Illuminating Paths
Unlike mere travel, a pilgrimage is a journey into the landscape of the soul.
Vivienne Hull
And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home.
Wendell Berry
Spiritual
Pilgrimage
A Sacred Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey that is both outward and inward. It is a journey to a specific place, a space that has history, story,
beauty, power, life. A place to which others have often journey before in search of meaning, intimacy with God, and self-knowledge.
There are some places we go not only to rest, or to slow the march of time, or to contemplate the power of God and nature, but also to make a pilgrimage into one's self. Pilgrimages are journeys of the soul, reminders that in the living of every day that we can journey to other places, where we can contemplate the essence of nature, Spirit, and humanity.
Pilgrimage takes us to the sacred sites of our past, our world, and of our imagination. Although we may travel from home on pilgrimage, the real journey is one we take within ourselves.
In the first stage of pilgrimage, we prepare to cross a threshold from the known to the unknown. And in so doing, we name our intention for the crossing. For what are we seeking?
The next stage is actually crossing the threshold. We move from ordinary time and space into sacred time and sacred space, where things can be turned upside down.
Once over the threshold, we enter the third stage which is transformation. This is the heart of pilgrimage and always an element of inner conflict or struggle. It is time spent in the wilderness within, where you meet your fears and confront them, when you come up against whatever prevents you from hearing the voice of Spirit or living a life of compassion and generosity.
The last stage of pilgrimage is integration or incorporation. We leave in order to return, and upon returning we reenter the roles and structures that were irrelevant during the pilgrimage. What difference does it make that we made this inner journey? How will I be in my "normal" life having had this experience of sacred journey?
These are the questions of identity and meaning which help us understand who we are in the world and what it is we are called to be about.
beauty, power, life. A place to which others have often journey before in search of meaning, intimacy with God, and self-knowledge.There are some places we go not only to rest, or to slow the march of time, or to contemplate the power of God and nature, but also to make a pilgrimage into one's self. Pilgrimages are journeys of the soul, reminders that in the living of every day that we can journey to other places, where we can contemplate the essence of nature, Spirit, and humanity.
Pilgrimage takes us to the sacred sites of our past, our world, and of our imagination. Although we may travel from home on pilgrimage, the real journey is one we take within ourselves.
In the first stage of pilgrimage, we prepare to cross a threshold from the known to the unknown. And in so doing, we name our intention for the crossing. For what are we seeking?
The next stage is actually crossing the threshold. We move from ordinary time and space into sacred time and sacred space, where things can be turned upside down.
Once over the threshold, we enter the third stage which is transformation. This is the heart of pilgrimage and always an element of inner conflict or struggle. It is time spent in the wilderness within, where you meet your fears and confront them, when you come up against whatever prevents you from hearing the voice of Spirit or living a life of compassion and generosity.The last stage of pilgrimage is integration or incorporation. We leave in order to return, and upon returning we reenter the roles and structures that were irrelevant during the pilgrimage. What difference does it make that we made this inner journey? How will I be in my "normal" life having had this experience of sacred journey?
These are the questions of identity and meaning which help us understand who we are in the world and what it is we are called to be about.
Pilgrimages We Offer
At Illuminating Paths, we offer pilgrimages to such places as:
To learn more about pilgrimage journeys, click on the links above.
| France | Chartres Cathedral; Taizé Community; Paris - Notre Dame |
| Turkey | Istanbul - Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque; Troy; Ephesus |
| South Dakota |
Black Hills; Bear Butte; Wounded Knee; Custer State Park, Badlands |
| Celtic | Wales - St. David's Cathedral; Scotland - Iona Community; Ireland - Glendalough, Galway, Clomacnoise, Dublin |
| Spain |
El Camino de Santiago |
To learn more about pilgrimage journeys, click on the links above.