E. Pluibus Pilgrimage

Thomas Hardy, King Arthur, Jesus, Jane Austin, the Eden Project, Doc Martin, Stonehenge, The Magna Carta, Salisbury Cathedral, Roman Baths, Buck Fast Abbey, cities, towns and the sea, apart from all of these things being in England, they all are related to pilgrims, believers, scholars, fans, and curious tourists who pour in from cities, suburbs. In our case we came from out of the country to take in the sites, museums and sacred locations.  

From vastly different places people come with common goals to see, experience, listen, read, learn and ultimately to share in conversations, classrooms or on social media (like this).  People make pilgrimage of sorts to gain first hand experience of uniqueness, of beauty, wonder, nature, and to muse at the ingenuity and creativity of human beings. These things make life quite interesting. For me, it's especially interesting to consider the journey, the experience and the reflection of those who traveled to locations like those mentioned above in ritualistic fashion. I think about what they hope to find and how it impacts their lives. To some degree the what is religious in nature, yet has become deeply entwined in pop culture.

I firmly believe you don't have to travel to exotic part for the world for pilgrimage.  People can attend an event; engage in an activity or outing just for a few hours. You may be alone in the moment, but the notion of pilgrimage is communal in nature, E. Pluibus Unum, out of many, one. I plan to start a life changing one right here at home next month. More to follow.

Engage in ritual. Run.

Tom

Sacred Stones and Sacred Stories

From Heathrow International Airport to the Salisbury Plain, England windy frigid weather did not detour our quartet from a great beginning to our stay in the West Country. We enjoyed a long and thoughtful stay around the sacred stones. We considered the evolution of the site, the purpose of the otter ditch, the hinged megaliths and the border markers. This site which draws visitors, baffles anthropologists and intrigues the curious did not disappoint. Visiting Stonehenge has long been a personal goal. It was worth the years of study, consideration of various theoretical positions to be standing on the plain. A little chill did not take away from the majesty of the Stonehenge.

I didn't run at the World Heritage Site, not its neighbor, Durrington Walls. I did have a very nice, yet frosty run Easter morn in Bath, England. I trotted along the Avon River and through the historic town. Within twenty-four hours we had gather information about gods, King Arthur, we related to the land, and spoke of faith, lore and legend. After my run I hurriedly clean up and hustled back to town for an early Easter service.

I never removed my coat in the large drafty cathedral. I did listen attentively as The Church of England priest gave a nice homily on the resurrection story. It was Mary of Magdala who told the tale of the empty tomb and risen Jesus. Her narrative has been shared over time and place again and again. The human endeavor to pass along a story of love and sacrifice is symbolized in the Christian Eucharist. Like much of the information we had encountered in our first day of travel, this story involves basic elements- earth, bread and wine. Like the stones on the Salisbury Plain these organic materials are given meaning by stories that strengthen tradition and keep the work of the past meaningful in the present.

Engage the Sacred. Run.

 

Tom