The Way of the Traveler:
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REVIEW BY ROSEMARY ZIBART
The day before I was about to take a trip, The Way of the Traveler arrived in the mail. Serendipitous, you might say. No indeed, the author Joseph Dispenza would reply. He has trained himself through the study of Jungian psychology and other spiritual disciplines to see every event, however trivial, as a means to gain understanding and insight into one's spiritual life and purpose. Instead of tossing the book on top of my stack of "to do" materials, I sat down in the morning sunshine and started reading. I am so glad I did. Whether you take many business trips every week, travel once a year to some faraway clime, or never leave your comfortable armchair, The Way of the Traveler can be useful. Dispenza, a former monk and author of 12 books, perceives every trip as a spiritual quest. However, he transforms this mystical overview into very simple activities. In preparing for the journey, for example, you may first want to consider your fears (rational or irrational) and deal with each. While packing, in addition to clothes, you might include a card that says "kindness" or "courage" or whatever your goal for this trip is. And, of course, there are the gifts you bear -- a custom as old as the three wise men carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh -- which initiate the cycle of giving and receiving. During the trip, there are ways to be more alive to every moment, and ways to recognize the "stranger" you meet; of rendering the strange and exotic and difficult into something you understand and appreciate. Upon returning home, you can integrate your new understanding into your life because every journey is a journey inward. As Dispenza writes, "Something wonderful has happened. We have been on a journey of exploration and discovery that has led us back to the heart of ourselves." This book offers us the possibility to live more credibly, whether we're traveling or not. But certainly when we do hit the road, we are issuing a desire for some sort of transformation, and it's worth considering what that change is or can be. Rosemary Zibart is a writer in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
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