Meditation Monday
Creating A Spiritual Travel Kit
Tom and I are getting ready to go to Britain. It is our first trip for 5 years and we are really excited about seeing friends and catching up on what is happening spiritually in the country. During our 2 week stay we will stay in four different places - Brighton with a day trip to London, Malmsbury which is near Bristol, Auckland which is near Durham and Edinburgh, and I am busy packing and figuring out what I need to bring with me.
I find that moving around as much as this can leave me feeling disconnected from God and spiritually dry so I always like to put together a spiritual travel kit to help me focus and enrich myself during my journeys. Several years ago I started being intentional about it. My needs have changed since I made that first travel kit but it is still an important part of my travel routine.
First I select a container. The tin I used to travel with was too heavy so I went looking for something lighter and came across this bag we were given when we took a Viking cruise several yeas ago. It is just the right size for a set of prayer cards, a small hand cross, some pens to doodle with and a finger labyrinth. I have traded the metal one I used to bring for this labyrinth, hand knitted by my friend Lisa Scandrette. So not only do I have a good reflective tool to carry on my journey but it also evokes good memories each time I use it. The cross was also a gift, from Michael Moore, and is great to hold in my hand if I am feeling anxious or exhausted. Special gifts like this also give me a sense of comfort and embrace me with a feeling of the special love of God surrounding me.
I like to use the card sets that I created several years ago. It’s always hard for me to choose between the Celtic set, the Gift of Wonder set and the Breath cards, so this time I will probably put one set in my hand luggage and the other two in my checked luggage. Reading these prayers helps to ground me and gives me a sense of continuity and stability. I also a prayer of St Brendan the Voyager sent to me by Kreg Yingst when I interviewed him for The Liturgical Rebels podcast. If you don’t have any prayer cards, print out a couple of psalms, or a couple of photos that help you focus on God and assist your movement into contemplation. One important item that does not fit in my kit, is my journal – with some lined pages and some blank for creative projects, but this is well worth the extra space it takes.
On other occasions I have carried a small cloth I acquired in Malta many years ago, embellished with a Maltese cross, to use as an altar cloth. I also carry votive electric candles, a small icon and paint pens if I think I might need more reflective time or want to be more creative. These kinds of resources can really help us find stability and peace in the midst of busyness and stress.
On the Go Devotional
One of my other travel rhythms after booking in for my flight and passing through security is to buy myself a cup of coffee and then find a relaxing place to sit and centre myself for the trip. I used to travel with David Adam’s The Rhythm of Life: Celtic Daily Prayers which is my all time favourite as a travel devotional, but I recently acquired a copy of Pádraig Ó Tuama’s Daily Prayer: With the Corrymeela Community. If my hand luggage isn’t too heavy it is possible that both books will become part of my devotional time. I know these are both available as e-books but I prefer a physical book for my devotions.
These days there are so many “On the go” prayer options that I sometimes I do use these instead, just for a bit of variety. My favorites are:
Sacred Space – Daily Prayer with the Irish Jesuits
Pray as You Go – also from the Jesuits.
Another option is Lectio 365 from the 24/7 prayer network.
On the way home I put my journal in my hand luggage and spend the first part of the flight reflecting on my trip and what I learned. It is a wonderful way to bring my time to closure as I commit it and all that has happened to God.
Design Your Own Travel Kit
You may not be doing as much travel over the next few months as I am but all of us are on the move and a kit like this is helpful even for day trips, or retreats, so here are some suggestions as you put your own kit together.
What small object makes a space sacred for you? Do you need an altar cloth, a cross or other sacred object? Do you need prayer cards or a book of psalms? Do you need easy access to special music?
What helps you center yourself on the presence of God? Are there images that hold your attention and draw you into a contemplative place
What helps you focus? Again it might be an image, or a prayer, or music, or a creative task like knitting, painting or writing.
What stirs your imagination and provides creative energy for your day? Part of what I love about the labyrinth is that it is both a creative and a reflective tool but there are many other tools that can help in this way. Maybe your sketch pad, or journal or a musical instrument
What relieves your stress and helps you unwind at the end of the day? Perhaps a short breath prayer exercise, or using prayer beads, listening to music or reading poetry while you drink a cup of cocoa. Make sure that you pack whatever helps you relax and prepare for sleep.
What other suggestions do you have to help us all negotiate the constant movement of our society?