The pilgrim’s motives have always been manifold: to pay homage, to fulfill a vow or obligation, to do penance, to be rejuvenated spiritually, or to feel the release of catharsis. The ritual act of pilgrimage attempts to fill an emptiness. It can happen halfway around the world, or pilgrimage can also occur just down the road. “The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred” by Phil Cousineau.
Dear Fellow Hikers,
A couple years ago, one of my clergy colleagues felt the call to travel the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. I was not aware of her journey until I saw a short article about it in our church newsletter. Fortunately, she wrote a follow-up article and also gave a travelogue presentation to one of our church small groups that I had the opportunity to attend. I need to say that I’m in awe of those who take on the challenges of a journey like the El Camino. And even more so of those who are willing to share their stories, so that others can better hear their own. I’m not going to go any further in telling my colleague’s story, because that’s her story to tell. What I am going to share is how her story inspired me to share the few paragraphs below…
One of the things that help us hear our own stories, in the stories of others, is when we find something in common. As I read the church newsletter, then the second one, then as I listened to the travelogue, I noticed my colleague made reference to The Art of Pilgrimage each time she shared her story. I noticed because the book appears to be as important to her as it is to me. I have a lot of books, but this one is special. I have about a dozen of these special books on the bottom shelf of my nightstand. These are the books that have inspired me most.
I bought The Art of Pilgrimage on February 2, 1999 at Excelsior Bay Books, an independent bookseller in my neighborhood. Since I am again inspired, here I am, 25 years later, re-reading the book for a third time. As I read, I realized something. Recalling my travels over the past 25 years I’m no longer looking for pilgrimages in my future, I’m looking at my completed journeys as the pilgrimages of my past, looking at them in a new light. That 20/20 hindsight is allowing me to see how important my travels are to discovering who I am. Intentionally looking at my past travels in the perspective of pilgrimage, is also giving me inspiration for some new travels.
As I close today, I’d like to share one quote from Cousineau’s book. It took me awhile to find the exact quote even though I marked it with two small x’s. Probably because the whole book is full of two small x’s. It is a quote that I’ve shared more than any other quote in the book. As I was adding the quote to the bottom of this post, I find it really interesting that over the years I’ve been neglecting to include the last line of the quote. Now that I’m beginning to wander the Elderhood Trail, that last line is probably the one I should focus on most!…
… author Alexander Eliot describes one of his family travel rituals as the “Russian way.” After family members agree they’ve packed everything, they simply … sit on their luggage for a half-hour. “It’s a sure fire way of leaving with peace of mind,” he says. “If you’ve forgotten anything, it comes back to you as you sit there; if you’ve actually packed everything and take care of your responsibilities, the extra time allows you to relax before setting off.”
If you don’t take the time to sit and reflect before you leave, you’ll surely be remembering what you’ve forgotten when you’re on the way to the airport, or on the plane. By then it’s too late. This tends to be true for what goes into your bags as well as what goes into your heart about the purpose of the journey. “The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred” by Phil Cousineau. Page 72-73, hard cover edition
With Care and Gratitude, Dan
PostScript…
Next Up: “(Hmmm… I think I’ll surprise you…)” (Friday, 02/07/25, S1/L10)