practicing pilgrimage at home and abroad
Because of the rhythms of our lives, summer seems an obvious choice, as well as holidays and school breaks. If those are traditionally the times you travel it’s likely there hasn’t been reason for you to consider otherwise. But what if I told you that when it comes to pilgrimage, it’s better to travel in the off season—the times of year when tourists are usually back at home? Here are 3 reasons why:
This post was originally published on Leigh Kramer’s blog in 2014. Since I’m leading a pilgrimage to Iona next March and am inviting you to join me, I thought it would be the perfect time to bring the story of what sparked my love of pilgrimage out from the archives. Are you a kindred spirit? Consider joining me on Iona! Register by September 30 and SAVE $200! Learn more »
The first journey that truly left its mark was a spur-of-the-moment backpacking trip across Europe the summer after my freshman year in college. I had been to Europe a few times before and had always enjoyed myself, but for some reason my travels abroad hadn’t yet sparked a desire within me to galavant around the continent aimlessly, backpack in tow. The whole “backpack across Europe” concept was new to me, and though I had friends who had come home from their European adventures with an abundance of pictures and stories, I hadn’t yet found myself longing to walk in their shoes.
That is, until a good friend from high school was at my house one early summer night after our freshman year in college. He was heading off to Europe for the summer on a solitary adventure; I was making plans to return to Nashville to attend summer school so I could minor in interior design.
It’s what I wanted—the path I had always planned to follow. But something from our conversation about his upcoming journey that night lit a fire within me that I have not yet been able to extinguish. It didn’t take long for me to put my pursuit of an interior design minor behind me and beg to join him that summer for the trip of a lifetime. (After all, I’d watched enough HGTV at that point to earn a Master’s degree.)
I know, I know—you didn’t get that pilgrimage on the calendar that you were hoping for, but you do have that family trip to the beach scheduled, or perhaps that annual camping trip with your college friends. Maybe you’re stay-cationing this year and want your week to be filled with more than binge-watching on Netflix this time around.
Whatever the journey, you can still make it meaningful with some intentionality. Here are 5 ways to turn your ordinary trip into a pilgrimage:
In fact, as you read through The Pilgrim’s Journey, you’ll likely have a sense of déjà vu: “Haven’t I been here before?”; “I know exactly what she means”; “This is the story of my life!”
Upon reflecting, you’ll soon find that your own journeys in life are reminiscent of The Pilgrim’s Journey because both speak the same language: the language of transformation.
And we’re back! After a blog break in June, things are back into full swing here at asacredjourney.net! We’re starting things off with a Journey Book Club discussion of our June selection—The Soul of a Pilgrim by Christine Valters Paintner. Want to join us this month? Find out what we’ll be reading at the bottom of the posts and join the Book Club email list to stay in the loop (plus get a FREE downloadable reading log)!
After reading Christine’s new book, The Soul of a Pilgrim, this is the question we should be asking, right? (Read Christine’s story behind the book here.) I love the way Christine invited us to journey with intention in our everyday lives (any surprise there?), and though I didn’t expect it, there was a pilgrimage waiting for me in the wings when I began the book in early June.read more »