Circumambulation: More than just walking around things

The practice of circumambulation, or walking around a venerated object, is incorporated in many contemporary beliefs and practices, but predates most of them. These ceremonial pilgrimages can go around an entire mountain, a small stupa, a shrine, or even a person. Some religions prefer to follow a clockwise path—others choose a counter-clockwise route.

A well-known circumambulation is the journey around the base of Mount Kailash in Tibet. This mountain is the sacred site of four religions, and is visited by a few thousand pilgrims each year who believe that the journey around it will bring good fortune. Some complete the walk in just a day, others take a couple of weeks. It’s believed that a pilgrim who completes 108 circuits around the mountain will reach enlightenment.

I occasionally participate in a circumambulation of Mount Tamalpais, just north of San Francisco. The walk was established in 1965 by Beat poets Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg and Philip Whalen, who were inspired by Tibetan and Indian practices of walking “the way of the sun” (clockwise) around a sacred object. The Tamalpais circumambulation continues today—from the redwoods of Muir Woods around and up the mountain to the chaparral-covered East Peak and circling back to Muir Woods—and marks the four quarters of the year. While it’s close to my home, and far from “exotic” in a way, this spiral walk has certainly enhanced my view of the mountain over the years.

Interested in reading more about circumambulation journeys? Check out these books:

The Size of the World by Jeff Greenwald
Opening the Mountain: Circumambulating Mount Tamalpais, A Ritual Walk by Matthew Davis and Michael Farrell Scott

Also, Phil Cousineau’s The Art of Pilgrimage is an inspirational read for anyone in search of sacred travel.

Have you incorporated a circumambulation in any of your travels? Tell about it in the comments section!