Bucket List or Pilgrimage?
I never knew Oxford was on my bucket list until discovering it as a location for our Advance. It has been 43-years since I last traveled to the United Kingdom. Decades have passed with longings to visit destinations I missed during my summer backpacking adventure through Europe in 1980. I knew nothing about Oxford as I embarked on my first overseas trip before starting college that autumn.
Before writing this blog, I rummaged through the antique trunk containing high school and college treasures in search of my travel journal. I chuckle at the musings and detailed records of my 18-year-old self and recalled being asked by new British acquaintances, “Who shot J.R.?” and “Have you ever met Mork?” (I still don’t know who shot J.R.) Followed quickly with complaints about the volcanic ash newly erupted Mt. St. Helens was spreading across the U.K. No need to bring souvenirs from the great State of Washington! I spent much of my senior year working and saving money for airline tickets, Eurail and youth hostel passes, obtaining my first passport, and pouring over travel guides. Preparation is just as exciting as the destination and equally as formative.
In The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, Phil Cousineau describes pilgrimage as, “A transformative journey to a sacred center” and claims “a journey without a challenge has no meaning; one without purpose has no soul.”[1] I am considering this journey to Oxford a sacred place in which I will both “lose and find myself.”[2] Though The Art of Pilgrimage is not the book assigned for this week’s blog post I am finding it a helpful companion as I prepare for our Oxford Advance. I sense an invitation to greater awareness of God’s movement not only in my life but in the people and the history of the places I will soon encounter. Cousineau describes the seven stages of pilgrimage as: The Longing, The Call, Departure, The Pilgrim’s Way, The Labyrinth, Arrival, and Bringing back the Boon. I can’t help but notice the similarities with Joseph Campbell’s three acts of the Hero’s Journey. In fact, Cousineau quotes Campbell frequently and phoned him as part of his departure ritual before a journey to Paris.[3] By way of reminder, Campbell’s three acts are The Departure, The Initiation, and The Return.[4]
My adventure in 1980 was the first of many departures which most people never expected I would make. My mother waited at the terminal gate convinced that I would disembark before my Pan Am flight pulled away and headed for the runway. As tempted as I was to do just that, I had a sense that my trip was more of a personal pilgrimage than an exciting summer holiday or destinations to be checked off my bucket list. It remains a very significant event in my young-adult life. It marked a rite of passage, an initiation for me as I set out to discover myself, take full responsibility for my decisions, and dream about my future. Reflecting on my return a new self-confidence arose, a fresh calling to walk with God, and a quiet determination to meet the challenges ahead with courage.
As I approach this second visit it is a different kind of pilgrimage. A new finding of myself at a later stage of life. A reflective signpost or touchstone that finds me looking both backwards and forwards. From this vantage point I am pondering the various stages of my spiritual, academic, and leadership development as I dream and pray about what my future holds. I am anticipating new insights as I mark the stages of my own pilgrimage with Cousineau and Campbell as my guides.
In my imagination Oxford appears to be an “other-worldly” almost mystical place. Reading The Secret History of Oxford by Paul Sullivan was both entertaining and insightful. Reading the book left me wanting more and I made plenty use of Google searches and YouTube videos as I read through the book. I had no idea King Henry VIII founded Christ Church College![5] I was unaware of how political and religious tensions impacted Oxford University’s development which began in 1265.[6] It was fascinating to read the lists of prominent people who graduated from Oxford’s colleges and wondered what their aspirations and hopes were as they began their studies. I imagine Oxford a “sacred center” and a pilgrimage as each student embarked on their academic journey hopeful of discerning their unique vocation and contribution to the world.
Thanks to the Secrets of Oxford’s Streets video one of my must see sights at Oxford was The Eagle and the Child’s Rabbit Room where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien discussed their writing.[7] Though disappointed, I look forward to a good meal and rich fellowship at The Lamb & Flag and discovering how English pubs get their unusual names. However, it is the Bodleian Library, the Ashmolean Museum, and various churches I am most excited to see. I hope to learn more about the Jewish history of Oxford and visit the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish studies. I’m hopeful of a visit to the Oxford Botanic Gardens and plenty of long walks! Walking is a critical aspect of pilgrimage, offering space to listen, feel, think, and hear God’s still small voice as others have before me in this fascinating city.
Whether bucket list, pilgrimage, or a hero’s journey transformation will always take place within the traveler. All require a level of risk resulting in the reward of greater awareness as to who we are becoming and how God is at work in our world.
How might your time at Oxford be a pilgrimage for you?
- Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred (Coral Gables, FL: Conari Press, 2021), xxix.
- Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage, xxx.
- Cousineau, 79.
- Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2008), 28-29.
- Paul Sullivan, The Secret History of Oxford (Stroud, UK: The History Press, 2013), 52.
- Sullivan, The Secret History, 24.
- The Secret of Oxford’s Streets, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jck5VOnNL0s
About the Author
Jenny Dooley
Jenny served as a missionary in Southeast Asia for 28 years. She currently resides in Gig Harbor, Washington, where she works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Spiritual Director in private practice with her husband, Eric. Jenny loves to listen and behold the image of God in others. She enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family which include 5 amazing adult children, 3 awesome sons-in-law, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and 8 delightful grandchildren.18 responses to “Bucket List or Pilgrimage?”
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Jenny, the first time I went to Oxford my family was with me, including our son who grew up with Harry Potter. I watched him experience Oxford with a sense of wonder that made the whole trip more interesting for everyone. If he were to read Campbell and see Rowling’s work through the hero’s journey framework, I wonder how our conversation might be today. Of course, he is now in his twenties and some of the “other-worldly-ness” he experienced then would undoubtedly be tempered.
I think this second trip for me is one where I want to connect history with the present. There are so many characters in Oxford’s past who have contributed to some of my interests, including my research, that my anticipation of new discoveries and connections is higher, albeit a bit more academic, than my first encounter there. Sullivan has helped to create that.
Hi Travis,
I have to admit I have only read the first Harry Potter book and seen maybe two of the films. I may have to borrow the full set from from of my now adult kids.
I enjoyed looking up some of the Oxford graduates and in particular reading up on John Wesley…more to come in Bebbington. Was there someone who particularly stood out to you from reading Sullivan?
Thank you, Jenny! I am intrigued by the book you recommended by Phil Cousineau and have it ordered.
The idea of pilgrimage reminds me of the Celtic “thin places” where they believed the spiritual world would touch their world in specific locations. A thinness that would expose their humanness in light of God’s greatness. The Celts often embarked on pilgrimages to experience God in greater ways in places where saints were born, past miracles happened, or where God’s creation would awaken their spirits. I referenced this in my research for my NPO since this desire seems to grow substantially in midlife.
I so look forward to Oxford because, like you, there is a deep longing for more. More of Christ; more of who He desires me to become; more learning; more understanding of what needs to be let go of…
Jenny, I am honored to be on this journey to Oxford with you and our cohort.
Hi Esther,
I hope you enjoy Cousineau. It has inspired me to slow down, be more aware of my surroundings, the people, and history of the places I visit, but also to be more aware of myself and how God may speak in unfamiliar environments. “Thin places” came to mind frequently when writing the post. A book I enjoyed on Celtic spirituality is called, Braving the Thin Places, by Julianne Stanz.
I am so excited to experience Oxford with you and the cohort as well!!
Hi Jenny,
I know we are going to have a blast! It will be great to catch up and soak up the academic aura of the place.
I look forward to climbing one of the “Ivory Towers.” Perhaps from there I will be able to see the war in Ukraine? The tragedy of lives rendered asunder by a grab for power? How is Oxford engaged in the conflict on the continent?
Perhaps that is too much to ask of any institution. I am hosting an immigration symposium at Dallas Baptist University and I have to deal with the political repercussions of party donors. Sigh…. Turning a blind eye towards an encroaching conflict is something common today…What did Santayana say about those who fail to remember?
I am also interested to see how the school fosters/encourages or denies/ignores the Great Commission.
Ciao/Shalom
Russell, I would be surprised if the war in Ukraine was not being discussed at Oxford. It seems in our day war is a hot topic on college campuses. It would be interesting know who those scholars are and how they are thinking and responding to the war. I look forward to hearing more about what you discover. Ever since we read Greg Satell describe the impact of the Orange Revolution I have been curious about Ukraine. I just never knew much about Ukraine until now. My understanding is so limited.
Interesting connection between Cousineau and Campbell. I love how you’re looking at this voyage as a pilgrimage. Your post helps me begin to think of it similarly, as opposed to just one more thing on my already over-scheduled fall calendar.
Also, I’ll go with you to the Botanic Gardens!
Yes, the connection to pilgrimage resonated with me as well. Also, how beautiful to connect those early journeys of your youth with the current adventure on which you are about to embark!
Thank you for adding a new layer of reflection for me as we get ready for this journey.
And, I am inviting myself to the garden party!
Hi Jennifer,
No invitation needed! We just need to set a time! Gardens speak to me…rather it is God who speaks to me through gardens. It never ceases to amaze me how God has put it into the hearts of people to create beautiful garden spaces. (I do not have a green thumb! )Some gardens are magnificent in their simplicity and others in their extravagance. Gardens represent longing for rest and restoration, at least for me. Looking forward to enjoying our garden walk!
Hi Kim, I love a good walking buddy! Let’s put it on the schedule. I discovered when I was going through my travel things I had spent the night in a youth hostel in Lille. I have no recollection of it so my guess it was a quick stop to sleep in a real bed and hop back on the train the next morning kind of visit. Have you found spaces or experiences in your city in which God seems close and speaks to you?
“From this vantage point I am pondering the various stages of my spiritual, academic, and leadership development as I dream and pray about what my future holds.”
This is a very reflective and honest post Jenny. I love that you are going into this trip with expectation and anticipation. I pray God and this journey brings you clarity moving forward.
I love that you are embracing being uncomfortable as a key factor in growing as a person. I have Campbell’s book highlighted on my shelf since I read it. Crossing that threshold of unfamiliarity and fear is the key to self discovery, adventure, and growth. Oxford is new territory for many of us, and I am looking forward to exploring it with you!
Hi Adam, Thanks for your response. I am noticing that I have been reflecting on past departures. Most were exciting a few others not so much. I have found that not all departures are the kind that dreams are made of and not always the departure we hoped for, some are forced. Yet, I believe they offer the same opportunities to grow if we allow it. Oxford is a happy departure, that I am sure will represent some challenges. Overall, it feels like a celebration and a return of sorts. I am going into this journey with a lot of gratitude for all the other journeys. A lot has happened in 43-years. As Campbell described the initiation part of the journey I can’t help but think all of life is initiation. God has been very faithful and ever present!
Like Esther, I too am intrigued by “The Art of Pilgrimage” and will be clinking “buy now” on Amazon as soon as I finish typing this blog reply.
Much of my life has been in the pursuit of a pilgrimage. It must be baked into the personhood of me as an Enneagram 7.
Sleeping at Last is the musical project led by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan O’Neal. A few years ago he released an album based upon each Enneagram number. I remember listening to the track “Enneagram Seven” and was moved to both tears and spontaneous laughter because of how well it captured, well, ME.
“Enneagram Seven by Sleeping at Last”
How nice it’d be
If we could try everything
I’m serious, let’s make a list and just begin
What about danger?
So what?
What about risk?
Let’s climb this mountain before we cross that bridge!
‘Cause I’m restless
I’m restless
I’m restless
For whatever comes next
How wonderful to see a smile on your face
It costs farewell tears for a welcome-home parade
A secret handshake between me and my one life
I’ll find the silver lining, no matter what the price
‘Cause I’m hungry
Oh, I’m hungry
I’m hungry
For whatever comes next
Let me tell you another secret of the trade
It feels like sinking when I’m standing in one place
So I look to the future
And I book another flight
When everything feels heavy, I’ve learned to travel light
But I want to be here
Truly be here
To watch the ones that I love bloom
And I want to make room
To love them through, and through, and through, and through
The slow and barren seasons, too
I feel hope
Deep in my bones
Tomorrow will be beautiful
And I’m ready
God, I’m ready
Oh, I’m ready
Restless and hungry!
I’m ready for whatever comes next
Hi John, I revisited Ryan O’Neal’s Nine song lyrics with a bit of trepidation as it is so melancholy. The first time I heard it I couldn’t get past “Since I was 14!” This time reminded me of a season about 25-years ago. But overall, it helps me honor the process of growing and becoming. It will probably be another few years before I listen to it again!
Here are the lyrics: Enneagram Nine from Sleeping at Last
Who am I to say what any of this means
I have been sleepwalking
Since I was fourteen
Now as I write my song
I retrace my steps
Honestly, it’s easier
To let myself forget
Still, I check my vital signs
Choked up, I realize
I’ve been less than half myself
For more than half my life
Wake up
Fall in love again
Wage war on gravity
There’s so much worth fighting for you’ll see
Another domino falls
Either way
It looks like empathy
To understand all sides
But I’m just trying to find myself
Through someone else’s eyes
So show me what to do
To restart this heart of mine
How do I forgive myself
For losing so much time?
Wake up
Roll up your sleeves
There’s a chain reaction in your heart
Muscle memory
Remembering who you are
Stand up
And fall in love again and again and again
Wage war on gravity
There’s so much worth fighting for, you’ll see
Another domino falls
And another domino falls
A little at a time
I feel more alive
I let the scale tip and feel all of it
It’s uncomfortable but right
We were born to try
To see each other through
To know and love ourselves and others well
Is the most difficult and meaningful
Work we’ll ever do
I hope you enjoy Cousineau’s book!
Jenny, I love that you had that travel experience as a young person! I really related to your use of the word Pilgrimmage and how you said: “In The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, Phil Cousineau describes pilgrimage as, “A transformative journey to a sacred center” and claims “a journey without a challenge has no meaning; one without purpose has no soul.”[1] I am considering this journey to Oxford a sacred place in which I will both “lose and find myself.” I traveled to Europe in college for a January term with my university Band. So off I went to Austria and Czech Republic. (good thing this Dakota girl was adapted to winter). It was what opened my heart to travel, so I lost myself and found myself in the journey and alas, due to life never got to travel outside of the states again. Until 2 years ago April 2021, I went on a Celtic Pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland. This is a place they call a Liminal space on earth, a sacred space. This Pilgrimmage was life changing for me and I believe opened the doors to give me the courage to jump through the portal to this doctoral program! OH THE PILGRIMMAGES WE HAVE HAD AND WILL HAVE ON THIS PROGRAM! Thank you for bringing the sacred pilgrimage wording to this journey. Well said and grateful to be a pilgrim on the journey with you! See you in Oxford!
Hi Jana,
I hope to make that pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland some day. Your pilgrimage sounds amazing and I would love to hear more!! May I ask what brought on the desire to visit Iona? What makes our journey to Oxford a pilgrimage for you?
I was sharing with a friend about some of my struggles that might require some difficult conversations as well as a possible big change in my life (These struggles are not life or death nor do that pertain to my family life. I’m being vague because a public blog post is probably not the best place to share.) Anyway, she reminded me that I will be in the UK for 6 days by myself before I join the group and that while I want to spend those days being a tourist, those days might also be a valuable time for some soul searching, kind of like a pilgrimage. And she is right. Traveling alone in a foreign country is already out of my comfort zone and having to do the inner-work of soul searching I think I will live into the quote from Phil Cousinaeu, “a journey without a challenge has no meaning; one without purpose has no soul.”
Hi Kally, It sounds like your 6-day journey is right on time. Another Cousineau quote that I have highlighted which I am currently sitting with is, “Uncover what you long for and discover who you are.” (Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage, p. 13). Longings, I have discovered are scary, but I do believe their is a blessing for us when we take courage to name them and move in faith towards them. You and your pilgrimage are in my prayers.