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A visit with #sacredtravel author, Evans Bowen

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. She’s also a world traveler who has visited all 50 states, Peru, Egypt, Jordan, Europe, Thailand, Taiwan, and Cambodia.

 

 

But in 2018, she added something new to her impressive resume; AUTHOR!

 

Inspired by her 2014 500-mile walk on the Camino to Santiago, Spain, with her 20-year-old daughter, Alexandra, Evans created an amazing spiritual guidebook for all those yearning to wander.

 

Her 40-day pilgrimage inspired this book, Pilgrimage: a Modern Seeker’s Guide, and Evans is also the first one to note that 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 complex as you’d like.

 

We were lucky enough to catch this lovely woman before she embarked on yet another adventure and got a deeper insight into the creation of Pilgrimage: a Modern Seeker’s Guide.

 

  1. What was your “ah-ha” moment that inspired you to sit down and write Pilgrimage?

My friend Valarie gave me about 45 cards—one for each day on my walk on the Camino. Toward the end, I thought they would be a good starting point for a book. 

 

When we got in the car to leave Santiago, I told her that those cards would make a good book.  A few weeks later, I wrote them out on a poster board and saw a distinct pattern that made them very special.  

 

As I researched pilgrimages, I developed the stages differently than other writers.  I felt like there were 7 distinct parts to a pilgrimage instead of the usual 4-5 that most writers talk about.  I had to put the book aside while I was taking care of my elderly father and mother, but the next year, I came back to it. 

 

In the summer of 2016, I taught the 7 stages as part of a conference and then came home—went on a retreat to the beach, and wrote.

 

 

  1. Who is your mentor or biggest influencer in your writing?

 

I’ve always been a big reader; it is my main hobby and joy.  When my children were in school, I would read hundreds of spiritually based books over the years. 

 

I had a mentor named Page Bryant, who passed away last year; she wrote around 12 books on spiritual subjects. Every time I visited her, she told me I was going to write a book. Later, she told me I would write many books—we will see about that!

Page taught me rituals, earth energy, and the sacredness of the land. She loved England and Egypt and so do I. I developed my own ideas about sacred sites from her influence.

 

  1. If you were to let readers know ONE THING about Pilgrimage, what would that one thing be?

 

That pilgrimage is really a way of experiencing the world.   It is the lens I use to see the beauty and sacredness of life—not just a specific place but an attitude.

 

  1. You mentioned that pilgrimages can be as complex as a journey to see the pyramids or as simple as holding quiet space in your backyard. Do you have any personal examples of your “types” of pilgrimages?

 

I’ve taken almost every imaginable type of trip— group tour, hiking, road trip, cruise—each has advantages and disadvantages.  I’ve taken long trips and very short trips.   Just two weeks ago, I went just 3 hours away to Nashville—a place I know very well. I went to several places I go to often, and on that day, I had incredible experiences at these places.

 

There is always something new to discover and see. I particularly like gardens and went to several when I was recently in California. I am also very happy at cathedrals and standing stones- there is no way to miss the power in those places.

 

 

  1. If you were to give any advice to those who dream of writing and publishing a book, what advice would you give?

You must develop your own voice and style and, above all, be yourself. I first started writing a blog, which helped me find my voice and also gave me discipline. I have not missed one month of blogging since I started in 2012. Blogging made me accountable for writing regularly.

 

  1. What are you most grateful for?

 

I live in a time when the whole world is available to me, and I have the freedom to enjoy this beautiful world.

 

 

  1. What and where is your next personal pilgrimage?

 

In August I will be taking my mother to see her favorite musicals in NYC.   It is a walk down memory lane for her, and I will enjoy experiencing that with her. Next year I’m taking a pilgrimage to Japan. There is a sister pilgrimage to the Camino on the island of Shikoku called the 88 Temples. It is also a thousand years old, just like the Camino. I will be walking parts of it and visiting many of the temples.

 

Evans’ book can be purchased via the AudreyPress.com website, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.