ALL ONE ERA magazine
Machu Picchu. Photo credit: trophygeek
By Melissa MacDougall
I
n the mid-90s Frances Mayes, recovering from a divorce, wrote a me moire aptly titled Under the Tuscan Sun. She docume nted her struggle in leaving her past, one wrought with pain and heartache, for one full of value and beauty in a foreign place among foreign friends. A decade later, Elizabeth Gilbert released her book, Eat Pray Love, another genuine tale of a woman seeking the gateway to realizing the best parts of life and love. Many of us envision spiritual travel in only those realms: lost writers rebuilding ancient estates from the foundation upwards, or globe-trotting to learn the true definition of attraversiamo (Italian for ‘Let’s cross over). The same lot of us of is most likely unaware exactly how desirable spiritual travel has become. In financial terms, we spend nearly $20 billion on this industry each year, going the distance to illustrate our need to find peace and harmony in experiences rather than in material goods. In this multi-billion dollar facet of the travel industry there is a dichotomy, a branch system that will determine our needs and lead us on our way to spiritual awakening. The world is far from flat; the Universe is far from vast; and, they come together in more ways than we know to prove their formidable strength and healing powers. Our planet, comprising mystical secrets and empowering energy, provides us with the very tools we need to be grounded and fulfilled. The best parts of life and love can never be found coming off a conveyor belt because, let’s be honest, both life and love are messy and unpredictable. Regardless of what’s wrapped beneath a shiny bow, it will never be enough to satiate our need to learn and grow and be moved. The moment we give ourselves over to something bigger than who we are, something more magical than stitched-together bits of nothing, we will gain deeper comprehension of the Universe. While some of us can find our innersanctum by simply closing our eyes and crossing our legs in Lotus pose, others want and need to travel to discover it. From continent to continent, the most precious of all gifts are given to us in the most beautiful and raw forms—crumbling ruins,
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places of worship, and energy centers. The enrichment of experiencing new cultures and language are surely two benefits of travelling the world, but it’s the power of self-realization that we return home with that is the most valuable souvenir we could possibly find. <ORTH AMERICA – Mount Shasta, a spectacular, towering, 10,000-foot-tall peak located in northern California and part of the Cascades, is said to be a spiritual power point for those who visit her. With a long Native American history attached to the Klamath Tribes, it is believed that the mountain is inhabited by the Above-World spirit, Skell, who fell from the heavens at the request of the Klamath Chief. In 1987, as part of the Harmonic Convergence, a globallysynchronized meditation that closely followed the alignment of the sun, moon, and six planets, Mount Shasta became popular for being one of the few well-known power centers. Yogi Kanna, a spiritual and mediation practitioner, recommends visiting Mount Shasta during the warm summer months when her power, grace, and beauty are heightened by the sun.
Mount Shasta Photo credit: Bruce McKinley
SOUTH AMERICA – Deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll in 2007, Machu Picchu was built in the mid-15th century and is believed to have served as an estate for Pachacuti, an Incan emperor. Situated on a ridge above the Sacred Valley, this Peruvian treasure has become the most acquainted icon of the Inca civilization. The Inti Watana, a grouping of rocks designed by the Incas to hold the sun in its place throughout each year, is just one of many South American groupings of ritual stones. Located in the first zone, along with the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows, the Inti Watana is dedicated to the Inca’s greatest deity, the Sun God.
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Macchu Picchu Photo credit: Marlon Angelo
September 27, 2015