Pilgrimage Pathways for the United States: Creating Pilgrimage Routes to Enrich Lives, Enhance Community, and Restore Ecosystems

An inspirational argument for the creation of a new pilgrimage tradition in the United States. Pilgrimage is a sacred tradition that has existed around the world for centuries. Every year, hundreds of thousands of devotees from different cultures and faiths around the world embark on journeys to such holy sites as Santiago de Compostela, Mecca, or Benares, each with different intentions or goals in mind. For some making a pilgrimage is an act of devotion, while for others it is a more secular experience of personal restoration, time spent in nature, and a chance to experience community. And yet, while pilgrimage sites have long existed in other countries, there has never existed a tradition of pilgrimage within the United States. In this book, James E. Mills makes the inspiring case for the creation of a network of walking pilgrimage routes across the country. As more personalized spiritual beliefs emerge today, American pilgrimage routes offer the potential to heal societal divisions while also fostering a new ethos of humanitarianism and environmentalism. Those of us who are concerned about our future will discover that pilgrimage holds the potential for connecting and protecting our natural world. The author also addresses the many practical considerations for future American pilgrimage routes, including their creation, development, ownership and administration. Pilgrimage Pathways for the United States will appeal to anyone considering a personal pilgrimage, whether for spiritual or secular reasons. Environmentalists, religious officials, interfaith clergy, political leaders, community developers and activists will find both inspiration and motivation in Mills's thought provoking discussion.