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An article written by Spirit Journeys' founder, David Frechter, for White Crane, a journal exploring gay men's spirituality:
I first became aware of the idea of making a pilgrimage around 1984. At the time I was co-founder of a traditional travel company based in Miami, Florida. That year, my business partner, Martin, decided to take a leave of absence, journey to Japan, and ride his bike to several major pilgrimage sites. A few months after his return to Miami, Martin departed for South America to once again visit many ancient sacred sites, this time the bicycle stayed home. My business partner never really returned to the day-to-day responsibilities of the travel business. Instead, he sold me his interest in our travel company which helped finance his continued worldwide travel, study and photography of sacred sites. A few years later, Martin and I made pilgrimages together to Japan and the following year to Greece.
In Japan, I remember being on Miyajima, a small mountainous island of twelve square miles and home to the great temple of Itsukushima. Miyajima is located very near Hiroshima. We agreed to meet on top of the sacred Mount Misen San. I did not know it at the time, but I lost the main trail and had to climb through thick forest, sometimes on all fours. Along the way, I encountered a gentle dog who escorted me on the remainder of my journey. A few arduous hours later, I reached the top and was blessed with incredible vistas and several lovely shrines. The reward was appreciated yet it was clear to me that the solo journey up the mountain and through the forest was one of the significant reasons for crossing the Pacific and coming to Japan. The vistas and shrines were just the icing on the cake. This was my initiation into the value and inner purpose of a pilgrimage.
While in Greece, we visited the famed site of Delphi, considered by the ancient Greeks to be the navel of the universe. Our pilgrimage began at the Temple of Athena where we sat in meditation. From here, as tradition suggests, it was appropriate to cleanse ourselves in the nearby sacred Castalian Spring. Being Saturday, the Spring area was formally closed to the public. This meant we had to dodge some temple guards and scale a few fences. With our mission accomplished and our bodies cleansed, we continued to the Temple of Apollo, a place where one consults the oracle. There are many theories about how the oracle took place. One belief finds a woman, considered more receptive than man, seated on a tripod-shaped chair. The medium enters an altered state through the inhalation of fumes emitted from fissures in the rock below. Once in the clairvoyant altered state, questions could be asked of the oracle. So here I sat, among the partially reconstructed pillars and columns of the temple as so many had before me. I silently wrote and asked my questions to the gods and goddesses of this ancient place whose theme revolved around impending major life changes. I cannot say that instant bells went off or the sky opened and angels sang melodic answers to my concerns, however, as I left Delphi that day, I felt subtle reassurance that I was on the right path and walked away with greater confidence.
Later that year, I flew to the Southwest for a six day horseback riding journey through Canyon de Chelly in Northeastern Arizona. Joined by Dine (Navajo) friends, our gay travel group of eight entered the mouth of the Canyon near Chinle and slowly made its way to several sacred sites such as White House Ruin, Kokopelli Cave, and Antelop House. The last night we camped near Spider Rock, home of the 800 foot spectacular red sandstone monolith. The Dine believe Spider Woman lives at the top of Spider Rock. Being one of their most honored deities, she is a protector of their people and possesses supernatural powers. That day happened to be my birthday. After we settled in camp, I wandered off to sit at the base of Spider Rock. There in the coolness of the autumn night, I gave thanks to Spider Woman for the journey thus far and prayed for protection and guidance for all that lie ahead. I was returning home to pending divorce proceedings, child custody arrangements, feelings of uncertainty, and ongoing soul searching. I felt as if Spider Woman grabbed me into her womb and let me know how much I was loved and protected. Everything would be OK. In the distant I could hear the other members of our group singing, chanting, and drumming. The moon was slowly making its way above the walls of the canyon. It was a sacred moment. I made my way back to camp, to be greeted by my friends and pulled into a dance that I can best describe as the Dine version of the Virginia Reel.
In 1991 circumstances led to the closing of my travel business. As a result of the experiences mentioned above as well as personal pilgrimages to a few other places, the following year I started Spirit Journeys to provide the gay and non-gay communities workshops, retreats and pilgrimages to sacred sites for spiritual evolution and the heightening of self-awareness. This was the same year I met my husband and life-partner, David Stewart. Our mutual interest in pilgrimages to ancient power places was apparent on our first serendipitous meeting. For the past decade, we have had the great opportunity to sponsor group journeys to many of the world's major pilgrimage sites including Machu Picchu, Peru; Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet; Great Pyramid, Giza, Egypt; Palenque, Mexico; and Pura Besakih, Bali, Indonesia.
I remember a gay vacation pilgrimage in October of 2000 aboard a barge-type boat across the Brahmapurta River on our way back from Sayme, the oldest monastery in Tibet. Our journey began that morning in a comfortable hotel in Lhasa. After an early breakfast, we traveled by bus from Lhasa, about a three hour drive, to a small informal port along the riverbank. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains with a piercing blue sky backdrop, we smoothly crossed the river and were greeted by a flat-bed truck for the final leg to Sayme. Once at Sayme we had a few hours to wander the monastery filled with Buddha images, burning incense, prayer wheels, and a handful of Tibetan monks.
We waited in the courtyard with a group of Tibetan pilgrims (maybe 35-40) for the truck to begin our return for the mainland. It became obvious that the Tibetans were as curious about us as we were with them. A few casual exchanges turned to bouts of laughter followed by some singing and more laughter. Two trucks arrived, the Tibetans boarded one, we the other. Fortunately, when we reached the riverbank, there was only one boat, so we all crossed the river together providing further opportunity for song exchanges. From our bi-lingual Tibetan guide, we discovered that our new friends had been traveling for three months thus far and lived quite a distance away in the Western Tibetan province. They were on a pilgrimage to numerous sacred sites throughout Tibet, newborns as well as grandparents well rounded their tribe. The singing ended with our group's rendition of "You Are My Sunshine…". I have wonderful video footage and photos from that memorable afternoon. Their smiles, eye-gazes, and laughter are quite a treasure. When we reached the other side of the river, our group got back into a heated bus for our ride back to the hotel. The Tibetans gathered around an open fire and sat on the ground to share a meal. I learned that their vehicle, which provided the transportation for this ongoing pilgrimage, was an open flatbed truck with tall rail guards, the kind of vehicle you see used to transport cattle. I will never forget this group of Tibetan pilgrims and the good fortune of our pilgrimages intersecting for a few precious hours.
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