Sacred travel
Encyclopedia
Sacred travel, or metaphysical tourism, spiritualized travel, is a growing niche of the travel market. It attracts New Age
believers and involves tours and travel to "spiritual hotspots" on the Earth.
Destinations are often ancient sites where there is a mystery concerning their origin or purpose, such as Machu Picchu
in Peru, The Pyramids
of Egypt, or Stonehenge
in England. Some Christian sites such as the locations of the Black Madonna
s and the Rosslyn Chapel
in Scotland are also popular.
These travelers see the journey as more than just tourism and take the trips in order to heal themselves and the world. Part of this may involve rituals involving, (supposedly), leaving their bodies, possession by spirits (channelling), and recovery of past life memories. The travel is considered by many scholars as transcendental, a life learning process or even a self-realization metaphor.
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
believers and involves tours and travel to "spiritual hotspots" on the Earth.
Destinations are often ancient sites where there is a mystery concerning their origin or purpose, such as Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
in Peru, The Pyramids
The Pyramids
The Pyramids may refer to*Egyptian Pyramids*The Pyramids , a surf rock group from Long Beach, California*The Pyramids , buildings in Indianapolis*The Pyramids, a rock formation at Victory Beach, New Zealand...
of Egypt, or Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
in England. Some Christian sites such as the locations of the Black Madonna
Black Madonna
A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary in which the Virgin Mary is black. The term was especially applied to those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier...
s and the Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
in Scotland are also popular.
These travelers see the journey as more than just tourism and take the trips in order to heal themselves and the world. Part of this may involve rituals involving, (supposedly), leaving their bodies, possession by spirits (channelling), and recovery of past life memories. The travel is considered by many scholars as transcendental, a life learning process or even a self-realization metaphor.