Start Date
15-11-2024 3:05 PM
End Date
15-11-2024 3:15 PM
Description
Shannon Doyal, a Professional Writing student at Wright State, explores how wilderness has been perceived throughout American history—as both a physical space and a powerful spiritual symbol. Drawing from Indigenous perspectives, early settler narratives, Transcendentalist writings, and American literature, she traces the evolving cultural and emotional significance of wilderness. From a place of fear and survival to one of introspection and sacred connection, wilderness reflects our changing relationship with nature and ourselves. As someone whose spirituality honors the cycles of nature, Doyal argues that reclaiming wilderness as a sacred and emotional space is vital—not only for environmental preservation but also for personal and collective well-being. In this time of ecological crisis and spiritual disconnection, Doyal invite us to reflect: how can we reimagine our role in the natural world, and what stories will we write into the future of the wilderness?
Repository Citation
Doyal, Shannon, "The Concept of Wilderness in Western Culture and its Sacredness" (2024). Runkle Woods Symposia. 13.
https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/woods_symposium/2024/novermber16/13
Included in
Biology Commons, English Language and Literature Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
The Concept of Wilderness in Western Culture and its Sacredness
Shannon Doyal, a Professional Writing student at Wright State, explores how wilderness has been perceived throughout American history—as both a physical space and a powerful spiritual symbol. Drawing from Indigenous perspectives, early settler narratives, Transcendentalist writings, and American literature, she traces the evolving cultural and emotional significance of wilderness. From a place of fear and survival to one of introspection and sacred connection, wilderness reflects our changing relationship with nature and ourselves. As someone whose spirituality honors the cycles of nature, Doyal argues that reclaiming wilderness as a sacred and emotional space is vital—not only for environmental preservation but also for personal and collective well-being. In this time of ecological crisis and spiritual disconnection, Doyal invite us to reflect: how can we reimagine our role in the natural world, and what stories will we write into the future of the wilderness?
