A number of years ago now, I looked at the personality characteristics, shared across human cultures and spiritual traditions, which positive psychologists have identified as critical to human mental health and wellbeing. Of these, one that has always stuck out to me is one they variably labeled ‘awe’ or ‘appreciation of beauty and excellence’ — … Continue reading In the Footsteps of the Ancients
A recurring topic of conversation with my traveling companion for this trip over the years has been what gives places that special feeling that, if it’s positive, we call ‘holy’ and, if it’s negative, we call ‘haunted’. It’s a feeling of otherness and strangeness in a place or person that is in more formal discourse … Continue reading Encountering the Holy
One of the things that always strikes me about travel is how you both need to plan ahead and fully expect those plans to go awry. The start of my trip was a great example of this. When I was planning the trip, I knew I was meeting the friend with whom I was traveling … Continue reading From A to B to C to D (or Best Laid Plans)
As I write this, I am freshly returned from a whirlwind of a week in the North of England. During this trip, I visited many locations deep in meaning, whether for reasons of faith, history, or beauty. So even though it was not a true pilgrimage, in that the whole trip was not spent to … Continue reading Thoughts on a Pilgrimage (of sorts)
Matthew Root 