Your spiritual journey is your own unique quest to find the purpose of your living, to define your happiness and find a deeper, more meaningful kind of peace.
There is no one path for each person when it comes to your spiritual quest. Everyone’s a wanderer with different maps and paces. There is not even a universal guide on how and where you can start your journey. It is an exclusively personal matter.
Why Do We Need It?
People embark on spiritual journeys to find meaning in life and make it more fulfilling to live. The journey is not just a straight path from point A to point B, where you start with questions and find answers at the end of it. It is a winding road of asking deeper questions and finding opportunities to gather knowledge and wisdom about life and yourself. As you go along, you learn, unlearn and relearn things. You shift your perspective and enrich your soul until you find a place of contentment and peaceful bliss.
Soul searching is among the first stages as well as the main reason for embarking on a spiritual journey — the need to find your core and define what is it that makes you alive. You search your soul in order to find your purpose and define what are your priorities in life. Is it happiness? Is it peace? Is it health? Or balance?
You are getting to know yourself on a deeper level. The process of soul searching starts with acknowledging every good and bad in you. You appreciate the good and cultivate it, while the bad things need to be addressed, resolved and let go.
It takes a higher level of self-awareness to awaken and face your negative emotions, like fears, stress, anguish and hatred. Soul searching and starting your spiritual journey to find a deeper meaning in life also means you find even the bad habits you have developed to cope and feel temporary and shallow feelings of pleasure and happiness.
People who are experiencing a spiritual crisis, who feel lost and even those suffering from addiction and substance abuse go on spiritual journeys to reset their life and find their appreciation for living again. This helps them in appreciating their life, find reasons to value and take better care of themselves and regain control — ironically, through letting go.
But it is important to note that people with serious conditions of substance abuse disorder must seek professional help to properly address their conditions first and foremost. You can find drug detox help in Massachusetts, as well as other clinics and institutions across other cities, which can provide better guidance and treatment for people suffering from addiction.
Where to start your journey?
Sometimes, it requires a new, foreign and unfamiliar place, to help you start your spiritual journey from scratch and decide based on how you feel from deep within. There are places around the world that are more conducive to allowing you to discover and forge a path for your spiritual journey. These places can feed you visually and spiritually to awaken your spirit and indulge it in a deeper form of happiness. But choosing a specific place can be a bit tricky and difficult, given that it has to be unknown and unfamiliar. Here are four of the best places to start your spiritual journey:
- India
India is one of the most spiritual places on earth and a destination for many people on their spiritual journey. It is believed to be the homeland of yoga making it a perfect destination to learn practices that can help you find your core and your soul. It holds a number of old cities that have been considered holy and blessed since ancient times.
Rishikesh is a city in India that is considered the yoga capital of the world and is known to be the center for studying yoga and meditation. It lies within the Himalayan foothills beside the Ganges River, which is believed to be holy. The city also has temples and ashrams or centers for spiritual studies. Exposing yourself to such an environment and India’s rich spiritual culture can definitely guide you towards your spiritual journey.
- Nepal
The Himalayas are a very special place, not just for mountaineers and hikers, but also for spiritual wanderers. Beyond Mount Everest, Nepal also has beautiful natural landscapes, Buddhist monasteries, and temples dedicated to meditation, where you can start your journey to self-discovery.
The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, offers a perfect balance of tourist destinations and healing activities. The city has monasteries for meditation and there are traditional Himalayan healers in the area.
The province of Lumbini is also ideal to visit for a deep spiritual exploration. It is among the holiest places of one of the world’s great religions — Buddhism, which centers on meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior as the path towards enlightenment or a state of nirvana.
Lumbini is the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha. The area is being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage center, and the archaeological remains related to the birth of the Lord Buddha is featured. Being in the province can bring forth a certain feeling of ease and a level of connection to the people living in it, their practices and its whole origin. This can provide you with deeper wisdom as you embark on your spiritual journey.
- Peru
The Sacred Valley in Peru is another place with mystical influence and long trails to explore. The country is known for Machu Picchu, which is a fascinating archaeological site of ancient Inca ruins. It is filled with wonders and secrets awaiting to be discovered, which can heavily influence your perspective and your journey towards rediscovering life and yourself.
It is believed that Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century without the use of mortar, metal tools, or the wheel. It can put you in awe and fill you with wonder as to how people in ancient times were able to create a whole city with bare hands. Through its natural mystical landscapes and ruins, you can wallow deeper into what drives you to create and what you are really capable of even without tools that make life easy today.
Moreover, Peru has other sites that can allow you to find peace and rediscover life. Its traditional Andean plant medicine in northern Peru and Pachamama (mother earth) healing ritual centered on man’s reconnection with his self, the earth, and cosmic creators can be a truly transformational and enlightening experience.
- Mexico
Mexico is inherently mystical and magical and has a long tradition of spirituality. The country is known for its festivities for religious and spiritual celebrations, which attract a lot of tourists. But beyond this, Mexico has places far from crowded tourist beaches with Mayan sites.
Mexico has Mayan lands like the state of Quintana Roo, where there are various activities and experiences that can help you reconnect with yourself. These activities include Temazcal, which is close to being in a sauna, but you will be chanting traditional prayers and set intentions. You can also witness the Sacred Mayan Journey, one of the oldest traditions in Quintana Roo. It is an annual event that commemorates the greatness of the Maya Itza people as Great Navigators.
More so, there are other Mayan sites you can visit to immerse yourself and gather knowledge and wisdom. Chichen Itza, a city in the Yucatan Peninsula, is an area within a jungle with very mystic ruins of the Mayan civilization. It is a wonderful and enchanting place to align your mind, body and soul through exploration.
Your Spiritual Journey Always Starts Within You
Your spiritual journey is yours and yours alone. It is an intimate commitment you do for yourself and by yourself. You start your journey upon deciding that you are ready to start. Wandering into the unknown to rediscover yourself and your life ahead can be a daunting journey. It is important to put yourself in the right headspace as well as the right environment to do this.
Surround yourself with the right influences and start your journey in a place that, though unfamiliar, is comforting and peaceful. Choose a city that is fascinating for you, where you can wander, learn, and discover sights, history, practices and activities that will guide you towards your spiritual journey and beyond.
