When Lao Tsu says “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving,” he is not saying the good traveler has no plans at all. He is not suggesting the spiritual traveler wander around directionless. All animals are guided by the Earth’s magnetic poles; Hooved animals position themselves by them, birds and salmon migrate by them, and bats get their sense of direction from them. Animals don’t think about their direction; they don’t plan out each step of their journeys. But, they do have an intrinsic, felt-sense of their own internal compass that guides their movements in the world.
We too have an intrinsic magnetic compass – a knowingness of our own spiritual magnetic poles. When we get out of our heads and into our bodies, when we cultivate silence to hear the still small voice, we do not have to be so rigid about the details. We have a general direction and loose plans that we allow to be subject to influence. Being on the spiritual journey, we understand that the juiciest experiences happen on the side roads. It’s not the perfect hotels that give us the memories that will last a lifetime, it is the homestay with the stranger who rescued us when we got caught in the rain. We are not intent on the future moment of arriving, we understand that every moment is a part of the journey. Every mundane action and interaction are all part of the adventure.
May we soften our rigidness and reenter into the compass of our own BodySpirit. May we live into the understanding that there are no mundane moments. May we travel without fixed plans and with the only intent to stay fully present in each moment.
Sabrina Santa Clara
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