blog - A Sacred Journey

Threshold Journeys: 8 Steps to Take During Seasons of Transition

Our lives are filled with thresholds as we are continuously invited to cross borders and journey into new territories.

It’s likely when thinking of the word “threshold” that the image of a doorway comes to mind—it’s that strip of metal, stone, or wood that separates one room from the next. Just as the threshold of a doorway marks the transition from one room into another, the image of a threshold can serve as an appropriate metaphor for our own transitions between one season of life and the next.

The dictionary defines a threshold as “a point of entry or beginning,” but as pilgrims, we know that it is far more than that. It is the space between what has been and what is to come, between who you are now and who you are meant to be. It is a tipping point, at once the culmination of longing unobserved and the initiation of transformation that awaits. And, at the same time, it is a stand-still—a pause in the present between past and future; an interlude between two acts that shape the stories of our lives.

Have you ever heard someone talk about a “thin place”?

Perhaps they were recounting inspirational sites visited on a recent pilgrimage or sharing about how journeying out into creation always draws them closer to the Divine. They might not have even been talking about a place at all, but instead a Sacred moment spurred on by spiritual practice or a deep conversation that pierces the soul.

Whether we’re traveling abroad or navigating everyday life, our journeys will always contain challenges and trials.

While traveling, our flight might become delayed, we could get lost in an unfamiliar city, or perhaps we struggle communicating in a foreign language. Obstacles in our everyday lives might look like troubles at work, conflict in relationships, health issues, or even the prison of acedia or apathy. Such obstacles can often feel like Sisyphean tasks—a phrase alluding to the Greek myth of Sisyphus and his continuous attempts to push a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll down again, referencing a challenge that seems impossible to overcome.

In travel and in life, such circumstances are unavoidable. Challenges happen to all of us, and it’s unlikely that we will have a trip or a life that is truly trial-free. Unlike Sisyphus, however, we don’t simply have to watch them happen, becoming enslaved to their existence. With the perspective of the pilgrim, such trials on the path can instead become opportunities for growth.

Journeys to Sacred Sites have been around as long as humans have been around to declare sites Sacred.

Pilgrimage as a spiritual practice can be found across religious traditions and is even considered one of the five pillars of Islam and one of seven ancient practices within Christianity. For modern Jews, pilgrimage to Israel is considered a birthright, with sponsored journeys available to young adults. Buddhists have long journeyed to the very site at which the Buddha received enlightenment in hopes of tapping into their Buddha-nature and receiving enlightenment of their own. For Hindus, the Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage to the Ganges River—the largest religious gathering in the world—provides an opportunity for spiritual cleansing.

If pilgrimage is defined as a journey to a sacred site, then each of these voyages is indeed a pilgrimage. There are many tour companies, after all, who will cart your baggage from place to place along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela or shuttle you from site to site on tour busses throughout the Holy Land, allowing dream trips to become realities. Pilgrimage, however, is not just about a destination; it is an ongoing spiritual practice. While these voyages might be pilgrimages on paper, they require a bit more engagement to become true journeys of the soul.

Whether you’re traveling abroad to a Sacred Site or seeking to live everyday life as a Sacred journey, here are five essentials for a pilgrimage experience that’s truly transformative:

Every journey begins with longing.

It’s not often that we take the time to tend to our longings in everyday life, but they’re there on the periphery or are simmering just beneath the surface. They are yearnings sourced deep within that speak to our propensity for change, our need for inspiration, and the questions of the soul.

As author and contemplative Phileena Heuertz says, “Complacency is a stalemate to the journey. Longing propels us forward.” Our longings are waiting to give birth to our journeys—all we as pilgrims need to do is to say “yes.” Whether that journey takes you on an adventure abroad or a transformative experience in everyday life, here are five ways your longing might be telling you a new journey is about to begin:

Seekers and travelers have long sought out guides for the journey.

Whether touring a sacred site abroad or navigating everyday life right at home, guides are invaluable to any meaningful journey. They are the experienced ones, after all, who have already traversed the terrain that lies before us. Whether the territory is a new city or uncharted corners of the soul, guides offer much-needed insight and inspiration along the path.

We’d all appreciate a sign from time to time to help us know the right path to take, wouldn’t we?

Pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela don’t necessarily need a map to make the journey—they simply need to follow the yellow arrows that indicate the direction of the path.

Just like the pilgrim on the road to Santiago de Compostela, there are arrows for the pilgrim on the interior journey, too—signs that you can always trust to lead you to your inner destination, whether you are a pilgrim abroad or in everyday life: what draws you in and what you have resistance to.

While the beginnings of many journeys are fueled by the energy of inspiration and change and the conclusions of our journeys are marked by transformation, when we are in the midst of our journeys it can be challenging to stay on the path.

The liminal or “in-between” space between the start of a journey and its peak or resolution can often feel like we’re in the belly of the whale. This is especially true in times of trial, discomfort, uncertainty, or weariness that we encounter in any meaningful experience of pilgrimage. As challenging as these experiences might be, however, in order to experience the transformation that they seek, the pilgrim knows it is important to stay present to the journey at hand, no matter what it brings. “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure that you seek,” famed mythologist Joseph Campbell said. This means it is precisely by facing adversity both without and within that borders are crossed, edges are stretched, and new life can be found.

While we can’t predict or control the challenges that await us on the path, there are many ways to engage them when they arrive that foster a posture of presence, curiosity, engagement rather than the resistance, overwhelm, or apathy that are so often the response to adversity. Be prepared to stay present to the journey and engage challenges as they arise with the awareness and intention of the pilgrim with the following tools:

Curiosity is an essential posture for the pilgrim and a trademark perspective for any seeker.

It is wondering (pondering) that fuels wonder (awe), after all, and both are necessary to propel us forward on our journeys both at home and abroad. The curious pilgrim is eager to engage their journey’s unfolding and is open to wherever the path might lead.

To cultivate the curiosity of the pilgrim, begin each day by exploring the following questions:

You might not use the word “ritual” every day, but it’s likely that you participate in rituals on a regular basis.

Weddings, church services, graduations—each is a common occurrence that follows a ritualistic format, imbuing the event with meaning.

Which pilgrim path are you on?

Click on a path below to find your direction and discover practices to guide you along the way.
the pilgrim at home

the pilgrim abroad

Threshold Journeys: 8 Steps to Take During Seasons of Transition

Our lives are filled with thresholds as we are continuously invited to cross borders and journey into new territories.

Thin Places, Holy Spaces: Where Do You Encounter God?

Have you ever heard someone talk about a “thin place”?

Growth Edges: Turn Trials on the Path into Opportunities with this Pilgrim Perspective

Whether we’re traveling abroad or navigating everyday life, our journeys will always contain challenges and trials.

5 Essentials for Practicing Pilgrimage at Home and Abroad

Journeys to Sacred Sites have been around as long as humans have been around to declare sites Sacred.

It’s Time to Go on Pilgrimage When…

Every journey begins with longing.

Who Are Your Journey Guides?

Seekers and travelers have long sought out guides for the journey.

2 Signs You Can Always Trust

We’d all appreciate a sign from time to time to help us know the right path to take, wouldn’t we?

6 Tools for Staying Present to the Journey at Hand

While the beginnings of many journeys are fueled by the energy of inspiration and change and the conclusions of our journeys are marked by transformation, when we are in the midst of our journeys it can be challenging to stay on the path.

Questions for the Pilgrim at the Start of the Day

Curiosity is an essential posture for the pilgrim and a trademark perspective for any seeker.

Letting Ritual Guide Your Journey

You might not use the word “ritual” every day, but it’s likely that you participate in rituals on a regular basis.

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