What a cool job San Francisco Chronicle’s David Miller has – covering the world of spirituality and spiritual quests and the people in it, whether that be traditional religion or a looser spiritual definition. His recent interview with Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote a book about her post divorce quest is particularly interesting.
David asks her in an interview to describe “the physics of the quest” — the laws that seem to apply to a spiritual pilgrimage. I love her answer – see below. The only thing I disagree with is the ‘not stopping’ part at the end, until you understand the point of it all.
Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, trying to understand and process it all is part of what chains you, when the whole point of such a quest is to come out on the other end, feeling free and at peace. When you sometimes choose just to trust (pure spirituality in my opinion – its called faith in whatever it is for you), and let go of the outcome, you find exactly what you were looking for.
One of my favorites out of all of the ones which have magically come my way over the years: “When you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Lao-tzu.
She says: “the simplest way to begin a quest — not that it’s a simple thing, really– is to recognize that a quest is a process by which a person becomes a question. You know, you become a verb … all you are is about asking questions in as many different ways as you can until you get to the bottom of it. And that becomes your entire life, your spouse, your vision, your food. That’s what the spiritual journey is all about.
The important thing is not necessarily to travel but to make sure that you are shifting inside. Each answer you get should advance you in some way. If you do that and you tell yourself, “I’m willing to regard anybody who comes before me as a teacher, to accept that everything that happens to me is for my benefit on my way to answering the question that I’ve become, and not to stop until I understand the point of it all,” then you’re on your quest.”
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
