In this Unit, you’re reading about phenomenological approaches to understanding religion, which prioritize personal, first-person experience in explaining what religion is and does... In this Unit, you’re reading about phenomenological approaches to understanding religion, which prioritize personal, first-person experience in explaining what religion is and does. But, what exactly is 'experience'? This personal application assignment asks you to explore that category in your own life. Part 1 Directions: First, what does it mean to 'experience' something? To establish a baseline understanding, please do the following: Sit quietly and observe the 'contents' of your ordinary experience for 30 minutes. Go someplace quiet, put away your phone and all other electronics, be by yourself if possible, and get comfortable (I recommend going outside, but that’s up to you). Set a timer for 30 minutes, and simply observe what it feels like to exist during that time. You might pay attention to sense perceptions, what your mind is doing and where your thoughts go, what emotional reactions or impulses you have, or anything else that contributes to this 'experience.' The point is NOT necessarily to relax, but to experience your experience. If you feel uncomfortable, it may be helpful to focus your attention on your breath or try repeating a phrase out loud or in your mind. Then, analyze this ordinary experience in terms of Experience, Self, and Emotion and/or Perception (all from Key Concepts in Units 1-2). Be sure to make explicit reference to content from Key Concepts, including both what the concept means in general for religion and how it helps to explain or interpret what you observed. Part 2 Directions: One of the things you learned about in this Unit was how many people think The Sacred is something you personally experience, based on internal feelings, perceptions, and emotions. Whatever else may be going on at these times, they seem to the person having the experience that they are extraordinary. Explore this concept in your own life: Think of a time when you felt something in some way similar to one of these extraordinary experiences (it’s fine if you would not describe it as a religious or spiritual experience—it could be just profound awe, gratitude, joy, or even fear—anything that felt 'uncanny' or 'otherworldly' or 'transcendent' or just 'extraordinary' will work). Try to recall in as much detail as possible what that 'experience' was like. Then, analyze it in terms of at least 3 of the following concepts: Self, Soul, Experience, Emotion, Mysticism, Eroticism, Visions, Dreams, Drugs, Reality, Perception, Sacred, Prayer, Meditation, Spirits, Gods, Goddesses, Symbols, Metaphor (all from Key Concepts in Units 1-2). Be sure to make explicit reference to content from Key Concepts, including both what the concept means in general for religion and how it helps to explain or interpret your example. Part 3 Directions: Now, compare the two experiences as much as possible: what was missing from one but present in the other? What did they both share? What, exactly, was it that made one experience extraordinary and the other ordinary? Was it only external circumstances or is there anything you can do to affect experience to make it more extraordinary (or to make it more ordinary if it’s extraordinary in a bad way!)? What does this tell you about how people understand religious experiences? How is the phenomenology of such experiences useful or not useful for understanding religion? Read more