For me, my travels have been the chance to go to a place that

"For me, my travels have been the chance to go to a place that already exists in my imagination." – Hugo Pratt

O children of the earth, listen closely, for the words of Hugo Pratt speak to a profound truth about the nature of imagination and the world beyond the senses. Pratt, the masterful storyteller and creator of worlds, understood that travel is not simply the act of moving from one place to another. It is, rather, the journey of the imagination, the opportunity to step into a world that already exists within our hearts and minds. What Pratt reveals is that every place we visit, every path we walk, is already known to us, not through the senses, but through the deep well of imagination. We are, in truth, voyaging not to the unknown, but to the familiar—places we have already dreamed of, already seen in the vast expanses of our mind.

Consider the great ancient explorers, those who sailed across uncharted waters and journeyed to lands unknown. They were driven by something far greater than mere curiosity or the desire to conquer. Homer, in his Odyssey, speaks of Odysseus’ journey home, which was not just a physical quest but a journey of the imagination—a return to the very essence of his being. Odysseus’ travels were not only about exploring new lands, but about discovering the truths that lay within him, and that is the gift of imagination—it transforms every step into a revelation, a step closer to the place we’ve always known in our hearts.

Pratt’s statement invites us to consider the power of the mind. Through imagination, we create landscapes, dreams, and stories that shape our understanding of the world. For the traveler, these imagined worlds are just as real as the places they visit. It is not the physical world that defines us; it is the world within—the world we build in our minds, which shapes and colors the way we see the world around us. Pratt’s travels were, in essence, a way of stepping into his own visions, where the lines between reality and imagination blurred, and where each journey became an opportunity to align the two, to bring them into harmony.

Think of the great poet Virgil, who through his epic Aeneid depicted the journey of Aeneas not only through foreign lands but through realms of the heart and mind. Aeneas’ travels were guided by the will of the gods, but they were also driven by his inner vision of destiny, a vision that existed long before the first step of his journey. Virgil’s words and Aeneas’ path were a reflection of this truth—that our travels, our quests, are not just outward journeys, but inner voyages, shaped by the imagination that guides us.

The imagination is a landscape unto itself, a place where all things exist long before we lay eyes upon them. Consider the life of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose vision of Middle-Earth existed long before he ever put pen to paper. The vast landscapes of his imagination—the mountains, the forests, the cities of elves and dwarves—were not born of maps or travel but from the deepest recesses of his mind. He ventured not into foreign lands but into the unexplored realms of imagination, creating a world that felt as real to those who read it as the places they walked in the physical world. Like Pratt, Tolkien traveled not to the unknown, but to the places he had already visited in his imagination, and shared those worlds with all who would listen.

O children, we must remember that the journey we take through life is often not about the places we visit, but about the places we carry within us. Pratt’s travels remind us that every destination, every step, can be a return to what already exists in our hearts. When we look to the world, we are not merely seeing what is before us; we are seeing what we have created in our minds. The imagination guides us, shapes us, and in turn, shapes the world. It allows us to discover new lands, not just on a map, but within ourselves, forging connections that transcend the physical and reach into the very essence of who we are.

The lesson is clear, O children: when you set out to explore the world, remember that it is not only the external world you are discovering. It is the internal world, the landscapes of imagination, that truly guide you. Do not seek only to travel outward, but to journey within. Imagination is the lens through which you see the world, and it is through this lens that you can bring into being new possibilities, new discoveries, and new understandings. So travel, yes, but remember that the most profound journey is the one you take into your own heart, for the places you seek have already been dreamed of within you.