2019 marks the seventh year of A Sacred Journey, and because I've decided to enter a rhythm of sabbatical every seven years, this means 2019 will be a bit quieter at asacredjourney.net. While the Journey Shop will still be open, Journey Guide will still be available, and I'll still be meeting with clients, I won't be writing new posts, publishing new episodes, or sending out many emails. Before I press pause, though, I wanted to share with you about the practice of sabbatical so you can join me and in intention from afar. Learn more about sabbatical and how you can make it a practice of your own, too, in today's episode with John Valters Paintner, online prior at abbeyofthearts.com. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates and download a free pilgrim guide at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

Are you planning a pilgrimage? This episode is brought to you by Journey Guide, a step-by-step travel companion for your pilgrimage of a lifetime. Journey Guide is a multi-media travel resource infused with soul, including guides and writing prompts for each stage of the journey, worksheets and resources to go deeper, interviews with pilgrims, and more. Learn more about Journey Guide at asacredjourney.net.

No matter your journey, there will always be seasons of darkness. Sometimes we find ourselves in these dark places, as with dark nights of the soul. At other times we choose to enter the unknown on our search for the Sacred. Either way, though unexpected, one thing is certain—hidden treasures can often be found in our places of darkness if we engage them with openness and curiosity. In today's episode, I explore this topic and more with depth psychologist Vanya Stier-Van Essen. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Journey Shop, where I sell handmade and designed resources to inspire your journeys at home and abroad. The Journey Shop is filled with tools for spiritual practice, including my popular liturgical wall calendar, compass cues reflection cards, wearable prayer beads, and more. Visit the Journey Shop at asacredjourney.net/shop.

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a centuries-old walking pilgrimage that has grown in popularity in recent years, attracting seekers from around the globe. Learn more about the famed pilgrimage and how to tend to each stage of the journey in my conversation with Michael Snyder of Santiago de Compostela's Pilgrim House, a welcome center and ministry for Camino pilgrims. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates and download a free pilgrim guide at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

Are you planning a pilgrimage? This episode is brought to you by Journey Guide, a step-by-step travel companion for your pilgrimage of a lifetime. Journey Guide is a multi-media travel resource infused with soul, including guides and writing prompts for each stage of the journey, worksheets and resources to go deeper, interviews with pilgrims, and more. Learn more about Journey Guide at asacredjourney.net.

In biblical times, dreams proclaimed truths and altered paths. What insight do our dreams have to offer our journeys today? Spiritual director Kasey Hitt and I talk about the messages of dreams and how they are considered "unopened letters from God," making dreamwork a valuable and often underutilized spiritual practice. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Journey Shop, where I sell handmade and designed resources to inspire your journeys at home and abroad. The Journey Shop is filled with tools for spiritual practice, including my popular liturgical wall calendar, compass cues reflection cards, wearable prayer beads, and more. Visit the Journey Shop at asacredjourney.net/shop.

Even though your journey might be over, it doesn't mean your time as a pilgrim has come to an end. In today's episode, spiritual formation teacher Pat Loughery and I talk about how to "bring the journey home" and approach pilgrimage not only as a way of travel but as a way of life, including daily rhythms, practices, and more. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates and download a free pilgrim guide at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by my upcoming Pilgrim Principles Online Course. Join us as we explore together what it means to live like a pilgrim in everyday life. We’ve already got a great group forming, but there’s still room for you! Registration closes on September 29th and the course begins on September 30th. Learn more and register »

Pilgrimage is about more than adventurous travels to far off places—it's about practicing awareness and intention in every aspect of life. In today's episode, I explore these topics, as well as how to practice pilgrimage at home through the work of social change, with Shawn Askinosie, founder of Askinosie Chocolate, family brother at Assumption Abbey, and author of Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates and download a free pilgrim guide at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by my upcoming Pilgrim Principles Online Course, a seven-week journey with fellow seekers exploring further what it means to live like a pilgrim in everyday life. Registration opens August 29, and the course will begin September 30! Be the first to know when registration is open when you sign up to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/subscribe.

The 13th Century Christian mystic Meister Eckhart declared, "I pray God to rid me of God." Eckhart, however, wasn't throwing in the towel on his spiritual journey. Instead, his desire was to be rid of his own limited notions of God to make room for the true Mystery that is the Divine. This is the beginning of the mystical journey, and today author and minister Amos Smith shares with us his insights on the mystical path and how it is an everyday journey that can lead to both inner and outer transformation. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates and download a free pilgrim guide at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

Are you planning a pilgrimage? This episode is brought to you by Journey Guide, a step-by-step travel companion for your pilgrimage of a lifetime. Journey Guide is a multi-media travel resource infused with soul, including guides and writing prompts for each stage of the journey, worksheets and resources to go deeper, interviews with pilgrims, and more. Learn more about Journey Guide at asacredjourney.net.

Much of our journeys in everyday life are slow seasons of unfolding and awakening, and often these journeys require great courage in order to reach the other side. This is true for many in the LGBTQ community, and to mark Pride month I'm excited to have my friend and fellow spiritual director Daniel Tidwell share with you his own coming out journey. This episode is a bit longer than most, but the best stories take time, and Daniel leaves us in the end with wisdom we can each apply to our own journeys, no matter our orientation. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Journey Shop, where I sell handmade and designed resources to inspire your journeys at home and abroad. The Journey Shop is filled with tools for spiritual practice, including my popular liturgical wall calendar, compass cues reflection cards, wearable prayer beads, and more. Visit the Journey Shop at asacredjourney.net/shop.

What does it mean to travel like a pilgrim and how can it be done affordably? Therapist, spiritual director, and seasoned pilgrim Ryan Moore answers these questions and more as we talk about his many pilgrimages and best travel tips. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

Are you planning a pilgrimage? This episode is brought to you by Journey Guide, a step-by-step travel companion for your pilgrimage of a lifetime. Journey Guide is a multi-media travel resource infused with soul, including guides and writing prompts for each stage of the journey, worksheets and resources to go deeper, interviews with pilgrims, and more. Learn more about Journey Guide at asacredjourney.net.

There are journeys in life that we plan and look forward to with anticipation, and then there are the journeys that life brings us. For me, these past few years have taken me on a journey through infertility, and I'm not alone. One in eight couples experience infertility and/or pregnancy loss, and it's a story that's often untold, making the journey all the more isolating. In today's extended episode, I'm sharing my own journey and also interviewing author Breanna Chud and therapist and priest Danae Ashley about their fertility journeys as well. Whether or not you're struggling with infertility, this episode is for you, because we all likely know someone who is, and one thing is certain: we all need tender and compassionate companions who are willing to journey with us wherever the road might lead. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Journey Shop, where I sell handmade and designed resources to inspire your journeys at home and abroad. The Journey Shop is filled with tools for spiritual practice, including my popular liturgical wall calendar, wearable prayer beads, and more. For the next few weeks, you’ll also be able to purchase a Creation-themed Limited Edition set of prayer beads inspired by my upcoming Creation Pilgrimage. Visit the Journey Shop at asacredjourney.net to claim yours before they sell out!

Have a case of wanderlust, a curious spirit, and a desire to know yourself and God in deeper ways? Then solo travel might be calling to you. In today's new episode I'm talking to psychotherapist Amber Englund, who took a solo trip to Italy last fall and returned home transformed and renewed. In our conversation, we explore what made her decide to make this journey alone, how she crafted a meaningful journey, and the ways in which her experience has influenced her life at home. Find episode notes and subscribe to receive updates at asacredjourney.net/podcast.

Ready to create your own meaningful journey? This episode is brought to you by Journey Guide, a step-by-step travel companion for your pilgrimage of a lifetime. Journey Guide is a multi-media travel resource infused with soul, including guides and writing prompts for each stage of the journey, worksheets and resources to go deeper, interviews with seasoned pilgrims, and more. Learn more about Journey Guide at asacredjourney.net.