Post written by Laura Cococcia. You can follow Laura on Twitter.

I grew up in a very Catholic household. Before my super cool mom married my equally remarkable dad, she was a nun. I won’t elaborate – that should explain most of it.

While I wasn’t always the perfect Catholic child (laughs welcome), I continue to be intrigued by the history and analyses of religion and spirituality. In college, I minored in religious studies – “The Quest for the Historical Jesus,” “Intro to Buddhism,” and “Insights into Judaism” were some of my favorite courses.

Enter yesterday. I spent the day with one of the many awesome guides here at Inkaterra. Braulio and I hiked around Machu Picchu for almost six hours. While I read about the Inca religion before the trip, I was incredibly intrigued by the stories Braulio shared from his extensive studies as we ate our ham and cheese sandwiches. No book – or Wikipedia – can replace such rich accounts.

Later that evening, I took a type of spirituality walk with Roberto, another fab guide here. We talked about how so much of the spiritual culture here is centered on respect for nature. All parts of nature – mountains, snakes, fire, and water – are regarded as living elements, just as humans are. Each provides a different energy – and when we connect with them, we exchange a mutual spiritual power.

The Peruvian Giving Tree

But then, about 25 minutes into the walk, Roberto told me we were going to hug a tree. Like really hug it.

At first, I was a bit wary. People have called me a tree hugger before – but with a different meaning. Yes, I was wearing my bandana, but I was entering new territory.

So, Roberto and I asked the tree for permission to connect with it, and then gave it a big giant bear hug. Out of respect. It was pretty cool. Not sure if it was all in my mind, but I’m pretty sure the tree was thankful.

You may or may not know that my favorite book of all time is Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. Man, I love that book. I cry every time I read it. I don’t cry often, but this one gets me every time.

Maybe that’s why the tree and I got along.

Extra Reading For The Curious

Is it irony? Fate? Two of the magazines I brought with me on this adventure contained articles about current perspectives of spirituality and religion in our global culture.

Check out this one from a recent issue of Foreign Policy: “Think Again: God” by Karen Armstrong offers some provocative commentary into how we view God, religion and spirituality from a variety of perspectives. Quick read and her writing style kept me engaged from beginning to end.

What’s your take on spirituality? Do you consider it separate from religion or one in the same?

More to come soon, friends. Until then, be well.

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