Ann Q and Anna,
Goodbye and farewell from the Atlanta Airport. I was unable to catch you before you had to blow away on your close connecting airplanes. This felt incomplete yet totally understandable given the post-modern world. Peter and I love you and send you off with godspeed and see you on the path again soon.
Love,
the Huntsville Connection
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Peregrinos y Peregrinas,
Hola que tal pilgrim? Kerry and Peter here in Huntsville remembering you all as the fondest and warmest of hearts, wondering how you are and if re-entry is blossoming slowly or rapido in your lives. What are you saying to people? Do you feel different from others? Is the quiet Camino living under the surface of your minds?
I did not dream my own dreams on this pilgrimage. I mentioned this to Michael, Ann Q, Zara and others and found it puzzling. I accepted it. The pilgrimage was personal to me, quite in fact but much of the pain I carried was curiously resolved the Wednesday before I walked. I told you all that I felt that this blessing came from Saint James/Santiago through God's graces, so that I might be free to be available without hindrance. And so it was for me. What also came with this blessed vacuum of pain, is that I dreamed others' dreams at night. I had not one pilgrim dream that was personal, instead I dreamed of mozarabic sequences, arabic points of light in geometric resonances, the golden mean, hebrew cadences sung in low tones and modern schemes too. My modern pilgrim dreams were the dreams of people I did not know, albergue dreams, anxieties I could not identify and peaces which permeated others' relations. I dreamed them all the same and was happy to let the dreamworld pass on through me without getting any of it stuck in my psyche or ribcage. I dreamed the dreams of the Sacred Other like some spiritual antenna parcing a Camino waveband. They blew past me like a rain-soaked wind, whipping around a corner and gone again.
And now peregrinos, since I have been home on my mountain in green, green Appalaichia; now I am dreaming my dreams of the Camino. Ha! Now I am dreaming dreams of Anna backing down and up again alongside Emma...over reservoir covered staircases in Portomarin, happily climbing up and down the stairs... up to their necks in water and backpacks, smiling and arriving at the top of the stairs to greet the rest of us watching peacefully on with Buen Camino! crossing their lips and lives, dreams of Davin dancing under a red hat with the fluidity of a cobra, and Michael alongside the path next to the young boy with no knee cap suddenly bestowing the Virgen de Milagro's blessing in one simple demonstrative wave of his hand in the boy's direction, a dream of Zara with her staff blossoming into a pear tree as she climbs the Monte de Gozo. These dreams I now dream peregrinos. I see in my dreams Becky pulling a great "jaws of life," out of her pack and cutting steel bars in half with one pinch and no sweat, I have seen Ellin sculpting Venus next to a holy spring, and Peter with a cascade of light sweeping down his back after an angel pours it liquid from heaven. In my dreams I have seen Ann Q planting a radiant garden with the roses of Gallego blooming for her in South Carolina and Nick with a quill kissed by Mastro Mateo penning a phrase. I have seen stardust in Celeste's eyes and pouring in and over her heart endlessly in a movement like Bach's Fifth. I have seen myself with the skin of a wolf on my back and a water gourd filled with Jordan's River at my side weeping for Jerusalem.
I send you these dreams, pilgrims so that you know you are in my heart forever. I send you these dreams because the Camino is living in us and really just beginning to form. I send you these dreams in gratitude to the Giver of Stars who lights the Milky Way and brings us home again.
Hola que tal pilgrim? Kerry and Peter here in Huntsville remembering you all as the fondest and warmest of hearts, wondering how you are and if re-entry is blossoming slowly or rapido in your lives. What are you saying to people? Do you feel different from others? Is the quiet Camino living under the surface of your minds?
I did not dream my own dreams on this pilgrimage. I mentioned this to Michael, Ann Q, Zara and others and found it puzzling. I accepted it. The pilgrimage was personal to me, quite in fact but much of the pain I carried was curiously resolved the Wednesday before I walked. I told you all that I felt that this blessing came from Saint James/Santiago through God's graces, so that I might be free to be available without hindrance. And so it was for me. What also came with this blessed vacuum of pain, is that I dreamed others' dreams at night. I had not one pilgrim dream that was personal, instead I dreamed of mozarabic sequences, arabic points of light in geometric resonances, the golden mean, hebrew cadences sung in low tones and modern schemes too. My modern pilgrim dreams were the dreams of people I did not know, albergue dreams, anxieties I could not identify and peaces which permeated others' relations. I dreamed them all the same and was happy to let the dreamworld pass on through me without getting any of it stuck in my psyche or ribcage. I dreamed the dreams of the Sacred Other like some spiritual antenna parcing a Camino waveband. They blew past me like a rain-soaked wind, whipping around a corner and gone again.
And now peregrinos, since I have been home on my mountain in green, green Appalaichia; now I am dreaming my dreams of the Camino. Ha! Now I am dreaming dreams of Anna backing down and up again alongside Emma...over reservoir covered staircases in Portomarin, happily climbing up and down the stairs... up to their necks in water and backpacks, smiling and arriving at the top of the stairs to greet the rest of us watching peacefully on with Buen Camino! crossing their lips and lives, dreams of Davin dancing under a red hat with the fluidity of a cobra, and Michael alongside the path next to the young boy with no knee cap suddenly bestowing the Virgen de Milagro's blessing in one simple demonstrative wave of his hand in the boy's direction, a dream of Zara with her staff blossoming into a pear tree as she climbs the Monte de Gozo. These dreams I now dream peregrinos. I see in my dreams Becky pulling a great "jaws of life," out of her pack and cutting steel bars in half with one pinch and no sweat, I have seen Ellin sculpting Venus next to a holy spring, and Peter with a cascade of light sweeping down his back after an angel pours it liquid from heaven. In my dreams I have seen Ann Q planting a radiant garden with the roses of Gallego blooming for her in South Carolina and Nick with a quill kissed by Mastro Mateo penning a phrase. I have seen stardust in Celeste's eyes and pouring in and over her heart endlessly in a movement like Bach's Fifth. I have seen myself with the skin of a wolf on my back and a water gourd filled with Jordan's River at my side weeping for Jerusalem.
I send you these dreams, pilgrims so that you know you are in my heart forever. I send you these dreams because the Camino is living in us and really just beginning to form. I send you these dreams in gratitude to the Giver of Stars who lights the Milky Way and brings us home again.
Houston, we have re-entry!
My spirit is making its way back to the 21st century slowly and with care, my body, however, has been blasted back into everyday life.
Here are some of the disonances I'm experiencing:
- People are rude to one another - the length of our walk, with the exception of one waiter who eventually showed his sunny side, people encouraged and helped each other. I was pretty horrified by the insolence of some young people to their parents in Madrid airport
- Daily, we were greeted with Hola! Buen Camino! and an accompanying smile - now once again I'm invisible to passersby. People too wrapped up in their own lives to see anyone else, or care.
- The world is a very noisy place - the wind and rain don't compete for space in the way a rock group in Philly airport was grabbing attention. People wanting distraction and afraid of the quiet and silence we absorbed in the lanes of Spain
- I miss you all and your amazing gifts.
- It's sunny in Minnesota - I'm grateful for the rays
I hope everyone else's re-entry is going well - I'm still dealing with the Camino Crud cough and have lost 5lbs which I'm going to eat back!
Be gentle with yourselves as you return. Zara
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Beatitudes of the Pilgrim
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you find that the Camino opens your eyes to the unseen.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if what concerns you most is not arriving, but arriving with others.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, when you contemplate the sights of the Camino and find them full of names and of new dawns.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, because you have discovered that the true Camino begins at its end.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if your backpack empties of things as your heart doesn’t know how to fit so many emotions.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you discover that a step backwards to help another is more valuable that a hundred forward without awareness of those at your side.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, when you have no words to give thanks for all the wonders in every nook of the Camino.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you search for the truth and make of your Camino a life, and of your life a Camino, after Him who is the Way, the Truth and the life.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if on the Camino you meet yourself and make yourself a gift of time without hurry, so that you may not neglect the image of your heart.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you find that the Camino is rich with silence and the silence is rich with prayer and the prayers are encounters with the Father that awaits you.
(Hospitalera of the refuge of pilgrims “los Padres Reparadores” from Puente Reina)
These Beatitudes are the heart of the Camino – each person I met I felt was a person I was meant to meet; every encounter was full of meaning. Our group went our separate ways on Friday, but we will forever be closely bonded by this most amazing of experiences. I miss you ALL already! Safe travels to those who are not yet home.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if what concerns you most is not arriving, but arriving with others.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, when you contemplate the sights of the Camino and find them full of names and of new dawns.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, because you have discovered that the true Camino begins at its end.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if your backpack empties of things as your heart doesn’t know how to fit so many emotions.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you discover that a step backwards to help another is more valuable that a hundred forward without awareness of those at your side.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, when you have no words to give thanks for all the wonders in every nook of the Camino.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you search for the truth and make of your Camino a life, and of your life a Camino, after Him who is the Way, the Truth and the life.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if on the Camino you meet yourself and make yourself a gift of time without hurry, so that you may not neglect the image of your heart.
Blessed are you, pilgrim, if you find that the Camino is rich with silence and the silence is rich with prayer and the prayers are encounters with the Father that awaits you.
(Hospitalera of the refuge of pilgrims “los Padres Reparadores” from Puente Reina)
These Beatitudes are the heart of the Camino – each person I met I felt was a person I was meant to meet; every encounter was full of meaning. Our group went our separate ways on Friday, but we will forever be closely bonded by this most amazing of experiences. I miss you ALL already! Safe travels to those who are not yet home.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Reaching a destination
Not sure how deep this blog is going to be...all of us have sore feet and most have the camino crud (cold symptons or other ailments) but we made it to Santiago all in one piece in non-hurricane conditions (unlike Monday)...yea!
It was strange getting up this morning and not having to walk. I was actually disappointed. I have really enjoyed the walking regardless of how hard it was.
So we reached the destination that we had set out for ourselves but I question...have we really reached our destination? I would say for me no. It has been a great bonding experience and it has given us all a new perspective on life and memories forever. But have we reached the place we want to be? Will we take what we have learned and have the courage and fortitude to put it into action? Or will we fall back into the life we left behind. Already, I find myself thinking of home and picking back where I left off. Already, I find myself distancing myself from the camino. Already, I find myself putting up walls. Already, I find my courage and faith weakening.
Well we shall see won´t we...best wishes and thanks to my fellow pilgrims who are all tremendous people.
It was strange getting up this morning and not having to walk. I was actually disappointed. I have really enjoyed the walking regardless of how hard it was.
So we reached the destination that we had set out for ourselves but I question...have we really reached our destination? I would say for me no. It has been a great bonding experience and it has given us all a new perspective on life and memories forever. But have we reached the place we want to be? Will we take what we have learned and have the courage and fortitude to put it into action? Or will we fall back into the life we left behind. Already, I find myself thinking of home and picking back where I left off. Already, I find myself distancing myself from the camino. Already, I find myself putting up walls. Already, I find my courage and faith weakening.
Well we shall see won´t we...best wishes and thanks to my fellow pilgrims who are all tremendous people.
The End and the Beginning
Warm greetings from rainy Santiago de Compostela!
We have arrived.
After the wind and drenching rain on Monday, most of us were dreading the hike to Santiago yesterday. But somehow the rain decided to hold off the entire morning, and brief bursts of sunshine welcomed us along the way into the cathedral city. Many of us stopped at Lavacolla for an ancient purification ritual (most Christians did not bathe along the route and cleansed themselves there before reaching Santiago), and it was a wonderful time to approach the world anew, with clean hearts and spirits.
Shortly thereafter was the ascent of Monte de Gozo, or the Mountain of Joy, the last big hill before reaching Santiago. From the top, we could see the cathedral city in the distance, and making it to this hilltop was a moment of great accomplishment for several of us. Peter and Celeste even carried two backpacks for part of the way, to help ease the burden for others. The walk through Santiago to reach our hotel was fatiguing, and I think we all collapsed upon arrival.
This morning we obtained our Compostelanas from the pilgrim office, documents that certify that we have made the long and challenging journey to this holy city. We then attended a Mass for pilgrims, and at the start of the Mass the presiding priest read aloud the nationality of each pilgrim who had arrived in the past day. The UK, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, the U.S., Colombia, Brazil, Argentina. . . there were pilgrims from all across the world. And we all had just experienced one common, incredible journey.
One point that the priest made in his homily was that our Camino is really just beginning. ¨La vida es un camino,¨ he said. Our role now is to live our lives and meet our duties with the same joyful enthusiasm that we have discovered on the pilgrimage route. This evening our group is gathering to debrief on our experiences one last time. . . and then we'll be directing our compass toward home, preparing to share what we have learned with our friends, families, and communities.
Peace and love,
Michael
We have arrived.
After the wind and drenching rain on Monday, most of us were dreading the hike to Santiago yesterday. But somehow the rain decided to hold off the entire morning, and brief bursts of sunshine welcomed us along the way into the cathedral city. Many of us stopped at Lavacolla for an ancient purification ritual (most Christians did not bathe along the route and cleansed themselves there before reaching Santiago), and it was a wonderful time to approach the world anew, with clean hearts and spirits.
Shortly thereafter was the ascent of Monte de Gozo, or the Mountain of Joy, the last big hill before reaching Santiago. From the top, we could see the cathedral city in the distance, and making it to this hilltop was a moment of great accomplishment for several of us. Peter and Celeste even carried two backpacks for part of the way, to help ease the burden for others. The walk through Santiago to reach our hotel was fatiguing, and I think we all collapsed upon arrival.
This morning we obtained our Compostelanas from the pilgrim office, documents that certify that we have made the long and challenging journey to this holy city. We then attended a Mass for pilgrims, and at the start of the Mass the presiding priest read aloud the nationality of each pilgrim who had arrived in the past day. The UK, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, the U.S., Colombia, Brazil, Argentina. . . there were pilgrims from all across the world. And we all had just experienced one common, incredible journey.
One point that the priest made in his homily was that our Camino is really just beginning. ¨La vida es un camino,¨ he said. Our role now is to live our lives and meet our duties with the same joyful enthusiasm that we have discovered on the pilgrimage route. This evening our group is gathering to debrief on our experiences one last time. . . and then we'll be directing our compass toward home, preparing to share what we have learned with our friends, families, and communities.
Peace and love,
Michael
Monday, June 8, 2009
As the journey closes
This morning we have not yet set out from our albergue in Arco de Pino. Packs are still being assembled and we are in the process of gathering in the lobby to head out to a cafe across the street to breakfast in the early morning hours.
From there we proceed to our destination: Santiago. As you all have gathered by now, yesterday was very discouraging. And yet we are all wanting to undertake the final leg of the journey today... very much so. Think about us, pray for us, whatever you feel comfortable doing, for strength and fortitude and good spirits.
It is a wonderful beginning each day together, even as along the camino we fall into separate rhythms. It is also wonderful to end the day together, and this has been a great gift of the pilgrimage.
I am expecting more wonderful things to come both today as we walk and upon our arrival in Santiago.
From there we proceed to our destination: Santiago. As you all have gathered by now, yesterday was very discouraging. And yet we are all wanting to undertake the final leg of the journey today... very much so. Think about us, pray for us, whatever you feel comfortable doing, for strength and fortitude and good spirits.
It is a wonderful beginning each day together, even as along the camino we fall into separate rhythms. It is also wonderful to end the day together, and this has been a great gift of the pilgrimage.
I am expecting more wonderful things to come both today as we walk and upon our arrival in Santiago.
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