If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk.”
Hippocrates
A Tradition of Sauntering
From ancient times through today, spiritual seekers and teachers have taken to back roads and woodland pathways to draw closer to the eternal Soul and to awaken others to an experience of the Divine Within. They include the likes of Aristotle, Lao Tzu, Jesus of Nazareth, Francis of Assissi, George Fox, Emerson, and Thoreau, to name a few.
Our Practice
The Sauntering Society is a gathering for those who, like those honored saunterers of the past, desire to connect with the God Within, affirm life, discover renewed energy and power, and to grow as individuals through cultivation of the soul. We gather regularly to engage in group saunters, which are opportunities for mindful, observant, even worshipful walking. We also meet in homes, coffee shops and other settings for conversation, discussions and presentations to cultivate the soul, and to plan future gatherings. But our most sacred time together is our saunters, when we walk, contemplate and converse in natural spaces.
Our Spiritual Compass
Our spiritual compass is the Soul, experienced as the God Within. Jesus of Nazareth said with “deliciously ambiguous” words that the Kingdom of God is in us and also in our midst. So which is it? It is both. The Divine dwells within us and within the world around us. As we learn to cultivate and harness the power of the God Within, we begin to create lives of excellence, beauty and love. In this world of struggle, pain, deceit, worry and loss we can easily forget that God is not out there but right here, fully within each us and always present within Nature – the lakes, streams, wind, trees and earth.
What better place than in Nature to rediscover the power and promise of the God Within. The Sauntering Society gathers in parks, fields, along streams, among groves of trees, in all kinds of weather, to connect with the Divine, affirm life, overcome struggles and grow as individuals and a community.
What to Expect
What should you expect at one of our sacred saunters? We typically gather at local parks and preserves for our saunters. We announce the location and time of our saunters on our website and social media. We encourage saunterers to gather at the location no later than ten minutes before starting time. All sites have ample parking. Signs will direct you to the starting place of the saunter. The flow of our saunters varies depending on the season and setting, but, in general, you experience the opportunity to encounter God in nature through the interweaving of silence, observation, contemplation, conversation and, sometimes, through song and art. Your guide will likely begin the saunter by sharing a brief meditation to set the theme. The saunter ends with a moment of gratitude and an affirmation of our life within God. Following our saunter we occasionally meet for coffee and conversation, and sometimes brunch or lunch, at a local establishment, depending on the time of day. All events are advertised here and are free and open to anyone.