Day 604 - Let the sun guide you...

My absolute favourite line from this video -
'My soul is on a quest and I am drawn to walk this trail...'

Day 602 - Reflections, changes and challenges.

My 'pre-camino' walks are taking shape quite nicely. I'm out on the beach every morning and at the moment I am comfortably covering 8 kilometers per day. Some days I walk alone and some days I invite someone along.

What wonderful conversations develop alongside breaking waves as the kilometers just roll away under our feet!

The deep, the funny, the sad and the silly - therapy without a price tag!

I imagine this is pretty much what life on the road in Spain is going to be like but right now that very first step on the road in St Jean Pied de Pod seems light years away! I want to fast forward time - I can't remember when last I have been so drawn to something!

Reading what others who have walked already have to say about their experiences, months after returning to their 'normal' lives, just fuels the fire for me! The following piece was written by pilgrims John and Robin from the USA - a year after they walked the exact route that I will be following in June. They have kindly allowed me to share it here with you.

December 18, 2011

From here to where?

St Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Portland, Oregon

A year ago this past week Robin and I set out from St Mary's on our first pilgrimage down the Camino de Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, and then on to Finisterre, and Muxia. Much has transpired since that pilgrimage. It is hard to categorize all the changes, but there are plenty. On the strictly physical side we are now almost always walking. Daily walks of 5 to 10 miles are now the norm. On the spiritual side the benefit of the time spent in reflection and contemplation while walking the Camino cannot be overstated. It was a true blessing, and a gift from God to have that quiet time. Thoughts of our community of fellow pilgrims, and the many welcoming hospitaleros we encountered, continue to warm our hearts as we reflect on their kindness and generosity (not to mention their wisdom). Now at home we find ourselves probing more deeply the issues of faith, purpose, and spiritual direction. It is as though that part of our lives caught fire, and we are now always discussing some facet of that inquiry. With Christmas just around the corner, Robin and I fondly recall the joy of sharing last Christmas Eve with our fellow pilgrims in the upper rooms of the albergue in Santo Domingo de Calzada. Daniel, a Canadian friend from the Camino, texted us the other day to simply say hello on this very special anniversary. A simple kindness that was much appreciated.

Whether on the Camino or just living our lives at home, we continue to sense that we are all connected, and we are thankful for that. But, with this realization come new responsibilities. Understanding that what one does affects everyone else, shifts our thinking regarding all people and all things. We sell ourselves short, and diminish our lives, if we feel that we can get through life by simply doing no harm. Doing no harm is a start, but we are called to do something more, perhaps much more. In other words, we have to be active, even bold, in our faith or whatever you choose to call that inner yearning that causes us to seek the Oneness of our beginning. What that means for each of us is what I feel we are all trying to discover, and respond to. We do know that all human activity can be improved with love, charity and a joyful heart. These powerful virtues can, and should be, trusted to safely light the way for the inner journey that beckons all of us.

Reaching Santiago was, in a sense, both an end, and a beginning. The pilgrimage physically came to a close, but at the same time we sensed that in some way it hadn't (the Holy Spirit is always at work). There was something yet to be done. Now far from the Camino our spiritual journey continues to lead us we know not where, but wherever that might be we are now anxious to follow. Perhaps, in the end, this will prove to be the greatest gift of our Camino.

Gracias a Dios

 

See why I want to fast forward time!

To read more about John and Robin's camino experience, click here.



Day 30 - A lovely book about an inspiring journey

The past week has been one of reflection for me. I spent a lot of time thinking about why I find myself so attracted to the idea of doing the Camino de Santiagao - something that I knew nothing about a few weeks ago.

So I started searching on the Internet and spent time reading blogs written by people who have either walked the camino, or like me, are still contemplating doing it. I found some wonderful material and I'm even more fascinated than ever.

The fist of my great finds was a a book called 'Walking the Camino' by an Australian author, Tony Kevin. I've bought the book and find I can't put it down! Many pilgrims have written about their experiences but I think I'd have to look far to find one as eloquently written as this one.

The introduction to his book reads: 'Tony Kevin retired from the Australian foreign service in 1998, after a 30-year government career during which he served in the Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister's departments, and was Australia's ambassador to Poland and Cambodia.' So what would prompt someone like Tony to walk a pilgrim's route of 1200 kilometres over hills and stones, with just a wooden rod and a backpack on his back?

I felt as if I've arrived in good company and that discovering why he chose to do this might help me understand my own fascination with the camino experience.

After some searching I found a clip of an interview done by an Australian radio station. It's about 26 or so minutes long but really worth listening to, right until the end. Especially if, like me, you are planning to tackle the camino somewhere in the future. Have a look at this link - you'll find the prompt on the pages where you can listen to the interview.

http://www.abc.net.au/overnights/stories/s2053793.htm

In the interview the presenter asks him why he thinks people do the walk and this is what he answered: 'One of the reasons is that it is an affirmation of common humanity. It is a way of saying - we are all one people in a world that is so divided - where people shut each other out. The Camino is a place where people meet as equals, reaching out to each other. There is a wonderful feeling of comradeship and empathy that comes out of that. It is an opprtunity to live a life (a brief life) without all the complications of normal life, our insecurities, our anger and our aggression. The Camino is always friendly, always reaches out. It's an opportunity, for a short while, to live a perfect life.'

I would love to post quotes from the book and have sent the publishers a note to ask permission to do so. As soon as I have the ok, I'll go ahead and share some more if this wonderful book with you.

I said at the beginning of this blog that I have a feeling I am going to discover some great things and here we are, 30 days into the journey. It certainly has not disappointed yet!

Finally - here is the picture of what I suspect is a baby custard apple tree. Against all odds, it is still alive and well on my kitchen sill! I'm not known for my green fingers, so this is a miracle of sorts - I wrote all about it in a previous post. Miracles do indeed still happen!



Day 22 - A week of giving and discovering new pilgrims.

 It's as if this was the week of the Agapanthus in my garden. They've started opening up one after the other - what a glorious time of the year!

I've never been much of a gardener but it seems as if the older I get, the more my plants like sharing my space with me. I'm even contemplating a trip down to the nursery. I think it's time to invest in more colour, the fact that my clivias and the agapanthus have survived and actually flower more prolifically year after year, indicates that it's time.

I feel as if the colour in my garden is nature's gift to me, there certainly is something therapeutic in watching something develop from a little bud to a beautiful fragrant flower!

I am busy monitoring an an even bigger miracle in my kitchen at the moment. 

On a whim I stuck a custard apple pip in a pot plant together with the existing tenant of the pot, a Dracaena Lemon Lime Cane my mother gave me. And lo and behold, a little plant has actually popped up. At the moment it has four and a half leaves and a super slim little stem. I have to assume that this is a baby custard apple tree, unless it's a weed of sorts that found it's way into the pot.

I choose to believe it's a custard apple, the timing is just to weird for it not to be. I'm going to try my absolute best to keep this one alive and well - I really do love custard apples! A photo journal will have to follow soon - I'm just so scared I'll jinx it by making too much of a fuss but if this has a happy ending and eventually results in fruit on the table, I will be one happy gardener, not to mention a believer in miracles!

Here's one of the most beautiful Agapanthus in the garden - new life in all it's glory!

This week was also very much a week of giving for Cape Town. The last three days thousands of shoe boxes filled with Christmas presents for underprivileged children were taken to collection points. The initiative is called the Santa's Shoebox project, you can read all about it at http://www.santashoebox.co.za/. The idea is that shoe boxes are filled with age appropriate gifts, wrapped up and dropped of at points all over the country. Each and every box goes to a specific child that you have chosen beforehand according to age, gender and school. This way they ensure that every child, in every school or home that they have picked to participate in the project, receives a gift this Christmas.

They started with 180 boxes in 2006 and this year more than 30 000 boxes have been pledged! What a wonderful way to ensure that kids, who might not have received anything this Christmas, also share in the joy this year!

As the heading says, this week was also about discovering new pilgrims. I have met the most interesting man in the virtual albergue that I belong to. His name is Fr.Picardal. He lives in the Philippines and has just recently walked the Camino Santiago. This is how he describes himself on his blog intro: Biking Priest, Professor, Theologian, BEC expert, Pro-Life & Peace Activist, Healer, Occasional Hermit, Tai-chi practitioner, Marathon runner, and Doctor in Sacred Theology (Gregorian University, Rome).

What drew my attention to him initially, is a video he posted on the site of himself, playing  a guitar and singing a song about the camino that he had composed whilst walking. More amazing is the fact that he walked a great deal of the route without wearing shoes!

I have asked his permission to post his video on my site as I think it is just delightful! I almost think that it could become the official camino song - I found my own feet tapping along from the first time I heard it!

Before I post the video, I thought I'd post a piece that he wrote on his blog. He reflects on his camino and I found it very inspiring. This is what he has to say:

'There are three important phases in a pilgrimage.

The first phase is the preparation - a time for planning and preparing (physically, psychologically and spiritually).

The second phase is the actual pilgrimage itself.

The third phase is the post-pilgrimage stage which includes a time of prayerful reflection, reentry and going home.

The third phase is as important as the first and second phase. We should not rush to go home and forget what we have just experienced. We need time to go over deeply what we have gone through, observe the changes and transformation in ourselves (physically, psychologically, and spiritually) and sum up the lessons and insights that we can bring to our life.

This is what I am trying to do as I live in solitude in my hermitage. Hopefully after this period, I can share my experiences with others and apply to my life what I have learned in the Camino.

The Pilgrimage did not end in Santiago de Compostela (the field of stars), it was not the final destiny, neither was the Finisterre (the end of the earth) overlooking the deep blue ocean. Our whole life is a pilgrimage to our final destiny - beyond this life, to the Divine Source of life. Meanwhile, the journey and pilgrimage continues - within ourselves and in our daily struggles to make this world a better place to live in.'

This is exactly what I am hoping to get from my own camino. Fr. Picardal lived in virtual solitude in the mountains for two months after completing his camino as part of a seven month sabbatical. I am discovering, as I talk to pilgrims, that there seems to be a need to reflect and be silent after the walk.

I totally understand that and as part of my planning, perhaps I will do good to allow for a weekend of solitude after my walk.

Next I will tell you about a pilgrim that I have met closer to home. More about that, as well as Fr. Picardal's video tomorrow...