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About this trip-
If you’re new to our work, we condemn JKR and her transphobia. Read more about it here.
After the enthusiastic response from former Harry Potter pilgrims and listeners of our parent company’s podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, we have decided to bring together a small, intimate group of pilgrims to return to the scenic Atholl Palace Hotel in Scotland for another Harry Potter pilgrimage.
On this pilgrimage, we will focus on the first book of the series through the lens of discovery, asking ourselves questions like: how can change be a means to discovery? What can you discover about yourself in a new environment? How do you open yourself up to curiosity and discovery?
This trip is perfect for anyone who has derived significant meaning from the text and is looking for a community of likeminded individuals to celebrate its gifts and lessons with. Our aim is to create brave, inclusive spaces, and with that, we reject the transphobia perpetuated by the author of this text. Read more about our values here.
The pace of this pilgrimage will be slow, with one optional hike. The rest of the time will be filled with class time discussion, opportunities for artistic activities, peaceful reflection in nature, and delicious meals. Atholl Palace Hotel has beautiful gardens, an indoor pool, a spa, and plenty of gorgeous woodland grounds to explore. A short walk away is Pitlochry, a lovely village, and from Pitlochry, a two hour train ride will take you to Edinburgh, where you can explore all the Harry Potter sights before or after we gather.
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We will spend most of our time enjoying class time discussion, eating delicious meals, and partaking in quiet reflection (and some personal crafting/creation time!) within the stunning nature of the Scottish countryside.
There will be one optional hike and we recommend that pilgrims participating in the hike prepare for the possibility of varying temperatures by equipping with layers. We won’t rush our hike, but we expect to embark upon the elevation changes that the landscape provides.
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The full tuition of the trip is as follows:
Private Room $4,850
Shared Room $4,450 (tuition per person)
Shared Rooming: If you wish to share a room with another person, you will each purchase your own shared rooms. This enables us to functionally receive one registration form per participant. Please do not purchase a private room if you prefer to share a room with another participant.
Meeting Up
We will meet in Pitlochry after lunch on March 22nd and end programming before lunch on March 26th. Specific meeting time and location will be offered privately to pilgrims upon payment.Travel Expenses & Arrangements
Each pilgrim is responsible for handling their own travel expenses and arrangements prior to our meeting on March 22nd and after we say goodbye on March 26th. Flights are not included.Accommodations
For this trip, we will be returning to the Atholl Palace Hotel, a historic venue situated in the Highlands which has hosted visitors since Victorian times. When not partaking in class and group activities, pilgrims can take advantage of the lush grounds for a leisurely stroll, go for a swim in water filtered through the volcanic rock of Ben Y Vrackie, or book a treatment at the hotel’s spa.Scholarships
We occasionally offer partial scholarships for pilgrimages. If you are interested, please fill out our form here.
Trip Faculty
Casper ter Kuile
Faculty Leader & Chaplain (He/Him)
Casper brings new possibilities for community and spirituality to life. He's the co-creator and founding co-host of both Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and The Real Question, and a board member of Not Sorry.
Casper is the author of The Power of Ritual (HarperOne, 2020) and the co-founder of Sacred Design Lab, a soul-centered research and development lab. A graduate of Harvard's Kennedy and Divinity Schools, he served as a Ministry Innovation Fellow for Harvard Divinity School from 2016-2021.
Casper's at his happiest when he's harmony folk singing, keeping his tech sabbath, or stopping for a tea break on a long country walk. Originally from England and Holland, he lives with his husband in Brooklyn, NY.
Casper will serve as lead faculty and chaplain for this trip.
Vanessa Zoltan
Faculty Leader & Chaplain (She/Her)
Vanessa is the CEO of Not Sorry Productions. She hosts three of our four podcasts: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Let’s Ask Taylor Swift, and Hot & Bothered. She founded Common Ground Pilgrimages in order to travel with brilliant faculty to beautiful places and talk about books with amazing pilgrims. It was a great trick she pulled off. She is also the author of the book, Praying with Jane Eyre.
Vanessa was trained as a non-denominational chaplain at Harvard Divinity School. She is a proud California girl who currently lives in MA with her gorgeous, blended family.
Fun Fact: Vanessa taught both ninth and eleventh grade English before becoming an author and podcaster!
Vanessa will serve as lead faculty and chaplain for this trip.
Julia Argy
Logistics Coordinator (She/Her)
Julia is a writer from Massachusetts. Her debut novel, The One, was published by Putnam in April, 2023. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Statistics, and from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program with an MFA in Fiction. She works as the Director of Pilgrimages at Not Sorry.
Julia will serve as logistics coordinator for this trip.
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
— ALBUS DUMBLEDORE