I saw the movie “The Way” and immediately felt a calling to walk the El Camino de Santiago, “The Way of St. James”. My husband said he would go with me if we walked the last stage, 113 kilometers, about 70 miles, taking about two weeks off work. The whole pilgrimage is 800 kilometers or 500 miles and takes four to five weeks. My usual enthusiasm, “lets walk the whole El Camino”, and his practicality turned out to be exactly what was needed. Because we made the pilgrimage, instead of not going at all, and because we chose a reasonable distance and amount of time.

The Experience of Walking

It is a luxury and a great blessing to have two weeks where all that is required of you is to walk. We arose, had breakfast and set out on the path. We kept our distance reasonable, 8-12 miles a day, so that it was comfortable and that we could stop along the way. Early on we decided to each keep our own pace. This allowed us to sink into our rhythms.  As I walked my breathing slowed and I sank into a meditation. It was healing and comforting. Certain emotions came up, yet they did not have their usual sting. This was not true always, but a lot of the time they passed right through.

Why I Walked the El Camino de Santiago

I wanted to walk the El Camino de Santiago to be in the Spanish countryside. To walk through lush, green wooded oak lands crisscrossed by stone walled pathways. And to cross over streams  on Medieval stone bridges and wind through charming hamlets of traditional Galician villiges. I wanted to walk the El Camino so that the only thing that I had to focus on was walking. No where to go, nothing to do. I wanted to walk the El Camino de Santiago in order to get out of my ordinary life and to delve deeper into spiritual healing and transformation. I wanted to walk the Camino in order to understand the next steps in my life.

The Pilgrim’s Mass 

I walked the El Camino de Santiago so that I could attend the Pilgrim’s mass at noon in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims attend to witness the musical and visual highlight of the mass which is the synchronisation of the beautiful “Hymn to Santiago” with the spectacular swinging of the magnificent Botafumerio.

Cathedral Santiago de Campostela

The Botafumerio is the world’s largest incense burner, made of silver, weighing 80 kilograms. It requires a band of eight robed men to operate its massive pulley system. They hoist the Botafumerio on heavy ropes and swing it dramatically across the width of the cathedral. It gains momentum as it swings back and forth from the top of the cathedral ceiling close to the cathedral floor. Pilgrims weep openly. The alter is congregated with Catholic priests saying the mass. By far the most awe inspiring voice of all is that of Sister María Asunción. Sister María Asunción waits humbly in the South Transept until she emerges to sing solo the Hymn to Santiago. Experiencing her singing broke open my heart. When she began to sing I knew that was one of the main reasons that I wanted to attend the Pilgrim’s Mass.

Life after Pilgrimage

In the late 1990′s I made Pilgrimage to Nepal and onto Tibet to visit the sacred Mount Kailash. I knew the trip changed my life in a remarkable way. That pilgrimage was extreme, trudging painfully through rough valleys in high altitude. I almost died. My husband likes to show me the picture of myself in the small town of Tharchin at the base of Mt. Kailash on my death bed. I wanted him to take it because I was ill and I was sure I was dying. “One can only hope, for the symbolic death”. No drama there!

In contrast, walking the El Camino seemed to offer the benefits of pilgrimage without the extreme hardships. In fact, the scenery was outstanding and the food tasted really good.

What I know now, having walked the El Camino, is that there is an opening. I know that something is happening and I don’t know what it is or exactly what to do. I am trying to be more “comfortable with uncertainty”. When I returned I realized that walking the El Camino allowed me to “stop” in order for some uncomfortable emotions to arise. The pilgrimage was a catalyst for a deeper inner journey. When I returned from Spain in October 2012, this part of my journey continued.