I spent most of the early afternoon sitting at one of the hostel’s cafe tables directly alongside The Way, and as a consequence was able to see – and call out to, and warmly greet – a number of my previous pilgrimage compatriots. The three ladies from London (Laura, Frances, and Louise), traveling mendicants Victor […]
Whether rising to look down upon a place from above or looking close at the glorious minutia within, there is always Beauty to be found by those willing to sincerely seek the same … “When our eyes are graced with wonder, the world reveals its wonders to us. There are people who see only dullness […]
The “vibe” in this beautiful town had been just a bit “off” ever since my arrival – not at all related to the wonderful interactions I was blessed to share with so many of my fellow pilgrims, but more related to there being no clear Task at hand – no clear thing for me to […]
How thankful I was a bit later that day when Father Fran asked me to come over to his hostel once more to help two fellow mendicants (Bogdan & “Micha” – recently homeless Spaniards who were living at the hostel for a time) with a humble task they were fulfilling for the church. And then, […]
Emma had not been able to organize any “official” room or locale in which the requested Peace Presentation could take place, nor had she been able to make any fliers or even significantly spread the word about the event, and yet none of that mattered to me in the slightest. I simply set up shop […]
And so it was that this next newest day came to another Peace-filled close – sitting in solitude in a sunbeam flowing through the open hostel door, partaking of yet another gifted meal that was created cruelty-free and offered in loving kindness, walking up to the hill overlooking town and gazing down on the soon-to-be […]
My sleep was somewhat restless and broken that night – I think in part due to my excitement over ending my short Hontanas stayover and getting back out onto the ever unbroken Way – and yet I still felt fully alive and refreshed as I woke before dawn and headed out into the still gloamy […]
“It was the early hour in which objects lose the consistency of shadow that accompanies them during the night; the hour when they gradually began to reacquire colors, and yet seemed to cross meanwhile an uncertain limbo, oh so faintly touched by the Sun, just barely breathed on by its light. It was the hour […]
I flowed smoothly thereafter into and through the magical 14th century ruins of St. Anton, a old monastery and pilgrims’ hospital (originally founded in 1146 AD) that was once an important stopover for pilgrims along this portion of the Camino. I found the peace I felt here difficult to pinpoint or place, only knowing that […]
I am to this day unsure about the source of the deeper peace I feel whenever seeing the city of Castrojeriz from afar, and yet that solace is immediately palpable from its very first appearance on this path’s horizon and – for me at least – lasts until I leave that city on its farther […]
One of the great joys embedded within any conscious pilgrimage is the way in which symbolism, archetype, and metaphor wash continually over & around every step of the way; so much so that if one is attentive enough (and humble enough) it readily seems as though the world itself is carrying on a personalized conversation […]
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