THE
PATH OF PILGRIMAGE
(FALL/WINTER 2000/2001)
Dear Friends,
After an incredible journey through the Southwest I find myself feeling that words are inadequate to express most of what touches my heart these days. Sitting on the bluff at Chaco Canyon, in the stillness and vastness of that place, I opened in ways that I have not yet begun to understand, much less describe. But it is most of what I think and talk about these days, so I try, nevertheless!! Participating in, and leading the Southwest Pilgrimage was an honor and a privilege. I found that the earth, the land, the raven, the eagle, and the coyote had much to teach that came not in words, but in feeling, and with a deep sense of the sacred which infuses all things. I have come away, as others on the journey have expressed, with awe and reverence for life, and for the preciousness of my own life. I hope for this revelation to reveal its power in both my personal and professional life, and can feel the edges of that occurring.
We traveled, eleven of us, in a van, somewhat sardine-like, yet with good humor and camaraderie. I thought of it as our "soul-mobile", a bubble of soulwork moving down the highway, sometimes chanting, sometimes chatting, sometimes sharing dreams and receiving one another's wisdom to help us along our path. I am left with a sense of true community, honesty, and love. Returning to California, and to the ordinary reality of everyday life has been filled with the challenge of trying to integrate such a wonderful and powerful experience into the requirements of earning a living, and handling the multitudinous errands of living. I am struck by the contrast between the vastness and magic of the desert and the smallness of 'normal' life. I am working with remembering that the great spiral of life is available to me wherever I stand. As Deborah D'Ottavio said to me, "It is all sacred ground, even the sidewalk beneath my feet in San Francisco."
I trust that it will take months for the experience to fully integrate in myself and my fellow pilgrims, and I simply pray for the initiation to sustain and flourish through the actions of my daily, ordinary, familiar, and habitual life. I treasure the experience and look forward with great anticipation to the opportunity to do it again. I hope you will join me!
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