A journey can become a sacred thing.
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you towards
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.
May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.
May you travel safely, arrive refreshed
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home, more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.
(Source: John O’Donohue)
Benediction
A blessing on our departures
Without them, we cannot walk the way.
A blessing on our companions
Bread of friendship, bread for the soul.
A blessing on all travellers
Border-crossers, wanderers in strange lands.
A blessing on all the stages on the way
And those who gave us guidance.
A blessing on all those we leave behind
And on their journeys.
A blessing on our lostness and delays
These too are life.
A blessing on our arrivals
Homecomings, new beginnings, bright horizons.
A blessing on the Trinity of journeys.
Giver of the Way, Jesus of the Way, Spirit of the Way
(Source: Talking to the Bones, Kathy Galloway, SPCK, 1996)
