Whatever I can do to help you get ready, just name it and I will do my best.

My senior year in highschool I lived with my grandparents. My grandmother was put into the hospital for a bone infection. My grandfather got cancer and passed away mid way through the school year. My best friend and exgirlfriend of 2 years passed away suddenly in a car wreck. So after I graduated I went to the marine corps. My grandmother had now been in hospital almost a year and half, (with my uncle nearby taking care of her) So I recieved a letter at MCRD that she had to have her leg taken off. Due to this and the general stress I decided to return home. I returned to my own job, a small town resturant I have worked at for almost 4 years off and on. My grandmother is doing better and decided to live with my uncle. Im now living with my girlfriend (a senior in highschool) at her parents house.

So this is the facts of the story. Most of me leaving for boot lead by feelings of pain hurt loss, just wanting to get out. I realized once I got there I still had responsibilities to deal with here. But the being away and figuring myself out was a very important feeling to me…

This being realized I plan on going to college when this school year gets out. I plan on dorming with my best friend who is a senior. So I have been contemplating leaving untill then and just really giving time to get to know myself. I have also always been “Spiritual but not religious” I say this like that because I have always studied religion, but never identified completely with any one idealogy. Questions of god divinity enlightenment have troubled me long nights of readings, and days of spending time in various religious houses, churches, mosque, pagan circles, synagagous.
With this journey I want to take some of the worldlyness out to try and hone what I feel is right and want to believe.

I want to spend time with nature. I want to know how it feels to be broke with very little or nothing, because part of me sees the buddhist philosophy on attachment to things as suffering very true… I would consider begging for food, not because I believe i deserve it, but because humbleness is a virtue I dont have. Because I believe my pride would stop me even in a manner where Im starving. But a realist side of me says thats very unlikely and the only way to know how you would act in those shoes is to try it.

I find jewish mystacism and early christian monasticism with hermit life very condoning to the spirit and I think it help nurtures wisdom and evaluation of ones self, life, and the world.

In general my journey would probably be me leaving, no real goal in destination, just in journey. goals mentioned above about self realization, spirituality, and religion. I would take the oppurtonties to meet various religious teachers and not only would enjoy but would hope, to attend several places of worship and spirituality. Money would be very little if any. It would only come from work I could possibly do along the way, I would be opposed to doing small jobs if they come through, but I dont want enough cash that it becomes a vacation instead of a retreat. If donations such as food or housing was offered (with judgment to them both) I would accept because I would hope that these actions lead to humblying, lessons of kindness and love for others.

I could go on further but I believe this to be the main points.
Thank you,
Airrick

If I value my tribe prospering over how much I value the life of others then my moral code would say that killing them for their land is morally good.

Does not follow.

First off I should say that I am no ascetic. (I am a minimalist though, meaning I’ve given up a lot of my material belongings, but only to make my life simpler, cheaper and more fun.) Some of the things I own, like a computer and a good bike, are rather indulgent by ascetic standards. And I’ll gladly eat the finest meals, drink volumes of wine, rut about in blissful sex, and otherwise please my senses. My spirituality is in-the-world; I’m a barbarian.

I consider asceticism to be one of many spiritual practices that can help a person move toward spiritual fulfillment. I respect those who do it when their reasons are right. But I find no inherent value in asceticism; it is a tool for becoming a god, it is not the only such tool, and like all such tools it has a failure rate.

If that all doesn’t send you running, I’ll try to answer your questions…

If one was to want to undergo a modern ascetic travel what would you reccomend if you would reccomend so at all?

I would recommend defining your asceticism carefully. If you don’t live under formal religious vows then define what you mean by ascetic. Are you allowed to earn money to spend on your travels? Are there things you won’t eat if offered?

I would also recommend questioning the ascetic nature of your trip. Ascetic mendicants have to rely on the kindness of strangers. Why are you asking for everyone to help you? What do they get out of it? What gift or blessing do you bring to their community that makes you worth supporting?

In my case, I was hesitant to even ask my longest-term readers to help me fund gear for my trip. And I like that I work on my travels, so that I can pay my own way and even bring gifts for my hosts and friends that I meet, instead of always asking for help.

If you do want to be truly ascetic then the simplest way to travel will be by foot or hitchhiking.

Throughout the United States where there any general safe havens? Church networks, Monastaries such?

Safety is relative. What I’m doing is not safe. There is nothing safe about traveling alone and relying on strangers. However, you can develop an instinct for who to trust, and a lot of skills to make your way easier.

The best network I know is couchsurfing.org. People who love travelers will offer their homes to you for a few days at a time in that network. You can also ask at churches but the results are mixed.

Knocking on a door and simply asking for shelter is its own skill set, and incredibly daunting.

My other question is somewhat personal but i mainly wonder for tying into the ascestic life. You obvious have some sort of finicial income, you mentioned flying to see your sister, going to korea buddhist temples, is this all done because of purchasing your books?

I’m not the one who went to Korea! That is a guest post by Trent Fowler :) Since you thought it was me I should also clarify I am not an atheist (Trent is); I’m a polytheist and I think religion is dandy.

To answer your question, I work as a freelance author. Almost none of my money comes from selling my books here on Rogue Priest. Most of my money comes from writing ad copy for corporate clients. This means my weeks are a bit jarring, with several days of meditative bike riding followed by several days of commercial writing. I sort of like the duality, but it’s hard sometimes.

It took me 1 year to build up the clients to be able to live on the road like this. I learned how through a great website called Location Rebel. I work so few hours per week (because of the time I spend traveling) that I earn very little income, but if I live frugally it is enough to keep going.

Have you ever just left out with no real goal in mind?

Sometimes. For this trip, I made my goals big but vague: meet the gods, become famous and learn the meaning of heroism. I don’t even know how those goals are accomplished, I just trust my journey will take me to them.

I think traveling without a goal is a good thing. Goals can constrict travel and blind you to your many opportunities. That’s why I like grand and long-term goals but dislike day to day itineraries.

Have there been any problems with law enforcement on your trips?

None. I recommend following laws! I have “stealth camped” which means camping without permission. By either skill or luck I was never caught, but I don’t like the stress of it. I also find it puts me in the position of a loner, whereas the most joyful part of travel is meeting people. I don’t want to stealth camp anymore.

If you are in Latin America, Arica or Asia (or many other places), law enforcement may want bribes to leave you alone.

Nate Damm recommends calling ahead to the next town each day and asking the police department if there is somewhere you can camp out. He said a lot of the time they would give permission to use a public park. I haven’t tried this yet.

What are some ways to get in contact with temples about staying during a ascetic travel?

The best thing is just to ask. I’m sure advance notice helps.

I’ve heard of a network of Catholic organizations for travelers, that give a bed in exchange for chores. You’d have to google it. I’ve had pastors call ahead to other churches and make arrangements for me to stay somewhere when I arrive. I try not to lean too heavily on churches though. Often I just stay with individual people or in their yards with their permission.

If you want to spend an extended time at a temple church or monastery, you probably will need to pay a fee.

On to a question of my own: You seem to have a plan forming for a journey of your own. Can you tell me more about it? I want to get to know you better!