Sacred Journeys Read online

  If you are curious about the spiritual beliefs of the ancient peoples who constructed the megalithic monuments or would value time in quiet reflection in the serene, cool climate of southern Sweden, visit Ales Stenar. There are bed-and-breakfast establishments in Kåseberga and hotels in nearby Ystad. Take bus 322 or drive from Ystad to Kåseberga and then walk from the parking lot uphill to the stones.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Read about Ales Stenar in preparation for seeing the monument. As you walk around the monument, reflect on the ancient builders of the megalithic monuments (there are many in Sweden), as well as the Vikings, and what relevance their spiritual beliefs might have for you.

  A Deeper Look

  The Ales Stenar monument is more than 219 feet long. At the solstices, the ship’s bow and stern are aligned to the position of the sun.

  Amorgos

  Cyclades Islands, Greece

  The dream is realized where you do not expect it.

  —Greek proverb

  Around the Greek island of Amorgos, the royal blue hue of the Aegean Sea shifts to the brilliant turquoise of a Byzantine tile, in stark contrast to the gray-green and ruddy brown vegetation on the island’s tallest mountain, Krikelos. Inhabited since prehistoric times, this breathtaking sanctuary stretching more than 20 miles long and almost 4 miles wide has a wild, unrestrained beauty that is quintessentially Greek—inspiring spiritual seekers, poets, lovers, nature buffs, and globe trekkers alike.

  If a nature retreat might help you cultivate a more intimate relationship with the Divine or rejuvenate a personal relationship with a lover, friend, or family member, visit Amorgos in the spectacular Cyclades, the most easterly of the Greek Islands. From Piraeus, the port of Athens, take the ferry to Amorgos to either the village of Katapola (in the central and more populous part of the island) or Aigiali (in the north).

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Make your way to Chora by car, bus, bike, or on foot, depending where you stay on the island. Take a stroll through this bougainvillea-covered village, where you will find many small churches and other quiet places conducive to prayer. When a spot calls to you, bow your head and pray for your relationship needs.

  A Deeper Look

  The most dazzling feature on Amorgos is the white-washed monastery of Panagia Chozoviotissa, built on a sheer cliff 186 feet above the Aegean.

  Anne Frank House

  Amsterdam, Netherlands

  How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

  —Anne Frank (1929–1945), German Jewish diarist

  When Anne Frank and her family hid to escape Nazi persecution in 1942 in a house at Prinsengracht 267, Anne detailed the isolation and fears of discovery in her diary until her family was betrayed. Anne and her sister, Margot, were sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, but her father survived and drew spiritual strength from his daughter’s diary (now published in seventy languages).

  If you feel a spiritual calling to improve the world, visit the Anne Frank House. It is open year-round, except on January 1 when it is open for half the day and on Yom Kippur when it is closed. Take trams 13, 14, or 17 and get off at the Westermarkt stop, or take the bus 170, 172, or 174 to the Westermarkt stop. Also, the Museumboat stops on the canal directly in front of the house. No photography is allowed.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Take your time walking through this house, see the original diary, and use what you learn as a lens for gaining a larger perspective about how one person might make a difference to those who have no voice.

  A Deeper Look

  The house that hid the Frank family dates to 1635, built by Dirk van Delft with the canal-facing facade renovated in 1739.

  Apamea

  Syria

  I have found power in the mysteries of thought.

  —Euripides (ca. 480–406 B.C.), Greek playwright

  The once glorious Greco-Roman city of Apamea now lies in rubble—except for remnants of the main boulevard and the Cardo Maximus (Grand Colonnade) that ran alongside it—a grand procession of four hundred granite fluted columns connected by lavishly carved granite lintels. Located at a critical Middle Eastern intersection overlooking the verdant Ghab Valley, Apamea was a major center of trade, politics, and religious thought—including Monophysitism (the doctrine that Christ had only one nature, Divine)—from 300 B.C. to A.D. 1157. At its peak, it was home to half a million people and enjoyed a constant flow of visitors (including Cleopatra).

  If walking along an ancient road where myriad religious thoughts were examined and sometimes threatened might help you to understand or to strengthen your faith, come to Apamea. Book a tour (several are available in-country; English guidebooks are available), or hire a guide and car in Hama, 35 miles to the south. Women are advised to travel with a male companion or by group tour. Bring bottled water. Dress appropriately for the culture (Muslim), for the climate (hot, dry), and for walking (lots of it).

  Soothe Your Spirit

  As you walk this sprawling intersection of sacred beliefs, examine your own, staying open to whatever Divine truths are whispered on the wind.

  A Deeper Look

  Human occupation at this site dates to the Stone Age and extends to the Middle Ages. During the Christian period, Saint Paul (Saul before his conversion on the road to Damascus) passed through Apamea (then Phrygia).

  Aradhana Gala (Meditation Rock)

  Mihintale, Sri Lanka

  You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.

  —Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, (563–483 B.C.), father of Buddhism

  When Indian Emperor Ashoka wanted to spread Buddhism, he sent his son Mahinda with yellow-robed Buddhist monks to the island of Sri Lanka on the full moon of June 247 B.C. While camping on the sacred mountain of Mihintale, they encountered King Devanampiya Tissa and gave him a sapling from the bodhi tree of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Today, Mihintale is considered the cradle of Sri Lankan Buddhism, and meditation on the holy peak under the full moon in June is a popular pilgrimage.

  If climbing a sacred mountain with a meditation rock on its peak and amazing panoramic views is the kind of pilgrimage that speaks to your spiritual yearning, come to Aradhana Gala in Mihintale. Get there early and give yourself plenty of time to walk the site and climb the 1,840 granite steps. The mountain is about 5 miles from the bus depot of Anuradhapura, the nearest city.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Carry the words of Buddha in your heart as you explore the upper terrace; then remove your shoes and climb to the white Maha Seya dagoba (said to house a single hair and some ashes of the Buddha) before venturing up to the meditation rock and even beyond to the seated Buddha. Find a place to meditate, if only for a few moments—there are a couple of stone meditation slabs overlooking a pond and the mountains.

  A Deeper Look

  When Mahinda first introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks at Mihintale would take refuge and meditate in caves during the rainy season.

  Avebury Henge

  Avebury, Wiltshire County, England

  Some keep the Sabbath going to Church— / I keep it, staying at Home— / With a Bobolink for a Chorister— / And an Orchard, for a Dome.

  —Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), American poet

  Roughly 4,500 years ago, Neolithic people formed a community in what is now the lovely farming village of Avebury in southern England, constructing massive megalithic monuments and a stone circle 1,401 feet in diameter and covering 28 acres. Today, the site is important for its archaeological and anthropological information as well as for its enigmatic and spiritual properties. It is especially venerated by modern Earth-based spiritual traditions, such as Wicca and neo-Druidism, whose rituals often involve stone circles from which to draw spiritual strength and succor.

  If you feel spiritually aligned in natural settings or are intrigued by stone circles and megaliths, visit Avebury Henge—90 miles west of London and 20 miles no
rth of Stonehenge. From London, take a coach tour to Avebury, Stonehenge, and other mysterious sites. From Bath, go by car, bus, or train.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Draw in energy as you walk the circle. Holding a crystal pendulum, begin asking questions for guidance—a clockwise-swinging pendulum means yes; counterclockwise means no.

  A Deeper Look

  Avebury’s stone circles consist of an outer ring of ninety-eight slabs of sarsen (the sedimentary rock found in the region) and two inner rings comprised of thirty stones each. This World Heritage site is protected by Britain’s National Trust.

  Bahá’í House of Worship

  Wilmette, Illinois, United States

  O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star . . .

  —Àbdu’l-Bahá (1844–1921), Persian theologian and eldest son of Bahá’u’lláh (founder of the Bahá’í faith)

  Like the other eight Bahá’í Houses of Worship in the world, this temple’s beauty is circular, has nine sides, and is surrounded by expansive gardens with walkways. Yet, like each of the others, it has its own distinctive—and breathtaking—design. Lacy claddings of ornamental white portland cement cover the exterior and interior walls, columns, and the ceiling of the dome rising 135 feet above the auditorium. Per Bahá’í tenets, the temple welcomes people of all faiths and is used exclusively for worship and learning; no sermons are allowed.

  To learn about Bahá’í principles or to worship in a place of tranquil beauty, visit the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, along Lake Michigan outside Chicago.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Sit with your eyes closed and meditate on the Bahá’í belief that we all are of the same God who desires for us to become a unified, egalitarian global society.

  A Deeper Look

  Founded in Iran in 1844, Bahá’í is the youngest monotheistic religion and today has more than five million adherents. The “Mother Temple of the West” in Wilmette, built from 1920 to 1953, is the oldest surviving temple. The first, built during the years 1902 to 1908 in Turkmenistan, was destroyed in 1948. The other temples are in Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Germany, India, Panama, Samoa, and Uganda.

  Banteay Srei

  Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

  Because thou are All-beauty and All-bliss, / My soul blind and enamoured yearns for Thee . . .

  —Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950), Indian yogi and poet

  This tenth-century, red sandstone temple in the massive Angkor Wat temple complex is consecrated to the Hindu deity Shiva, god of destruction. However, it is lovingly called Banteay Srei (Citadel of Women) in reference to the temple’s abundance of delicately carved sacred feminine imagery, including Sita (goddess of purity and loyalty, an incarnation of Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity); rosettes; lotuses; and devatas and apsaras, or dancing nymphs used by the gods to seduce ascetics, demons, and heroes to do their bidding.

  If your spiritual practice could use the blessings of loyalty or sacred seduction, visit this temple of war and love, south of the main temple complex of Angkor Thom. A guided tour that includes transportation is the easiest way to visit Banteay Srei (also, Srey). Otherwise, from Phnom Penh take a bus, flight, taxi, or boat (across Tonlé Sap Lake) to Siem Reap.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Steep your spirit in the subtle sacred energy described by some as Goddess energy in this ancient intricately carved temple. Issue a silent plea for the love, friendship, passion, or compassion you seek.

  A Deeper Look

  Surrounded by a moat, Banteay Srei has been praised as the precious “jewel of Khmer art” for the exquisite and amazingly well-preserved decorative carvings covering almost every inch of its red (the color of love/passion) sandstone walls.

  Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli)

  Gwynedd, Wales

  The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

  —Bible, Psalm 34:18

  At the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales lies a desolate, windswept island a mile long and 0.6 miles across that becomes virtually unreachable in treacherous sea currents. Nevertheless, it served as a sacred haven for devoutly religious monks and persecuted Christians during the fifth century. Legend holds that the island is also the burial site of King Arthur. All that remains of the thirteenth-century monastery and gardens built by Saint Cadfan are the ruins, a tower, and a knobby old Bardsey apple tree that some say the monks planted.

  If you are brokenhearted and want to keep a memory alive or see new beginnings from loss or departure, visit Bardsey Island. Summer is best. Catch a ferry or a boat from Porth Meudwy or the main market town Pwllheli (market day is Wednesday) on mainland Wales, where the Cambrian Railway from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England, clacks past the scenic Cambrian Mountains and the coast to its terminus. You can’t bring your dogs or other pets, swimming in the sea is not recommended, and visitors are encouraged to enjoy the wildlife but not disturb it.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Stay in a farmhouse and give the site time to reinvigorate your spirit as you pray and reflect on how death and destruction can give rise to regeneration and renewal in the cycles of nature and also in human civilization.

  A Deeper Look

  The Book of Llandaff, assembled in the mid-1200s, noted Bardsey Island as a burial site for twenty thousand “holy confessors and martyrs” and called it the “Rome of Britain” for its sanctity and dignity.

  Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

  Mexico City, Mexico

  So your strength is failing you? . . . Mother! Call her with a loud voice. She is listening to you . . .

  —Saint Josemaría Escrivá (1902–1975), Spanish Roman Catholic priest and founder of Opus Dei

  One of the holiest places in the Western Hemisphere—the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe—might not exist if it weren’t for an Aztec peasant. Juan Diego, a newly converted Christian, went to his bishop in Mexico City to request a church be built at Tepeyac, where he had seen an apparition of Virgin Mary. He was told that a heavenly sign was needed. The Virgin made roses bloom in the snow and told Juan to wrap them in his tilma (cloak) and take them to the bishop. When Juan delivered the gift, the tilma was miraculously imprinted with an image of the Virgin. That miracle of faith continues to give strength to the church community of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

  If you wish to strengthen your spiritual bonds or to see the miraculous cloth, travel to the basilica. The church is located in the Villa de Guadalupe Hidalgo area of Mexico City. Travel by metro to La Villa Station, and then walk two blocks to the church.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Light a candle and pray in thanksgiving to Mary for the faith that sustains you and your church community.

  A Deeper Look

  Digital technology reveals that the image reflected in the Virgin’s eyes on the tilma is of the bishop receiving the roses.

  Basílica de Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia (Higüey Basilica)

  Salvaleón de Higüey, Dominican Republic

  Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.

  —Saint Bonaventure (1221–1274), Italian medieval scholastic theologian, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church

  In 1502, the Trejo brothers came from Spain to the island of Hispaniola, bringing with them a painting of La Virgen de la Altagracia (Our Virgin of High Grace). After the painting disappeared from their house and miraculously reappeared in an orange tree, they erected a chapel at the place of the tree. Today, an elaborate frame holds the painting, now enshrined above the altar of a basilica built in 1972 on the same site. The monolithic Roman Catholic cathedral draws millions of pilgrims and visitors each year, many waiting in long lines to climb the stairs to worship one by one before the icon.

  Whether you wish to pray for a loved one’s safekeeping or to develop the fierce faith of Mary, come to Higüey Ba
silica. Two hours from Las Americas International Airport and an hour from Bávaro, the basilica can be reached by public transportation or rental car from anywhere in the country.

  Soothe Your Spirit

  Place your hand on the icon and pray for the safekeeping you seek. Outside, light an orange candle in gratitude for Mary’s holy grace.

  A Deeper Look

  In 1922, Pope Pius XI crowned Virgin Mary the patron saint of Higüey.

  Basilica di San Marco (Saint Mark’s Basilica)

  Venice, Italy

  We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.

  —Luciano De Crescenzo (1928–), Italian writer, filmmaker, and engineer

  Once called Chiesa d’Oro (Church of Gold) because of its gilded Byzantine mosaics and status as a chapel to the ruling Venetians, this magnificent five-domed Gothic cathedral has long been a symbol of wealth and power. However, the multitudes who flock here to worship or to wed speak more to its holiness and sacred beauty.