I finished my pilgrimage two weeks ago and, with my ideas for the most part now consolidated, I enjoy reflecting on the moments I lived so intensely. Sometimes, it seems to me as if the whole thing had been a wonderful dream that has left lasting, crisp scenes in my mind. Once in a while, my memories are vague and nebulous. In any case, I’m determined to get something positive out of this adventure before the everyday routine imprisons my subconscious again. By now, however, I have found out how difficult it is to get rid of some of the habits formed over a lifetime.
While on the Camino de Santiago, everything is magnified and looks more intense, the good as well as the bad: colours are brighter, the sky is bluer, people kinder or nastier, flies more pestering, fruit tastier, emotions stronger, pathways rougher, experiences livelier, introspection more profound… But it’s not indispensable to travel so far to dive into one’s subconscious. Any place is almost as good, but the Camino is far more suitable on account of the energy accumulated in the area over countless centuries and the favourable ambiance. Indeed, anybody may walk the Camino in the most convenient fashion, but not everybody will profit equally from it. For some, it may even be a negative experience. Many pilgrims are obliged to abandon the trail out of material or psychological reasons, as was the case with me two years ago.
What I recall most vividly of this trek are the interesting people I met and their attitude, my sojourn at the Samos Abbey, the “coincidences” I experienced or witnessed and the woods I walked through. I’ve consciously decided to forget the few negative experiences I had because I refuse to feed them. The several thousand photos I took bring back unforgettable moments and prove that my pilgrimage was indeed not just a dream.
The main teachings or benefits I got out of the Camino are: being able to examine calmly the many errors I have committed in my life [as well as the good deeds], contemplating life from a more holistic perspective, developing patience and tolerance, fathoming the brevity of our existence and appreciating that all events in life are interconnected. The paranormal incidents I experienced left me perplexed.
Something I confirmed repeatedly on the Camino is how difficult it is for most people to resolve their own conflicts while, when examined from the outside, they generally have an easy solution. Quite often, human beings cling to obsessive ideas that destroy their happiness.
My advice to those contemplating walking the Camino is to undertake the trek with an open mind, if possible without preconceived ideas, and with the intention of helping those they meet on the road with humility. If you don’t interact closely with pilgrims, you will miss much of the spirit of the Camino. It’s a marvellous experience to get up in the morning and start a new day in unfamiliar surroundings, not knowing what adventure awaits you round the corner or whom you will meet. The Camino is one of the most effective therapeutic instruments in the Western world.
Buen Camino!
With this writing I bring to a close my Camino Chronicles.
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