Evans Bowen is a self-described explorer, seeker, student, teacher, wife, and mom. She is also the creator of The Perpetual Pilgrim, a travel blog inspired by her life of sacred travel. But at the core of it all, she is someone who is always discovering, learning, and growing.
Always a traveler, Evans has been to all 50 states, Peru, Egypt, Jordan, Europe, Thailand, Taiwan, and Cambodia. In 2014 she walked the 500 miles of the Camino to Santiago, Spain with her 20-year-old daughter, Alexandra. This 40-day pilgrimage inspired this book.
But a pilgrimage does not have to involve a trip across a sea or a journey to a faraway place. Pilgrimages are personal, profound, spiritual, and as simple or as complex as you’d like.
“Sometimes what we need most in our lives is solitude and quiet so we can have time to listen to our heart. Pilgrimages to monasteries, ashrams, retreat centers or places of quiet feed the soul,” Evans shared, “But you get to discover and decide which places are sacred in your life. You may feel called to a site such as the Pyramids or a great cathedral, but you can just as easily find what you are looking for in your own backyard. The main component of any place that you find sacred is the awe, wonder, peace, and healing that you experience there.”
The first part of Evans’ book was created to be a guide for the physical journey, either around the world or close to home. Evans answers why taking a pilgrimage is so meaningful and what “is” a sacred site. Included is a step-by-step guide to help readers take a pilgrimage from the first whisperings of a Call, preparing for the journey, the journey itself, and the integration of that experience into life.
The second half of the book is 40 days of reflections to help readers and travelers find meaning in their journey and discover their authentic self. Each day is written to take the reader into their heart, unfold new experiences and recognize the knowledge that brings new understanding of their life and their world.
Pilgrimage: A Modern Seeker’s Guide is an external journey to a place longed for and an internal journey to the center of our most authentic self.
About The Book
A tradition of all religions, Pilgrimage is a journey to sacred sites as an act of devotion and dedication. It is time to expand the definition of Pilgrimage to inform modern life. Taking time to visit a place near home or around the globe, to open the mind and heart to the Divine, brings healing and new meaning to life. Pilgrimage is both an external journey to a place longed for and an internal journey to the center of our most authentic self.
Each part of the journey, from the first desire to visit a holy place, to the return home to integrate the experience, becomes the pilgrimage to expand our world, both body, and soul. Combining practical steps for the physical journey and 40 days of inspiration for the spirit, this guidebook gives this time-honored journey to the Divine to inform the whole person in our increasingly fragmented world.
“Excellent book about the history and the importance of pilgrimages. Bowen relates how going on a pilgrimage with her daughter brought her immeasurable peace and a sense of security to her soul. She lists all the different sites where people flock to reconnect with whatever divine being they are searching for. She lists a forty-day challenge for a pilgrim to consider as they take their journey. Bowen writes in an easy manner, her observations are simple and to the point. She stresses the value of a pilgrimage at any time in a person’s life. Whether they are in a difficult situation or lost, a reflective trip like this is a great investment to a person’s soul. Bowen loves her subject and her devotion shines through on every page. This is a thoughtful book because in the end the journey to get to know oneself can start with you and can be done in your own backyard.” author, Carole P. Roman
About The Author
Evans has a BA in Education from the University of Tennessee and is currently working on an MA in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. When not visiting sacred sites, she lives a quiet life in an old farmhouse in rural east Tennessee with her husband, two cats, and lots of books.
Readers can connect with Evans on her site, The Perpetual Pilgrim or on Facebook.
