About Us

What is Gatekeeper Trust

The Gatekeeper Trust is a Registered Educational Charity, No. 326416, founded in 1980 devoted to personal and planetary healing through pilgrimage. It seeks to rediscover the ancient art of pilgrimage as a way of journeying with an awareness of the sacred nature of our environment. It researches both ancient and modern knowledge about the landscape and shares it through an annual programme of journeys and workshops. As well as nationally organised events the Gatekeeper Trust has several active local groups.

Pilgrimage is a traditional feature of all the great Religions and Cultures of the world. At its simplest level it involves making a journey as an individual or group to a place which may have significance for the pilgrim. This may be a recognised holy site or simply a place that has a personal resonance. What distinguishes a pilgrim from any other traveller is that he or she dedicates the journey to a spiritual (higher) purpose and anticipates an exchange with the special place - both receiving something from its atmosphere or holiness and giving something in return, such as a gift, a prayer or simply love. Through this exchange we believe pilgrimage can bring healing and balance both to the environment and ourselves.

While many traditional pilgrimages are undertaken in the hope of receiving personal healing for oneself or a loved one, the idea of healing the environment in this way is given little attention today. There is an ancient science behind this aspect of pilgrimage which Gatekeeper Trust seeks to revive and research through its programme of events and published reports in a biannual Newsletter.

The Gatekeeper Trust has active local groups across the country, and until 2012, published an annual magazine. We now have this lively and regularly updated website.

Gatekeeper Trust and Sacred Journeys

Shared journeys unite people and engender respect for different cultures, the land we live upon and the environment that sustains us. A journey is an adventure that can be both a challenging and joyful experience. Above all we believe pilgrimage can contribute to a more peaceful healthy world.

In these busy times, we have forgotten how to walk on the earth in a simple and sacred way with awareness. The Gatekeeper Trust seeks to recover this ability to be in tune with the landscape. We offer journeys and workshops where people can rediscover their connection with the Earth and with Spirit in a simple and loving way.

Through all ages people have set out on journeys. Some of these journeys now form the core of our folklore, history and myth. There is excitement in the prospect of exploration and travel; we anticipate the joy of discovering new landscapes and cultures. So too we anticipate enjoying a true holiday, re-creating ourselves as we are meant to be.

Each of us knows at least one place where we feel special - somewhere that makes us seem more alive, more in tune with the world, more truly ourselves. It is here that we connect with the spirit of the place and find universal harmony.

As we care for places in the landscape, we find that places in ourselves become healed. Journeys through the outer landscape can create within us new frontiers of inner perspective; we discover new depths of potential in ourselves that may have lain hidden before; new gifts can be released in us.

The Earth herself has an abundance of simple gifts to be enjoyed. We invite you to discover them with us.

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