

Looking Inside Your SELF
Spiritual traveling is certainly popular these days, mostly due to the generation of baby boomers having the time, inclination and desire to look deep inside themselves. Perhaps the inspiration for this kind of spiritual traveling started back in the “hippy days”. During this time people were looking at different approaches to spirituality such as Eastern philosophies, meditation techniques, and esoteric spiritual traditions.
Understanding spiritual traveling
Of course, years have passed since then, and many of us have experienced marriages or profound relationships that may or may not have been successful. We have questions about our lives and how we want to experience the next half of our existence. As rebellious as the baby boomers were for the most part, we have bought into the traditional family model and “American Dream”. Now perhaps we are looking to see if there is something beyond the material trappings of our comfortable lives.
Why taking on a spiritual journey?
What is so powerful about a spiritual journey or retreat is the opportunity to leave your current life for a while. Being able to detach ourselves from the day-to-day stresses that steal your clarity of mind. It is true that sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees. It takes some separation and objectivity to have a understanding of the circumstances of your life.
Finding what is most important in your life and prioritizing these items is the key to a balanced and peaceful existence. This means looking at the wants and needs of the ego-mind and learning to see beyond those never-fulfilled cravings.
For many, this is a challenging since we were never taught to perceive our lives from this point of view. Material wants and needs have been given preference in our society. In the end, you cannot take those things with us when we die. What defines a satisfying life is one filled with loving human relationships. And these days that seems to be a rare commodity!
When you learn to strengthen your spiritual connections, everything falls into place in life. What is temporal is given less importance, and what is eternal is given primary focus. By visiting the many sacred sites and experiencing different teachers, you have the opportunity to use the energy and intent of those people and places. You can focus on your spiritual evolution in a most positive and nurturing way.
If you have never experienced this kind of journey, I highly encourage you to participate in one. You may find out many enlightening things about yourself – and that can be an amazing experience! After all, we are part of the Infinite and that mystery is an ever-unfolding adventure of the heart and soul.