What do I know about pilgrimages? So far, I have just been doing a lot of listening and reading, which has created a sense of knowledge in my head that is probably a bit bloated. My deeper conclusion from all that I have investigated is that you can’t "learn" about a pilgrimage second-hand. It is an odyssey that one has to make for oneself... and, one needn't go somewhere special on this planet Earth in order to 'be a pilgrim'.
Each of us wakes each day, rubs the sleep fog from our eyes, and, as our feet find the floor, we greet a new day. So our days' journeys begin... our web of dreams fades into the background and we navigate our waking way. We are on the path of, "the first day of the rest of my life". That’s it! As we put one foot in front of the other, we are making the decisions that will come to frame the stories we tell about our lives. One by one, every new day is added to the last. We can eventually look back over time to see how our lives have been their own kind of pilgrimages, marked by a series of choices, forks in the road and other points of reckoning.
What I love most about this idea of Life as an ongoing pilgrimage is the level of unpredictability there is within the unfoldment of it. I did not graduate from high school in Metro Toronto dreaming of living on Vancouver Island. I knew there were mountains in BC, but I had no concept of the rugged road that would lead me to this island I now call my home, nor to the work I do. I didn’t plan this life one bit. 'Life' lived through me. Each day I just answered the call onward.
Coming up, The Centre is offering a variety of more curated pilgrimages. “Change to Abundance” is a self-study class that will be launching this November, for instance. This journey will offer those who sign up an opportunity to reach new heights in their lives. How do you choose to live and who do you choose to be? Self-discovery is an inner pathway that can often be lined with fear, self-doubt and the residue of past traumas, but learning to change our perspectives offers opportunities beyond the limiting worldviews we may have been unknowingly indoctrinated into. Who we are when entering the first day of a class is never the same as who we are at completion.
Further out, something to look forward to is that, starting on May 1st, 2025, I will have the thrill of being part of a team offering a 4-day retreat called, “Ancestral Echoes, Future Whispers: A Journey of Self Discovery.” This retreat will be a pilgrimage back in time, tapping into the wisdom of our ancestors. We will be bringing ancient wisdom forward, rooting those understandings in the soil of the present day, and then casting a vision to unlock new possibilities. With intention, those 'travellers' who choose to join me will begin their voyage back, back, back... as they sail the Alberni Inlet to West Bamfield aboard the historic, MV Frances Barkley.
And that's not all! Collette, Jenny, and I have also begun 'walking with' our YouTube vision, the “Rumbling Toward Revolution Channel.” With a couple of episodes in our pockets now, we are excited to soon present to you a format for sparking a deeper understanding of who we are, where we find our inspiration, and what brings us joy and freedom. We are "stepping out on the skinny branches" here, using this online pilgrimage as another exploration of new possibilities. We will be reminding our viewers in that space that wherever they go, they are 'the revolution'... and we are inviting you to join 'the rumble'.
I’m on fire with our awakened inspiration! Our world is changing ever more quickly, and as we give ourselves permission to pivot on this twisting, turning path we call "Life", possibilities and opportunities continue to flow.
Additionally, we have taken all that we have learned and practiced up until now and re-imagined it by wrapped it into a workshop for workplaces and groups. We are flipping how we approach the sharing of our great work. And we have also spent the better part of this year building our social media presence in order to better represent who we are. We are dedicated to the continual sharing of small wisdom drips... drip, drip, drip …
Which reminds me … Oh ya... traditionally, pilgrimages are spiritual journeys, with pilgrims generally embarking on their paths for their own personal reasons. In that vein, Collette and I leave August 26th for the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We won't be leaving you out, though. You can follow us on Facebook. We invite you to join us for the unfolding event. I know who I am today and who we are as colleagues and friends right now, but I have no idea who we will be by September 14th, at our journey’s end. What I do know, is that this adventure is another epic opportunity for discovery.
I invite you to explore your life too. Reach back and take note of the twists and turns your life has already taken. Reflect on the growth and changes you have made, and write about the seasons and chapters. What visions and hopes do you have for tomorrow? What measures are you willing to take to achieve fulfillment?
Part of the Centre’s mission is to offer a variety of experiences individuals can utilize to find their own ways. The reason you may struggling is likely because you are trying to follow someone else's path. At The Centre, we don’t tell you where to go, but we do show you how to find your own way. Each individual is a unique expression of "This One Life", and it is our differences that create a universal wholeness.
Who you are when you began this blog is different from who you are now. Your pilgrimage has already begun. Walk on!
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