EARTH PILGRIM

Satish Kumar will be well known to many readers as the editor of Resurgence and author of a number of books. Some may also have seen his fairly recent TV programme about Dartmoor. This new book consists of a number of conversations about the inner and outer aspects of pilgrimage, and is introduced by Rupert Sheldrake. It also features line drawings by Cecil Collins. Satish defines a pilgrim as 'someone who sees life as a sacred journey, who sees the Earth as a sacred home, who sees the universe as a process.' Thus our outer journey provides the context of the inner journey with its ultimate destination to what Satish calls the holy source within. Pilgrimage, with its inner dimension, is contrasted with tourism, which has no sense of the sacred. Interestingly, pilgrimage has enjoyed a huge resurgence in the last 20 years, and the journey is a universal metaphor for life and the spiritual quest. In addition, many great cathedrals now have special places where pilgrims can light candles.

Satish has made a number of long pilgrimages himself, in the years corresponding to his 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays, following his initial peace walk from Delhi to Washington in 1962. He describes how Bertrand Russell was instrumental in securing a boat ticket after Satish explained that he would rather not fly. The following passage illustrates the simplicity and directness of his style, as well as the wisdom of his insight: 'Life itself is a pilgrimage. To be a pilgrim is to be on the move, physically, mentally and metaphorically. Life is a pilgrimage because life is not static. Life has no ultimate objective. Life is to be lived in every moment. The meaning of life is in the living. To be a pilgrim is to experience life as an endless and eternal process of being. Life is not a product, but an ever unfolding process.' Nor should we confine ourselves to an intellectual way of knowing, but rather be open to emotional, spiritual, psychological, relational, sensual and experiential ways of knowing that go beyond literalism, materialism and a monoculture of the mind.

There are three interlinked crises which we face: environmental, socio-economic and spiritual. It is an illusion that we are separate from the Earth, on which our health depends. We need to bring together in what Satish calls the Dance of Diversity ecology and economy, idealism and realism, nature and culture, environment and development, tradition and progress, unity and diversity, seeking to pursue noble ends with noble means and cultivating wisdom in the process. This involves adding a third E to ecology and economy, namely ethics. More than that, we need to realise that the transformation we are seeking can only come about through love: 'Love is a surrender of ego and a meltdown of pride. Love is a blossoming of beauty and a source of kindness. Love is the soul of all stories, an inspiration to all poetry. The greatest art is the art of love, for all other arts emerge out of the art of love. Life without love is empty and art without love is vanity. Love is all there is. Love the solution to all our problems. Love is the answer to all our questions. Love is life imperative.' This is an inspiring passage by any standards, and one that has practical applications in bringing about what Peter Deunov called a culture of love. The mind of the pilgrim is also imbued with gratitude and is consciously connected with the universal mind. As such, the pilgrim is optimistic, realising that pessimism is disempowering, and that optimism is a mixture of hope and action where we also unburden ourselves of the baggage of fear, anxiety, doubt and worry which, as Satish notes, are heavy pieces of luggage.

Readers will recognise their highest aspirations in this inspiring book, which gives us a pilgrim's perspective on life and encourages us to play our part with courage and vision.