City Magick: Urban Rituals, Spells and Shamanism - Christopher Penczak 2001

Sacred Pilgrimages
Our Town

There are times when you need a change of scene. You need to make a journey, physically and spiritually, to effect the proper change in you. You may need to go deeper than you normally do in your magical journeys. Traditionally, many mystics go to spiritual sites, traveling far and wide in search of this new awakening. Shamans go off into the wilderness for training they can get from no physical, human teacher. They go questing for their power. The European wild-man /magician goes off to the woods for a bout of madness leading to sacred enlightenment. Some say Merlin went off on such an adventure before returning as a mage. Priests and priestesses, sacred orders throughout time, have cloistered themselves from the world to seek spiritual expansion. The idea of removing oneself from the normal, waking environment for a magical quest, a sacred pilgrimage to commune with the forces of nature, is common in both myth and reality. Such an adventure greatly benefits the city magician.

Think about taking your own journey. What is the goal of the retreat? Does a particular land call to you? Meditate on where you need to go. You can travel to the more famous sacred sites-Stonehenge, the pyramids in Egypt, the ruins in Mexico, Jerusalem, the temple of Delphi in Greece, Sedona, Arizona, or Mount Shasta in California. Many spiritually orientated tours are available for those seeking to visit the sacred sites with like-minded people and possibly be involved in ceremony or meditation at the sites. Many spiritual-retreat weekends and festivals are available, offering classes, workshops, rituals, and drumming circles, along with and a variety of recreational activities. They offer a great chance to recharge your psychic batteries and commune with a new environment and a new community.

For those with a specific spiritual goal in mind, travel alone is best. You may simply leave the city you live in for its outskirts, the surrounding wilderness, driving only a few hours. Change your environment. Most major cities are not far from a beautiful area near a lake or mountain to which the urbanites retreat for much-needed vacations. Go camping or rent an isolated cabin. Live off the land, if you have the skills needed. Devote the day to your magical pursuits, making it a learning retreat. The level of intensity and commitment is up to you. Hardcore vision-questers will spend the majority of their days trancing, speaking to spirits, and working magick. Speak to your guides and totems. In the woods, you may find a different totem from the one who guides you in the city. Go with it. Seek out new things and new experiences. Create and, most important, have fun. Seeking spirituality may bring enlightenment eventually, but it brings joy first.