In the first two articles in this series, we covered connecting with God through nature and connecting with God through art. Now we will look at travel as a way to connect with God. Of course, there is some overlap in all of these, and this one may overlap with new posts to come. You might travel to a wilderness to get close to nature or travel to a museum to study the great works of art, but I will try to keep this article all about travel without involving too much of the previous two posts.

First, we must understand that just traveling anywhere isn’t likely to bring us closer to God. We can connect with God while traveling when we have the goal of doing so. We have to travel to places where the Holy Spirit remains active. Traditionalists think that God’s Word is found only in Bible verses, but it is also found in all of God’s creations, if we look for it. As I see it, there are several subcategories of travel to consider as possibilities:

  • Travel to new lands
  • Travel to meet new people
  • Travel to holy lands
  • Travel to ancient ruins
  • Travel to Space.

Travel to New Lands

It is quite remarkable to me that in this day and age when we can travel around the world in a day, there are people who have never left the country they were born in. Their knowledge of other places comes from books, news reports, and their local politicians. I know that many people don’t travel because they can’t afford it, but there are also many who simply don’t want to go anywhere different. They may not be totally happy with life where they are, but they fear something different. Those are the one who most need to travel abroad.

There are many things we can learn by visiting new places. An important one is to see what it is like in a place where a different religion controls the government. Another is to see how people behave who have been raised with a different set of beliefs and standards, whether they are religious or not. Look at who the country honors by putting statues of them in public places. Are they soldiers, politicians, scientists, athletes, or something else. Do you see any signs of spiritual or religious leaders receiving such honors? If so, are they statues that are hundreds of years old, and no longer mean much. I have seen Michaelangelo’s paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and some of his other works in Vatican city. I think reflecting on such things can get us closer to God. But today, few people do so. They visit these places as historical sights, not for spiritual inspiration. With a spiritual attitude asd a desire to connect with God and bring Him into your soul, they can be so much more.

“The Pythagorean revival continued in the legendary figure of Apollonius of Tyana. Apollonius was the most famous philosopher of the Greco-Roman world in the first century A.D. … Apollonius was much traveled, visiting Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and India, where he discoursed with priests and sages.” ~Gene Savoy, Sr. (Academy Lectures)

Another reason to travel to new lands is to study there. Many of the ancient philosophers and spiritual teachers traveled to many lands to study in the ancient mystery schools, and later, to teach in them. Pythagoras, Jesus, St. Thomas, and many others traveled for one or both of those reasons. Today you may not be able to visit and study in the mystery schools, but you can still visit places where they may have left a lasting effect.

“Now the original followers of Jesus traveled throughout the ancient world after they were dispersed, taking the Gospel of Christ to those members of the Essaei Order, and those Jews of Israel, who had been trained in the teachings and laws of Moses and were sufficiently prepared to understand these Teachings.” ~ Gene Savoy, Sr.(Theology Lectures)

Travel to Meet People

The idea of traveling to meet new people doesn’t mean simply to meet people other than yourself. It means to meet people who are different from you in some significant way. People who practice a different religion, who have very different politics, who speak a different language, etc. The differences don’t have to be religious or spiritual, but they have to be significant. I will give a few examples from my personal travels.

When I was nineteen, I was drafted into the Army—a common practice at the time. Until then I had lived in several different towns, but none of them were more than twenty miles (thirty-two kilometers) from where I was born. I knew nothing of black people because very few lived in that area. Likewise for orientals. It was a bit of culture shock just being with such people in basic training.

Then I was sent to Vietnam. Not only were the people there speaking a different language, they looked different, and practiced a different faith. They were different in many ways. But after I was there for some time, I saw that many of those differences were superficial, like preferring different colors and styles of clothing. Basically, they were very much like us. They still loved, grieved, needed, wanted, believed, and desired many of the things we all want in life. The details vary, but the basics were the same. This was an awakening to me, and a movement closer to God. You might wonder how I could make such observations while fighting a war, but I was not in the infantry. I was a generator operator in an engineering unit that built roads.

Some time later, while still in the Army ( I re-enlisted in order to get into a college program the Army had then), I was sent to Germany. Meeting the Germans was another culture shock, but of a different sort. I expected the people of Vietnam to be very different, but not Europeans. But while the differences were not as great, there were some. For example, most Americans are aware that just as the French have wine virtually every day, the Germans consume beer daily. But like most other Americans, I was surprised to learn that despite that fact, getting drunk, except on very rare occasions, will make you a social pariah in Germany. Drinking is fine, not knowing when to stop is unacceptable. I also saw that the Germans remain a rather regimented people. Everyone does laundry on the same day. Everyone cleans the house on the same day. As for religious and spiritual beliefs, I found that like much of Europe, the Germans had become largely atheists, in practice anyway. Yet there were, even then (late 1970’s) some who were getting into spiritual growth. So I found once again that despite surface differences, underneath it all most Germans are very similar to us. I also took the opportunity while there to travel with some Army friends to France and Italy. While these were short trips, I did learn that the same things I saw in the Germans were largely true of the French and Italians. I did find it interesting that the French tended to be somewhat rude to Americans who tried to speak to them in English and made no attempt to speak French, but became much more helpful when you at least tried to speak French.

Later I traveled to Greece and Peru, which I will cover in other sections.

Travels to Holy Lands

It seems obvious that traveling to holy lands, or places known to have great spiritual energy, would help us connect with God. Here is something to remember, though. I could stand next to a power plant sending out hundreds of kilowatts of power, yet get none of it because I am not connected to it. This is also true of visiting holy places and spiritual places: you must connect with them to get any benefit and experience God.

When it comes to such places, I would group them like this:

  • Places considered holy or spiritual in ancient times
  • Places that have shown signs of being holy places in modern times
  • Places considered spiritual by some with little evidence to back it up.

Let’s start with the first group. We know that Israel, and especially Jerusalem, is considered a holy place by three different religions. But this is based on incidents that happened there thousands of years ago. You can follow sacred pathways that Jesus and his disciples followed. You can visit various cities mentioned in the Bible and other scripture. Decades ago, some members of Cosolargy made a trip there. I was not yet a member of Cosolargy and did not go. I don’t know much about what they found there, but I do know this; they found that what great spiritual energy and forces may have been there in the distant path is long gone. Today it is no more holy than Rome or Paris. God’s presence is no greater in these places than elsewhere. Still, going there to visit the holy sites just to study the history may be a worthy trip that might help some get closer to God. Many Christians still do, and get some benefit from it. It might be the best way to do Bible study.

Stonehenge in the U. K. and the Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt are other ancient sites considered holy. Whether or not great Spiritual Light and energy can still be found in either of those, I can’t say.

In recent times, new areas have been declared spiritual or holy, mostly by the type of spiritual people known as Newager. Some of them may indeed have great spiritual energy, others may not. Still, if you have the opportunity, visiting one or more of these locations might help you connect with God and awaken your spiritual faculties. Here is a list of some of these locations in no particular order.

  • Sedona, Arizona – Said to be “home to several vortexes, where energy fields are thought to intersect and result in healing, psychic happenings and spiritual alignment.” *
  • Santa Fe, New Mexico – “Santa Fe’s ever-positive energy is a force to be reckoned with. The city has attracted wellness seekers for decades, so the strong creative community in the area is no surprise.” *
  • Asheville, North Carolina – “Basically, no matter how you’re looking to reconnect with yourself and ditch the hustle, you can find it here.” *
  • Gainesville, Florida – “This yoga and meditation space that welcomes people from any religion or belief system, and has hosted countless famous healers over the years.” *quotes from the website https://livability.com/topics/experiences-adventures/7-spiritual-escapes-in-the-us

Sedona Arizona

We in Cosolargy would add Reno, Nevada to the list, but few others recognize that just yet.

Locations considered spiritual sites in other countries include: Camino de Santiago, Spain; Varanasi, India; Cape Reinga, New Zealand; and Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Angkor Wat

Even if you can’t travel all over the world, or even the country you live in, you can at least go to a park, a mountain, or a seashore. Those places tend to be higher in spiritual energy than urban areas.

Travel to Ancient Ruins

Travel to ancient ruins is another way that we can connect with God, but we must be selective. Visiting Frakenstein’s Castle in Germany won’t do. It must be a place that was, or may have been, a holy site, or a site that is considered mysterious. Ruins of this sort are mostly found in Europe, Asia, and South America. Some such locations are:

  • Machu Picchu in Peru
  • Stonehenge in the UK
  • Delphi and other ancient sites in Greece

There is much overlap between these groups, especially between ancient ruins and ancient holy places, so let me make clear the difference. If people go to a place primarily to visit ruins, it is an ancient ruins site. If they go there to be in the spiritual energy of the place, and not to see any particular ruins, it is an ancient holy place.

Visiting such places is not likely to expose you to great vortices of spiritual energy, but studying them, thinking about them, can help awaken spiritual faculties within you.

Travel to Space

Many will wonder why I put travel into space on the list, but it is not so strange an idea anymore. In any case, it is worth mentioning that some who have had the privilege of doing so have had a connection with God and their spiritual Self as a result. Astronauts Michael Collins, Ron Garan, Rusty Schweikart, Edgar Mitchell, Tom Jones, Scott Kelly, James Irwin, Mike Massimino, André Kuipers, Chris Hadfield, Sally Ride, and Anne McClain are all reported to have experienced the Frank White-coined overview effect (“a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight”). It is likely that such experiences will continue as we explore more of space, and in a decade or two, it will be possible for almost anyone to go into space. For now, perhaps a virtual reality visit to space will have to do.

Summary

We can travel in many ways for many reasons. Only some of that travel has the possibility of helping us connect with God. It depends as much on our attitude when we travel as on the places we go to. A human being learns from doing as much as from reading or from sitting in a classroom. It can be a form of discipleship, or simply seeking some quiet time in a park or forest. Travel can be as devotional and as much a part of Christian life as preaching the Gospel. If we follow up a trip by studying the religious and spiritual beliefs of the area, we can increase that spiritual growth potential, but loving God is essential. On any road trip, we can visit a local church. It doesn’t have to be a great cathedral that attracts millions of tourists. A quiet little church might work better. This would be especially useful on Sunday morning if you are a Christian man or Christian woman. You can travel to rural areas in a camper so you don’t have to worry about finding a hotel. Keep a journal or workbook of your travel experiences that you can share with — or refer back to in the future. Share what you see and feel with loved ones on social media. God’s Kingdom can be found almost anywhere if we look for it, and when we find it, it is a life-changing experience. In the Bible Epistle Thessalonians, we are told that holiness can be found in a hostile world if we look for it and in Ephesians, we are told to work for God’s purposes. Start looking, start working for God and your immortal soul. Here are some helpful resources for planning spiritual travel.

Books

  • Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred by Phil Cousineau
  • The Pilgrim Journey: A History of Pilgrimage in the Western World by Jame Harpur
  • Walking the Bible: A Journey Through the Five Books of Moses by Bruce Feiler

Films

    • The Way (2010)
    • Eat, Pray, Love (2010)
    • Into the Wild (2007)