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[Extract] It was the great traveller Herodotus of Halicarnassus who noted the ubiquity of religious expression over two millennia ago (Kapuscinski, 2007; Marozzi, 2008). Among the people who travelled in the ancient world there were many who did so to visit religious shrines such as the temple of Apollo at Delphi; they came there to consult the oracle and frequently to quieten a restless mind about their fate. Wood (2004) makes the point that many who consulted the oracle were hoping for a clear and detailed response; indeed they often believed that their well-being depended upon both the content and the clarity of the pronouncement. Yet clarity was often not evident, rather, equivocation and opacity were frequently delivered to the pilgrims at Apollo's shrine. Not only did they experience disappointment when the oracle's responses were given; so too might there be .little happiness if, later, the opaque prognostications of the oracle were to be misinterpreted and then acted upon. The pursuit of well-being has been a characteristic of human endeavour throughout history, and in many contexts including religion and spirituality. Moreover, many travellers have gone to great lengths so as to increase their level of well-being. The reception of oracular pronouncements has not always been at the centre of pilgrim purpose; very often it has rather involved personal meaning and even a measure of self transcendence that may be derived from out of the many experiences of the journey.
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