Gary C. White

Gary White is a believer in transformational travel: experiencing a place, not merely visiting it. Together with his wife, Elyn Aviva, Gary has walked the Camino de Santiago across Spain and the French Way of St. James from Le Puy en Velay to the Pyrenees.

Gary grew up in rural southern Kansas. He read the encyclopedia as a child and was a trumpet player in the high school band. He fled from this auspicious beginning to the University of Kansas, Lawrence, where he earned degrees in music education and music composition. His “instrument” of choice was voice. He holds a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Michigan State University, and he has received numerous prizes for his compositions. At his (early) retirement in 1994, he was Distinguished Professor of Music at Iowa State University, where he had taught for twenty-eight years.

Gary likes adventures and he likes creating things. He also enjoys good food and interesting places. In his life after retirement, Gary has become a “useful person” (his own words) by studying massage, Reiki, and Healing Touch. He trained in the mid-1990s as a Labyrinth Facilitator with Lauren Artress and has constructed numerous labyrinths and led labyrinth workshops. In addition, he has studied with various dowsers and earth-energy teachers, including Sig Lonegren, Dominique Susani, Ferran Blasco, and Anne Parker.

In 2000 Gary launched Pilgrims Process Inc. publishing company: “Books for Readers Who Think.” He is responsible for design, production, and distribution of the books and eBooks. In addition, he produces “Powerful Places Podcasts,” a series of podcasts on travel, for which he composes the theme music. He is also co-author of the series, Powerful Places Guidebooks.

Gary’s other interests include being “well connected”—to the Internet. He’s also the resident “go-to” techie for the family’s Macintosh computers, iPads, iPods, etc.

Gary and Elyn are living the expat life in Girona (Catalonia) Spain. From this delightful location, they travel and write books on powerful places, sacred sites, pilgrimage, and transformational journeys.