Under the Milky Way: Epilogue

My pilgrimage on the Camino Frances has come to an end for now. Completing the entire route was the original plan, but the unexpected happened along the way. I took a three-day break/bus-ride and rested to alleviate the situation. This Camino experience is an extremely precious part of my life, one that I am willing to share and cherish. I feel immensely honored, fulfilled, assured and enriched because of it!

If the pilgrimage is seen as exercise, then one’s body and mind will thrive under the nourishment of nature’s elements;
If the pilgrimage is seen as leisure, then the relaxed state after soreness, sweat, and thirst will be serene and carefree; 
If the pilgrimage is seen as transcendence, then the minimalist style will elevate one beyond the ordinary; 
If the pilgrimage is seen as entertainment, then the sights and stories along the way will please and delight;
If the pilgrimage is seen as escape, then the instinct for survival is the daily reality check and focus;
If the pilgrimage is seen as healing, then the wind, sun, and resilience of all things in nature will provide perspectives;
If the pilgrimage is seen as companionship, then the rhythmic steps along the journey will anchor all the scattered thoughts and souls in harmony;
If the pilgrimage is seen as self-discovery, then both the people and the path along the Way will inspire;
If the pilgrimage is seen as weight loss, then the toil of body and mind will witness a gradual loosening of the waistline;
If the pilgrimage is seen as eating and drinking, then the various meals along the way will soothe and appease the stomach and appetite;
If the pilgrimage is seen as faith, then the time spent in communion with nature is the feeling of divine protection; 
If the pilgrimage is seen as humble practice and training as self-improvement, then how to return/transition to the world is both the rigorous test and reward of this journey.  

In truth, each journey we undertake in this world, regardless of its duration, isn't essentially mirroring a perpetual pilgrimage, like a lifelong quest for a spiritual growth, enlightenment and self-discovery?

Let's find in each other solace and inspiration: may we navigate each day of our life's pilgrimage, through twists and turns, with purpose, mindfulness and grace!

Here's the Santiago Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago) I specially baked for Christmas 2023!  It served as my most cherished morning indulgence, some lunches, and occasional dessert for dinner along my pilgrimage route! Perhaps our paths will cross along some stretch of the pilgrimage!

Attached are something I documented at the Pilgrim’s Office serving English speakers. 

The Camino of Life

If you could see the journey whole, you might never undertake it; [you] might never dare the first step that propels you from the place you have known toward the place you know not.

                                – Jan RIchardson Circle of Grace

At its heart, the journey of each life is a pilgrimage, through unforeseen sacred places that enlarge and enrich the soul.             – John O’Donohue

 

The Beautitudes of the Pilgrim

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that the “camino” opens your eyes to what is not seen. 

Blessed are you pilgrim, if what concerns you most is not to arrive, as to arrive with others.

Blessed are you pilgrim, when you contemplate the “camino” and you discover it is full of names and dawns.

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, because you have discovered that the authentic “camino” begins when it is completed.

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, if your knapsack is emptying of things and our heart does not know where to hang up so many feelings and emotions.

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that one step back to help another is more valuable than a hundred forward without seeing what is at your side.

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, when you don’t have words to give thanks for everything that surprises you at every twist and turn of the way.

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you search for the truth and make of the “camino” a life, and of your life a “way”, in search of the one who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

 

Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that the “camino” holds a lot of silence, and the silence of prayer, and the prayer of meeting with God who is waiting for you.

 

~And may God hold you in the hollow of his hand. ~

 

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rain fall soft upon our fields…

 

And thus –

Reality and life resumes…