This week's Awakin reading is by John O'Donohue titled 'For the Traveler': Every time you leave home, Another road takes you Into a world you were never in.   New strangers on other paths await. New places that have never seen you Will startle a little at your entry. Old places that know you well Will pretend nothing Changed since your last visit.   When you travel, you find yourself Alone in a different way, More attentive now To the self you bring along, Your more subtle eye watching You abroad; and how what meets you Touches that part of the heart That lies low at home:   How you unexpectedly attune To the timbre in some voice, Opening in conversation You want to take in To where your longing Has pressed hard enough Inward, on some unsaid dark, To create a crystal of insight You could not have known You needed To illuminate Your way.   When you travel, A new silence Goes with you, And if you listen, You will hear What your heart would Love to say.   A journey can become a sacred thing: Make sure, before you go, To take the time To bless your going forth, To free your heart of ... [Read more]