Why do a Pilgrimage?
Do you really want to know yourself? Do you want to expand your awareness? Do you miss and and want genuine soulful contact? Do you have time for yourself? Do you believe growth as at the edge of your comfort zone?
The Camino de Santiago is an incredible experience to embark upon. This is not your all inclusive holiday in the sun. There is no growth in that. To pilgrimage may need to take a significant portion of time off or just up and make a life change. Either way, this is an experience, a soulful, expansive experience. This by no means is an easy month of travel. Everyday it is about 15-30km of walking or if you chose how I did it on a bicycle it passes much faster. I feel that on a bicycle I may have missed some of the soulful connections as one would make walking it.
I chose the off season and the Camino Portgueses, these two aspects had less pilgrims on it. Plus I wanted the flexibility of a bicycle and the solo time to myself for my own life reflection. In fact, my Camino turned into a 3 month bike packing tour of Portugal and southern Spain. Staring in Lisbon and ending in Barcelona.
So, when and why do this? Especially when lots of people are obsessed with the Instagram/Facebook Influencer style travel? The Camino is down to basics, basics in what you carry in your backpack, basic in how far you travel, basic in accommodations, basic in the foods you eat. It is a real chance to leave everything behind and feel free. That is what the soul truly wants is freedom and the Camino is a great way to experience that. Freedom to be with your thoughts alone, free to travel as far as you wish, free to tap into your resourcefulness. Free to meet your true self and truly meet great people along the way from many different nations.
The Camino can be addicting, I met a few people that have done it many times, every year they go. I have only done the Portuguese version and I am interested in the Ruta de Plata, the traditional Camino Frances and the Camino Norte, also known as Camino de la Costa. These would all bring different experiences.
Spending a significant portion of time out of your comfort zone really does bring about soul growth. The Camino will provide this everyday. It will test your abilities to survive in a foreign country and learn a new way of being. I spent 3 months with basic need, two change of clothes for cycling, one pair of pants, shorts, two thin merino wool sweaters,a few pairs of socks and underwear. I washed my kit every couple of days. I even had a sleeping bag and a sleeping hammock for outdoors. I always stayed in auberges, pensions or hostels. I had more than enough.
Does it take courage to do this? By all means yes, courage to leave your comfort zone behind, courage to believe in yourself, courage to be adventurous, courage to find the real you.
I keep coming across this saying, it goes like this……
There is a wellness conference and the guest Speaker up on stage says… “Who wants change?” and everyone puts their hand up. They follow this up by saying….”Who wants to change?” and the hands go back down. Everyone wants change, growth is what we are, impermanent, and there are times change is forced upon us,and other times we do it in a healthy way.
I can guarantee one thing from the Camino, you will come back a different person. Priorities in life will be reset, your soul will be expanded and things that mattered before will no longer matter now.
So what are you waiting for?