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About Inner Travel Books
The mission of Inner Travel Books is to make the sacred adventure of pilgrimage more available and accessible to people of all faiths. It all began when Colleen and James Heater planned their honeymoon to Italy in 1998. They quickly discovered that most travel guides were not useful for planning a pilgrimage and decided to write a book that meets the needs of the spiritual traveler. The following year, they returned to Italy and visited over thirty-five shrines and began to create their first book, The Pilgrim’s Italy: A Travel Guide to the Saints.
The authors have developed a new style of travel guide which includes detailed biographies about each saint and their shrine, explicit directions and maps, and helpful phrases in the language of the host country. Most importantly, they share the techniques of meditation, and specifically, how to meditate with the saints. These simple instructions are for seekers of all religions who are looking for a more meaningful pilgrimage experience.
The Pilgrim’s Italy was the first in the series of pilgrim travel guides, followed by The Pilgrim’s France. Next in the European series will be The Pilgrim's Spain, available in 2011. Yogananda's India: A Travel Guide to the Sacred Sights of the Indian Master will be available in 2010.
About the Authors
James and Colleen Heater have combined their interest in the lives of the saints and their love of travel to create a unique series of spiritual travel guides. As longtime practitioners of yoga, the Heaters teach classes on meditation and inspirational music as members of a spiritual community in Northern California. Their honeymoon to Italy in 1998 evolved into a journey of pilgrimage and sparked the idea for writing travel guides to sacred destinations. Since then they have written and published pilgrimage guides to Italy and France, with plans for adding Spain and India to the collection.
Colleen's professional background includes working as a licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in addiction and codependency, while offering the opportunity for spiritual renewal to her clients. Colleen has lived and traveled throughout Europe for both pleasure and pilgrimage, and is currently devoting her time to writing and promotion for Inner Travel Books.
James, a licensed architect, practices in both religious and secular design, with projects in America, Europe and India. His background in meditation and music—including being an accomplished guitarist—has prepared him to understand the subtle energies of some of the holiest shrines in Europe and Asia. With this base of knowledge, he has led guided tours to sacred places in the United States and Italy.
