af Glenn Broughton

Hvorfor har så mange mennesker besøger gamle hellige steder hvert år? Hvorfor er så mange mennesker drages til Englands Stonehenge, eller pyramiderne i Egypten. Hvad sker der?

I min erfaring som en guide til de gamle hellige steder i Storbritannien er der forskellige grunde til, at folk gør disse rejser. For nogle er det en søgen, som følge af Arthur-legenden i en personlig søgning for at finde betydningen af ​​den hellige gral. For andre er det en moderne pilgrimsfærd til at gå de veje vore forfædre. Andre instinktivt ved, at en healing venter dem på et af disse steder indhyllet i mystik. Uanset beder beslutningen om at rejse, rejser af denne type er næsten altid transformative.

Læsning af tegn
Vore forfædre vidste Jorden intimt og forstod hende visdom. Bor i meget tættere fællesskab med planeten, end vi gør deres følelse af naturkræfter i Jorden var et fint-tunet hele kroppen bevidsthed.

Forestil dig selv som medlem af en yngre stenalder samfund lever fem tusinde år siden. Du skynder dig, og pludselig du føler en snurren i hænder eller fødder eller måske et sus af energi i hele kroppen. Du har lige gået over en energi hot spot. Dette er, hvor du ville vælge at bygge en struktur, hvor du kan arbejde med de energier nuværende med henblik på helbredelse eller åndelig indsigt.
I dag er den samme hellige sted kan synes at være bare en død levn fra en svunden tid. Men myter passeret ned gennem generationer fortælle en anden historie. For eksempel siges det af flere sten cirkler, at stenene gå ned til vandet for at drikke ved midnat eller på en fuldmåne. Denne folkeeventyr taler om forbindelsen mellem stenen cirkel, allestedsnærværende grundvand og jorden energi, der bæres af vandet. Dette varierer efter årstiderne, de faser af månen og selv dag og nat. Alle hellige brønde har historier om helbredelser er knyttet til dem. Når vi indser, at stærke Jordens energi strømme har vendt de farvande, til noget i stil med et homøopatisk middel, disse fortællinger gøre perfekt mening.

Sacred Space

Oprindeligt alle energiprodukter pletter var simpelthen i naturen - en bakketop, en skovklædt krat, en fjeder. Træerne var de første til at undervise os konsekvenserne af omslutte naturlig energi. Energien kan være indeholdt og opbygget for at skabe en super-ladet plads. Druiderne udførte alle deres ceremonier i hellige lunde af denne grund. Vi kan alle føle disse 'magiske' steder stadig, selv om vi ikke føler energier, de skaber i os en følelse af stilhed, af undren, af taknemmelighed. Stone Circle bygherrer udviklet dette tema og anvendes krystallinske bjergarter med henblik på at styre energierne. I dag har vi udnytter krystal (silicium-chips) i alle vores computere, vores forfædre var virkelig bruger den samme teknologi, men til forskellige formål og på en anden skala.
Medieval kirker og katedraler blev ofte bygget på steder, stensætninger, sikre, at disse energi hot spots vil styrke deres kristne ceremonier.

Intent

Hvad gør den afgørende forskel mellem en turist besøg og en transformativ erfaring er vores hensigt. Ved at kombinere dette engagerede hensigt med den super-ladede atmosfære af et helligt sted på en spirituel rejse åbner døren for ekstraordinære ting til at ske. På et eller andet niveau har vi stadig ved, hvad vores forfædre vidste - at de gamle hellige steder har magten og potentiale. Men vores logisk tænkning ofte fortæller os, det kan ikke være sandt. Hvis vi er parate til at berolige den skeptiske sind for et stykke tid og handle, som om magi er muligt, så magisk faktisk bliver mulig. Som Albert Einstein engang bemærkede: "Han, som ikke længere pause til at undre sig og stå åndeløs i ærefrygt, er så godt som døde, hans øjne er lukkede."

Om forfatteren:
Glenn Broughton har forsket i og besøge gamle hellige steder for tyve år og er tegnet til at udforske deres energiske egenskaber, og hvordan sådanne steder af magt påvirker os i dag. Han har været rejseleder for de fleste af denne tid førende grupper udforsker mysteriet om hellige steder gennem http://www.journeyswithsoul.com
Han har også underviserne internationalt på hellige steder, jord mysterier og korncirkler, og er medstifter / medarrangør af http://www.earthspiritconferences.com

Carol Ohmart Behan

Den tradition for pilgrimsfærd har været en hævdvunden praksis i næsten alle kulturer uden for historien, dens popularitet uformindsket til denne dag. Uanset målet,

a basic purpose of a pilgrimage is to make a special journey to a site that offers a unique connection with the sacred, the supernatural, the mysterious or the extraordinary in some way. The journey's destination brings the pilgrim to a place “where the physical world meets the spiritual world.”

Religious pilgrimage is no doubt the most familiar kind and nearly all faiths encourage their followers in such journeys. For millennia Christians have aspired to visit the Holy Land of Jerusalem or places where Christian saints lived and performed their deeds. The annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Hajj, calls pilgrims to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to circle the Ka'Ba, the square, black-shrouded structure that houses the sacred Black Stone. The veneration of this sacred stone, thought now to be a meteorite, actually predates the formation of Islam. Hindus travel to the Ganges River in India seeking spiritual purification and believe life is incomplete without bathing at least once in its waters. In their eyes the river is a goddess, Ganga ma, (mother Ganga) who offers renewal and salvation.

Pilgrimage journeys are often undertaken for purposes of healing, be it of body, mind, or spirit. The destination may be humanmade such as the shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre in a little Canadian town of the same name just outside of Quebec. The miraculous healings that have occurred there for several hundred years attract more than a million people every year. People stand in awe before ancient monuments such as Stonehenge in England, its towering, silent stones erected by our ancestors. It attracts over 800,000 visitors per year and several thousand gather on the summer solstice to watch the sunrise at this ancient and mystical site. Visitors from a variety of religious backgrounds have reported a strong sense of mystery and spiritual energy there.

On every continent Earth's natural wonders also are points of pilgrimage offering their stunning beauties and grandeurs as balm for the spirit. A very few to mention are the Grand Canyon, the towering plume of Old Faithful's geyser in Yellowstone National Park, and sacred mountains such as Mt. Fuji in Japan and Mt. Shasta in northern California. Ayers Rock in Australia, its native name, Uluru, like Mt. Shasta is considered a place of mystical power by native peoples and New Age practitioners alike. And circling all the continents is the Ocean herself, a source of inspiration and renewal for those of us who dwell inland.

On a smaller scale, a labyrinth is very much a place “where the physical world meets the spiritual world.” The labyrinth's gently curved path leads the walker on a quiet, contemplative journey to its center. In my work with labyrinth I have witnessed people utilizing the labyrinth's pathway for something that can well be described as an “inner pilgrimage”. So much of modern life urges us to focus on the outer world, but more and more people are seeking ways to explore “inner landscapes”. In my view, this yearning accounts in part for the resurgence of interest in the labyrinth, an ancient spiritual resource. I invite you to read my article on this at www.GoldenSpiralJourney.com

Other means to pursue a personal pilgrimage of our vast and unexplored inner world can be through meditation, journal or poetry writing, and seeking places of quiet and silence where “we can hear the soul speaking”.

Pilgrimage has always been and is still “work of the soul” from the planning, to the traveling, to reaching the journey's destination. If you do not come from a religious or cultural tradition of pilgrimage, the call is sometimes more subtle. The poet Mary Oliver poses the question, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?” There is an ever-increasing desire to live our lives from a deeper place, to spend more of our time “being” and less in “doing.” Oliver's question beckons us to step outside the confines of our consumer focused, ego-driven culture. For those seeking this more conscious and spiritually-focused way of living, a pilgrimage journey offers abundant support in searching out this larger, more holistic life.

My own experience of pilgrimage came when I entered my fifth decade, wondering what I might do with “the rest of my life”. Some truly marvelous synchronicities (a good sign you're on the right path) brought me to Glastonbury, England, and to its evocative and mystical energies. It has been a place of pilgrimage for a thousand years and more as early peoples came to drink and bathe in the healing waters of the two springs issuing from beneath the brooding hill or “Tor”. Of Glastonbury's many myths, one is that the Holy Grail was brought here by Joseph of Arimatheia who is said to have founded the first Christian church in England. It grew into a fabulous and famous Abbey that drew devout pilgrims for hundreds of years. The legend of the Grail grew to encompass the mythical life of King Arthur and Guinevere, the energies of that story woven into all the rest. Down through the centuries, the Chalice Well at the “red spring”, sacred to the Divine Feminine, maintained its presence not far beyond the Abbey walls. In the summer of 2001, just another New Age pilgrim, I set foot on Glastonbury's streets and climbed the Tor to find my own revelations.

The Chalice Well, set within its beautiful and peace-filled Garden, continues to draw people from all over the world in quest of the healing energies of its red-tinged waters, rising ever rising from its deep hidden source. During a visit there one summer afternoon, I saw a Spanish pilgrimage group clad in white outfits performing a healing ritual in the shallow bathing pool. Observing them, I was struck by how timeless this scene was and how all of us in the Garden that day were following in the footsteps of countless generations of pilgrims.

What one finds on a pilgrimage is often ineffable, and while I can only speak for myself, beyond a doubt my annual pilgrimages to Glastonbury continue to enlarge my life. I invite you to explore this ages-old pilgrimage destination by visiting my website. And since one article cannot possibly cover this tremendously large topic, I encourage you to explore further. Wonderful resources are just a mouse-click away on the World Wide Web. Enjoy your journey and Bright Blessings!

Carol Ohmart-Behan is a certified labyrinth-facilitator, pilgrimage leader, and published novelist. Details of her annual pilgrimages to Glastonbury and Southwest England (as well as information on her other work) can be found at www.GoldenSpiralJourney.com and www.MagdaleneGrailCircle.com

By Tobias Lars BS, MBA, Mensa

'Vegging out Vacation' or 'Getting hit with a stick in Buddhist Bhutan' – is there a 3rd alternative?

We used to go on vacations in order to 'vacate', to empty out our built up stress, our 'backed up' clogged up energies. We'd plop ourselves on the beach just 'vegging' and often using alcohol to force our bodies to relax. This is the old model that we are shifting out of. And then there came an 'Eco Travel' trend, or 'Adventure Travel' with mountain biking and 'ziplining' or white water rafting. All fun and energizing. But we still weren't able to 'Be still and know That I Am God' – we still weren't able to truly relax and receive. So the pendulum swung from total 'vacating, vegging out vacations' to 'Adventure Activity Vacations'- strenuous physical activity Adventures. As with all polarity paradigms the pendulum swings between the oppo-sites and eventually finds center balance.

Now there is a new balance emerging – the best of all worlds' type of travel coming forth-

Eco Spiritual Travel – where enjoying, caring, appreciating the Natural World – being in touch with Mother Nature combines with personal Spiritual growth & a rejuvenating, relaxing vacation.

Is it 'Work' or 'Play'?

We also used to have very distinct boundaries between 'work' & 'play'. We had to 'work' in order to save up enough $ and time to 'play' or 'take time off'. This model is also starting to melt, blur and merge into something new where work & play are joining into something new.

The new model is becoming more of – just Being. We are working-playing-being-doing all together at once. Perhaps we will outgrow the word 'work' and we will come up with a new word – or perhaps no word.

'No Pain, No Gain' is the old Model

When we started doing 'workshops', retreats, awakening seminars – we were still under the old model of 'no pain, no gain'. We felt in order to get something out of our 'workshop' there had to be some 'pain' involved. We had to get up early, spend most of the day in our 'work' shop with short breaks for food – and with very little time left over for just fun. These models were the right stepping stones at the time – at least we were 'working' on our Selves and not for someone else. But now things are moving towards more merging- unifying ways of being & doing in our lives.

What if we can combine Fun, Relaxing & Play with personal Awakening & Spiritual Growth? And how about we add contributing to the health of the Planet and the Ecosphere to that? This is a 'light bulb moment' when we see it -a win-win-win for everyone and everything involved.

The old model of 'if it's good for me it tastes bad or is hard and no fun' or 'if it's fun it has to be either illegal, immoral or fattening' – those days are leaving.

Eco Spiritual Travel - is travel where you go somewhere you really enjoy, can really feel good in body, mind & spirit and enjoying Nature-Mother Earth- the Eco Sphere. Part of your 'vacation' may be to lie on the beach in Kona, Hawaii but not for all day for days on end. That's like eating too much cheesecake! Instead your day might look like this – you may get up leisurely around 8-9am, enjoy the open air restaurant breakfast – an hour after breakfast you join your Spiritual Retreat Seminar being conducted under the palm trees . You do some breathing meditation and learn to feel your Inner Body more fully. After these simple timeless spiritual exercises & some social interaction time with likeminded new friends you have free time to swim with turtles, go into town to shop, or read a book in the hammock, go visit a Kona coffee farm or snorkel on the reef. Then in the late afternoon you meet back up with your retreat group and you go for short drive to a protected bay and swim with wild dolphins carefully respecting the dolphins' natural boundaries. Then a Sunset meditation at an ancient Heiau – temple area where you can feel the ancient rhythms of true old Hawaii. And back to the resort for evening dinner overlooking the protected lagoons, watching the turtles swim below you. Private time, beach time, group spiritual time, dolphin time, sunset time, food time, hammock time… true en-join-ment.

En-join-ment = the new model is that when we truly en-joy we are 'In Joy' – en'join'ing back up with God, reconnecting with our own Spirit.

The old model is that we can only reach 'God', 'Salvation', 'Nirvana', 'Enlightenment' through pain, struggle, sore backs from meditation postures, having to 'sacrifice', fighting our minds to be 'quiet',

“It's in our Pleasure we find our Treasure.”

Do flowers not en-joy opening into blooming? Do trees struggle? Does the Ocean have to 'work' when its waves move? Do Birds effort and huff and puff when flying? Isn't this effortless flow perhaps what St. Francis was pointing to when he quotes – “ Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow – they neither toil nor spin – and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

What is a flow-er? Maybe the Angels of Language left clues for us – a flower is a Flow-er, a flow of God-Spirit Energy erupting into our world to remind us to also surrender to this Flow of God-Source.

Sound too good to be true? To be able to relax, have fun, have pleasure all while Spiritually Awakening, respecting Mother Nature, and contributing financially to a group providing sanctuaries for animals?

It's happening now. These Eco Spiritual Vacations are a growth segment of travel for the future. They are here and available now. Small, boutique operators are creating truly connecting, spiritual experiences for small groups of travelers all over the world – that feed the travelers and the whole Eco Sphere – Mother Earth at the same time.

“It's not either/or — it's both and more!” OSHO

So why not make your next Vacation an 'Eco Spiritual Travel' Vacation – and feed your Self, re-connect with your Spirit while en-Joy-ing Nature-Mother Earth-the Eco Sphere.

Tobias Lars BS, MBA, Mensa – is a 'Soul Counselor' from Sedona, AZ – www.SedonaSoulCounseling.com . He is the author of the book – 'Listening to The Sun'. After having started 2 international trading companies he now devotes his time to spiritual healing work and Eco Spiritual Travel Adventures with www.SpiriTravel.com