Pilgrimage: Travel With Soul

As I prepare to embark upon a month-long journey across Canada, I’m reminded to take my own Medicine with regards to one of my favorite topics: Pilgrimage.

What exactly is a Pilgrimage?

How is it different than regular travel?

To answer the first question, I’ve taken the following directly from Lesson #45-Your Family Tree:

“Quite simply, a Pilgrimage is a sacred, mindful, and Heartfelt journey that reveals as much (or more) about your inner world than it does about what you encounter while traveling in the outer world.”

“Pilgrimage has purpose and meaning. If you’re examining your Spiritual Aspect, we could say that it is travel with soul. Pilgrimage is undertaken with a clear intention that delivers results which are unexpected, welcome, and always leading your toward Heartfelt growth.”

I would now add that what occurs during your outer world journey somehow connects with and speaks directly to your inner world intentions. The people, places and circumstances you find yourself in are often disguised opportunities for inner transformation. The experience of synchronicity and coincidence are not random and point to the power of Pilgrimage.

To address the second question of, How is Pilgrimage different than regular travel? I will again draw directly from Lesson #45:

Here are a few ingredients that make Pilgrimage different than tourist travel:

When we hold our clear intention to heal, transform and digest a particular place of life where we are stuck, then this becomes our compass to point the direction, while the physical act of moving becomes together, this makes up the Practice, this makes up the power of Pilgrimage.

Another characteristic that makes Pilgrimage different than regular travel is the “Where?” exactly you are going.

Places of Pilgrimage that differ from travel destinations would be:

And lastly, for something a bit different, I love the idea of making a Pilgrimage to a Lineage you consciously choose to join. For example, if you have an item that stokes the Fires of your Heart’s Passion on the list on the left, then the corresponding destinations could offer you wonderful Pilgrimage opportunities:

I am a big believer in Pilgrimage as a form of healing and while it may not “get much press” in other approaches of addiction treatment, in Alchemist Recovery we leverage this powerful work to digest whatever obstacle is currently in our path and emerge into our next phase of life.

With Blessings,

Randal