Coming down to Earth, 11 October 2018

How do you come back to earth when you are floating on cloud 9?

We are in Santiago de Compostela. We walked our individual journeys to get here. We have had many different experiences along the way…

We meet up with Reina D’Hoore , an artist and life coach who lives in Santiago de Compostela and she helps us today with a grounding exercise. Somebody traces my outline on a piece of paper. I lie down and Reina directs our thoughts along our journey here in Spain. We use crayons and we each portray our personal feelings on paper. It is as much a physical journey as it is a spiritual one.

My feet joined many others along this way – taking me on a journey I could not have imagined: I think back along the path my feet walked to get here: uphill, downhill, sand, gravel and mud… my shoes have accumulated a thick layer of white dust along the way. I walked along roads lined with stone. I crossed rivers over many bridges. I saw mountains in all their glory, farmer’s fields as well as the fairy tale forests. I passed old trees, bougainvilleas, petunias, roses, bramble berries, heather as well as many vegetable gardens, fig trees and passion fruit vines. I was in awe of the stone houses with their stone roofs and the ancient churches and graveyards… I smelled stinky cows and heard clanging bells. I noticed butterflies and birds accompanying me and memories came floating… I ate delicious food and drank many café con leches to revive me. We had really good weather. It was not too hot or too cold and when it drizzled rain one morning, my red raincoat protected me in a cozy embrace. There were so many wonderful helpful people along the way. My feet were aching and my body was sometimes stiff and tired, but I felt really cared for…

On our way to the Pilgrim’s office.

Yellow arrows are the guidelines here on the Camino. As long as you can see a yellow arrow, you know you are still on the right track.

The Camino serves as a metaphor for life here on earth. This pilgrimage helped me realize that my walking must continue, since my health depends on it and also that I find great comfort in knowing that my strength is in the Lord and that I am never alone.

We are all pilgrims for a relative short while here on earth. Along the way we meet many people. You can believe that our paths crossed for a reason or that it is mere coincidence. Some people have a great impact on my life and maybe mine will influence yours a little too!

Do you know where you’re going to?