This time of year, many of us pack our SUVs and head to the beach or the mountains. Kids go to summer camp. Retirees spend their children’s inheritances on trips to far-flung places. Why do we feel the need to travel? And how does it affect our spiritual lives?
Alan Wilson Watts, one of the first philosophers to interpret Eastern wisdom for a Western audience, said, “The soul encases the body; the body does not encase the soul.”
This idea is a turn-of-the-mill way of thinking for most of us. Think of the soul as something that needs care, just like the body. While we do earthly things, the soul becomes weak, lonely, and depressed. Luckily, travel is a great way to nourish the soul.
We know that Jesus was always traveling. On foot, in sandals. Jesus was always working to spread the Word. He traveled with his disciples, alone, or with a crowd. Paul traveled some 30,000 miles across the Roman Empire.
Within a century of the arrival of Roman missionaries to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon pilgrimages to Rome were already well established, and today more and more people are embarking on Christian pilgrimages, such as Spain’s Camino de Santiago in honor of St. James, and France’s Via Francigena in honor of St. Francis.
This year, my husband and I hiked Croagh Patrick in Westport, Ireland, where St. Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days in 441. The tradition of hiking Croagh Patrick began 1,500 years ago. Although we didn’t complete the four-hour hike, we met many people who had scaled the gravel and shale to reach the summit, including one man who had done it barefoot.
Pilgrimages are not exclusive to Christians. The Islamic pilgrimage, Hajj, is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims. The Hajj is a compulsory religious duty for Muslims and must be performed by all financially and physically able adult Muslims at least once in their lifetime.
Pilgrimages are not compulsory for Hindus, but most of them do. They go to Puri, Remeswaram, Dwark and Badrinath.
The Hebrew Scriptures instruct all Jews to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year: in the spring for Passover, in the summer for Shavuot, and in the fall for Succot. Christian pilgrims began visiting Jerusalem and the Holy Land within a few centuries after the death of Jesus.
Not everyone can take a big pilgrimage. Here’s the good news: a pilgrimage is defined as a journey to a sacred place. Every place on this earth that God created can be sacred if you choose to make it so. A family trip or a day trip to Enchanted Rock can be a pilgrimage.
Many of us travel through thin places all the time without realizing we have arrived at a sacred place. Thin places are places where the membrane between this world and the eternal is thin, places where you can walk between the two worlds. Our souls thrive in such places. The Celts believed thin places existed at sunset and sunrise, on mountaintops, on the coast, lakes, rivers, caves and wells. Cemeteries and ancient ruins are also thin places. Through travel, we can discover thin places all over the world and feed our thirsty souls.
A journey to thin places renews the soul in more ways than one.
Travel gives our souls access to the beauty of creation. In Texas, many of us travel north to the splendor of the Rocky Mountains or south to the Gulf of Mexico. Either way, the beauty of God’s great earth gives us the opportunity to strengthen our souls with the splendor of the earth. “This is what the Lord has done, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” — Psalm 118:23-24
Travel brings new and unique experiences to our souls. It takes us to different cultures and places. With every new culture, we learn how other people live, work and play. “Strangers” become friends. God calls us to love one another. Knowing that we are part of a world with many different types of people reminds us that we are all one. “From one man God made all nations, to dwell on the whole earth.”— Acts 17:26
Travel gives our souls the opportunity to connect and commune with ancient spirits. Trips to the cathedrals of Europe, the ruins of Peru and Mexico, sacred sites, and family cemeteries remind us that our bodies do not last forever. Our souls connect us to all those who lived before us. “Ask the former generations, and find out what their fathers learned: for we are but yesterday born, and know nothing, and our days on the earth are but a shadow. Will they not teach you and speak to you? Will they not utter words out of their understanding?” — Job 8:8-10
Travel nourishes the soul with rest. Spending time away from the temporary demands of life brings the soul much needed rest. Psalm 23 gives us a guidebook to rest and relaxation: “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters; he refreshes my soul.”
Whether it’s visiting mountains, foreign lands, cemeteries, or simply resting quietly at dusk, travelling gives us the opportunity to heal our souls. Whatever your journey this season, don’t forget to nourish your soul as you nourish your body.
Diane Owens Prettyman is a member of All Saints Episcopal Church and its Central Texas Interfaith Core Team. Diane’s many published works include the novel “Thin Places.” To submit a faith column, email nvillalpando@statesman.com.
