“When I stepped away from the white pine, I had the definite feeling that we had exchanged some form of life energy. ...Clearly white pines and I are on the same wavelength. What I give back to the trees I cannot imagine. I hope they receive something, because trees are among my closest friends."
Anne LaBastille, Author and Ecologist
Last weekend we had our first stay-over trip since the pandemic began. Before we left, I found myself in a stupor, staring at my bathroom kit and trying to remember what a travel kit should even contain. We headed off to a cabin in the Adirondacks, and it was just what the doctor ordered. A lot of rest, sprinkled with magic.
During July, I've been exploring the theme of Pilgrimage and Place. In the last newsletter, I asked you to reflect on what kinds of places you are drawn towards visiting. I shared how going anyplace can be a pilgrimage if you think about it that way. It’s all about your intention, your reason for heading off in that direction. It’s about going someplace you feel called to go, even if you’re not sure why.
Below is a story about the value of listening to the power of place, and a few tips to try.
Pilgrimage and Place: Listen to the Power of Place
Homer wrote, “The journey is the destination.” And that journey can be a pilgrimage—when you set out intentionally as a seeker. And as you go, the key is slowing down enough to hear what that place has to reveal.
The Adirondacks
What calls me to the Adirondack Park in upstate New York is the large sweeping mountain views and the northern boreal forest. It’s as close to big wildness that I’ve ever found in the East. And now I have a newfound love—the tributaries and outlets of lakes and ponds.
In the spirit of adventure, we planned to kayak down the river that flows from a clear mountain pond. It was lined with birch and pines, set against a faded blue jean sky with soft billowy clouds. As we paddled, we drifted through white lilies, broad in full bloom, and purple pickerelweed that grew taller than us. Surrounded by green and purple, watching bumblebees diving in and out of the flowers. Listening to the call of a hermit thrush and the white-throated sparrow. We were far from the road, noise, and people, just drifting along the river's curve. That's when it happened.
It's that thing that happens in a wild place: Resonance. Connection. Flow. It comes from noticing and taking everything in fully, with my entire focus. It felt so restorative for my busy brain to just slow down and listen to the music of that place. That was the medicine I needed. But I didn’t really know that until I was fully immersed in doing so.
Then I understood why I needed to be there. And why I was called to go.
Try This:
Take an Everyday Pilgrimage
You can slow down and listen to the power of place at a well-known destination, or right in your own back yard.
Step One: Choose a place you'd like to go and be open to the place having a gift to give you.
Step Two: As you walk or paddle or ride, just look and listen. Let your mind wander. What is here? What does it feel like to be here?
Step Three: Try to capture your experience. You can do this with a photograph of course, but sometimes that's the easy way out. See how much you can capture as a mental memory to recall as a story.
Or better yet, try capturing what you experienced by writing it down and describing it fully. The act of writing out your experience allows new insights and understandings to come to the surface. What did you notice, feel and experience? Describe it with as much detail as you can. What did it mean to you?
Step Four: Share what you noticed!
1. I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an email or comment below.
2. Post on our Facebook page.
3. Consider joining us for a creative writing retreat or class this year.