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The Traveler's Mind
4 min read
Home. Where is home? Home is where the heart is. I've arrived home after a few weeks journey through Mexico. Before that I was at the Higher Balance retreat in Hawaii. No time in-between to decompress and reflect on everything that happened in Hawaii. Only now am I beginning to unwind it all.
Before I forget, let's talk about Hawaii. Everyone who came up to me during Hawaii and told me what they thought of Bending God I truly, really, completely, appreciate it. It meant so much to see your face, hear your words in person and feel what you were saying. It really helped it hit home that Bending God was worth the effort I put into it these last two years. That it has inspired, entertained, informed and brought all these wonderful things into people's lives. There was a little seed of doubt in me about the book. Had I done the Universe justice? Had I served as well as I could? Have I done Eric Pepin justice? What were reader's truly going to think?
I heard you. I heard you and it was good. While in Hawaii I did a book reading, Chapter 13, and there was a discussion afterwards that was so much fun. I enjoyed it so much and it made the journey in Bending God seem alive for me again. So, I can't say it enough but for everyone who shared their thoughts thank you, thank you and thank you!
Hawaii, in general, was fantastic. It was so fulfilling. It was also very overwhelming. Leaving directly from there to Mexico was perhaps a little shortsighted. The first week in Mexico I felt this need to sit and just… decompress.
After that, I put on my backpack and things started to flow as I traveled from place to place. Once I'd visited a fair number of hostels and talked to people from all over the world I started to get this feeling. The best way I can describe is like global crosshairs. Imagine the longitude and latitude lines on a globe except they are three dimensional. What I mean is that they aren't touching where they meet because there is also vertical space between them.
In the center of these crosshairs is… you.
As you move and walk through the world the vertical space between these crosshairs move closer or farther away. When people travel it's like they are instinctually in search of places and scenes that will move these crosshairs closer together. The space between them is your internal measure of peace. Your closeness to the Universe. Your inner-harmony to the Force.
I felt this so distinctly from almost all the backpackers I met. They all had this strong, instinctual searching feeling and they knew when they hit it and when it was separating and they needed to move on. Many of them had been traveling 3 months, 6 months, a year. As if they were hoping to navigate these internal frequencies, these crosshairs, into alignment by moving externally.
It made sense to me why they felt so drawn to it. I could feel it too. If I didn't have my spiritual practice I knew that I could have easily found myself among them. But I do have my spirituality. I am blessed and fortunate by it and reminded often of its worth. Feeling this I was reminded of a quote,
"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering."
- St. Augustine
We travel to such lengths. We go to such heights. Trying to change inside by changing the external. Internally we can feel the change. How many will go the world over and see all there is to see but never know what lies within?
It's at this point I realize this post is too long. Over complicated and unnecessary.
The world is beautiful. See the world. Experience it, taste it, touch it. Inside of you is an incredible universe. See yourself, see this universe. Experience it, touch it, taste it. It is then you will know wonder. You will know peace. You will know the traveler's mind because you will suddenly realize you were out within some other place and at long last… found your way home.
Before I forget, let's talk about Hawaii. Everyone who came up to me during Hawaii and told me what they thought of Bending God I truly, really, completely, appreciate it. It meant so much to see your face, hear your words in person and feel what you were saying. It really helped it hit home that Bending God was worth the effort I put into it these last two years. That it has inspired, entertained, informed and brought all these wonderful things into people's lives. There was a little seed of doubt in me about the book. Had I done the Universe justice? Had I served as well as I could? Have I done Eric Pepin justice? What were reader's truly going to think?
I heard you. I heard you and it was good. While in Hawaii I did a book reading, Chapter 13, and there was a discussion afterwards that was so much fun. I enjoyed it so much and it made the journey in Bending God seem alive for me again. So, I can't say it enough but for everyone who shared their thoughts thank you, thank you and thank you!
Hawaii, in general, was fantastic. It was so fulfilling. It was also very overwhelming. Leaving directly from there to Mexico was perhaps a little shortsighted. The first week in Mexico I felt this need to sit and just… decompress.
After that, I put on my backpack and things started to flow as I traveled from place to place. Once I'd visited a fair number of hostels and talked to people from all over the world I started to get this feeling. The best way I can describe is like global crosshairs. Imagine the longitude and latitude lines on a globe except they are three dimensional. What I mean is that they aren't touching where they meet because there is also vertical space between them.
In the center of these crosshairs is… you.
As you move and walk through the world the vertical space between these crosshairs move closer or farther away. When people travel it's like they are instinctually in search of places and scenes that will move these crosshairs closer together. The space between them is your internal measure of peace. Your closeness to the Universe. Your inner-harmony to the Force.
I felt this so distinctly from almost all the backpackers I met. They all had this strong, instinctual searching feeling and they knew when they hit it and when it was separating and they needed to move on. Many of them had been traveling 3 months, 6 months, a year. As if they were hoping to navigate these internal frequencies, these crosshairs, into alignment by moving externally.
It made sense to me why they felt so drawn to it. I could feel it too. If I didn't have my spiritual practice I knew that I could have easily found myself among them. But I do have my spirituality. I am blessed and fortunate by it and reminded often of its worth. Feeling this I was reminded of a quote,
"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering."
- St. Augustine
We travel to such lengths. We go to such heights. Trying to change inside by changing the external. Internally we can feel the change. How many will go the world over and see all there is to see but never know what lies within?
It's at this point I realize this post is too long. Over complicated and unnecessary.
The world is beautiful. See the world. Experience it, taste it, touch it. Inside of you is an incredible universe. See yourself, see this universe. Experience it, touch it, taste it. It is then you will know wonder. You will know peace. You will know the traveler's mind because you will suddenly realize you were out within some other place and at long last… found your way home.
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