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.<\/p>\n
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, \u201cWho shot J.R.?\u201d and \u201cHave you ever met Mork?\u201d (I still don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
In The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker\u2019s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, <\/em>Phil Cousineau describes pilgrimage as, \u201cA transformative journey to a sacred center\u201d <\/em>and claims \u201ca journey without a challenge has no meaning; one without purpose has no soul.\u201d[1]<\/a> I am considering this journey to Oxford a sacred place in which I will both \u201close and find myself.\u201d[2]<\/a> Though The Art of Pilgrimage<\/em> is not the book assigned for this week\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s Way, The Labyrinth, Arrival, and Bringing back the Boon. I can\u2019t help but notice the similarities with Joseph Campbell\u2019s three acts of the Hero\u2019s Journey. In fact, Cousineau quotes Campbell frequently and phoned him as part of his departure ritual before a journey to Paris.[3]<\/a> By way of reminder, Campbell\u2019s three acts are The Departure, The Initiation, and The Return.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n My adventure in 1980 was the first of many departures<\/em> 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<\/em> for me as I set out to discover myself, take full responsibility for my decisions, and dream about my future. Reflecting on my return<\/em> a new self-confidence arose, a fresh calling to walk with God, and a quiet determination to meet the challenges ahead with courage.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In my imagination Oxford appears to be an \u201cother-worldly\u201d almost mystical place. Reading The Secret History of Oxford <\/em>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]<\/a> I was unaware of how political and religious tensions impacted Oxford University\u2019s development which began in 1265.[6]<\/a> It was fascinating to read the lists of prominent people who graduated from Oxford\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Thanks to the Secrets of Oxford\u2019s Streets<\/em> video one of my must see sights at Oxford was The Eagle and the Child\u2019s Rabbit Room where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien discussed their writing.[7]<\/a> 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\u2019s still small voice as others have before me in this fascinating city.<\/p>\n Whether bucket list, pilgrimage, or a hero\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n How might your time at Oxford be a pilgrimage for you?<\/p>\n 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. 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