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El Camino de Santiago

In August 2005 I walked almost 500 miles from St Jean Pied-de-Port in France, across the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, north west Spain. (That's right, I DID say walked! :))

El Camino de Santiago, follows the path of an ancient pilgrimage to Fisterra (Finisterre) or "Land's End", the most western point of Europe where our ancestors believed the world ended. Although this route is now associated with Catholicism following the apostle St James who found his way there 2,000 years ago, many people walking the path believe that the route dates back to much more ancient times than the dawn of Christianity. Perhaps it dates back to the time when our human consciousness became aware of a spiritual force that transcended the known and compelled us to delve into the regions of the unknown, the mysterious, the divine.

But "How is it possible to walk 500 miles?" I was asked this question several times and the answer is, as with all things that seem too much for us to handle, ONE DAY AT A TIME. You start a journey of 500 miles by taking one step and you keep on walking until you get tired; then you rest and start again. I completed the 500 miles in 4 weeks and 4 days walking between 10 miles to 25 miles each day.

And why?

What would motivate thousands of people to walk hundreds or thousands of miles to Santiago (like my friend Thomas who walked 2,000 miles from his home in Austria) when they could just get a plane? This is the question I asked myself because in fact I used to live in Santiago and indeed, always got the plane or train to get there...and once I drove there from Italy and back, but WALK?! That thought had not entered my mind until recently when I kept getting calls to "do" the El Camino de Santiago. When you get such knocks on the door, best to respond unless you want life itself to pass you by. You will only discover what is there when you open up the door.

I was given the following poem in a church in Puente la Reina, a few days into my journey in Spain. I sense that it gives a most succint answer to the question "Why?" people go on pilgrimages such as "El Camino de Santiago" in search of the unknown, the mysterious and the divine. I will give a brief, rough English translation of the poem below the original Spanish version and hope you find the words inspiring as I certainly do.

• Camina,
• Naciste para el camino.
• Camina,
• Tienes una cita
• Donde? Con quien?
• Aun no lo sabes,
• Quizas contigo mismo?
• Tus pasos seran tus palabras
• el camino tu cancion
• el cansancio tu oracion
• al final, tu silencio te hablara
• Camina,
• solo, con otros,
• pero sal de ti mismo.
• Te creaste rivales,
• encontraras companeros,
• te imaginaste enemigos
• haras amigos.
• Camina,
• tu mente no sabe
• donde los pasos
• llevan a tu corazon.
• Camina
• naciste para hacer el camino,
• el del peregrino.
• Otra camina hacia ti
• Y te busca
• para que tu puedas encontrarlo.
• En Santiago, meta del camino,
• en el santuario, en lo profundo
• de tu corazon
• El es tu paz
• El es tu alegria
• Vete
• Dios ya camina contigo

The English Translation: Walk because you were born to do this walk. E-mail me if you want a literal translation of the whole poem which is quite beautiful. Have a wonderful week ahead of you and listen for what life is calling you to do!

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