We’ve probably all had the experience of having been changed by travel — whether a memorable vacation, or moving to a new town, or leaving home to start the next chapter of life. Or maybe all of those.
Embarking on a journey to an unfamiliar place challenges and stretches us. It helps us see ourselves and the world with new eyes. It helps us discover things we otherwise would never have encountered. It can be a powerful catalyst for learning and growth.
This is even more true when we approach our travels mindfully and with deep intention.
What would have been a simple vacation trip can become a pilgrimage, a ritual of healing or atonement, an opportunity for closure or for a new beginning — or something else for which our souls have been longing.
But journeys need not be literal in order to be an important aspect of our human experience.
In fact, we can view our lives as one big journey — and as a series of many smaller ones too. And doing so can enrich our sense of identity, deepen our sense of meaning, and offer important wisdom for living our lives well.
This month inside Joybook, we’ll spend time contemplating our own journeys — past and future, literal and metaphoric.
We’ll consider things like:
- the richness of the “Hero’s Journey” monomyth;
- ways to approach our travels — large and small — as soulful pilgrimages;
- learning from the journeys of others;
- embracing the contradictory and bittersweet qualities of our journeys;
- and the experience of finding ourselves by getting lost.
And my hope is that, at the end of the month, our “homecoming” will find us enriched by this journey we’ve been on together.