thoughts of spiders killing people out of my head they suggested watching cartoons. From then on any time I watched a scary movie I would watch something happy before going to bed. I have since passed this down to my two kids.

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  15. Clint talked about spiders :o)

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  16. My beanie baby “Cuppy” was the symbolic part of my childhood. I have had this beanie baby ever since the movie "The Parent Trap" came out. My uncle is the one that bought me the beanie baby. I loved that thing. Later on that year my uncle passed away. After the passing of my uncle I felt like he was always with me through the beanie baby. The beanie baby brought comfort to me and helped me understand the passing of one of the greatest man alive. Every time I see the Cuppy I see my uncle. That’s my symbolic object that I needed at the time to heal.
    ~Michelle Regalado~

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  17. I have been having terrible nightmares about bulls for about five years now. My mom gave me a holy rosary; she told me that if I prayed while holding the rosary I would be able to sleep better, and it would protect me. So, I have been carrying this rosary with me everywhere I go, not under the illusion that nothing bad will happen to me, but it brings a sense of serenity when I'm in fear.

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  18. I have never carried an object for luck or as a symbol of protection. So whenever I was scared I just remembered those words in the bible that says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go”; with these words I would imagine God as an invisible angel that would go with me all the time.
    -Heriberto Osorio

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  19. The most simbolic object in my first months of life was a pacifier. Every night, I used my pacifier to fall a sleep. The pacifier represented protection and peace to my nights. I never could sleep without my pacifier, until I had one year old. In simple words, the pacifier simbolized my infancy and I have vivid memories of how important was to me.
    Mayra E. Sosa

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  20. My tattoos carry symbolic meaning to me. When i find myself in a bad situation or feel like throwing in the towel, i look at my tattoos; and they give me the strength needed to keep moving forward.

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  21. One symbolic object that I own is a charm bracelet of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This charm bracelet has a small heart shape figure in the center with the image of Guadalupe. I wear this bracelet to every big exam, with faith that it will help me receive a passing grade. The last time I wore the bracelet was to my DMV driving test, which I did not pass. Although I was not successful the bracelet helped me feel more confident and fear the test less.

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  22. I wear a promise ring given to me by my grandpa when I was 16 that I haven't taken off since that day. He is so important to me and gives me strength to get through anything. The ring is a constant reminder of his love and protection for me.

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  23. The Dog tags I received as a Marine are a symbolic object that I continue to carry with me until this day. They signify an accomplishment and provide a sense of security. The symbolism I've attached to my Dog Tags was applied after I made it back home safe.

    Eric Baylon

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  24. Before I left home for college my mother gave me an image of a saint. It is'nt a very famous saint. My mom is very devoted to her religion. She told me as long as I kept it in my wallet I would be safe and would not face financial troubles. I have wrecked two cars since then and not a single scratch. One of the cars was totaled and nothing.
    Ricardo Gonzalez

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  25. In my family, we always form crosses from the palms every Palm Sunday. Each car has a cross made from blessed palms. We keep the palms in the cars to protect us from harm throughout our journey. I've recently kept a prayer book in my wallet so that I can pray to make me feel safe and comfortable, especially during tough situations.
    Francisca Torivio

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  26. In 2008, my dad passed away and my evil step mother (pun intended) didn't give me and my brother much of our dad's stuff. She did, however, give us both a piece of jewelry that my dad used to wear. The one I got was a coin with a gold frame that used to be attached to one of his necklaces. It is now hanging on a lanyard from my rearview mirror in my car. It makes me feel like my dad is always with me. If I'm having having a really rough day, I just grab that and hold onto it while I drive.

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  27. I also have never carried something for good luck or a symbolic meaning. Although I love fortune cookies and try to keep them as long as I can. Also I have tatoos so I feel that they help me also, knowing that they all are personal to me from the pain i went through to get this symbol on my body. I can say that sometimes when I play basketball i write something on my shoes that may give me inspiration at times!

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  28. As a child I was given a gold bracelet by my parents. Through my whole childhood I would wear my bracelet. I would always stare at it and play with it, it gave me a feeling of comfort and love. Sadly I grew out of the gold bracelet because it was too small for my wrist, but I still keep the bracelet in my jewlery box. If one day I have a child of my own I will hand down the gold bracelet to them that my parents gave to me.

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  29. Hello Professor Woodman and classmates,

    I do carry a rosary, Virgin of Guadalupe and a good luck charm everywhere I go. I am Catholic and my mother is the one that brought it to me from Mexico. The amulet for good luck is a red little pouch that contains dried herbs and some type of minerals. I couldn't resist myself to see what it contained but I believe that this is probably going to change my luck. The rosary with Jesus Christ in the middle I carry in my car all the time because I never move it elsewhere. I use it for protection and fortunately I always feel safe when I drive my car. I carry the Virgin of Guadalupe everywhere I go as well. These objects even though objects, have an enormous significance in my life as well as my family's life.

    Sandy Torrealba

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  30. A few years back I started practicing Danza (Aztec dance) in Sacramento with a group that had been practicing and teaching this form of prayer for over 30 years. The "maestro" (teacher) of this group gave me a woodden rattle with the image of a hummingbird in flight. He told me he wanted me to have the rattle because he noticed that I seemed to flow more to songs directed to huitzilopochtli (Aztec God of war, and God of sun) whose name means hummingbird from the left. This gift means a lot to me because I had no idea how much dance and prayer are connected to symbols representing so much.

    Whenever I feel gratefull, and thankfull I hold the rattle and give a quick thanks for all that I am given. The rattle symbolizes humility and gratitude mostly, but the art represents culture and tradition.

    -Juan Figueroa

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  31. When I was twelve years old my family and I went on a mini vacation to Monterey,CA. My dad bought me a silver ring that had foot prints engraved all around it. As soon as he bought it for me I put it on. One year later he died of cancer. I am 23 years old now and have never taken my ring off for more than one day. When I find myself doubting something or a problem arises, my ring gives me reassurance that everything will turn out ok. It provides a comforting feeling that my dad gave me when he was still alive.

    -Monica Fraga

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  32. One symbolic object that helps me deal with fear is a rosary. I usually carry one with me at all times and another one in my car. Rosaries makes me feel safe and it gives me a sense of comfort knowing that anywhere I go I'm safe.

    Luci Razo

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  33. As a child I do not remember carrying any type of symbolic object to get me past a scary time. The older I get, the more I realize the only way to get past fears is to face them head on. I strongly believe, anything that does not kill you, will make you stronger

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