There’s something about hundreds of hours in a car that makes my mind go flat line. Maybe it was road rash.

Now that I’m fully back from our month long road trip to the Southwest US, I thought I’d share a glimpse.

It wasn’t all ideal—like any trip there were initiations and dark nights of soul—but some cool shifts and practices emerged that I thought I’d share.

So many things I expected fell away. Working? Nearly non-existent internet access. Contemplation or planning? My soul’s unwillingness to focus. I was unable to have deep or worrisome thoughts.(A welcome respite.) But I also didn’t vision the year ahead or review the year just past. Create art: no, Knitting: yes!

As I traversed the desert landscape, a neutral palette of beige, brown, sage green and black, my mind reflected this interesting state of open space: wide, open, bare.

It was also surprisingly tiring. We slept in 18 places in 31 days. So much motion ruffled my auric feathers, and with it a beautiful discovery:

My favorite way to travel is spiritual pilgrimage. Moving through spaces in sacred presence every day, in prayer, meditation, and devotion. Retreat!

I thought about Mary Magdalene often, as she traveled often in similar landscape after escaping Jerusalem and Egypt. (If you’ve ever visited the Languedoc or Pyrenees, this region looked surprisingly similar.)

I adjusted my morning spiritual practices as we wandered. Cold crisp mornings warmed in our cozy vintage ham-can, always starting with tea.

I would meditate and pray the rosary tucked in my comfy bed. Often waking before dawn and would turn to the divine for morning report. (Insomnia tip!)

Leaving, I’d offer dried rose petals and anoint the land with sacred oils in thanksgiving for our protection through the night. And we’d be off again into the landscape for more space and thoughtless dreaming.

As we integrate this trip, I’ve thought a lot about the practices and routines that are the scaffolding of life. We are what we eat, and also what we DO. Our habits and practices that form the scaffolding of our consciousness. Who we are BEing is a result of our doing.

I’ve shifted many habits and practices since our return. Dropping some, deepening others, to meet who I am now. It’s been refreshing to notice what has been cleared away. Dross and gold sorted. Alchemy at work!

Now that I’m on firm ground again–in this very tender, world-in-peril moment–it’s time to share it with you.

Would you like to make and maintain a stronger connection to your Feminine Soul (through and with Mary Magdalene)?

Are you interested in exploring spiritual practices together?

Are you ready for a retreat? Or something to weave into your life NOW?