Faith

One important element of my Shikoku 88 hike is the element of planning.  Obviously, I am doing some planning.  I have planned my physical training and planned what I’m going to take.

But equally important is what I’m NOT planning.  As this is a pilgrimage route, I think it fitting that I not plan too much of the trip… and be open to what Hakim Bey calls “sacred drift”.  Sacred drift is the idea of being open to, and flowing with, whatever comes.

And so, I will not be planning where I will sleep each night.   I know that there are various kinds of accommodation along the route:  temple accommodation,  ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), hotels, and campgrounds.  There are also shelter huts for pilgrims.. and the woods and fields.   I’m taking a tarp and sleeping bag.  I’ll take things as they come.

To obtain the deeper benefits of travel, it’s important to exercise a degree of faith.   Too many people over-plan their trips.  They know exactly where they will stay every single night.  They know the bus and train schedules.  They know the exact route, the exact sites they will see.   This kind of obsessive planning is a form of fear.. fear of the unknown, fear of being out of control.  How can you learn or grow much when you are trying to rigidly control everything?

The magic of travel usually happens when plans fall apart… or are abandoned.   That’s when you discover unknown magical places.  That’s when you meet wonderful new people.   That’s when you are challenged… and rise to the challenge.

These days, I rarely bring a guidebook when traveling.   I might scan one BEFORE the trip… but don’t usually take it along.  I prefer to let things unfold… to practice sacred drift.

When you do that, you build your faith.   You begin to rely not on outside resources,… but on your own resourcefulness.  And you begin to realize that, in fact, the world generally is NOT a hostile place.  In fact, most people are nice.   Neither nature, nor animals, nor most people are out to get you.   And when you do encounter the occasional con-man or bastard… you handle it… and gain more faith in yourself.

The media is turning so many of us into fearful boring little cowards… afraid to encounter the unknown, the uncomfortable, or the uncertain.  The only cure for that is to turn off the TV…  and get out there!

“Failure of nerve is really failure to trust yourself”  –Alan Watts