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What Is Pilgrimage?
The act of pilgrimage is common to every faith and culture in the world and the impulse to undertake such a journey surely goes back to ancient times.
When a pilgrim sets out, there is a purpose to his or her journey. This could be to experience a holy or sacred site, to seek answers to questions, or to receive healing or spiritual rejuvenation.
Every four years, thousands of Hindus converge on the River Ganges for the Kumba Mehla, the Aboriginals in Australia go on 'walkabouts' in the outback, each Muslim pledges to go at least once in their life on the hajj to Mecca and many Christians visit Lourdes hoping for healing and respite from illnesses and life's problems, or they visit Jerusalem or Bethlehem in the Holy Land.
The reasons for pilgrimage are many, but the act is always about acknowledging the sacred. The difference therefore, between a tourist and a pilgrim, is simply one of intention. Nevertheless, even a tourist on a sightseeing trip can be moved by the spirit of place, connect with the sacred and enter a state of reverence and wonder.
So what makes a place sacred or holy? Is it that some event of historical or spiritual significance has occurred, or that there are marvellous legends or associated myths? Is it that there are energies or power in the land itself, or is the place made holy by the reverence and manner in which countless people through time have visited? It is difficult to rationalise or quantify why people have the experiences they do in such places. One intuitively knows when a place is holy or special and it can have an effect on a spiritual, emotional or physical level as one is transported into a different realm. Such places often feel timeless, ancient and somehow familiar.
Seasoned pilgrims will tell you that a pilgrimage is comprised of both the journey and the destination. Whether the journey is easy or difficult, can often be a useful reflection on oneself and offers opportunities for growth and self-realisation.
Every little occurrence can be of significance. Perceptions and awareness are often in a more heightened and receptive state and omens. Signs and portents can arise in unexpected ways. The people you meet, the situations which arise, the things you notice, are all meaningful in the context of the pilgrimage. When travelling into unfamiliar territory, 'reality' as we know it changes.
A woman was once sitting in the Chalice Well gardens in Glastonbury, having chosen to visit because she had a question to ask relating to her life. So she sat in the garden and asked for a sign. A robin flew towards her, landed on her shoulder and rested a while. She asked the gardener whether the robins in the garden were tame and always behaved in this way. The gardener responded that the significance was not whether the robins were tame, but that at the moment she had asked for a sign, a robin chose to come and land on her shoulder.
On a deeper level there is an understanding that a pilgrimage is a metaphor for the journey through life. When John Bunyan wrote A Pilgrim's Progress he wasn't simply writing an entertaining story of a pilgrim's trials and tribulations. He was writing about the soul's journey into self-awareness and realisation.
On this website, while we talk about the special sites of Glastonbury, or about the Mysteries of Avalon, these are but forms, places, ideas and traditions. But what you get from coming here is unique to you, often relating to very real issues you experience in your own life. Money can't buy it, and there are no set recipes and formulae. You can make it easier or more difficult. We welcome you to come and find out.
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