What to Pack for Your Spiritual Journey

If you've decided to embark upon a spiritual journey, congratulations... you're on your way to spiritual and personal development, renewal, and growth. It makes no difference whether you're going on a yoga retreat two states away or across the world to Mecca, the transformations you seek are entirely personal. Taking steps before, during, and after your spiritual pilgrimage will ensure that you get the most from your trip. Here are some tips for spiritual travel:

1. Take a journal. Keeping a journal is a great way to preserve every moment of your spiritual journey. Write in your journal before you embark, including what you hope to learn on your way and the person you want to be when you return. Before you leave, write inspirational quotations in the margins to encourage you along the way, as you'll certainly have moments on your spiritual journey where you are discouraged or tired. You'll reap the rewards of your journal as slowly your memory of specific details of your trip fade. At any time you can open it up, read some entries, and be taken back to all your experiences.
2. Bring your camera. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a picture can be worth even more. Take photographs to document the beauty of the places and people you meet on your spiritual pilgrimage. You can even document the stories of people you photograph in your journal (where and how you met them, something interesting from your conversation) so that you can remember the story behind that beautiful woman's smile forever.
3. Share what you've learned with your family and friends when you've returned. It'll be rewarding to yourself and others to share what you've learned, and positively affirming the changes you made will help to reinforce them.
4. Display reminders of your trip around your home and workplace. Photographs and other mementos will keep the memories of your spiritual journey and your personal development along the way fresh on your mind.
5. Do as the Romans did. When the Romans returned victoriously from war, they often built triumphal arches. Many of these Roman triumphal arches still stand today, considered ornate masterpieces of architecture. In the same way, return from your spiritual journey with intention and purpose, determined to sustain the spiritual and personal development you achieved on your trip, whether this involves a major lifestyle change (such as changing careers) or a minor one (ending an unhealthy friendship).

These steps taken before, during, and after spiritual travel will greatly improve the quality of the trip and seek to preserve all the great results of it.

Written by Sarah Myers. Journey2theheart.com offers personal development tools and workshops including spiritual travel and spiritual pilgrimage to India. Discover your own spiritual journey.