I checked in briefly online that second morning and found that my journey across the ocean was unfolding with startling smoothness – with the bus ride already reserved and all necessary documents already printed and the plane ticket already funded and even a pre-flight stay-over in Madrid already being offered. And so it was with an overflowing effusion of humble gratitude that I headed to the Cathedral plaza to meet up once more with Dan and Elvira & their wonderful canine companion Djago – to revel once more in the warmth and wonder that encapsulates all interactions with long-lost & newly found Soulmates; those of like heart & mind who happen to surprisingly appear along our Way … The four of u sat together in the Cathedral’s awesome courtyard and spoke lovingly & laughingly of many things – about the power of zazen (also Eckhart Tolle’s tainted, watered-down version thereof) and allowing the same to be an engine of Oneness-infused acts of kindness (instead of a mere hollowly selfish end in & of itself), and also about avoiding the ego-traps of A) searching for the one “most in need” (instead of simply Being Kind to the one nearest by) & B) waiting for the service “most powerful” (instead of Being Kind in any way anyway) & C) loving one’s self in the moment to then be better able to one day love others in the future (instead of realizing that the former always precludes & prevents the latter). And then it was suddenly time for us all to disperse and go our separate ways, and our glorious re-union ended as warmly & as fluidly as it began … Godspeed, my dear dear Friends – May you all know great Peace, and may our paths cross one day once more!

“There’s something profoundly intense and intoxicating about the Friendships one forms en route. Maybe it’s the bond that arises from being thrust into uncomfortable or disquieting circumstances, and the humble vulnerability required to easily navigate the same. Maybe it’s the exhilaration of meeting someone when we are our most alive & pure Selves, breathing new air, high on life-altering moments of discovery & giving. Maybe it’s the mutual discovery of the innate & heart-deep commonality shared by the world’s sentient beings and the attendant rejection of all prejudices against any of the same. Maybe it’s the humbling experience of being instinctively suspicious &/or wary of a stranger who then turns out to be an earnest Companion. And maybe it’s the astonishment of learning from those we set out to teach – or the intimacy that comes with willingly sharing small spaces – or the recognition of a kindred spirit from elsewhere across a common globe.” ~ inspired by Lavinia Spalding

Filed under: Peace Pilgrimage #02: Walking HOME (2019) by Scaughdt