Camino de Santiago

"The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say"

Bilbo Baggins, J.R.R. Tolkien

I first read that when I was 13, the most epic of pilgrimage tales, and it took root in my heart and imagination. The frequent conversation starter on the trail is "why are you walking the Camino?" I haven't had a ready answer for that. It's complicated. To be determined. It's said that the first part of the Camino is physical, the second is mental, and the third is spiritual. So far, it has been a walking meditation of breath, prayer, bodily sensations, taking in the surroundings and relating to others in a new way. It's like you're suddenly in an instant community of people all doing the same thing, open to sharing and supporting each other. It immediately gets deep and real when you talk with people. At the pilgrim supper the first night at Orisson, when we went around and introduced ourselves, said where we're from and why we're walking the Camino, I said "for discovery". That'll have to do. And I've only just begun...Read more