Let's not forget the archetype of the hero going to the forest to face roaring rivers, monsters, snakes, and, finally, to slay the dragon before returning home as savior of the village (as Joseph Campbell expounds upon). This also could entail finding enlightenment in the "desert" and returning home with the knowledge to save his community. Most stories loosely follow this pattern, like Jesus' Transfiguration or Forrest Gump committing to shrimping in Vietnam. So, yeah, Avey's kinda saying: "go to the woods and trip to find yourself, and come back with real experience that could raise your consciousness, as opposed to the mess that is material society, which can only bring misleading pleasure if that".
Let's not forget the archetype of the hero going to the forest to face roaring rivers, monsters, snakes, and, finally, to slay the dragon before returning home as savior of the village (as Joseph Campbell expounds upon). This also could entail finding enlightenment in the "desert" and returning home with the knowledge to save his community. Most stories loosely follow this pattern, like Jesus' Transfiguration or Forrest Gump committing to shrimping in Vietnam. So, yeah, Avey's kinda saying: "go to the woods and trip to find yourself, and come back with real experience that could raise your consciousness, as opposed to the mess that is material society, which can only bring misleading pleasure if that".