I’ve had the pleasure of doing three trips with Spirit Tours,
which are so aptly called “journeys of the soul”. Indeed, each tour was heart
opening, full of unforgettable experiences, and a much needed perspective
reboot.
Bhutan in 2012 was unlike any place I’d seen before – a
country so pristine, so barely touched by Western influence, and so warm and
peaceful, that it’s all but ruined my taste for anything less! I think fondly
of the smell of the wood fire smoke, chanting with the monks, and the golden
sunlight at dawn and dusk.
Japan in 2014 was such a delight! Kyoto was a beautiful,
complex, and welcoming city. The tour, which focused on Zen Buddhism and the deity
Kannon, (or Quan Yin), immersed us in the world of
Japanese art, culture, and the Buddhist worship
of the Divine.
And then, most recently, I traveled to Bali in 2015. Now, anyone
will tell you, Bali is ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR! “Heaven on earth” is a phrase used
quite often, (perhaps why it’s known as the Island of the Gods), and for many, it’s
like no place else they’ve experienced. The accommodations Spirit Tours
arranged were perhaps the most luxurious I’ve ever had – every need was met,
every sense delighted, everything was just so dang beautiful! The ocean and the
lush tropical greenery of the island were breathtaking.
The people and their
daily lives were so drenched in spiritual mindfulness that you couldn’t help
but adapt to that way of life, too. Bali is nothing short of pure bliss.
But I was surprised to find that a major part of my
enjoyment of the trip had nothing to do with Bali itself – and I realized it
had been true of my two previous trips, as well. My favorite part of the trip
was the spiritual family that formed amongst the members of our group, a
phenomenon I like to call “The Travelling Sangha”.
“Sangha” is the Buddhist term that refers to the sense of
spiritual community and family and I realize that it’s a quality I’ve often
sought out in my life. As an only child, I was constantly taking on my friends’
families as my own. As a theater major and life-long drama nerd, it was the
sense of community built around a show that really appealed to me. And here,
halfway across the world, travelling with people I didn’t initially know, I
found it again!
I had not previously met most of the people on this trip.
Usually with Spirit Tours, one travels with a group from their spiritual home
base. But for me and for maybe 7 others, we were joining a group from a
different spiritual center. We were being paired to room with people we had
never met, we were embarking on a journey on the other side of the planet which
would expand and challenge us in ways we could not anticipate. And most of us
were doing it with complete strangers. But we didn’t stay strangers for long. We were all there
with a common goal – to experience the Divine in a completely new place and in a
completely new way, through a completely new culture. Sure, we were also there
to laugh, and get a massage or three, and to maybe enjoy a few cocktails on the
beach, but we were mostly there to experience Spirit in a new way. And part of
that new experience of Spirit came directly from the bonds we formed within our
little travelling sangha.
At our last morning meeting of the trip, we sat in our open
air meeting space – birds singing, sun shining, green as far as the eye could
see, an inviting infinity pool trickling below us, our bodies invigorated from
the morning yoga and decadent breakfast (don’t get me started on the incredible
breakfasts there!). The group was tearful. We were sad to leave this beautiful
place and for the experience of a lifetime to end, but mostly, and as many
people commented, we were sad to leave the group dynamic we had formed.
But, as Spirit Tours owner, Jim Cramer (or “Om Jim” as he’s
known over there), reminded us, that connection would carry over back into our
“normal” lives. And it’s true. I’ve found that that sense of connection remains
alive and well after a trip is over. When you return home and run into someone
from the group, your heart lights up. When you see a group member’s recent
accomplishments or pictures on Facebook, your heart lights up. And all of a
sudden, you find that the heart igniting connection to sangha has not only carried
over, but has expanded and broadened back home, too.
We travel lovers know that travelling changes us, opens us,
pushes us in unimaginable directions. Some of life’s best memories come from
time spent somewhere else. But I’ve come to find that travelling with a group heightens
and enhances that experience. And the best part is, when you take a trip where
a sangha is formed, you get to bring home an extra souvenir.
Many Blessings,
Ariana Kaiser
blogger for Spirit Tours
I never really thought of my childhood as being unique or
different, until a tour member on our last journey to Bali simply stated “how
unique of a childhood you had, spending half of it in Bali, learning their
customs, beliefs and values and the other half living in the United States
learning a completely different set of norms.”
It was at this point that I was able to revert back in time to my
childhood and how I felt living in both Bali and the United States.
I remember my first time back to the United States after
living in Bali for over a year, my first instinct was to use my hands to eat
(who needed silverware). I was of course, immediately told by my parents that I
now needed to eat with a fork and knife. I was very confused and did not
understand why, I remember very much preferring to eat with my hands to using
silverware. This was just one of the very many cultural differences that I had
to get used to after being back in the United States. 
As a teenager I refused to go back and visit Bali because I
didn’t want to leave my friends. Little did I know at the time how lucky I was
to have such an opportunity. Returning to Bali as an adult, I do not take any
of it for granted. It still feels like home, the smell, the sounds and the
people have stayed the same. I now know that the way I was raised was unique
and very special. I feel so very fortunate to have been raised in two different
cultures.
