Backwards Riding Through Habit

In one tale, Nasreddin rides backwards on his donkey because he fears missing his hometown behind him. This paradox illustrates how habitual thinking—doing things the way we've always done them—prevents us from truly seeing the land beneath our feet. When we approach sacred land through inherited routines rather than presence, we become like the Hodja riding backwards: moving through space without arriving. Land as sacred demands that we examine our habitual relationships to place: the shortcuts we always take, the views we no longer notice, the seasons we ignore while following schedules. This concept calls us to ride forwards, fully aware, noticing the actual ground we walk. Sacred land requires us to break the spell of autopilot and see our terrain as if for the first time, even in places we've known for decades.