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Travel: Destination Enlightenment
by Gayle Lawrence
Travel....what image does that word conjure up for you? Getting away from it all,
a pleasant diversion, the prospect of adventure, sipping pina coladas by a resort
pool, or simply a "great escape" for a few days from a world filled with
chaos and uncertainty? Modern-day travelers are no longer satisfied with the one-size
fits all, mass-market vacation packages. They are searching for a travel experience
that is deeper, richer, personally healing. One that finds them returning home feeling
transformed from the "inside out."
Traveling the world to spend time in nature, different cultures or at ancient sacred
sites with an intention to move deeper into your own self and your own heart space
can be a powerful healing for your own weary spirit. As each of us becomes more enlightened
and heals ourself one by one, then we contribute to healing our world.
What has precipitated this inner call for enlightened travel, to visit places that
hold a special magnetic attraction? I believe world events have initiated more introspection.
The outer trappings of success are no longer enough. People recognize something is
missing and find themselves living lives of quiet desperation, starving for more
connection and meaning. Searching for some intangible something that can only be
found within themselves. An ancient Sufi saying notes, "Some doors can only
be opened from the inside." OK, fine, but where and how do you access this inner
door? Sometimes that answer is found thousands of miles away from home, on a life-changing
journey.
Enlightened travel is not about toil and physical hardship, but it is about an intention
that the experience be more than a diversion or distraction from our everyday routine.
It is a belief that travel with a personal/spiritual growth focus can deepen your
own divine essence, clarify life decisions and illuminate emotional blocks that are
hindering you from moving forward. A sacred journey can be a powerful form of self-therapy,
creating the space to heal the wounded places inside yourself.
Phil Cousineau, author of The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel
Sacred writes, "A pilgrimage is a 'holy' journey, not necessarily in a sanctimonious
sense, but when envisioned as a means to make one 'whole.'" It can be the path
to reconnect us to our source, to an ancient wellspring of memory where pure love
originated.
The shift toward enlightenment can begin when you embrace the first thought of taking
the journey. The initial opening toward something new, fresh and personally revealing
takes hold. You might choose a destination or an experience that speaks to a tender
place deep inside yourself. Whether it is the Great Pyramid, tracing your family
roots in Ireland, sacred sites in the Southwest or swimming with dolphins, it is
a journey that evokes a sense of inspiration, wonder and passion.
For those of us who feel ready for a major awakening, taking ourselves away from
everything that is familiar might be necessary. Traveling on our own home turf can
keep us connected to a comfortable definition about who we think we are. But taking
ourselves to a place where everything is foreign to us forces us to move and stretch
beyond our comfort zone where we cannot plug into anything familiar. We are forced
to open to the unknown and unexpected. This is the fertile ground we need for personal
transformation.
Deciding to travel to a foreign place can feel like taking a risk. The entire experience
is a growth process, from learning about where you are going to figuring out what
to pack. A long airplane flight, perhaps over water, means placing your trust in
the pilot and crew. Perhaps you are traveling with a group and you feel a slight
apprehension about not knowing anyone. All of the outer components of the trip begin
to nudge you out of your comfort zone. Here begins an attitude of "trust"
that everything will be fine and you will be "safe." This is the beginning
of a self-examination process that can feel risky. This can be an emotionally scary
time as you embark on a journey from who you have been into who you are destined
to become.
The initial act of acknowledging an inner calling to go on a spiritual journey can
set invisible forces into motion. You might feel guided via synchronicities, dreams,
connecting with others, those "A Ha!" experiences that guide you forward,
confirmation that you are heading in the right direction. Perhaps you are being set
up, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually for a profound shift in consciousness
that can magically happen without any apparent effort on your part.
Janine Pommy Vega writes in Tracking the Serpent: Journeys to Four Continents: "My
desire to slip away from the stories and the choices we make to secure our identity
in everyday life has borne fruit again and again. To go on a pilgrimage, I discovered,
you do not need to know what you are looking for, only that you are looking for something,
and need urgently to find it. It is the urgency that does the work, a readiness to
receive that finds the answers."
Travel, intended as an enlightening experience, can facilitate a major turning point
in your life. Deepening the level of relationship with yourself thus changing your
perspective toward a troubled world into a more positive mind-set. This transformational
process does not stop at the journeys end, for now you have an energetic connection
to a physical place that will continue to feed you spiritually. You are now a more
enlightened being, your personal light shines brighter into the dark places of the
world.
Gayle Lawrence and Journeys of Discovery specialize in small group, unique transformational
journeys for kindred spirits. 2005 journeys include Humpback Whale encounters, Dominican
Republic (Feb. & March dates) Costa Rica Women's Nature retreat (March) Peru/Machu
Picchu Feminine Mysteries with shaman guide (July). Contact Gayle at (727) 785-5563,
e-mail whalesongs@earthlink.net or visit www.ajourneyofdiscovery.com
Copyright © 2004 Gayle Lawrence, all rights reserved. |
| Dec 2004 |
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