The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred (Paperback)

~ (Author) "IN FEBRUARY 1996, TOGETHER WITH MY BROTHER PAUL, I took the long boat ride up the Mekong River in Cambodia to see one of the..." (more)
Key Phrases: soulful travel, medieval pilgrims, sacred journey, San Francisco, Peace Pilgrim, Angkor Wat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Centuries of travel lore suggest that when we no longer know where to turn our real journey has begun," writes author Phil Cousineau. "At that crossroads moment, a voice calls to our pilgrim soul." Many have embarked upon a pilgrimage, but few have understood its mysteries and possibilities as well as Phil Cousineau does (author of Soul Moments and The Hero's Journey). On one level this is a highly useful guidebook packed with great ideas for enlightened traveling--tape recording local voices, music, and sounds; asking contemplative questions to waitresses and bookstore owners; lighting a traveling candle every morning; making an offering to the local deity. But most compelling is Cousineau's ability to expertly map the interior landscape of a pilgrimage--the sights that lead to insights and the borders that lead to breakthroughs as we trek the exterior landscape of our planet. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Thinking of those who intend to embark on a journey with a deep purpose, Cousineau (ed., Soul Moments, Conari, 1997) explores why travelers plan trips and then, upon getting to their destination, have a sense of unfulfilled expectation. Cousineau suggests that this disappointment results from the way travelers engage with the place, not the site itself. Stories, anecdotes, quotes, vignettes, and practical suggestions from travelers and pilgrims throughout history create a guide to building a personal journey by learning to slow down and linger, savor, and absorb each stage?from the first strands of desire to travel through the journey to the return. To help the reader get involved, Cousineau includes a series of meditations and imagination exercises. Librarians aiming to reach both active and armchair travelers will find that this title circulates well.?Leroy Hommerding, Citrus Cty. Lib. System, Inverness, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573245097
• ISBN-13: 978-1573245098
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #239,834 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful book. It is a guide for your soul., June 6, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Monrovia, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred (Hardcover)

This is one of those books that has the power to change your life. It is a guide to feeding your soul. The author gives us the motivations for taking a pilgrimage-the traveler as student, travel simply for travel's sake, to discover the answers you are seeking, to quench a longing for the unknown, the enticement of traveling to a destination leaving behind your name & past, and many more. The idea that travel can restore a sense of passion and wonder is something of great interest to me. I am stuck in the daily grind of seeing the same scenery and people and doing the same work everyday. My spirit hungers for meaning, beauty, and adventure. This book is the ultimate guide for unconventional travel even if your traveling somewhere conventional. It shows us how to observe and listen in a way that opens up a whole new world to explore. I have enjoyed reading this book and consider author Phil Cousineau a kindred spirit.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The end justifies the means..., August 24, 2000

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred (Hardcover)

Have you ever felt a need to reach a certain physical destination or bring some effort to fruition before you die? Why is the human reverence for places such as Notre Dame, Jerusalem, or Mecca so strong? In times past, people made pilgrimages to holy shrines and sacred spots to atone for sins, seek a cure, keep promises, or recover holy ground from barbarians. Today, many people travel to escape reality, or to break a routine.

In "The Art of Pilgrimage" Phil Cousineau says travel can take on a larger role. He proposes a "seeker's guide to making travel sacred." The book explores the steps of the sacred pilgrimage: "The Longing", "The Call", "Departure", "The Pilgrim's Way", The Labyrinth" and "The Arrival."

Cousineau has set down in print an idea that has been floating around my head for some time. I don't seek out the traditional holy places, but I have wandered from one artist's home to another--Nohant or Bath or Rye or Waldon or Bloomsbury or Salisbury. In doing so, I have felt connected to the spirit of the artist who once lived and worked in that space. Perhaps they are my lost saints.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sampler of wisdom, April 21, 2000

By	Kinney Thiele (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred (Hardcover)

Cousineau's book is a worldly companion with a good word whenever I open it. Though composed in comprehensive chapters for the stages of travel, the book is more simply a collection of anecdotes, quotations, insights, and guideposts--many of them as short as a single line. I progessed through its pages at a snail's pace because something on each caught my interest. I drifted into thought instead of reading on. It's a lovely book, perfect for a moment of contemplation and grounding at the start of any day and any journey, or to help put remembered moments into new light.