Nature and Spirituality

The Navajo connection to the land, animals, and gods is woven throughout—through prayers, ceremonies, the beauty of the desert, and the symbolic meaning of horses, turquoise, and the 'Trail of Beauty.'

Laughing Boy's connection to the desert, his horse, and the prayer 'travelling in beauty' reflect a spiritual bond with nature.

Laughing Boy finds solace in the night sky and dawn; the dream involves divine figures and the importance of being awake for the gods.

The landscape is described as having a spiritual power that moves Slim Girl, and Laughing Boy's connection to the land is portrayed as a form of 'strong medicine.'

The ceremony's poetry and the concept of hozoji ('walking in beauty') become real to Slim Girl in a sentimental way, even as she struggles with the grotesque forms.