ch 1: camino

If I ever write a book this is where it may begin

 I have about ten weeks to go before I leave Australian shores and head for Spain to begin the Cinp Francēs.  This particular Camino (path) is the most common route though not everyone walks from St Jean Pied de Port at the French base of the Pyrenees. That distance is just shy of 900 kilometres so I'm not getting ahead of myself. Many pilgrims, religious walkers, will begin closer to Santiago de Compostela or take a bike, taxi or bus at times. Some will die too. Others will just hook a left and exit. 

So why walk? This evolves and depending on my thinking, varies around a central theme. My first awareness of the idea of pilgrimage was piqued in early primary when I learned of people with illness or disease making their way to Fatima or Lourdes to be receive a blessing and potentially healed. I vaguely recall images of people being physically assisted to attend a holy grotto. An arduous journey to a religious site to receive a blessing and be healed. 

More recently, like 10 or more yearsago, the idea of pilgrimage was broadened to include places auch as Vatican City, Santiago de Compostela and Jerusalem for spiritual growth. 

What turned me on to Spain was learning about the albergue system and the fact that there was a long walk, suffering and good cheap food on offer. 

These free floating thoughts and ideas started to take root in my heart after a series of mostly negative life events, several of which are fairly normal for someone entering their seventh decade on the planet. What crystallized from these events were some realizations about good and evil. Being a basically optimistic in my worldview,  I've never been prepared to acknowledge people as being evil. After having Clergy throw the notion of evil around during my childhood and having the fires of hell used as a tool for disciplining kids, I wrote evil off as another characteristic of a deeply flawed church system. 

But, I had known "good" or Godly people. These people were good to the core, not for reasons of self imppetance, but because being good has merit. This merit may have been in their own judgements of themselves or before God I can't say. After years of life experience, I have found that goodness is its own reward.

Unfortified, Also in recent years I experienced a evil people first hand and felt the chill of seeing their eyes. This has had a greater impact on my realization of my motivations to be good, to do good and the pleasure of surrounding yourself with caring, and I believe spiritually inspired, people. Now in my mature years I can look rearwards and gratefully acknowledge certain  people that have shared my life. For me camino offers the opportunity to walk with like minded souls, time to reflect and time to look forward to living greater focus upon my return home.