1. “A pilgrim looks for the Sacred in the Quotidian” // Home
2. “A pilgrim practices somatic spirituality” // Taste
3. “A pilgrim is a good steward of resources” // Possessions
As you know, the book won’t be released until January 6, 2014, but while you wait you can find a free preview from each section of the book every Wednesday until Christmas, giving you a taste of all seven Pilgrim Principles (and hopefully leaving you yearning for more!).
This week’s preview fits perfectly with the pilgrim’s love for travel, focusing on the fourth Pilgrim Principle, “A pilgrim immerses herself in culture. In the book, we cover five areas to immerse yourself in culture both at home and abroad, including customs, beliefs, location, food, and the subject of this week’s free preview: language.
Enjoy, and mark your calendars for the Pilgrim Principles website and book trailer release next week (made with the help of two pilgrims who have contributed here: video by Dan Cumberland with music by Kelsey Kopecky). And of course, another free preview right here on A Sacred Journey.
MORE PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
And because I’m just getting excited, here’s another review of the book, this time from Abby Hollingsworth, blogger at dearabbyleigh.com (remember my “Dress for the Trip You Want to Have” post?):
“Like an archeologist preparing a precious lost artifact for display, Lacy brings the ancient art of pilgrimage into the spotlight of our modern world with great care and delight. Pilgrim Principles is a gentle call to the Sacred in all of our daily journeys, a reminder that we are travelers in this world whether we leave home or not, and the opportunity to traverse this life with intention is one we can’t afford not to take. Lacy is a qualified and generous guide in this journey, one that brings readers closer to their true selves by the end.”
-Abby Hollingsworth, dearabbyleigh.com
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pilgrim principles free book preview: language
The final category we’re going to explore that the pilgrim encounters as she enters another culture is language. Language covers a whole world of difference, including not only foreign tongues, but regional dialects and popular expressions as well.
If you speak English, you are lucky enough to be able to navigate your way through most of the world with your mother tongue (or second, third, or fourth language, if that’s the case–if so, you can just skip on right on ahead!). But there is a downside to this as well: since it is not as necessary for native English speakers to learn another language, many do not. However, learning another culture’s language–at least enough to engage in some form of conversation–is important for the pilgrim seeking immersion.
This is even true for various dialects of the same language. There are many different dialects within the English language, but the ones I’ve most often encountered are American English (my own dialect) and British English. Some of these differences you learn the hard way, but once you know them, you feel far more engaged in the culture you are visiting.
While studying abroad in London, I visited a friend and his family in Birmingham. My friend and I were lounging late one afternoon, a cup of tea in my hand, and my friend’s father came in and said, “Lacy, would you like some tea?” I responded by saying “Oh I already have some, thank you,” thinking that it was kind for him to offer. However, that was not quite the case. My friend jumped in, translating what his father was really asking in his thick West Midlands accent: “What he means is, would you like some supper?”
“Oh!” I replied. All these years, after watching British TV shows, movies, and reading British books, I was thinking that the British were simply having tea all the time (which really wouldn’t be an overstatement). However, now that I know they also use “tea” to describe supper, I assume that many of those instances involved a little more than tea and biscuits (not your flaky Southern biscuits, by the way, but that’s another differentiation entirely).
And of course, beyond tongues and dialects, language can be unique to a culture through expressions. At the graduate school I attended, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, it was common knowledge that because we were studying and processing things together, we shared a common language–always talking about story, self-care, “sitting with” things, and moving from “binaries” to the reality of “both/and.”
Feeling a little foreign? It makes sense. I’m sure someone who glanced at this book without understanding the language we’ve been using might feel a little foreign, too. That’s because even when we’re talking about pilgrimage, we’re using a particular language–departure, arrival, return, journey, path, longing, desire, Sacred, Divine–these aren’t words that many people use every day (see the glossary on page 9 if you need a refresher). But as you’ve been immersed in this language over the past many weeks, you’d probably say that you know more about what it means to be a pilgrim.
It’s amazing how deep language goes, isn’t it? By learning the languages of other cultures–whether a country as big as Russia or a community as small as a graduate school in downtown Seattle–we can truly know more of a culture and become immersed.
PRACTICE
This week, begin exploring your own language–the unique words or phrases you use that are common to you–and discover what story your language is telling. You can also begin paying attention to the language of those around you, particularly those who might be different than you, seeking to understand them in a new way.
And why not begin preparing for your next journey by starting to study the language of a place you’ve always wanted to visit? It might seem daunting to learn it all, but “hello,” “please,” and “thank you,” is a good place to start.
REFLECTION
Do you have experience speaking different languages? What does it feel like when you begin to understand another language, whether new expressions, different dialects, or a new language entirely?
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This post was an excerpt from
Pilgrim Principles: Journeying with Intention in Everyday Life,
releasing January 6, 2014.
Come back next Wednesday for another free preview!
