Monday, October 6, 2014

Pilgrimage: There and Back Again

To borrow the words of the infamous hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, that is how I can sum up my journey, There and Back Again.  However, unlike Bilbo I needed no convincing when the opportunity arose for me to be able to attend a retreat in Cape May NJ and then to spend an extended time in the Northeast visiting friends and family.  I traveled for 18 days and visited five states in addition to TN: Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Also unlike Bilbo who traveled very lightly my car was full of all kinds of things from clothes and coats for everything kind of weather to food to yoga supplies, books  and a sundry of necessary items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, medicine, and a hairbrush.

 A pilgrimage is defined by Dictionary.Com as, "a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion"and/or"any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive
 purpose, as to pay homage".  Both definitions describe the long journey I made. The entire trip was of an act of religious devotion; an act of bridging the old and new; and a response to God's call on my life to spiritual directing, leading retreats and small groups along with teaching.  The second definition fits also because the second focus of the trip was to pay homage to friends and family who have prayed for me and loved me over the course of my almost 42 years.  Some I had an opportunity to visit with, others scheduling did not permit while some have been gone for many years. 
Another reason why I termed this trip a pilgrimage was my intentionally to be relational.  My pilgrimage was to be a journey with God as well as with other people.  It also intentionally allowed for rest and for me to practice my spiritual disciplines in a variety of ways. It was experimental nature as I traveled by myself driving in places where I had never driven before.  As I drove through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, the Walt Whitman Bridge and traveled on busy highways such as I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike I gained a sense of empowerment.  Also with God's help I was able to be intentional about eating healthy taking with me fruit, hard-boiled eggs and some delicious raw juices from Pour Me Some Juice, a local business in Jackson TN.  Along the way I purchased bananas, hard-boiled eggs, cut-up strawberries, protein bars, grapes and salads from a variety of places including Wawa and 7-Eleven(yes, I miss them). Overall I experienced many days filled with bright sunshine and felt God's hand throughout my entire travels. As I created space for God; I found new freedom in the Holy Spirit and experienced deep healing.  I welcome you to comment as you read through my day to day accounts of my pilgrimage and share your experiences of transformation. 

About the photo above:  It is an oil pastel depicting the Four Gospel Journey of Transformation as created and developed by Dr. Alexander Shaia  and known as "Quadratos"- the mountains represent the Gospel of Matthew - How do we face change?, the waves represent the Gospel of Mark - How do we move through suffering, the flowers represent the Gospel of John - How we receive joy?  and the roads represent the Gospel of Luke - How do we mature in service? 
For more information, visit http://www.quadratos.com/

For further study and information, check out: 

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