Cee the Traveler

When I travel I cannot carry as many books as I would like.  The weight of my camera equipment, my computer, my Kindle and a few books are all I can manage.  It seems that I always dream of myself as someone who travels"light" but in reality I carry way too much when I travel.  My backpack gets awfully heavy but no matter what I need to include the three books that I refer to as my manuals:  

My Three Manuals

These three manuals support beliefs and values and when I am struggling with my thoughts on travel and my beliefs they become essential.  I used two of the books when I did presentations on Sundays at Church and when I presented at my Women's Spiritually Group.  My Group is in Delaware so I can no longer attend; not that I wouldn't want to and not that they wouldn't welcome me. (I miss them.)

The Way of the Traveler (Making Every Trip a Journey of Self-Discovery, Joseph Dispenza.
This is one of my favorite books because I can relate to it whether I am traveling from State to State, via the Travel Channel or Travel Literature, or relating my thoughts to traveling on the Great Journey that I call My Life.

Book Excerpt:  Once we begin to see travel as an inner journey, it is possible to turn every trip we take into a spiritual practice--a hero's adventure that enlivens our hearts and enlarges our souls.  Travel becomes a spiritual experience for us when we are conscious at every moment that our physical transportation from place to place has a metaphysical counterpart.  Understanding that the road takes us inexorably to an encounter with the "stranger" at the heart of the journey--the transformed self.

Undertaken with awareness, travel surely is one of the most available and most effective means to nourish broaden, and quicken the soul.  The destination does not matter as much as the attention we give to the understanding that all travel is inner travel.

When we venture out into the world (into ourselves) with that knowledge, we are giving meaning to even the most mundane trip--and giving ourselves the opportunity to grow our life of the spirit in ways we might never have imagined.

The words above are from the book's Introduction and every time I read them it helps me make sense of why I can enjoy going back to the same touristy streets, visiting the same touristy shops, and talking to the same sales clerks without feeling that I am wasting my time.  I find these walks to be rewarding and enhancing to my everyday life.

Medicine Cards, Jamie Sams & David Carson
A deck of animal cards comes with this book.  The book has examples of ways to use the cards and explanations about the medicines/strengths of the animals.  I used this book when I was working at a job that was quite unpleasant because of the way the manager handled situations.  In order for me to get through each day, I would randomly open the book to an animal page and I would try to apply the strengths of that animal to my everyday situations.  I give Animal Medicine credit for my staying at that job as long as I needed and to come away from it as a sane and whole person.  The use of this book and cards helps me when I am trying to get my spirit and life back in balance.

The Four-Fold Way- Walking the Paths of the Warrior,Teacher, Healer and Visionary, Angeles Arrien, PH.D

I started reading this many times but I didn't stick with it.  I used bits and pieces of it, but now that I am designating the year 2014 as The Year of Finding and Living a Balanced Life, I feel that I need to read it from cover to cover and to make and follow practices as I walk my Journey.

This is how the book begins:

Make prayers to the Raven.

Raven that is,

Raven that was,

Raven that will always be.

Make prayers to the Raven.

Raven, ring us luck.

--from the Koyukon, Ravensong

Anyone who knows me, know that Raven is my Totem and I have a special place in my heart for him/her.  

Raven in Sitka, Alaska

And, so this is how I am going to use this book to help me achieve a better more balanced, more aware lifestyle.

These are the four principles that comprise the Four-Fold Way:

1.  Show up, or choose to be present.  Being present allows us to access the human

     resources of power, presence, and communication.  This the way of the Warrior.

2.  Pay attention to what has heart and meaning.  Paying attention opens us to the

     human resources of love, gratitude, acknowledgment, and validation.  This is the way

     of the Healer.

3.  Tell the truth without blame or judgment.  Nonjudgmental truthfulness maintains

     our authenticity, and develops our inner vision and intuition.  This is the way of the

     Visionary.

4.  Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.  Openness and non attachment help

     us recover the human resources of wisdom and objectivity.  This is the way of the

    Teacher.

And so, despite all that is going on I know deep in my heart that if I try to follow the lessons that are presented above, I will come out just where I am supposed to be and my life will be more balanced.

And, a warm-hearted thank you to all my friends who offer me advice and help me get through the tough time.

Happy Trails (until we meet again).