Building Team Spirit: Going on a Journey Together

On our first pilgrimage with a group, we journeyed into a sacred valley in the Himalayas. It was easy to invite people from different walks of life to join us. Many seem to share our wish to travel in community with a shared intention, which for this trip was to feel the mountains, rivers and trees and receive their teachings. I wrote about this in 3 Phases to Receive Spiritual Teachings. We wanted this to be an intimate, transformative journey, not an ordinary group tour or trek. With nothing more than this intention and a rough itinerary, we had to let go and trust the process. If we plan for a particular outcome, it would no longer be a journey into the unknown, which, for us, is at the heart of a pilgrimage. Since our personal feelings create the atmosphere for the group, planning for a particular outcome would have set the wrong tone. For our first meeting, our own spirit as the hosts was key, but the team spirit was built through our powerful, shared experiences as we went on the journey together.

We started with an opening circle in which Serena, my partner in pilgrimage, and I shared a taste of the treasures we received. I felt the excitement grow to that of a treasure hunt in childhood and the nervousness of not knowing what to expect. As human beings, we come together when we face the unknown, not avoid it.

The next day, we ventured out like school kids at a birthday party. We changed the plan on the way, following Serena’s intuition, and landed at a Buddhist monastery and meditation cave. Just when we arrived, the monks started chanting as part of their ceremony. As we listened to the drums and bells, our group went into deep meditation without effort and became one team for the first time. It was good timing without time on mind.

We cannot force team spirit. It comes from our shared experiences. When we create spaces to discover without mission and control, new energy becomes available to thrive on. Add an element of danger as we drive along steep cliffs into the valley, and people are already holding onto each other…

Yet, our journey still had an ordinary taste as we paced up and down the first mountain, pulling out our phones at every corner to take photographs. Even in one of the world's most remote areas, our behaviors are much the same as at home. The outside may change, but we still meet the same inside. While our wish for change may be genuine, we are stuck in patterns of the past. It is us that need to change for our lives to transform. Being on pilgrimage is an opportunity to meet ourselves anew each moment and choose a new path forward.

So, as a group, we decided to put away our phones for three days and walk up the mountain together, led by the slowest in the group. For this, we had to adapt, and for many, changing their pace already meant meeting their edge. It was a turning point in the journey. We were working as a team, stretching for one another and opening to new experiences—many of which followed over the next few days. We certainly all met our edge. Becoming less busy with usual behaviors, chats, and thoughts, we were more available to each other and to feel and receive the gifts of nature. The results: deep trust, coherence, harmony, and intelligence. The feeling: true wealth, power, and love.

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Renewal and Change: What we don’t see

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3 Phases for Revealing Spiritual Teachings