practicing pilgrimage at home and abroad
(Did you miss the first episode? Listen here.) It’s our first official interview, and today we’re talking with Kayce Hughlett about SoulStrolling. Kayce is an author, soul guide, and self-proclaimed “artist of being alive,” and in our conversation, we explore listening to the call within, going on pilgrimage to unconventional places, practicing SoulStrolling at home, and more.
An ancient spiritual practice, pilgrimage invites seekers to travel away from home on journeys of intention in search of Sacred Encounter. It’s not simply about traveling to a Sacred site, however. Pilgrimage is an outer journey that contributes to an inner one. When we journey beyond our borders, exploring new cultures and landscapes, our entire lives can be transformed.
That longing you have to set out and find meaning? It’s divinely implanted, and when you follow its invitation it will take you down a path you’ve never walked before as you’re led by the Sacred Guide. Are you on the path of the pilgrim abroad?
I’ll be laying low this summer on the blog and social media so I can do some dreaming and scheming about what’s next for A Sacred Journey (hint: a Pilgrim Principles online course!) and will be back in full force in September. Since we’ve been focusing so much on the practice of pilgrimage this month, however, I didn’t want to leave you empty-handed when it comes to inspirational travel, especially those of you who are intrigued by the Journey Guide but don’t necessarily have a specific trip on the horizon.
It’s true—life doesn’t always afford us with the ability to set off on meaningful journeys on a whim, but thankfully, books have the power to transform and transport us in the mean time no matter our budget or availability. Here are 10 travel memoirs for your summer reading that are sure to take you on an armchair pilgrimage:
Throughout time, wisdom traditions have told us that if we’re looking for guidance and Sacred connection, we only need to look within.
Though it might be hard to believe based on common theology taught in churches, even the Christian tradition claims this to be true, with the author of Genesis stating that we are made in the image of God, and Jesus himself declaring, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Other translations have Jesus stating that “the kingdom of God is at hand,” which in the end is not too different—both interpretations share a similar message, which is that Truth is available right here, right now.
I believe that the more we become our True Selves, the closer we are to God, and vice versa—the closer we are to God, the more we become our True Selves. There’s an intersection there—the Inner Witness—the place within in which the Sacred Guide dwells and the True Self and Divine meet.
These are the words of Jesus (Matthew 25:35), and yet in light of recent events, somehow they seem so foreign. How can a country that is made up mostly of immigrants deny those who seek the refuge that their ancestors once sought? How can a mandate drafted by those who claim to follow Jesus (wrongly) prioritize Christians and yet completely neglect Christ? And how can pastors and priests step up to the pulpit and not utter a word about the injustice being done to the least of these?