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A few years ago, during one of John’s yearly personal Sacred Passage retreats, he received a vision that could be a helpful contribution to increasing world peace and understanding between world cultures. His vision was for a series of trails, set in many places on Mother Earth’s body, that would honor the diversity of Humanity’s religious paths, while at the same time uncovering the fundamental principles these paths have in common.
In a time of accelerating intolerance and even warfare between the world’s different religions, The Way of Nature Fellowship is planning Sacred Trails and Gardens projects to help transform this divisive intolerance, fear, hatred into respect and love for what these traditions have in common. John’s Twelve Principles form the basic foundation for helping people realize the common characteristics most spiritual paths share.
Sacred Trails and Gardens-Crestone, Colorado
The Way of Nature Fellowship’s first vision is for a walking pilgrimage trail that would wind from our Sacred Passage property to the Great Stupa in the Baca Grants; this would link the many traditional lineage centers in Crestone, Colorado. Because of its high diversity of religious communities in one small area, this unique community is an ideal place to locate such a trail. This sacred pilgrimage trail will be dedicated to honoring each of the different traditions, while also celebrating their interconnectedness and celebrating what they have in common, using the 12 Principles.
Another component to this trail project is a regional trail that travels from North Crestone Lake, around the Great Sand Dunes to Mount Blanca. The end of this trail would be either Blanca Peak or Zapate Falls.
We would also like to create a third trail on The Way of Nature Fellowship land that embodies the Twelve Guiding Principles and is similar to the Baja Garden Path project.
Sacred Garden Path-Baja
The Sacred Garden Path project has begun on the Baja property. The garden will feature a heart shaped path with the left side displaying a series of shrines honoring the world’s great spiritual traditions. In the center of the heart-shaped trail, a lotus pond will rest. The right side of the path will be dedicated to 12 stations evoking the 12 Way of Nature Guiding Principles; taken together the 12 Principles Stations will embody the lineage commonalities. By meditating here on what the great traditions have in common, an attitude of tolerance, respect, appreciation and peace will be created. One could stroll leisurely through this tropical paradise, stopping periodically to meditate, pray or simply reflect on the unified nature of all things. |
