Sangha Tours -exploring our world together
susandrew@peoplepc.com 772-567-6202
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About Susan Drew - Owner & Tour Leader
background & beliefs
Earlier in my career I was an elementary school teacher and then a Marriage and Family Therapist. Much of my training was in Jungian psychology and as a result I found myself interested in various arts, symbols, ceremonies, religions and cultures of our global community. It's all just a part of our collective unconscious, as Carl Jung would say.
As opportunities arose in my life, I started to travel and venture out - taking trips to sacred sites and ancient lands on the planet. Then I started to lead some of the tours myself. Eventually I created my own tour company and that was in 1989. My specialty was and still is taking people to the ancient lands and sacred sites of the planet – whether to a Buddhist Monastery, a Muslim mosque a historical church or a sacred place of nature - revered by earth's indigenous people, past and present.
Whether it's traveling to Tibetan Dharamsala in India to have an audience with the Dalai Lama or exploring Machu Picchu and the tropical rainforest – whether it's walking the streets of Jerusalem's Old City or marveling at the setting sun over Africa's plains – I'm never as happy as when I'm exploring our world. Put me in a little white van with my straw hat, sneakers and a camera and I'm happy as a lark.
I'm fascinated by all earth's cultures & religions – believing the universality resides in simple acts of kindness and compassion towards others. As an early student of Gandhi (age 8) and then the Dalai Lama, I feel our good deeds and kind actions are all that should really matter in our global society. If nothing else – I think “do no harm” is a very good mantra to have. Whether I'm in a Hindu Temple for aarti, a Tibetan nunnery for pujas, an ancient temple along the Nile for meditation or on the Hopi Reservation for sacred dances – I feel I'm most “me” in all those places. Maybe as Jung said, it's the collective unconscious that runs through us all.
My personal beliefs are quite eclectic. I love the rituals of all religions, though I've never read an entire sacred text. I believe in the power of light and energy, but also in the conscious will of the individual. I believe in prayer & meditation and in past lives too. I think there's a divine purpose to every life, yet we can also shift and shape that purpose with our choices. I think if each one of us decided to incarnate on this planet at this specific time, there must be a reason for it. Of course it's often our lifelong quest to find that reason and then fulfill it. I believe in a grand plan for creating a more enlightened earth and hopefully each one of us will find our own path & then be of help. For many years I worked with people individually to help them understand their divine purpose and higher plan. For some, sacred site travel is part of that plan - gaining personal enlightenment at the sites, while giving back during the journey. Just by standing on a holy mountaintop, praying in an ancient temple or even meeting a local family - we've expanded our horizons and increased our understanding of earth's global community. What could be better than uniting a divisive world through that understanding? I love this quote from Pauline Frommer, “You can't have a narrow mind if you have a thick passport”. I certainly agree!
Another part of my personal path was to become an author. My first book was called The Tapestry of Light and it's about how all of us can become more enlightened souls - living with greater light each day, thereby improving our lives and the lives of others. I'm currently working on another book called A Quest of the Heart – about a 3 year global journey I took, against all odds, to celebrate and anchor the loving essence of the Dalai Lama at certain power points around the world. As a writer I've also written many newspaper travel columns, lectured at large conferences, had a small TV show years ago, spoken on radio and more – all related to sacred travel, in hopes of inspiring others on their personal quests as well.
I must say, in all my years of traveling two events have stood out above all the rest. The first one was the day I had a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and my group, in his Dharamsala home (Nov. 2000). He was so kind, welcoming and profound - and I instantly knew it was the best day of my life. I just felt incredibly blessed! The second best day was when I climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro with a friend - on what I later realized, was the Dalai Lama's birthday - July 6, 2007. What a hard climb it was, but what a wonderful reward and the synchronicity just made it perfect. I love when I listen, follow my instincts & take action - allowing everything to align in synchronicity - or "God's way of being anonymous".
I like to think I've listened over the years and followed my instincts well – allowing me to fulfill my own divine plan while I'm here, before my time is done. I know part of that plan is trying to inspire others to explore our amazing world & global community by traveling to earth's sacred sites and natural wonders. I also hope people enjoy getting to know each other, as well as the people we meet along the way. For when people return home from such journeys, I think they bring a new sense of enlightenment, understanding and compassion to our world. That's my goal at least - making the path to a more peaceful world truly happen one step at a time. If nothing else, it seems like the path I agreed to take in this lifetime. Namaste -Susan Drew
You could be here
Photos 1989 - today
Petra with Jordanian Girls, Sakkara Pyramid in Egypt, Dharamsala, Australian Olgas, Dharamsala's Chonor House, Taj Mahal, India, with Dalai Lama, Yucatan, Kenya & Flamingos
My Postcards from
the Planet...35+
years & counting
...this could be you!
"Sacred Site Travel
is Good For the Soul "
L-R: Angkor Cambodia, Rainforest Peru, Megiddo Israel, Sikkim, Caesarea Israel, Angkor, Cambodia, Leh India, Maasai Village Kenya, Galapagos, Sacred Valley Peru, Machu Picchu Peru, Delhi India, Bhutan, South India, Israel, Indian Safari, Dharamsala India, Jaipur India, Indian Safari, Samburu Kenya, Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu Peru, Gandhi's Memorial India, Ubud Bali, Kabah Yucatan, Nile Cruise Egypt, Rainforest Peru, Mt. Kilimanjaro Gate
The Tapestry of Light
You could be here!
Interested in more info?
Susan Drew - Owner: Sangha Tours, PO Box 690272, Vero Beach FL 32969 (772-567-6202) susandrew@peoplepc.com st37498
Dharamsala India, Luxor Egypt, Paro Bhutan, Yucatan Mexico, Dharamsala India, Punakha Bhutan, Machu Picchu Peru, Chiang Mai Thailand, Morocco Dunes, Petra Jordan, Singapore, Karnak Egypt, Morocco Desert, Maasai Mara Kenya, Jaipur India, Delphi Greece, Palenque Mexico, Yucatan Mexico
Give yourself the gift of travel too!
Peru, Egypt, Israel, Peru, Egypt, South Africa, Peru
