Mom & I standing in front of the altar used during our “Pilgrim’s Mass” the night before. It was a universalist service dedicated to blessing Mom & I for our journey — as well as one blessing Lawrence, who “held the space” while we were away. The marigolds on the altar were strung by my […]
… after a loooonng flight and a loooong taxi ride, we finally arrive at our Walk’s starting point: St. Jean Pied du Port, in France. This is the front entrance to our very first Pilgrim’s hostel, which also turned out to be by far the nicest one we would stay in the entire journey. Fitting, […]
… me standing in the street near our hostel after obtaining my “Pilgrim’s Pass”, a document pilgrims use to verify their “sacred status” to hostel attendants along the way … “When Love is purely given, it always arrives safely at its intended destination.” ~ from my Camino journal
… a view of St. Jean Pied du Port (which loosely means “St. John’s walk through the portal” or “St. John’s haven of departure”) … “Peace is impossible without both mercy and humility.” ~ Thomas Merton
… another view of St. Jean Pied du Port, this one from our hostel’s garden. The mountains you can just see to the far left are the ones we will be crossing in two days time … “You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the […]
… a view down the street from our hostel door. This will be the way we set out along the Camino tomorrow … “The Way of Peace — both beginning and ending in this present moment; always beginning with gratitude — and always ending with Love.” ~ from my Camino journal
… a cute house in St. Jean Pied du port. We walked through the town quite a bit on this day, and everything we saw was orderly and clean, and the people were very friendly … “A teacher can only put our feet upon the path and point the way. That is all. It is […]
… a wonderful juxtaposition between the two groups of “tourists” who most commonly visit St. Jean PdP — pilgrims & artists. “Share your Truth with words only when asked to do so … Otherwise, let gentle silence roar your Soul’s symphony.” ~ from my Camino journal
… not quite foreshadowing of our standard pilgrim’s fare (to say the least). This was what I had to eat when we stopped for a “snack” during our walkabout. “Art is knowledge realized in action.” ~ Rene Daumal
… a public fountain of potable (i.e. drinkable) fresh water; what would turn out to be a typical (and very welcome) sight along our route. “To connect with the Great River we all need a path, but when you get down there there’s only one river.” ~ Matthew Fox
Simply the perfect symbol for the Camino, representing moving slowly yet steadily along the Path itself — while gently turning inwards to eventually meet your own Soul. “To return to Source, one must often travel in the opposite direction.” ~ Rene Daumal
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