The Difference Between a Pilgrim and a Tourist

"A pilgrimage is an outer journey to an inner experience. It is an itinerary designed with the hope of finding or enhancing one's spiritual bearings," said Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, author of Crossing to Avalon. Dr. Bolen told me that people who travel to a sacred place with the right attitude can be changed in a positive way by the energy of that place. If they are respectful of the place, and open and receptive to the energy, it can "activate the divinity" within them.

One aspect of pilgrimage that is often overlooked is the group of people who are traveling together. Think of Chaucer's classic "Canterbury Tales", which is not so much about the power of Canterbury Cathedral as it is about the various individuals in the group who are going on the pilgrimage together.

When my wife and I went on a group tour to Peru in 1998, we not only had the privilege of traveling with two wonderful tour leaders, Mark Amaru Pinkham and Andrea Mikana-Pinkham, but also the other pilgrims in the group. We came from different parts of North America, but we shared many common interests. When you're part of a group tour, you do more together than visit sacred places. You do all your traveling together, and you share many  meals together. By the end of the trip, our group felt like an extended family. After returning home, we exchanged several letters, photographs and email. Even more than a year later, we're still in touch with some of the people we met on that memorable pilgrimage. That's a bonus you don't get from independent travel.

Perhaps the greatest value of going on a group pilgrimage with like-minded people is the opportunity to participate in powerful spiritual ceremonies. Imagine standing on top of a breathtakingly beautiful mountain, surrounded by ancient sacred temple stones, while holding hands and chanting or sitting in a circle and meditating with a group of good friends who share your enthusiasm for sacred places. The energy the group creates is amazingly powerful!

The highlight of our Peru trip was a ceremony after dark on Machu Picchu. The sanctuary is usually closed at night, but our tour leaders managed to get special permission for us to go back in after the tourists were gone and the gates were locked. They even arranged for an Andean shaman to lead us in a ceremony that included San Pedro, a traditional drink made from a Peruvian cactus. We gathered under the stars and participated in the ancient ritual, as the light from the shaman's fire cast mysterious shadows on the stone walls of the Temple of the Three Windows. It was truly unforgettable. Ordinary tourists simply cannot have such wonderful experiences.

I like to think that a two-way communication goes on between pilgrims and the places they visit, and that both parties benefit from the experience. When small groups of respectful, well-behaved pilgrims go to sacred places with love and humility, when they meditate or perform sincere rituals at sacred places, the positive, loving energy they give to  places goes a long way toward healing our precious planet.

 Finally, it's probably a good idea to pass along some ideas I heard from people who work to preserve and protect sacred sites. Several stone circles and ancient passage-tombs in England have been damaged by well-meaning visitors who left behind "offerings" that did more harm than good. "Gifts" of food or flowers that are left at sacred places will eventually become a mess for someone else to clean up. Crystals brought in and added to a place actually upset the natural energies. Even worse are candles, which not only drip wax, but can also heat stones unnaturally, causing them to crack and break! Taking stones away is just as bad -- not only for the site, but also for the thief. I have heard several reports of people who actually became ill after taking stones away from sacred places, but who recovered immediately after returning the stones again. If you feel like leaving an offering at a site, why not help by picking up litter? Or, leave a prayer. (The article about Planetary Acupuncture describes a simple meditation technique you can do that will benefit both you and your environment.)

More information about how to help preserve and protect sacred places is available from Save Our Sacred Sites in London, England. They have a website at http://www.rollright.demon.co.uk/soss.html

It's easy to get more information about up-coming pilgrimages that are being offered to sacred places around the world. Simply follow the appropriate links on the NewAgeTravel.com website.

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