Thoughts on Pilgrimage

Travel and pilgrimage of any kind, no matter where it is, is always a kind of metaphor--a metaphor of Spirit. We just returned from a "two-week" intensive on the art of pilgrimage which taught us much, not only about the Middle East, but about life itself. To the people the world over, pilgrimage is a sacred act, a spiritual exercise, a pathway to find the source of meaning or, perhaps, a place of healing or guidance. Always, it is a journey of both risk and renewal, for a journey without challenge has no meaning for us, and one without purpose has no heart or soul, says Philip Cousineau.

We undertook what many in the Middle East call a “haj,” the Arabic word for pilgrimage. It is not simply traveling to "another place" or a "new land," it is more direct than that. Journey as pilgrimage is a physical, mental, and spiritual act which takes us on a journey from mindlessness to mindfulness, from soulessness to the Heart. We made what was for us a transformative pilgrimage to sacred centers in the Abraham Traditions. We visited many holy sites associated with saints, sages, heroes, and gods in settings that are still known today for their spiritual power. The “art” of our pilgrimage together was not simply to visit these sites, but to connect with what is sacred there, which meant that on some level, at least, we prepared ourselves for a kind of knowing or experience that allowed us to "see" from an interior perspective, and not just from the obvious differences that appeared on the surface of things.