The Pilgrimage, a Rite-of-Passage

Living in modern urban environments leaves little space for imagination, curiosity, or awareness of the guidance offered by our physical senses, the natural markers of the compass points: East, North, West, and South.

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Urban life can distance us from the mystery, rhythm, and vitality of the natural world, subtly affecting our inner health, intuition, and overall sense of alignment.

At the same time, we are living in a historical moment marked by enormous sociopolitical shifts, deep polarization, rapid change, and the unraveling of long-held narratives.

Alongside this, we are witnessing an unprecedented amount of truth-telling, learning, and collective reckoning, particularly around the ways white settler and colonial lineages have created distortion, immense pain, and destruction.

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When our day-to-day intention is simply to move through any given landscape as efficiently as possible, from Point A to Point B, we are often left hollow, unresolved, confused, helpless, and feeling empty. Rushed and hurried by the end of the day, we may feel deflated, exhausted, disenchanted, and out of breath, with little energy left to explore either our inner landscapes or our outer senses.

 

This pace mirrors a larger cultural momentum that asks us to sink or swim, to react rather than reflect, and to move faster than our nervous systems, bodies, and hearts can integrate.

There are many ways this sense of disconnect shows up. We may feel unhappy with our physical appearance, health, accomplishments, relationships, or work. Yet ultimately, no one else can walk us back into alignment but ourselves. We often hear the phrase, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” In this time of collective crossroads, this truth feels especially relevant.

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We are being asked to learn new ways of safe communication, to cultivate the courage to speak up in the face of injustice, and the humility to listen where we have benefited from privilege by lineage, skin color, or heritage. We know more now than we ever have before, and still have a long way to go when it comes to learning how to be good relatives to all beings, lands, and peoples.

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Many years ago, I went on a long bicycle journey through one of my favorite countries, Ireland.

For the first time in my early adult life, I learned the importance of slowing down while moving through a landscape of my choice. Dropping into my senses while riding—at my own pace—opened a powerful inner experience that felt deeply alive.

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Years later, I discovered that even sitting on a bike, the pace was still too fast to fully access my innate perception. That is where I found the meaning of walking—step by step, pace by pace, thought by thought. With this exploration came the muse. Never before had I experienced her presence so clearly, yet there she was.

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What began as simple walking with awareness and intention gradually evolved into a devotional practice, revealing layers of a more raw, intuitive, and previously unexplored self.

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The Pilgrimage offers a container to reconnect with these innate guideposts, both personal and collective.

Over seven months of concentrated personal work, participants are invited to slow down, to listen more deeply, and to rediscover their relationship with the earth, their senses, and the wisdom embedded in natural cycles.

 

Through embodied practices, ceremonial ritual, and guided reflection, the Pilgrimage supports the cultivation of clarity, curiosity, and inner orientation, qualities essential not only for personal well-being, but for navigating these complex times with integrity, responsibility, and care.

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