Every Step Is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska
A 2023 Indies Award Finalist
"In this book, Erickson's steps don't lead to grand cathedrals but to the transformative, powerful elements supporting life itself. " --Foreword Reviews
"Travel writer Erickson has written a travelogue about areas of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, that have sacred and spiritual meaning to people now and throughout history . . . Ideal for fans of Erickson's work, curious readers, armchair travelers, and those who are compelled to take a spiritual pilgrimage." --Library Journal
Embark on a transformative journey from Ohio's Serpent Mound to Hawaii's wonders, discovering profound connections to spirituality in every corner of the United States.
Globetrotting travel writer Lori Erickson has long searched for the sacred in locations and cultures far from home as well as in her beloved Iowa. But when the pandemic put both air travel and in-person worship off-limits, Lori and her husband hit the road with a camper in tow to discover spiritual sites and experiences in their own home country.
From the Serpent Mound of Ohio to the Redwoods of California--and, ultimately, by air to see natural wonders in Alaska and Hawaii--Erickson uncovers deep connections both to the lands that now make up the United States and to the elements that have had sacred meaning to people throughout history and across the globe. Through her profound, informative, and witty reflections on the power of stone, water, light, fire, and more, readers will discover new destinations in North America while deepening their own spirituality. Whether exploring national parks or visiting holy sites, this book makes for the perfect spiritual companion and guide.
Perfect for book clubs and group study! You can access free digital resources, which include a group study guide, book club discussion guide, a video interview with Lori Erickson, and a Spotify playlist from Lori at www.wjkbooks.com/EveryStepIsHome
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"A beautiful successor to Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and Kerouac's On the Road, Lori Erickson's Every Step Is Home illuminates our spiritual connection to the natural world. Her 'pilgrimage of the heart' reminds us that our future depends most of all on that connection." - Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling and Last Child in the Woods
"In this good-humored, rich blend of travelogue, spiritual reflection, and scientific inquiry, Lori Erickson asks and answers the question: If we engage deeply and intimately with nature's sacred places, will we ever go back inside for spiritual experience? Using the author's model of curiosity, wonder, and mindful attention, readers will be inspired to undergo their own spiritual quests to sacred sites near and far." - Beth Norcross, Executive Director, The Center for Spirituality in Nature
"As a fellow nomad, I resonate with the author's discovery of the sacred in surprising places across the United States. This travelogue will encourage you to stretch your own spirituality with an invitation to explore the natural world as a touchstone to the shared story of God's people." - Stephanie Fritz, Coordinator for Christian Formation in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), full-time RVer, and digital nomad
"Movement and stillness, rhythm and silence, taking a trip and going home--this book will give you all that at once. Erikson creates a physical space with words. It's a place where you can breathe deeply--in spite of everything. We all need more places like that." - Erin Wathen, pastor and author, www.homeandholler.com
"Travel writer Erickson has written a travelogue about areas of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, that have sacred and spiritual meaning to people now and throughout history. The author's journeys, taken with her husband and mostly via camper during the start of the COVID lockdown, focus on the transformative power of land, air, water, landmarks, and animal migrations and roundups. Ideal for fans of Erickson's work, curious readers, armchair travelers, and those who are compelled to take a spiritual pilgrimage." - Library Journal
"In this book, Erickson's steps don't lead to grand cathedrals but to the transformative, powerful elements supporting life itself. All of these sites moved her so much that she wondered why, after having encountered the spirit under the vastness of the sky, or in the majestic presence of nature's wildness, anyone would ever again seek what's holy in a building. Each mythical site visited in Every Step Is Home speaks to the bond between humans and the natural world, affirming the notion that 'some truths are so large that only a myth can contain them.'" - Foreword Reviews
"Erickson, who is always good company, contends that humans are designed to move, and her highly readable, thought-provoking pilgrimage is proof positive of that elemental fact. The peripatetic will rejoice." - Booklist
