Arrival...

Most days the pilgrims will be doing this but all of them were really tired tonight (and I couldn't get the wifi to work on the Mac- and it did on the iPhone- go figure...) We traveled for upwards of 24 hours on our way to Izmir. We are here.

I was struck on the way here by the free-flowing conversation. We were talking a lot about things that we had just finished up with at home: AP exams, papers, projects, internships... I wonder today about how long it will take for us all to "descend" into the labyrinth of this pilgrim journey. When will our conversations be about what is in front of us in the moment? When will we stop dwelling on who and what we left behind and begin seeing God in these "old stones" that surround us?

When we landed today something about being here just felt right to us all. We looked at each other and smiled - there was a feeling among many of us , I believe, that we had arrived at the place where we should be on pilgrimage.

Today we went up to "the velvet castle"- an ancient ruin that dates back to a ruler named lysomachus. There was a complex system of aqueducts that ran down from this citadel and sent water to the city. Pretty impressive , really. 

All around us was old and new.. a woman sat making killim bags.. a little girl fed her goats that took care of weed control for the park.. .. 

Our guide, Cengis, bought us all "apple tea" at a rooftop cafe' where we watched dusk begin to set in. 

Cengis is really great and is taking great care of us all. Our hotel is right next to the waterfront in Izmir.

We ate a simple dinner and said evening prayer together on the deck above the pool. Just wow... Amen

Tim

Airports, airports, airports.

Before any great journey can begin, you have to get there first. So, as guessed, for the first leg of our journey we tour through airports. Shortly before rushing off to Charlotte, several of the pilgrims pointed out that Bridget, one of the pilgrims had not arrived yet. After games phone tag, cards, and trips for water our entire group was united. As we kissed our families good-bye for a second time we started our journey.

On our first trip from Atlanta to Charlotte some passengers figured that this whole airplane thing was going to be very hard. Several were convinced otherwise on the EIGHT HOUR flight from Charlotte to Munich. With all sorts of shenanigans occurring from system reboots to fly aerobics (not to be confused with pew aerobics) to crying babies little sleep was had by all. Despite the lack of sleep one of the virtues of the trip was being able to look outside the window and see the effects of a sunrise from above the clouds. It was a beautiful deep red glow filling the clouds with the smudge of Earth's horizon in the distance. This was described in the moment eloquently with phrases such as "Whoa, that's cool man" and "It looks all glowey."

Now that we have arrived in Munich, pilgrims and chaperones alike have gone on mad hunts for food, taken to sprawling out across chairs and playing games of hackey sack. As Tim practices yoga by the window, and Whit goes for a run through the airport several sleepy pilgrims are confused by the amount of energy that could possibly be had. So, now we wait to board our flight to Izmir and hop on the Turkey leg of our pilgrimage to begin.

Catherine Laseter

Here is a map of where all we are going in Turkey. We begin in Izmir and work our way northwards to Istanbul (more or less). (FYI- The hotel we are staying in in Istanbul is a good ways away from Taksim Square, where most of the protests are happening).

One of the things I find most interesting about departure is that I always seem to meet with special resistance before I leave. I have a cluster of things to do and stuff to gather. And, of course, there is the ordeal of packing.

The poet Rumi talks about how human beings are a "guest-house" full of emotions. He says:

This human being is a guest house.

  Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

   Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

   The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing, 

and invite them in.

       Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond. 

We all have "guests" but I wonder, as we ponder and prepare for departure, what secrets they bring us from "beyond?" 

Tim

Packing our Bags

Religious folks have been going on pilgrimages since the beginning of time. We find ourselves attracted to  holy places: the birthplace of a prophet, a ruined cathedral that once housed our forefathers and mothers, a shrine where the Blessed Virgin appeared to a young girl, a desert where early Christ-followers retreated from the city, a monastery in the suburbs.... We are a few of the multitude who have picked up and journeyed to find the sacred somewhere else.

Years ago, the Episcopal Church started sending its young people on pilgrimages as a part of their spiritual formation. What a good idea. Pilgrimage sums up the experience of Anglican Christianity. We  like the journey this world offers us as much as the destination. We love a God who promises to walk with us on this journey- a God who became one of us for a time and still travels among us. Sending our teenagers on pilgrimage journeys makes perfect sense.

What do we take with us? 

We take our baggage: our past, hopes, fears and a few things that we think are necessary . So, we prepare carefully in the week that remains before we leave.   Phil Cousineau, in his book "The Art of Pilgrimage" says:

"Being ready mentally, spiritually, and physically makes us lighter on our feet, more adroit at making decisions, and perhaps can even help keep chaos at bay. Bearing in mind that the journey to come might turn out to be our first deeply significant pilgrimage puts the entire trip in a different context...One of the soulful questions to ask ourselves as we are poised to leave is: What can I do to lighten my burden on this journey? How we pack our bags defines our journey." 

Tradition has it that pilgrims only bring one bag. I am working hard to winnow down all the stuff that I feel compelled to bring so I can only have one bag. Leaving behind the extra shirt or pair of shoes is hard for me. Deciding which books to bring with me is torture. I am finding, though, that the process of holding each object in my hand and deciding whether or not I really need it is quite revealing. My hope is that every single thing I carry with me is there for a purpose and not "extra baggage" that simply takes up space... (I feel a metaphor brewing... don't you?)

Let's leave behind all that is unnecessary for our pilgrimage. That's my prayer for all of us in the week leading up to our departure.

Tim