Pilgrimage - The Sacred Art

Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice of nearly every major& ; religion of the world. Christians travel to sites associated& ; with the life of Jesus; Jews visit the Western Wall& ; in the Old City of Jerusalem and other sacred places& ; in the Holy Land of Israel; Muslims participate in the& ; Hajj, the journey to Mecca; Buddhists visit the sacred& ; sites related to the life of Buddha. Not limited to& ; those with religious roots, the Jefferson Memorial in& ; Washington, DC, and Lenin& 019;s tomb in Moscow are& ; considered national pilgrimage sites. As a spiritual& ; practice, pilgrimage transcends religious, national,& ; cultural and linguistic boundaries.& ; This fascinating look at the sacred art of& ; pilgrimage integrates spirituality, practice, spiritual& ; formation, psychology, world religions and historical& ; resources. It examines how the world& 019;s religious& ; pilgrimages evolved as central spiritual practices& ; and the relationship between pilgrimage and& ; transformation. It explains what makes a place holy,& ; and why and how some sites are so compelling that& ; they attract thousands, even millions of pilgrims& ; each year. It also explores the relationship between& ; holy places and pilgrimage and how they relate to& ; the everyday search for the sacred in our midst.& ; Intended for both the novice and the experienced& ; traveler, this spiritual resource provides& ; guidelines for preparation, tips on how to organize& ; pilgrimages and a list of resources to aid those called& ; to the journey today.