The Art of Pilgrimage.

Recently, I was avoiding work by browsing past writings, and stumbled upon this essay I wrote as part of a scholarship to study abroad. I had to read a book entitled The Art of Pilgrimage, and was asked to reflect on it. The book, by Phil Cousineau, is marvelous. In any case, I thought it was interesting to look back on how I was feeling and what I was thinking before I left on this journey. I've included pictures from my study break. For more (there were three separate trips), look here. Also, you can click on the photos to make them larger.
pax.
jon.



“Go without hate, but not without rage. Heal the World.” –Paul Monette

“Yet the Lord pleads with you still: Ask where the good road is, the godly paths you used to walk in, in the days of long ago. Travel there, and you will find rest for your souls.”
--Jeremiah 6:16

When I first approached the idea of studying abroad, it was more because the opportunity presented itself than an actual overwhelming desire to live a different life. The notion of studying in a country half a world away became appealing to me after I began to be introduced to the far stretching differences that exist in the way that different people lead their lives. I knew we all approached life differently, but what really grabbed my attention was the ability of others to be happy in their lives that were so drastically unlike my own. Even more fascinating, was that the more I researched, the more I realized that while on the surface we all seem different, there are threads that run deep through the essence of humanity and connect us together.

These threads became even more apparent to me this past semester as I worked with People of Faith Against the Death Penalty. This experience threw me into a world of realized injustice and the revelation that such injustices are perpetuated because of ignorance of the ways and means in which others must exist. The real turning point for me came when we I read the quotation above. Monette’s simple yet piercing plea challenged me to look into the possibility of the world that lay beyond my classroom experiences. Maybe in order to heal the world, you have to experience it from another perspective.

Cousineau’s book, The Art of Pilgrimage, encouraged me to take my newly renewed passion for change to a deeper level. One of the lessons that struck me was to look beyond the mistakes or mess-ups, and find the holy in everything. Also striking was a Kabir quotation he referenced. Kabir writes “If you have not experienced something, then for you it is not real.” Cousineau comments on this quotation, explaining that pilgrimage is the same way. He describes pilgrimage as “the art of movement, the poetry of motion, the music of personal experience of the sacred in those places where it has been known to shine forth.” My obligation on this experience is no longer to simply study, but it is now to learn and live. I want to know what it is like to be the outsider, the new guy.

My months of preparation for this trip have been marked by visas and permits, ID cards and e-mails, but more importantly, they have been made alive by deep thought surrounding the purpose of the trip. The author notes that “all our journeys are rhapsodies on the theme of discovery.” As I study, live and grow in Copenhagen, I don’t expect to stay unchanged. I see my Atlantic crossing as a crossing into a self of new possibilities. It is the chance to truly experience a different life, another culture—all the while grasping and discovering the commonalities that cross cultural and geographical barriers.
Most vital to my journey, The Art of Pilgrimage has offered the reassurance that it is acceptable to search for God in the midst of my travels. It is easy to relinquish one’s faith to the prospect of adventure, but this text has allowed adventure and faith to mingle as I search for the spiritual roots of my beliefs.

Denmark seemed exotic—who really goes to study in Denmark? As I read the book and thought about the journey I was about to embark on, I realized that it was hardly about the book smarts or the name value, but it was about realizing the call within and the necessity to answer it. Maybe in my search for the answers, I can begin to identify with those who feel like strangers in the land I call home. And maybe, through that ability, I can find another avenue to access my faith and my God.

blessings.
jon.