To the Holy Land-ers

What spiritual practice of faith formation can we learn from the Magi? We may need to explore what it means to journey towards an unknown destination and embrace the uncertainty that comes with it. 

How about a good old-fashioned Coddiwomple? Coddiwomple: to travel purposefully toward an unknown or vaguely defined destination, possibly meandering along the way.

In our society, we tend to be very goal-oriented—whether in work, school, hobbies, or life in general.
Every summer, my family vacations in Whistler, BC. It’s beautiful in the summer, and I am always in awe of the mountains, trees, rocks, wildflowers, and waterways. Despite some assumptions, I love hiking the trails. However, I often struggle with impatience because I focus on the trail app to track where I’m going, rather than just taking it one step at a time.   I watch myself, the moving blue dot dutifully flowing the green trail outline on the screen of my iPhone.  My thoughts racing: Where am I going? How long until I get there? What elevation are we at now? Did we pass that landmark? 
I get bogged down in reaching the trail's end as the destination itself. While this isn’t inherently bad, I realize that by focusing solely on the end of the trail, I miss out on the journey and all that it has to offer.  I don't allow for the journey to unfold in front of me in each step.  I predict the journey's end before the destination truly unfolds before me. 

Perhaps it’s the struggle with uncertainty that heightens my anxiety to track the trail.   For me, uncertainty triggers an instinct to control information.  The feeling of not being in control or not knowing what comes next makes me want to learn more, while also trying to control the information, in an attempt to manage the anxiety-inducing situations that arise. Uncertainty feels ominously uncomfortable to me. How I perceive the nature and texture of uncertainties—whether it’s internal or external—seems to control me, rather than me being guided by it.   I think being uncertain in my uncertainty and finding meaning in the chaos is the way forward.  

The spiritual practice I might need to learn is to "coddiwomple," to meander, to saunter along the trails.  To saunter, commonly meaning to stroll, to muse, to wonder.  Interestingly, the word "saunter" is thought to come from the phrase 'à la Sainte Terre,' meaning "to the Holy Land" in French—a la Sainte Terre is essentially, a pilgrimage.  A journey of sacred purpose. 

Mountaineer, John Muir speaks of the term in this way: 
"I don't like either the word hike or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike!
Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."  -John Muir

John Muir truly lived into his own philosophy. He was often the last to arrive at a camp, never in a rush. He took his time, stopping to connect with the trees along his path, to marvel at nature's cathedral.  He would greet fellow travelers, encouraging them to kneel down and marvel at the delicate beauty of tiny, almost invisible flowers. By the time he reached camp, he would often have wildflowers tucked into his hat and a sprig of balsam fir in his buttonhole.

What is the purpose of a journey or pilgrimage? What was the purpose for the Magi?
I believe the journey of the Magi was likely a form of coddiwomple-ing.  A meandering, sauntering pilgrimage with a sacred purpose.  They didn’t look down; they looked up.  Although their journey may have felt uncertain, elusive, and even rebellious at times, it ultimately led them to a wonderful and profound discovery.  What that discovery was for the Magi, and what it may be for us, sometimes requires us to set aside rigid goals, engage our uncertainties as mysteries with active curiosity, and instead practice meaningful meandering until the destination reveals itself. 

How much more fulfilling it would be to "saunter" along the journey of life, measuring it by beauty, love, and compassion. How much richer it is to take the time to truly know and understand the people we meet, to pause and allow the sun's warmth to fill our soul, to listen to the whispers of the trees and the melodies of the birds, and to admire the delicate flowers that bloom along the path. 

The next time I set out on the trails, I will practice laying down the need to control the uncertainties, and simply let the trail and it's destination reveal herself.    A La Sainte Terre, to the Holy Land!

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