Trent Heath- Pilgrimage Introduction

Trent Heath

Blog #4

December 3, 2009

Pilgrimage Introduction

When Turner introduces pilgrimage, it is acknowledged as being of ancient origin, but he states that its importance is overlooked, even though it has played a major role in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I had never been introduced to the term pilgrimage until this course and certainly had never connected it with religion. Turner states that historians and social scientists “neglected” the importance of pilgrimage and that it did not contribute to their goals of research or information, therefore it was not acknowledged. The concept of liminality is still somewhat confusing to me, I have looked it up and Turner describes it in the book, but it still is very confusing. The title of chapter 1 is Pilgrimage as Liminoid Phenomenon.

The way Turner defines liminality; it is a transition during a rite of passage. Therefore, from my own reasoning, I understand pilgrimage as the journey during a rite of passage. A pilgrimage is a type of ritual, it is a journey that individuals participate in and often experience something special during this ritual. Pilgrimages have become famous, in a sense because of the tradition and ritual associated with them. More and more people are doing the Appalachian Trail every year, Dr. Redick has shared with the class stories about his many journeys and the experiences he has and they can only come from the experience.

As much as one may attempt to replicate the feelings or events on a pilgrimage, it is impossible to do so. The only way to truly experience something like that is to do it. There is no substitute for first-hand experience. A pilgrimage is as much mental as it is physical and I believe that is what prevents individuals from participating, fear of the unknown.