Pilgrimage―The Sacred Art: Journey to the Center of the Heart

by Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook

Explore the many dimensions of the pilgrimage experience and change your orientation to the world.

"Pilgrimage is an opportunity for pilgrims to cultivate their inner life (or inner voice) in a way that leads to a greater sense of peace and compassion―a sense that pervades all of life."

―from Chapter 6, "Preparing to Practice"

Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice of nearly every major religion of the world. If you are a Christian you may travel to sites associated with the life of Jesus; Jews might visit the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem and other sacred places in the Holy Land of Israel; Muslims participate in the Hajj, the journey to Mecca; Buddhists visit the sacred sites related to the life of Buddha. Even if you practice no religion at all you will still find that you most likely participate in this practice―the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, and Lenin's tomb in Moscow are considered national pilgrimage sites. As a spiritual practice, pilgrimage transcends religious, national, cultural and linguistic boundaries.

This fascinating look at the sacred art of pilgrimage integrates spirituality, practice, spiritual formation, psychology, world religions and historical resources. It examines how the world's religious pilgrimages evolved as central spiritual practices and the relationship between pilgrimage and transformation. It explains what makes a place holy, and why and how some sites are so compelling that they attract thousands, even millions of pilgrims each year.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 29, 2013

Reviews

[Vainvt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As preparation for Celtic Pilgrimage, we read this book.
It is hard for me to give a good description of the book, but I learned a lot about what it means to take a pilgimage and the importance of thinking deeply about your path before you begin. Pilgrimage was not a personal concept for me, so I hope to reread this excellent book before I leave for Ireland.
If you are considering a pilgrimage or if you are at a crossroads in your life, I highly recommend this book.

[Gary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that needed an editor. The first chapter outlines the essence of pilgrimage as a vital spiritual practice across traditions, and even brings up the provocative option of the Internet as an option for pilgrimage in our times. The book ends with practical considerations that anyone planning a pilgrimage should take into account. In between the opening and closing, however, the book is a muddle. It loses its focus on pilgrimage per se, and roams into topics from spiritual disciplines in general to short travelogues.

Ironic, when the emphasis is made that pilgrimage (as all spiritual disciplines) is all about focus.

Confusion is partly due to the fact that the book confuses "journey" with "pilgrimage." Everyone is on a journey. But not everyone is on a pilgrimage, as pilgrimage requires some degree of intentionality. Evidence of the problem offered by the book: it uses The Wizard of Oz as a prime metaphor for pilgrimage. But Dorothy did not end up in Oz due to any act of intentionality on her part.

A full chapter is devoted to labyrinths. (The author obviously has a fondness toward labyrinths.) And while walking a labyrinth can legitimately be seen as a way of doing pilgrimage, the book is too brief to explore that notion in very great depth.

A big disappointment.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine text for small spiritual groups and faith development classes exploring the theme of pilgrimage, or preparing to embark on one, this book is set up with reflective/exploratory questions at the end of each chapter. The diversity of voices in each chapter opens space for many different perspectives and the possibility for each member of a class or small group to find something that speaks to them in each chapter.