What Makes This a Pilgrimage?

The complete circle is a universal symbol for the soul—an image of wholeness—and the goal of the sacred journey is to become as whole again as possible, (“The Art of Pilgrimage,” Phil Cousineau).

As I continue to reflect on why I am taking the Himalayan journey, I know that it does have to do with soul, and with spirit; and it has to do with continuing the longer journey that I am on to bring mind, body, soul, and spirit increasingly into alignment. In 1994 yoga became my catalyst for initiating that journey; it continues to nurture and move me through it. Meditation became a part of my day the next year; I returned to daily prayer last summer. Each of these practices has contributed to my journey toward oneness.

Mine is not a religious journey; it is a spiritual one. It is, as Cousineau suggests, about “becoming as whole again as possible.” It is a constant seeking for integrity in who I am and what I do; what I take from the world, and what I return to it. I am a long way from attaining the alignment that I am seeking. I am also a great deal closer than I have ever been.

As a change management consultant, I would often tell clients, You can only move so far without letting go of where you now are. Letting go, lightening my burden, has been an important part of this journey for me. At its earliest stages, the letting go was about possessions. For many years I was driven by acquisition and accumulation. A bad day? Buy a new shirt. Books by the hundreds, some read and others never opened, filled bookcases. Closets of clothing, drawers of CDs and DVDs, possessed me even as I claimed to possess them. I have let go of much of this over the past years; there is still more to go.

As I lightened my possessions, I learned that I also need to lighten my emotional burden. Over the past few years, I have focused on letting go of anger, fear, resentment, jealousy, judgment, and other emotions that are energy consuming. In their place, I have focused on growing acceptance, peace, equanimity, joy, and other emotions that generate energy within and radiate it outward. This part of my journey, too, is incomplete, though I have taken many steps on the path.

This trek provides me with the opportunity, and challenge, of continuing to lighten my burden and to move further toward the wholeness I am seeking. That makes this a sacred journey, a pilgrimage.