What is Karma Yoga

Karma yoga derives from the Sanskrit word that means “action or doing” and is based on engaging in selfless acts for others. It is about removing the egotistical question of “what do I receive through doing this?” And about simply acting without focusing on gain or result. Karma yoga is one of the four branches of yoga and is an ancient practice that draws on the law of Karma to help make you a more compassionate and loving person, as well as to make the entire world a happier and kinder place. 

The summer solstice during Mayan times

As many people know, the Maya were astronomers with their focus being mainly on the movements of the sun. Many of their sites, including Chichen Itza, were built in a way that seems to align with the sun’s changing position throughout the year. 

The summer solstice (Saq ‘Q’ij in Mayan) was an important time for the Maya as they used this time for celebrating, dancing, and performing ceremonies to connect with the Light. This was also a time when they travelled to other dimensions in search of answers and solutions to problems so that they could create a better world. They observed that on this day each year, the sun seems to become ‘still’ giving them the longest day, which they saw as a special time of purification, abundance, fertility and youth. 

The Buddha made it clear during his lifetime that he and his teachings are simply the raft, not the shore. He wanted his followers to not indulge in idolization, but instead inner transformation. Nonetheless, he wished for his followers to visit the sites of the Buddha.

Mindfulness in Buddhism is worth examining deeply. COVID has left us stressed and in search of meaning. It has increased our suffering considerably. According to Buddhist tradition, cultivating mindfulness deepens understanding of our thought patterns, neurosis, and leads to a profound sense of gratitude for life’s many gems. It can also eliminate suffering.

With deep enough practice, transformation happens. We transmute our suffering into peace and insight while obtaining the power to do the same for the surrounding world. This type of internal reconfiguration is extremely valuable not only during these times of increased suffering but all the time. 

We may think that mindfulness simply means to be present during a seated practice, but in Buddhist tradition it goes much deeper than that. Foremost, it teaches that seated breath meditation is simply not enough. Mindfulness in Buddhism teaches that with Right Diligence we should aim to sustain present moment awareness throughout our entire days.

The Joseph Campbell monomyth has become somewhat legendary in academic circles. Mythologists, literary critics, and fervent spiritual seekers alike have turned toward Campbell’s mythic model not only to understand folk tales and lore, but to comprehend their own journeys, too.

Joseph Campbell was a mythologist who got his start studying the humanities as a college student. He took a particular interest in medievalism, eastern religions, and foreign languages. Biographical accounts detail how during the great depression, Campbell spent the remainder of most of his 20s in Woodstock, New York engulfed in reading and studying.

Pilgrimage is an art form. It’s an ancient practice with roots in times where the veil between physical life and the sacred was much thinner.

Since 2003, Sacred Earth Journeys has worked tirelessly to show the world that it’s in dire need of the reinstallation of pilgrimage as a common reason to travel.

Since then, we’ve worked with various teachers, healers, medicine people, and elders from the world’s many sacred traditions. 

From the Maya in the Yucatan all the way to Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, we’ve woven powerful, educational, and healing journeys throughout various landscapes, bringing people together from all walks of life.

Sacred Earth Journeys is leading the way in 2022 pilgrimages for the post COVID world. According to a recent article by National Geographic, “More travelers than ever are embarking on pilgrimages, a trend that may boom in a post-COVID world, as people move away from short-haul city breaks toward fewer flights and longer trips with a sense of purpose.”

Enter Phil Cousineau. Working with Phil for over a decade has imbued our mission as promoters of pilgrimage with insight and magic.

Our participants who decide to travel with Phil always come away with a deeper sense of themselves as wanderers, artists, and mythopoetic journeyers through life at large. 

One writer, Victoria Coen, had this to say after traveling with us and Phil on a writer’s retreat in Greece: 

“Phil is an exceptional leader, teacher, writer, storyteller. . .I enjoyed his immense knowledge of Greek history and his incredible way of conveying it in engaging storytelling format which made the learning more intellectually stimulating as well as emotionally captivating.”

Travel can be a sacred act. Many people on the planet are waking up to the idea that true  “pilgrimage” is a tangible possibility. Traveling mindfully is an intentional process, an active rather than passive way of traveling.

Intentional, sacred travel, even, is a process by which we can connect to the deeper meaning of life.

In his The Art of Pilgrimage, Phil Cousineau writes, “The art of pilgrimage is the craft of taking time seriously, elegantly. What every traveler confronts sooner or later is that the way we spend each day of our travel . . . is the way we spend our lives.”

Phil isn’t only a well-read, adventurous author—he’s also one of our veteran tour leaders who’s been crafting expansive journeys with us for many years. 

It’s because of leaders like Phil that we’re reminded of the importance of how to best travel. . . and how to best spend our lives. 

Whenever people think of Greek myths, they often conjure up images of an imaginary past in which gods and goddesses interacted with humans and heroes went on epic journeys around the ancient world.

Some of Ancient Greece’s most famous myths were not only rooted in reality, but are also alive and well today.

Travelers can revel in the enduring legacy of these myths by standing on the soil where Amazon warriors displayed their incredible strength, where Hercules first lit the Olympic torch, and where the Oracle of Delphi guided people to discover themselves in order to understand the world around them.

These myths are part of ancient Greece’s enduring legacy, and continue to shape the country — and most of the world — to this very day.

1. The Amazons

According to Greek mythology, the Amazons were a tribe of female warriors that lived in Themiscyra, an area located in present-day Turkey.

Visiting sacred sites, studying sacred mythology, meeting new people abroad, and learning from spiritual teachers are all factors driving people into spiritual travel.

You see, ever since stay-at-home orders went into place due to COVID-19, people have been waking up to their need for more meaningful connections and experiences.

Even Deepak Chopra predicts the future of wellness travel after COVID. His verdict?

Chopra says people are looking for a reconnection to existence. From exploring nature to seeking wellness travel, people yearn to form meaningful social connections as well as connections to why they’re alive.

Chopra even predicts people will begin seeking out spiritual sites more and more. 

What is spiritual travel exactly? 

~Jacob Lopez, staff writer

Cusco represents the heart of the Inca civilization. It is there that many begin their pilgrimage to Inca cities such as Machu Picchu in the Andes. Inspired by the mystery and transformative power of Andean indigenous traditions, many undertake adventures such as our very own Heart of the Pachamama with Puma Quispe Singona. But now, and for the last 100 years, there has been another set of explorations from Cusco. Researchers have been navigating through the Peruvian Amazon for signs of the Lost City of Paititi.

Discovering Paititi would be extremely beneficial for both our preservation and understanding of the culture of the Inca. Finding such places and artifacts ensures their protection. The preservation of sites also enables researchers to study them and bring to light things previously unknown.

In 1979, two French-Peruvian explorers named Nicole and Herbert Cartegena discovered the agrarian settlement of Mameria. Their discovery provides the very first written proof of Incan presence within the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Mameria contains approximately 15 square miles of houses in the pirca style of the Inca. 

~Jacob Lopez, staff writer

By creating a Peru travel itinerary surrounding the many Peru sacred sites, you’re securing yourself an immersive experience in a culture rich with healing arts. 

When describing the importance of pilgrimage to Peru’s sacred sites such as the Sacred Valley Peru, our journey leader Puma Quispe Singona says: “There is so much that is constantly affecting us. So we need to take care of our heart. We need to take care of our mind. . .We have ceremonies. We have rituals. We have ways of being and thinking. . .so we can be healthier. So we can be happier and in inner peace.” 

Puma is an Andean medicine man and wisdom keeper who leads our Heart of the Pachamama journeys through the sacred lands of Peru. 

In this article, we serve as your guide to forming a Peru travel itinerary to discover Peru sacred sites based on our own time in Peru with Puma. You’ll learn where to go and what to do during your time among the traditions of the Andes in Peru.

Sacred Earth Journeys has lately been on a bit of a Joseph Campbell kick. Is that surprising? His work embodies the Sacred Earth Journeys mission of mythological education and personal transformation. We’re endlessly delighted at all the Joseph Campbell books and quotes teaching our pilgrims that we too are heroes in this world full of labyrinthine journeys and prospective transformation. 

Better yet, his work inspires the physical manifestation of taking the hero’s journey, that is, taking an actual trip abroad.