Every Step Is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska

by Lori Erickson

Globetrotting travel writer Lori Erickson has long searched for the sacred in locations and cultures far from home as well as in her beloved Iowa. But when the pandemic put both air travel and in-person worship off-limits, Lori and her husband hit the road with a camper in tow to discover spiritual sites and experiences in their own home country.





From the Serpent Mound of Ohio to the Redwoods of California--and, ultimately, by air to see natural wonders in Alaska and Hawaii--Erickson uncovers deep connections both to the lands that now make up the United States and to the elements that have had sacred meaning to people throughout history and across the globe. Through her profound, informative, and witty reflections on the power of stone, water, light, fire, and more, readers will discover new destinations in North America while deepening their own connection to spirit. Whether exploring national parks or visiting holy sites, this book makes for the perfect spiritual companion and guide.

Genres: Travel, Spirituality, Memoir, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

Lori Erickson is one of America’s top travel writers specializing in spiritual journeys.

Reviews

[Carla Wilson-neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am currently reading an advance copy of this beautiful book. I had previously read her book Holy Rover and adored it, and thus signed up for her updates, etc. Her concept of the spirituality in the journey was so appealing, and indeed was satisfying. As a regular traveller, I too rediscover myself when on the road. I am so grateful for Lori's gifts and talents in this book. As someone approaching her 70th decade, it is important to me to not lose sight of my direction and the things that matter and give me joy. The days do seem to slip by more quickly, and so there was the pleasure of feeling like I am traveling along to the amazing sites visited in Every Step, and Lori's insights and observations shared were meaningful and moving. It was also a particular blessing and sometimes a surprise, to learn just what might be experienced right here in the U.S.A.!! Lori's writing unlocks the head and the heart, and sharing in her travels was transformative. I would highly recommend reading this book when published on September 5, 2023.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if I'm not Christian I loved this book because it's full of food for thought, interesting spiritual experiences and diferent things that can be considered spiritual.
A huge cathedral can be very beautiful but it can also be full of people chattering makeing impossible to find the silence needed for living any spiritual experience.
There's a lot to learn reading this book and it would be a great guide for a travel.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Step is Home called out to me because it promised to take me to eleven US locations where I could find a spiritual connection to the natural world. I spend a lot of time exploring N. America in my campervan and always look for new places to explore. Even though I've driven around all 48 lower states, I've only visited or experienced two of the 11 sites described by Lori Erickson. Five of her offerings had slipped entirely under my radar, while the others were on my unending bucket list. After reading her book, all nine sites/events I haven't explored are high on my bucket list. Of the locations I have visited (the California Redwoods and The Ancient Ohio Trail), both are on my list of all-time favorite places to explore.

Given this, I can't rate this book lower than four stars - it's a travel book that has inspired me to visit the locations described. However, as a reading experience, I found the prose uninspired. At times, it read like a school assignment for an expository essay, with paragraphs listing factoids like they were jotted down in a stack of notecards. Even so, the tales will spark your wanderlust - especially if you find your heart connections in the natural world.

If you are seeking inspiration for a cross-country road trip or are looking for destinations to explore in Hawaii and Alaska, you'll find plenty of ideas here. I doubt you will find much spiritual enlightenment in the book's stories. Still, the point is to encourage you to explore these places in real life - to deepen your connection with the natural world. Many sites need all your senses to adequately experience and require visits at specific times of the year.

This book would make an excellent gift for someone who loves exploring nature.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange or a review.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I travel I've been known to visit churches, especially cathedrals, to such an extent that my spouse will complain I want to visit another church. Perhaps the reason I want to do this has more to do with the spiritual dimensions of these sites than the architecture and aesthetics, though I have to admit that sometimes it's simply historical interest. Perhaps you, the reader of travel books have a special interest in sites that have spiritual dimensions. They do not have to be churches. They could involve a variety of spiritual dimensions, including volcanoes and lights in the sky.

Lori Erickson is a travel writer who has a special interest in spiritual journeys. I previously reviewed her book Near the Exit: Travels with the Not-So-Grim Reaper. In that rather intriguing book, Erickson takes the reader to places that helped her come to grips with death. While Erickson is an Episcopalian and committed Christian (those are not mutually exclusive positions) she also has what one might call esoteric spiritual interests that take her beyond those cathedrals that I love visiting. What is true for "Near the Exit" is true for her, though the focus is not on sites connected to death.

The subtitle of "Every Step Is Home" reveals the context for this conversation about spiritual journeys. That subtitle reveals that this is a book about "A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska." Most of the journeys and encounters described here occurred either during the COVID pandemic, which made travel challenging, or shortly thereafter. Being that Erickson hails from Iowa, she begins the spiritual travelog close to home with "The Marching Bears of Iowa," a set of effigy mounds standing on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Many of the other sites visited here are out-of-the-way places, such as Chaco Canyon in a remote part of New Mexico. Since Erickson and her husband Bob traveled to some of these sites with their own camper, COVID was less of a concern than if she was traveling beyond the borders of the country. However, she did visit Alaska to see the Northern Lights and Hawaii to visit the sites connected with Pele (volcanoes).

Much of the book centers on either sites such as the Effigy's of Iowa, the buildings built with seeming interest in astronomy by ancient people in Chaco Canyon, and the mounds in Ohio including the Serpent Mound, all of which have spiritual components. There are reflections on trees from a visit to the Redwoods. water in the form of Oregon's hot springs (I grew up in Oregon and know of the geothermal potential found there, but I did not know that so many hot springs existed there and that they can have spiritual significance). We visit a cave in Tennessee, which contains a variety of ancient drawings and etchings that date to a period extending from 900 to 1600 CE. Why should we be interested in such places as a dark cave with ancient drawings? Erickson writes that "being in the cave made me realize how almost all of my most significant spiritual experiences have had a physical trigger." Then she piques my interest when she adds that "stepping inside a cathedral, for example, and being overwhelmed by the echoing spiritual space." She names other physical spaces and places that serve as spiritual triggers (p. 125). She also speaks of animals, such as the Buffalo (Bison) of South Dakota. A visit to Custer State Park, and a Buffalo Roundup, allows her to explore the ways in which animals figure in spirituality. That is true even in Christianity, which has more echoes than we might imagine. Remember that Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God and the Holy Spirit is symbolized by a dove.

While I still love my cathedrals, which have a very Christian expression of spirituality, Erickson's book "Every Steop Is Home" serves as an invitation to open ourselves to those physical triggers, that invite us to dive deeper into the ways of the Spirit. Most of the sites, perhaps all of them discussed here do not have specific Christian connections. But, can we not learn to experience deep spirituality from our encounters with nature and the creations of ancient peoples, especially here in the United States/North America? Native American spirituality has much to teach us, especially when it comes to valuing the wisdom offered by nature.

[Roger Swartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I, too, join the chorus of praise for Lori Erickson's most recent book, Every Step Is Home. Perhaps best seen as a sequel to her own Holy Rover (2017) but now constrained by the pandemic and compelled by her mother's passing, Erickson continues to weave the personal and the profound into a tapestry which resonates on several levels. First and foremost, as the extended title suggests, it is A Spiritual Geography. The sites visited are far from random; they were chosen with an expectation of spiritual significance. None disappoint as each one (and their accompanying element) then becomes a node around which to organize a range of related thoughts from a variety of faith traditions. As such it provides a status report on a central issue of her publishing career: how does one mediate and contemplate the ineffable while communicating with others using only the written word? There is much to ponder here. Caves are described as "liminal spaces" or borders between worlds (118) and "great religious landmarks" are sensed to be where "the veil between worlds is thin..." (60). For those who are open to such an interpretation, the same might be said of this book.

But there's more. Each chapter is grounded in an admirable amount of historical and cultural detail. Indeed, unless one is extremely well read in pre-Columbian cultural anthropology, there is much to learn here. For example, both the Hopewell Culture (fl. 1-400 CE) and the Chaco Canyon Ancestral Puebloans (fl. 850-1250 CE) built ceremonial centers whose architectural footprints were sophisticated enough to track the lunar cycles - including the long lunar cycle of "18.6 years" (54, 195). Even granting that the Hopewell dates are at least two millennia later than Stonehenge, the comparative astronomical sophistication is astounding.

I have one critical note albeit in a minor key. In chapter two (Air/Sandhill Crane Migration), she references a book by James Nestor, an authority on breathing, and notes that he went "exploring in the catacombs underneath Paris to discover how skulls and nasal passageways were different before the modern age..." (40). The ensuing assessment of how breathing through the nose is much healthier than breathing through the mouth is informative, but I cannot be the only reader curious to know what Nestor himself found (if anything) regarding morphological changes to the human skull and sinus anatomies as a result of evolutionary changes since the beginning of the Industrial Era. I choose to attribute this shortcoming to Erickson's adopting the Indigenous American practice of incorporating a flaw into any handicraft.

No matter how you travel (whether by air or by land or by water - or simply by reading in the comfort of your favorite armchair) and no matter how you define your journey (be it maneuvering through your labyrinth or spiritual pilgrimage or quest for understanding,) I encourage you to slipstream behind the teardrop travel camper in this book - as doing so cannot help but improve your own mileage. /R.C. Swartz

[Sue Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since reading Kathleen Norris’s book, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, in the mid ‘90s, I have been drawn to writers who connect place with a sense of spirit. Lori Erickson does this well. An inveterate spiritual traveler, Erickson’s latest book, Every Step is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska, continues her quest to experience “the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary.” Exploring her native land, she begins with an honest admission that organized Christianity often “feels like a room with its windows nailed shut.” Eager to “seek the spirit outside the walls of a building,” as the early Celtic Christians did, she wanders off to the places many of us dream of visiting and gives us a beautiful tour around America’s sacred and honored sites.
Doing her research before her trips enables her to understand the science embedded in the soil, water, rock, trees, air, and mounds of these magical places. But she often finds herself more interested in the stories than the science. After listening to a Yankton Sioux woman explain how her tradition tells that the red in the pipestone is the blood of her people that seeped down into the rock after a terrible flood, Erickson confesses to a greater interest in that story than the scientific one. Pipestone tells both stories, she says, and she likes that. “Those who are comfortable with paradox and mystery have no trouble in believing that both stories are true.”
Erickson brings her open and welcoming spirit, venturing out “with a wish but not a plan,” to all the places she visits, and each one of them adds some new insight.
Returning home, she suggests “some places you visit but shouldn’t remain.” Noting that our local churches, synagogues, and mosques are the places where we put down spiritual roots and do the daily work of living and working with people in our faith communities, she speaks of the sacredness of this work. “These things can be as important for the soul as pilgrimage,” she reminds herself.
Perhaps remembering her earlier statement about desiring to leave the closed rooms of organized religion, she recognizes that as much as she loves pilgrimage, she will return to her church home. “I realized,” she says, “I needed both roots and wings.”
If you are, or have ever wanted to be, a spiritual traveler, you’ll want this book in your collection.

[Suzanne Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, spiritual writer and worldwide traveler Lori Erickson has written a moving tribute to the spiritual value of getting around on this planet of ours. In her latest book, Every Step is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska, Erickson recounts visiting sacred sites around the U.S. during and after the early sheltering-in-place days of COVID. Accompanied often by her philosopher/photographer husband Bob Sessions, and occasionally by their dog Cody (dubbed Cody-sattva, for his bodhisattva-like quality of perennial goodwill), Erickson makes her way around the country by plane, car, and teardrop camper.

Wherever she goes, Erickson fixes each place firmly in the reader’s eye with thick description. She proceeds to skillfully connect the dots between myths, religious practices, and spiritual beliefs in ways that echo late mythologist Joseph Campbell. To each chapter she adds a short meditation upon an element of the earth that seems especially prominent in each place—dirt at El Santuario de Chimayo in New Mexico, water at the Hot Springs of Oregon, fire at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Throughout, Erickson’s trademark sense of humor reminds us to not take ourselves or what we consider holy too seriously. Admitting her reluctance during the early months of COVID to attend her local Episcopal church via Zoom, she quips that “even Jesus would be challenged by online church, which is probably why he chose to come to earth before the digital age.”

Erickson’s books make armchair travel almost as good as the real thing. We can almost feel the sub-zero temperatures she braves several times, over several nights, to see the aurora borealis near Fairbanks, Alaska. But Erickson doesn’t mean for us to stay cozy in our dens while she does the work. Rather, she beckons by example to get out and move, do and see, ask and listen—and to experience for ourselves the beauty and mystery that exists all over this great, good earth.

[Urooj Aslam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Step Is Home by Lori Erickson is a beautiful narrative. It opens up with the spiritual journey of the author through travelling. And not only just travelling to different places for site seeing but with a simple and beautiful purpose. The most remarkable aspect of this book is that the author connects herself with life's basic elements, i.e. Dirt, Air, Mounds, Trees, Caves, Water, Animals, Northern lights, etc.

Each chapter opens the doors of wisdom to the reader gained through travelling to different sacred and ancient sites. The author doesn’t stop here. She astonishes the reader with her amazing knowledge of the scientific explanation of all these life elements. The book makes the reader understand how, by simply connecting with these basic elements of life, you can have inner peace and balance.

Apart from that, the reader also enjoys the beautiful chemistry between the author and her husband Bob, who always accompanies her through her spiritual journey from Appalachia to Alaska. From the agony of staying home with COVID-19 restrictions to Lori’s love for the water, and Bob’s open resistance is very sweetly narrated. There are photos before each chapter, which are mostly taken by the author’s husband. It shows Bob’s keen interest in photography.

The title of the book Every Step Is Home is simple, yet holds depth in it. With even just the title, the reader’s curiosity to give read to this amazing book increases.

Another beautiful thing the reader feels through the narration is Lori’s attachment to her mom and how she tries to convert her pain of losing her into positive spiritual energy. Her visit to the church, the connection with dirt and ashes and various references to other people’s experiences, are astounding.

The language throughout the book is simple and very approachable to the reader. All these chapters have so much to deliver that one gets lost in the pages and willingly takes a spiritual journey along with the author. I will like the readers to go through this experience on their own and feel that level of peace and balance which Lori keeps talking about throughout the book. Every Step Is Home is a soul healer and is recommended for a general audience. Well done Lori.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The book is subtitled “A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska” and explores sacred places, those places defined in some manner as having an element connected with or to God (or the gods). As a travel writer dealing with the restlessness of confinement during the COVID lockdown, Erickson asks the question of what does it mean to seek the spirit(s) outside the walls of a building? The answer is perhaps we need to shift perspective, get out of our ordinary plane of existence and find a new vantage point. Packing up their teardrop camper, Erickson and her husband hit the road and visited the following places:

The Marching Bears, Iowa (element: mounds)
El Santuario de Chimayó, New Mexico (element: dirt)
The Sandhill Crane Migration, Nebraska (element: air)
The Ancient Ohio Trail, Ohio (element: mounds)
Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota (element: stone)
Redwood National, California (element: trees)
Various Hot Springs, Oregon (element: water)
Dunbar Cave, Tennessee (element: caves)
Buffalo Roundup, South Dakota (element: animals)
Northern Lights, Alaska (element: lights)
Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii (element: fire)
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico (element: astronomy)

Erickson gives us the history of each place, the connection to its element, the reason why these places are venerated, and makes further connections to other sacred places.

What a journey! And I wish I had a teardrop camper as I need to see some of these places in person:

https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

While a world traveler to different pilgrimages, Lori Erickson was faced with a dilemma. It was during COVID and overseas travel wasn’t possible and Zoom time for her church was becoming unmeaningful to her. She and her husband would travel throughout the States including Alaska and Hawaii searching for renewal and inspiration. Each chapter has a picture of the subject matter: The trip begins when they leave their home in Iowa and travel to New Mexico to Chimayo where dirt is considered holy and the last stop returns to New Mexico to Chaco Canyon with the topic of Astronomy which forces the eyes to heaven. It’s a wonderful travelogue because she did her research and shares that process with the reader before embarking on each destination and yet focuses on what a guide will teach the couple about the site but allowing them time to simply walk, stop and listen to what a particular site offers as a pilgrimage. In Oregon the focus was water and the hot springs. Particularly interesting is the situation that she only had a vague idea with the region where to locate the springs but to protect the locale, she does not disclose the exact locations for two of the springs they find. Great reader for the armchair traveler but to ponder her lessons will certainly encourage anyone searching for the spirit. Does she find a reason to return to her own church or does she feel a need to continue searching for the spiritual need in her life; read this book and find out or perhaps it will help to follow her trail to find enrichment in your own spiritual life. Thanks to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press; this is my honest review.

[Linda Weilgart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erickson goes through the four elements of matter: earth, water, air, and fire, and writes chapters on each, from a spiritual pilgrimage point of view. Her writing is beautiful and evocative, factually informative as well as personal. She goes through her own spiritual journey with you, her frustrations with Zoom church over the worst of the pandemic, the mourning, memories, and thoughts brought on by her mother's death, her reconnection with family members, and, most of all, her ability to find the sacred in the natural world in specific places often meaningful to Indigenous people since time immemorial, where the veil between the Spiritual Beyond and Earth is thinnest. In her pilgrimage, she visits special sites in Iowa, New Mexico, Nebraska, Ohio, Minnesota, California, Oregon, Tennessee, South Dakota, Alaska, and Hawai'i, where she explores caves, volcanoes, hot springs, redwoods, burial mounds, sandhill crane migrations, buffalo roundups, and the northern lights, among others. I particularly enjoyed and identified with her chapter on water. I loved her personal anecdotes and the humor that is sprinkled throughout her writing. Her research is also impeccable, and the reader will learn many interesting facts about each of these fascinating topics and places. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in spirituality, travel, and how to make our lives more meaningful and to appreciate the wonder of nature around us. Actually, to anyone who enjoys a good, fun, informative read!

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Travel writer Lori Erickson describes herself as Christian but spiritually restless. Frustrated by the limitations of church services held via Zoom during the COVID pandemic, she and her husband set out to explore sacred sites around the United States, and Erickson writes about the spiritual insights she gains from these experiences.

The book is organized into a prologue and eleven chapters, each focused on one geographic area and an element it represents (such as trees, water, stone, and fire). In addition to describing the sites, Erickson includes tangents on various related topics, such as the Wim Hoff Method in the chapter on air. Expect brief introductions to various religious traditions, myths, legends, and historical figures. Some chapters resonated with me more than others, but all were interesting. I was familiar with some of the locations Erickson describes, but a few I had never heard of. I hope to visit some of these places someday.

A single black and white photograph precedes each chapter. My one disappointment in this book is the lack of additional photographs.

The back matter includes notes and a brief discussion guide for book groups.

Thanks to Westminster John Knox Press for providing me with an electronic ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Every Step is Home” author Lori Erickson takes the reader on a journey across the US to experience spiritual places, pondering on an element of nature that relates to each site, such as air, stone, trees, light, animals, etc. The book is an interesting blend of spiritual beliefs and practices, science, history, anthropology, travel writing, and personal essay. The information seamlessly blends together in an interesting way that kept me engaged. I enjoyed learning about the spiritual places and was impressed with the breadth of knowledge the author shared about various practices and beliefs of people from early civilizations, indigenous groups, and organized religions. The timing of her travel—during the Covid pandemic—added to the weight and meaning of her reflections and appreciation of the natural world and its effect on the spirit. I related to her thoughts on the pandemic and I think many readers would. Having read this book I not only want to travel to many of these spiritual locations, I hope that Erickson writes more books about additional spots. This book changed the way I observe the natural world around me. I encourage others to make the journey through “Every Step is Home.”

[Amelia Storck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geography from Appalachia to Alaska by Lori Erickson is a deeply engaging travel memoir that blends exploration, spirituality, and personal reflection. Through her journey across the United States, Erickson uncovers sacred sites and natural wonders, offering readers a fresh perspective on the land and its spiritual significance.

From the Serpent Mound of Ohio to the towering Redwoods of California, and ultimately to Alaska and Hawaii, Erickson explores the profound connections between people, place, and elemental forces such as stone, water, light, and fire. Her narrative is enriched with humor, insight, and cultural knowledge, making each destination both informative and spiritually resonant.

The book is not only a guide to remarkable locations across North America but also a meditation on how travel can deepen one’s connection to the world and to the sacred in everyday life. Erickson’s reflections encourage readers to approach both familiar and far-off places with curiosity, reverence, and openness.

Readers who enjoy travel memoirs, spiritual exploration, and nature writing will find Geography from Appalachia to Alaska inspiring and enlightening. It is a thoughtful companion for anyone seeking adventure, reflection, and a deeper connection to the world around them.

[Lyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the chance to read a book that combines travel, spirituality, and locations in the U.S., I said "Yes, thank you." Most books of spiritual locations tend to be international, so having locations that don't require passports and multiple plane journeys was appealing.

I connected with some sections more than others - the caves and the volcanos especially. Some of it was the descriptive language she used for each location, and some was likely my personal interest of those areas. Erickson includes some history of each area so that the reader understands how the perception of the area's spirituality has changed over time. She includes information about campground reservations and park access so that it's easier to figure out if you want to spend the time on an internet deep dive to make the arrangements to go.

The thing that brought this from 3.5 stars to 3 was that it was too easy to put down. As much as I was interested in the overall topic and in each of the areas being described, I would have to remind myself to pick it up again after stopping overnight. It didn't have the automatic pull for me to pick it up and find out what came next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Christine V. Hides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erickson thoughtfully weaves travel narrative together with spiritual reflection and scientific explanation. She searches for practices and places that might refresh her Christian rituals which she feels have become stale, and only more so when the pandemic arrives.

As a lifelong Midwesterner and second career pastor I was introduced to unexplored sacred places closer to home: mounds in Iowa and Ohio and the sandhill crane migration in North Dakota. Erickson’s writing creates a holy appreciation for the sacred rituals of other traditions, acknowledges the spiritual restlessness that was amplified by COVID-19, and reminds me that I don’t have to take thousand mile pilgrimages to experience the holy.

The elements and themes that root each chapter offered an accessible entry into each rich reflection. When many writers are avoiding any pandemic discussion, Erickson gently prompts readers to reflect on how our own spiritual geography has been impacted by the challenges of recent years. She eloquently describes what I experienced on many of my local hikes: the sacredness that surrounds every step we take when we pay attention.

[JulieAnn Heinrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lori Erickson’s newest book, Every Step is Home, truly is a spiritual geography, opening up my heart and soul to various regions and landscapes within the United States. Lori uses her writing craft to weave history, folklore, travel insights and personal journaling to describe eleven holy places across the country—the holy present in Native Peoples lives and traditions and the sacred ground of wildlife, natural wonders, and monuments. Lori combines present day travel insights with historical background, as well as the wonderment of each place in time—the natural gifts of spirit and light that nature brings, be it rock formations, burial mounds, flowing water, mother earth, or the mystical Northern Lights careening across the sky. Reading each chapter felt like entering a home with many rooms, each of the rooms containing many delights. I received an Advanced Readers’ Edition of Every Step is Home for free, but offer a whole-hearted recommendation of this book to anyone who feels a wanderlust for new experiences.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Step Is Home is a thought provoking blend of armchair travel, memoir, and spiritual reflection. Shortly after the death of her mother and the start of the Covid pandemic, Erickson travels to several spiritual sites in the U.S. As she goes she shares diverse traditions and understandings from several different cultures and religions, using themes like soil, air, water, and wood to tie them together. Her friendly, readable style and gentle humor is a tonic, while at the same time she nudges you with new spiritual insights. I especially loved the chapters on trees and water.

I requested, and was kindly granted, an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Westminster John Knox, through Edelweiss.

[Louise Foerster · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERY STEP IS HOME by Lori Erickson is wonder-filled, gape-mouthed pleasure. Erickson is the rarest of writers in enabling me to see and feel her experiences and enjoy every minute of what she shares as if I were spending time with a long-known, much-beloved and trusted friend -- who also happens to tempt me into my own wide-eyed exploration of this world. I especially appreciated her descriptions of Alaska's Northern Lights and Oregon's hot springs, making me seriously consider ways to see them for myself -- however, this is the case with all the other places she describes so vividly and compellingly that I feel I've been there myself. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

[Brooke Fradd]

This book is one part travel log, one part history lesson, and one part religious work. The author shares both my love of travel and my faith background, however, this book isn't specifically directed toward one religious affiliation. She provides her faith perspective, but then also includes other religions when discussing some universal concepts about the divine in nature.

While some travel lessons are universal, others are specific to a time/location. I appreciated the author's thoughts about COVID regulations and how they affected her worship experience. More so, I enjoyed reading about how she filled those unmet needs by meeting with God in nature.

*I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for the ARC of Every Step is Home!

Every Step is Home is Lori Erickson's travel diary of what she considers spiritual experiences traveling around the United States. Between natural phenomena and Indigenous culture, she attempts to combine her travelogue with greater spiritual experiences.

I don't feel that I really grasped the spiritual experiences that Erickson was trying to find as she traveled during the pandemic. She spends a lot of time talking about while she shouldn't be pitied for her minor inconveniences during the pandemic she was inconvenienced. I don't really think the book accomplishes its premise of spiritual experiences in the United States but it was an interesting travel memoir that had a recurring theme.

[Kimberly Tierney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting journey to take by book. Not only is this about spiritual seeking, but it is also about respecting the world around you. It is a lesson in nature, in Native American traditions and histories, in understanding that despite our differences of religion, we are all able to connect over the feelings that come when we've experienced something on a spiritual level.

That is the difference between this book and a book of religion. This is about a journey to find your faith in your spiritual connection; it is not about choosing a religious affiliation or denomination. This is about finding the places, things, and traditions that make you feel a new connection to whatever higher spiritual aspect you believe in.

[Barbara Adde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so enjoyed traveling with Lori and her husband Bob in this wonderful book about their explorations of spiritual sites in the US during the pandemic. Her writing style is enjoyable and flows easily, without getting in the way of her story. I felt like I could imagine all the places they went, even though only one black and white photo was included with each location. Having just read Luke Russert’s “Look for Me There,” who goes soul-searching around the planet, it was nice to read about my own country and its amazing sights and animals. Highly recommend to travel readers.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found inspiration for travel destinations that offer spiritual, cultural or historical significance. I appreciated the author's engaging ways of recounting visits to these unique areas. I actually visited central Nebraska to witness the Sandhill Crane migration on the Platte River. Spiritual geography is something I can relate to. Why do we find ourselves at home in a new place, or feel like a stranger in another? I recommend this book to travelers looking for destinations on the "road less traveled." And are curious to explore unique places.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erickson does a great job of describing interesting and 'metaphysical' locations I may never be able to visit in person. Her detailed account of her travels and editorial comments throughout made for a great read. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review her book. PS. Grew up in Wheeling, about 12 miles from the Grave Creek Mound, but only got to visit it as an adult. So was very intrigued with the cross-section depiction of the mound, as it only has a small museum inside now.

[Kate Belt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very dense and detail oriented in recounting the historical, cultural, and geological details for each site, along with how they have been used for religion. Writing style is a mix of journalistic and introspective. I received a free ebook from NetGalley, which has not influenced my review. However, I wish I could have received it as a Kindle book rather than Adobe, which is hard on the eyes to read.

[Lynn Coulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Step Is Home, by travel writer Lori Erickson, is a wonderful book about finding your true home--that is, your spiritual side--whether you wander around the world or, as she did, waited out the pandemic before hitting the road again. Like her, I find beauty and a sense of the sacred not necessarily in cathedrals or churches, but in the many wonders of the natural world. Highly recommended.

[Sandy Goguen-Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reached out for this book when I saw it was places to go in the US for spiritual connections. After spending time in Sedona I wanted to discover other places. A great read if you looking for places to visit, the stories very thought provoking.

[LD Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book linking spiritual tenets, natural elements, and natural places. My outdoor friends will enjoy the perspectives on Public Lands, including Iowa's Effigy Mounds. I have several new destinations on my list now!

[Chelbi Coughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling love the way the author wrote about death and family dynamics