When Amy Wilinski, co-owner of Golden Light Healing with husband David, first ventured on a spiritual journey to Peru in 2007 in order to work with the high shamans, the country’s mystical archeological sites and the warm cultural traditions of the Peruvian peoples seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Amy divulges, “I didn’t think I would be able to go back, as it was one of the most intense experiences of my life. But while I was there, one of the medicine men did a little reading on me and said, ‘You’re going to come back next year, and you will bring a group of your shaman students.’ And I thought, ‘This guy doesn’t have any idea what he’s talking about,’” Amy reflects with a laugh. “‘I don’t have any shaman students, and I’m not coming back.’”

That following year, Amy began teaching shamanism at Golden Light, and she did indeed return to Peru with her first-year shaman students. She’s been sharing those spiritual experiences with others for 10 years now, leading treks not just to Peru, but also to Ireland, Scotland and sacred Native American sites in the United States, such as the Black Hills of South Dakota—original home of the Lakota tribe.

“There are so many beautiful places around the Earth that have such rich spiritual traditions,” Amy says. Being of Celtic descent, she decided to explore Ireland’s sacred sites and participate in that country’s rituals in an attempt to delve into her Celtic heritage and heal ancestral wounds. That experience led to her first group tour of Ireland. “I never thought leading trips would be part of my job, but I see them as spiritual journeys.”

Despite our efforts to find solace in our own backyards, Amy believes we don’t always allow ourselves to escape—the business of everyday life gets in the way and we get sucked back into regular routines. “We’re such a fast-paced culture, but when you go on a spiritual journey and you’re hiking up a 15,000-foot mountain, it forces you to slow down,” she says. “Then you can tune into the stillness of the soul, which is difficult to do in Western culture.”

The Golden Light trips are spiritual and don’t focus on any particular religion; instead, they aim to help one’s own connection with the divine. Amy arranges for local guides to accompany her small intimate groups, and participants meet different spiritual practitioners at each stop on the itinerary, allowing complete immersion in local cultures. Through “praying and playing,” Amy says travel can best transform people when they remain open to whatever the locals provide, be it the country’s traditional food or music, or stories told by the land’s inhabitants.

“Because we’ve become so disconnected, a spiritual journey helps us learn how to find that rhythm embedded within all of us—the heartbeat of Mother Earth,” she says. “When we return, we’re more mindful of that rhythm in our everyday lives. Things become easier, since we’re walking with spirit as opposed to walking with our left-brain.”

Although experiencing the sights and sounds of other cultures abroad can be transformative, there’s plenty of tranquil beauty right in our own state. Experiencing Wisconsin’s lush forests, shimmering lakes, rivers and prairies can help heal hectic souls. Golden Light’s new retreat center is on 200 acres of nature, and Amy says that people come for private and personal retreats in order to absorb the peace and wonder of the nightly celestial skies, and to watch sandhill cranes, bears, coyotes, trees, dragonflies and more.

“There are so many beautiful places all over the United States and the world,” Amy enthuses. “I don’t think there’s a bad place; everywhere has something wonderful to offer.”

Upcoming Golden Light spiritual journeys include The Way of the Altomesayok, in Peru, January 15 through 26, and The Mists of Ireland, anticipated for the fall of 2018.

Golden Light Healing is located at 7102 Sundew Rd., Sobieski (north of Green Bay). For more information, call 920-609-8277 or visit GoldenLightHealing.net.

Sheila Julson is a regular contributor to Natural Awakenings.