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The why and wherefore of pilgrimage Going on
pilgrimage, that is to say, transforming (or evolving) one’s self to
wholeness, health, indeed, full functionality (in religious-speak, to
becoming holy, or good, to wit, as a
saint or righteous person) is the basic human need, function, indeed, algorithm. The ultimate
goal of all pilgrimages, both religious and secular, is the attainment of the
experience of universal participation (elsewhere called God realization).
That’s not as difficult to achieve as it may sound in that God (= direct
participation in the universal creation process) happens as a distributed
terrestrial function. Like
all other human functions, such as putting on make-up, cooking, playing golf,
driving a car or getting rich or famous, or infamous, the function of
self-transformation to wholeness (and to authenticity, speak true-ness) can
be improved by clearly understanding the basic principles of
self-transformation, then creating a set of personal practices (to wit, one’s
Path) that match
those principles. In short, understanding the theory and practice of
pilgrimage helps an individual develop her skill at self-transformation and
which increases the likelihood of success. If
in early life self-transformation (i.e. pilgrimage a means of
self-perfection) happens easily, because almost fully automatic and guided
(indeed enforced) by ‘elders’, it gets harder and harder after 30, even
harder after 40, and when the mid-life crisis sets in. That’s because with
increasing age self-transformation options increase exponentially AND
self-transformation in mid-life, since coercion by others (for instance
priests) diminishes, it must be intentional. It’s then that serious thought
must be given to the end and means of self-transformation (i.e. to creating a
new True Self), be that self a religious or secular identity. Going on
pilgrimage, that is to say, leaving a degrading (with diminishing happiness
returns) home to create a path that leads to a chosen (or given) goal (a new,
increased happiness home), real or imagined, has always been and will always
be a dangerous business. The naïve pilgrim who sets off unprepared, that is
to say, without a clearly defined goal (i.e. as new True Self) and the
well-designed and practiced skills needed to achieve it, will surely fail and
come to grief. The true
pilgrim who achieves her goal enters a truly wonderful and joyful reality.
The true pilgrim does not, indeed can’t come back. AgainAdvance
to Zooming in on pilgrimage
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