The Spiritual Traveler: Spain -- A Guide to Sacred Sites and Pilgrim Routes is a celebration of the
truly sacred and spiritual places, traditions, peoples, and roads of Spain. It is a
non-denominational and deeply anthropological and folkloric travel book on Spain's prehistoric,
pagan, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim past. It is also a spiritual
exploration of the country's diverse present,
such as in emerging communities dedicated to Buddhism, Hinduism,
animistic Earth-based spiritualities, as well
as current revivals of the land's connection to the three Abrahamic faiths. Each chapter
explores a region, a thematic route, and the most vibrant spiritual life of that area.
Spain is an ancient land with many eras and many peoples who inhabited the peninsula
for over 40,000 years. The Spiritual Traveler: Spain explores these rich layers,
from the original Paleolithic inhabitants, to the ancient Iberians,
Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Jews,
Visigoths, Arabs and Berbers, to the emerging Castilians, and to recent
spiritualities that blend old and new, native and imported. The Spiritual Traveler: Spain
takes a rich journey north, south, east and west, from Paleolithic Altamira, to Celtic castros,
to the medieval pilgrim's road to Santiago, to the multi-faith splendors of Toledo,
Cordoba and Granada, to St. Teresa's mystical Avila, and onward, toward
uncovering and celebrating the sacred in Spain, past and present.