Pilgrims and Pilgrimages

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 As of late I have become enamored of pilgrimages and pilgrims. When coming to Iona they ask that guests not consider it a retreat, because you are not here to get away from it all, you are here to immerse yourself in the depths of it all. You are to consider it a pilgrimage, a journey of inner examination, be that spiritual, religious or existential. And while I am North American enough to see images of men in tall black hats and brogue shoes when I hear the word pilgrim, I know there is so much more to it than that. A purposeful journey of exploration, where the purpose may or may not be revealed to the traveler that is a pilgrimage. Often the pilgrim is one who goes to some sacred site for the revelation that awaits them, but a pilgrimage may also be within a book, or movie, or image or within yourself. I put some recommendations in the book space on the blog for those interested in pilgrimages, near or far, in or out. The road is for the journey, not the destination.