girl seeker

the other day i bought a book. actually i bought two books. one… on being. and one… on living. they are both about loving. the first one is a spiritual quest kind of book. right up my alley, right? the other one is a book of collected writings on travel. another one right up my alley.

as i sit here and think about these books, though, it occurs to me that they both are actually the same, though advertised as different. one focuses on a search for god… by traveling to different places and experiencing different religions. and the other one is a book of different people who have travelled to different places, all reflecting on how those journeys have transformed them.

both books of pilgrimages.

don’t you just love that word? pilgrimage. i do. it sounds so ancient and mystical. so purposeful and filled with possibilities + adventures. for me, a pilgrimage is a journey, with a purpose. an intentional outward journey, with an inward purpose – not that one always knows what that purpose is. and, while, many pilgrimages are meant to be physical things that lead to spiritual transformation, it can also happen, i believe, that a regular old vacation or trip can also become a pilgrimage. it’s all in our attitude, or how we choose to see any journey on which we embark. it’s all about whether we choose to be aware and mindful and reflective, or if we just travel for travel’s sake. cause we can.

in reality, everything that we do can be a pilgrimage, if we so choose.

so, this book, man seeks god, is by eric weiner – the author of the geography of bliss (another pilgrimage/travel journal). in the latter, weiner searches for happiness. in man seeks god, he searches for something deeper. in fact, i’ve only read the first chapter and he seem to be quite desperate in his search. he is seeking his truth with a capital T.

it’s fascinating to read his words + thoughts + experiences. it’s inspiring to hear of the places he visits around the world + the dabbling he does into different religions, as he seeks for an answer to the emptiness in his soul. in fact, i can relate to him quite well. i’m not sure if i’m desperately seeking something, and definitely d not feel empty in my soul, but, i am a seeker. always seeking. always have been, and i believe i always will be. however, for me, it’s not an un-content, unsatisfied with my life seeking. no, it’s a search for depth. more depth. more meaning. more connection. more purpose. more enlightenment.

but, more than anything, i think, this book (i haven’t started the travel essays yet) is calling out to me because i want to be the author. i want to seek and travel and meet and write. i want to publish pilgrimages. ones that are near + ones that lead me far. i want that with all of my soul. i am also about to embark on my own new pilgrimage – in about 5 days to be exact (heart flutters). and this book, at this time in my life, is serving as a great reminder of the things that i seek in life.

so, as i make my way through man seeks god, i want to return to something that i did last winter/spring on the blog: wednesday wisdom. a chance for me to share with you little nuggets of wisdom from this book that i am reading. honestly, writing a blog post about each chapter really helps me to soak in and process what i’ve read. blogging somehow makes things more of a part of me. therefore, expect each wednesday, a tidbit of info from the current chapter i have just completed. we’ll jump around to some different religions and explore different ways of thinking + believing, gaining wisdom + insight along the way. perhaps even discovering our own connection with the divine.

let the pilgrimage begin. onwards + upwards! xx