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It depends on how you choose to define 'pilgrim'. Someone on a religious journey, or simply a long journey, which could also be your life from birth to death; in which case, you're still on your way. Some people are genuine believers on their way to a magnificent shrine, treading in the footsteps of fervid medieval travellers who went in pilgrim's garb and lived on charity.My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
... and you will still be a pilgrim when you have reached your final goal.
because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go.
Santiago told me to tell you" Thank You"
for walking with him for a while...
And he left a little gift for you to find..deep inside when your ready.
You walked under the river of stars
Breathed the same air as the generations who have gone before
Your prints are eternally imprinted along the Way.
Your.."I" I!
was Here ...
is written on the rolls.
You were there.
You are still there
A little piece of you stayed behind
And you brought back a piece with you
Ide say a good trade.
You have "been"
They..have not.
Take the Blessing and go forth into the world surely and with firm steps.
You have been on The Way
If you were called..then The Way has been inside you for a ling time.
Go forth and be Blessed Pilgrim on The Way...
For you have touched upon Eternity and awoke the True Self inside.
I suspect that those who sit in judgment have only very superficial knowledge. Not many people spend time reading the history of the walking pilgrimage paths through Europe. It just makes a nonsense of the idea that there is a proper starting point. And, as everyone says, being a pilgrim is not defined by a walk from point a to point b, nor hardship, nor adhering to any specific behaviours.
I'd suggest to your friends they do the "real" pilgrimage themselves, and by that you mean they start walking from their own front door and only use the transport that was available in the middle ages.
You only can decide if you are a Pilgrim.
Hi CathyMy husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
This is worth a thread in it's own right.What is a whole Camino anyway?
Absolutely...and is grateful for whatever s/he receives, like it or not--because it's all grist for the mill.A genuine pilgrim knows that he controls little or nothing.
"Thru-pilgrims" ... there is no way back now, the term has been coined.
Oh dear! I knew I shouldn't have written that down-mea culpa
N
I do have one thought on those who walk straight through (whatever the distance) vs. those who break it into blocks, and it relates to what my jumpmaster told me before my first jump--that the second jump is a lot harder than the first, because you know. I truly believe it is easier to walk it all at once, you are in the rhythm, you're kind of committed because of return flight dates, it's just now getting fun/easier, everyone back home is expecting you to finish...
But to know all the pros and cons, yet still book another 10-14 days, and then another, ....that is true commitment to a cause.
Allow me to attach my clerical collar and presume (ahem!) to preach a sermon on pilgrimage.
One thing I seldom heard is that a pilgrim talks with God, and trusts God to meet his needs. And that’s why every time these folks got going on about the true pilgrim and left God out of the equation, I’d head for my bunk. I don’t like to argue.
Walking the Camino as a pilgrim is not at all the same thing as walking it as an extreme sport. The purpose of walking the Camino as a pilgrim is not to prove to oneself, or to anyone else, how tough one is, how earnest one is, how superior one is to everyone else. Walking the Camino as a pilgrim is a faith exercise. The Camino provides an exceedingly precious opportunity to unplug from the grid, and get back to talking again with God. And the true pilgrim, in my opinion, is precisely not the one who is there because he chooses to be, he is there because, in a mysterious way reminiscent of a calling to the priesthood, he's there because he’s called to be there. It's not about self-sufficiency at all. It’s about listening to the still, small, voice! That's something most modern Camino walkers are too remote from the Faith even to contemplate.
A genuine pilgrim knows that he controls little or nothing. A genuine pilgrim puts his trust in God.
I have no wish to offend, here. I offer these my thoughts in the uniquely ecumenical spirit of the Camino. And I ask you to to pray for me, a sinner.
Pax
My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
I like that Smallest Sparrow.God will not check anyone's pedometer.
What is a real pilgrim. I have heard so called purists decry those who only walk from Sarria, those who send their backpacks by taxi, those who have no faith and reserve beds in advance and the really big cheaters who for one reason or another hop a bus. Personally, I find these so called purists to be the lesser of 'real pilgrims'. I have driven to the Marian shrine in Ireland, Knock, I am called a pilgrim. My parents flew to Lourdes and stayed in a hotel. They were pilgrims. On a cruise last year we stopped in Vigo. While others took bus tours to here there and everywhere, I took the bus to Santiago where I went to confession Mass and Communion. Was I a pilgrim. You can bet your boots I was. So yes, like me you are a pilgrim. No such thing as a 'real' or 'true' pilgrim, just pilgrims. It is what is in your heart that makes you a pilgrim, not the distance you walk. If that was the case, how do those who walk from St Jean compare to those who walk from Paris. Ignore anyone who puts down what you have done. You crossed the Pyrenees, no mean feat, and got as far as your time allowed, great job and well done. I am retired or as I say 'time rich' so can do it in one go (actually 2 goes for my first) but I admire those who come back many times to finish it. They sometimes have to spend a whole lot of money to do so while I can get there for around €100. I reckon those people are more dedicated than I so Buen Camino peregrinosMy husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
Thank you Pax. This is why I did the Camino and why I identify as a pilgrim. I felt closer to God during those 9 days than ever before. Talking to Him for hours and relying on His strength through injury I felt a peace that's difficult to grasp in the frenetic pace of our western world.Allow me to attach my clerical collar and presume (ahem!) to preach a sermon on pilgrimage.
Why you walk to SdeC is infinitely more important than how you get there. The Camino is the finest walking holiday in the world, without a doubt. You can walk it simply to enjoy the extraordinary experience it offers, and more power to you if you do! You'll have the time of your life! But when you get to SdeC you'll be asked if you walked the Camino for spiritual/religious reasons - and there's the rub! Merely arriving in SdeC does not make one a pilgrim.
Most of the folks I encountered on my two previous Camino walks spoke of themselves as pilgrims, and they were completely wrong. Fine folks - I relished their company! - but folks who missed the essence of pilgrimage entirely.
I more than once heard one saying "We true pilgrims are here because we choose to be, not because we have to be. This is a burden we take upon ourselves." Another would proclaim that, "We are to here prove ourselves, to purify ourselves, to separate ourselves from the lazy and shallow world out there." Another says, "And we do this by relying only on ourselves. A true pilgrim must walk the whole way to Santiago, and never use a car or bus. A true pilgrim must carry everything he needs on his back, and be as totally self-sufficient as possible.” A fourth says that "Suffering is the key to all this. A true pilgrim proves his purity, his detachment from the world, his worthiness, by suffering. The truest pilgrim would be the one who relies on no-one else, who walks all the way barefoot, who sleeps in the open air, who lives on nothing but what he can cook himself."
One thing I seldom heard is that a pilgrim talks with God, and trusts God to meet his needs. And that’s why every time these folks got going on about the true pilgrim and left God out of the equation, I’d head for my bunk. I don’t like to argue.
Walking the Camino as a pilgrim is not at all the same thing as walking it as an extreme sport. The purpose of walking the Camino as a pilgrim is not to prove to oneself, or to anyone else, how tough one is, how earnest one is, how superior one is to everyone else. Walking the Camino as a pilgrim is a faith exercise. The Camino provides an exceedingly precious opportunity to unplug from the grid, and get back to talking again with God. And the true pilgrim, in my opinion, is precisely not the one who is there because he chooses to be, he is there because, in a mysterious way reminiscent of a calling to the priesthood, he's there because he’s called to be there. It's not about self-sufficiency at all. It’s about listening to the still, small, voice! That's something most modern Camino walkers are too remote from the Faith even to contemplate.
And I suggest that one reason that so many of the walkers in Spain find this hard to understand, is that it goes completely against the whole notion of self-sufficiency, which remains a dominant value in Western/American culture. Self-sufficiency is so important in America that there’s a whole industry dedicated to equipping people to go out and test themselves. If you go into an adventure sports store like Gander Mountain or REI you're going to find everything you might want or need to make it, on your own, in the woods. And I do mean everything! You can be fully prepared for any contingency. You can take care of yourself, entirely by yourself, you won't need anything from anybody. You can be in control. You can be the master of your fate.
But - does that sound like a pilgrim? I don't think so!
A genuine pilgrim knows that he controls little or nothing. A genuine pilgrim puts his trust in God.
I have no wish to offend, here. I offer these my thoughts in the uniquely ecumenical spirit of the Camino. And I ask you to to pray for me, a sinner.
Pax
Santiago told me to tell you" Thank You"
for walking with him for a while...
And he left a little gift for you to find..deep inside when your ready.
You walked under the river of stars
Breathed the same air as the generations who have gone before
Your prints are eternally imprinted along the Way.
Your.."I" I!
was Here ...
is written on the rolls.
You were there.
You are still there
A little piece of you stayed behind
And you brought back a piece with you
Ide say a good trade.
You have "been"
They..have not.
Take the Blessing and go forth into the world surely and with firm steps.
You have been on The Way
If you were called..then The Way has been inside you for a ling time.
Go forth and be Blessed Pilgrim on The Way...
For you have touched upon Eternity and awoke the True Self inside.
I agree, and envy is a good guess (as in 'i wish I could also send my bag ahead/take the bus'). I think fear is another (as in 'will I still get a room, too?', or 'will I still seem macho if little old ladies also walk')...maybe even jealousy ('i wish I had the camino all to myself')...or anxiety ('I need to control things to feel better, so I will define what makes a pilgrim')As for opinions, I am not a psychologist, but I think that behind many negative comments there is frequently some more else (maybe envy?). I try to identify the negative feeling or situation and ignore (or try to solve) the hidden conflict.
I've been thinking a bit more about this. Is it not possible that the initial question was just posed clumsily, by a person who had little experience related to the Camino and pilgrimages? You said that you "identify as a pilgrim" so what was your response to that person? What is it that you particularly identify with? It was an opportunity to point out information about the destination, walking from home or another starting point, the sense of community, the way the Camino has evolved, the influence of popular media, etc. You are still absorbing your impressions, and you might have thoughts about the pros and cons of longer walks and shorter sections. There is no clear statement about who belongs on the Camino, or what you should call them. Depending on our circumstances and personalities, our feelings are affected by satisfaction, pride, envy, defensiveness, etc. - that's human nature.one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person.
My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
I spent a fair bit of time walking the Camino wondering when a long walk becomes a pilgrimage. There were times I felt I was simply taking an awfully long walk, but then at about day three, I felt a shift. I'm not quite sure how to explain it-- perhaps I can say that my heart became aligned with a pilgrimage, and my life trajectory was changed. -- I was asked by a friend at church if I spent all my time praying while on the camino. I laughed and said "No, I slept, ate, talked and showered too!". But then I told them I had more time for prayer and thought-- and I sang while I walked. Then I realized that my definition of prayer had grown. While I walked I became more open to God, to others. -- So now, I've gone off topic. Suffice to say I consider myself a pilgrim, and I walked (the first time) from Leon to Santiago. The second time, I walked from SJPP to Burgos. I'm still missing that meseta bit from Burgos to Leon, but perhaps next time I'll cover that section. I'll start in Le Puy to get there. I wish I could do the whole way at one time, but I have responsibilities here at home. Ultreia!My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
I can't like this enough.I like that Smallest Sparrow.
We have caught a bus, we stay in private accommodation, we have had our pack sent on when my back hurt, we have eaten in Michelin Star restaurants and we are 'Pilgrims'
Thanks Karen2017, the Camino Frances is full of wonderful pilgrims. They all have their own story, take the time to listen to them and ignore the so called 'Camino police'. Walk it as you see fit but most of all enjoy your walk.I can't like this enough.
I like that Smallest Sparrow.
We have caught a bus, we stay in private accommodation, we have had our pack sent on when my back hurt, we have eaten in Michelin Star restaurants and we are 'Pilgrims'
There are walking pilgrims and there are other types of pilgrim.I went to a greengrocer and ask for an apple, he handed me an orange insisting that was an apple, after a 20 minutes discussion to make him happy, I took the apple(orange) and left.
There are walking pilgrims and there are other types of pilgrim.
We had a friend who went to Lourdes every third year - in a 'Jumbulance' ( a coach/ambulance with medical staff). The other 2 years she raised money for others to be able to make the pilgrimage using this method. No way she would have walked, she was in a wheelchair. nor could she have been aided walking with the wheelchair as medical conditions meant that she had limited time to receive medical attention if needed. however she was a pilgrim in the best sense of the word. It is the heart that makes the difference not the externals IMO.
I don't think you're alone in worrying about the growth in popularity of the Camino bringing with it walkers with different expectations, demanding more certainty about accommodation, meals, etc. Certainly, it appears that those wanting to walk a more traditional walking pilgrimage are going to find it more difficult in some ways but I don't expect it to be impossible.If you think I don't respect what people do regardless they problem on the camino you are mistaken, far from it, I have got only admiration for them, and I saw many of that in the past years.
It is not those peregrinos that I am thinking of. I didn't want to say anything but I could not stop thinking what I also saw on the ways. The camino is loosing his mining and it eventually will died out.
Yes business wise is great, I think (that's only me thinking) tourism is taking over and for it peregrinos will be looked at and treated like a tourist and that is sad. Please you don't have to take me seriously is not my intention to offend people they are only my thoughts and I of course I can be wrong.
I wish I could hand this printed on a card to everyone stepping out of SJPdPIt is the heart that makes the difference not the externals IMO.
I wish I could hand this printed on a card to everyone stepping out of SJPdP
I'm not as trusting. While distracting them with the card I'd have a colleague searching their bag for sharpies and spray paintI support that but would you let me seek sponsors to pay for a message to be printed on the reverse of the card that asks all pilgrims not to leave toilet paper and litter on the Camino, and to bin their sharpies and aerosol cans of spray paint. I loved Saint Mike's post earlier
'To paraphrase one Forrest Gump's mother "pilgrim is as pilgrim does"'.
You're probably right...though it was just wishful thinking on our part to encourage kindness, even in my imagination i now see people tossing the cards. I also see them writing notes on the handkerchiefs and attaching them to the mile markers and the cruz de ferronew children's size cotton handkerchief inside.
this sense is very familiar to me..... I walked more than 1300km (and I have not come to Santiago-once I will, when the time comes) pilgrimage for me is not only goal, the more is the way. However, I still hear comments as: "Yesterday I heard the lecture of" true pilgrim ".... the first time I was surprised (and a little hurt, I admit), but now is just funny .....
"the longer the distance and the suffering that goes with it the more closer you feel to James and God ".
I can only say that my late grandmother ,who was a devout Catholic but above all a good person, only walked 200 metres when she was ninety to the local chapel of Saint Rita to pray there .
And she went with the Women's Association by bus to Banneux http://www.sacred-destinations.com/belgium/banneux-shrine . Again to pray and worship there.
She actually covered less than one kilometre on foot combining both pilgrimages most probably.
I think she suffered enough during her life ( World War II comes to mind but many other things too ) to make me believe her life in itself was a pilgrimage.
Just my musings though....
per + agrum'= passing field = across the field.Pilgrim comes from the Latin word peregrinus which is a compound of 'per + agrum' = 'over the fields'. I stick to that, everything else is decoration and interpretation.
Buen Camino, SY
A very nice idea, @Kanga! Do you get receptive feedback?Or do as I do; take some zip lock plastic bags with a new children's size cotton handkerchief inside. Give them out to women in the first albergue as gifts to reuse and rinse each night instead of leaving toilet paper on the path. Ask them to spread the message.
The best advice I've read in a very long time, with the added benefit of being short and to the point.A long time ago I learned that the best thing I can do is to keep my nose out of other people's pilgrimages.
It is an interesting thought that regular local church attendance would be redefined as a pilgrimage.Each Sunday morning, my wife and I , get in our car, the climate control set to auto, and drive the five miles or so, through the country backroads where we live, to attend Church. a trip to a place of worship and religion, a Pilgrimage, to a religious site, with many others , some within walking distance , some drove for many miles, still a Pilgrimage, done by Pilgrims ..........
Have I told you that my life is enriched by knowing you?It seems to be a feature of humanity that some people need to comment on the behaviour of others - when this is none of their business. On Camino that is a danger for all of us. We can easily entertain feelings of superiority to those who don't carry their rucksack, sleep in Albergues, go to mass etc. A long time ago I learned that the best thing I can do is to keep my nose out of other people's pilgrimages.
That brings me to a wee personal story. Earlier this year I was walking a part of the Camino Inglés with a friend. We were carrying little day rucksacks. We stopped for a coffee at a bar with a terraza where there were two or three other groups of pilgrims. Spotting the two of us one opinionated pilgrim proceeded to lecture everyone in their group in a stage whisper about foreign touriginos who didn't carry their own stuff. Furtive glances were cast in our direction. I suspect they thought we didn't understand. We left.
Within a couple of kilometres they passed us in embarrassed silence as we had removed paint, brush and shears from our day packs to repaint yellow arrows and cut back foliage. I must admit to some satisfaction in wishing them "Buen Camino".
i am still printing imaginary cards in my head. this is added to the pack. You are also much nicer than I am...I would have held out a paintbrush and asked them to join in....A long time ago I learned that the best thing I can do is to keep my nose out of other people's pilgrimages.
as so often with your post, a thousand likes for thisI think she suffered enough during her life ( World War II comes to mind but many other things too ) to make me believe her life in itself was a pilgrimage.
I am taking this tip with me Kanga, thanks@SEB I'm afraid your card would finish up as litter on the path. Make a donation or join the Ditch Pigs instead: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...o-cleanup-2016-theyre-back.44059/#post-457990
Or do as I do; take some zip lock plastic bags with a new children's size cotton handkerchief inside. Give them out to women in the first albergue as gifts to reuse and rinse each night instead of leaving toilet paper on the path. Ask them to spread the message.
My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
Actually, I believe more in pilgrim is as pilgrim is, but will join you and decline a hair shirt and accept the wine!I think I'll go with pilgrim is as pilgrim does....And leave off the hair shirt, and share wine with anyone who wants it.
Hi CathyMy husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
Well said! I agree as I quickly learned that there was an abundance of time to pray. Prayerful walking became a joy for me. Praying for fellow pilgrims I met along the way, praying for friends at home, praying for my wonderful wife as she walked with me, and praying thanks for giving me the opportunity to walk the Camino were daily occurances. I had never approached prayer in that way before.Allow me to attach my clerical collar and presume (ahem!) to preach a sermon on pilgrimage.
Why you walk to SdeC is infinitely more important than how you get there. The Camino is the finest walking holiday in the world, without a doubt. You can walk it simply to enjoy the extraordinary experience it offers, and more power to you if you do! You'll have the time of your life! But when you get to SdeC you'll be asked if you walked the Camino for spiritual/religious reasons - and there's the rub! Merely arriving in SdeC does not make one a pilgrim.
Most of the folks I encountered on my two previous Camino walks spoke of themselves as pilgrims, and they were completely wrong. Fine folks - I relished their company! - but folks who missed the essence of pilgrimage entirely.
I more than once heard one saying "We true pilgrims are here because we choose to be, not because we have to be. This is a burden we take upon ourselves." Another would proclaim that, "We are to here prove ourselves, to purify ourselves, to separate ourselves from the lazy and shallow world out there." Another says, "And we do this by relying only on ourselves. A true pilgrim must walk the whole way to Santiago, and never use a car or bus. A true pilgrim must carry everything he needs on his back, and be as totally self-sufficient as possible.” A fourth says that "Suffering is the key to all this. A true pilgrim proves his purity, his detachment from the world, his worthiness, by suffering. The truest pilgrim would be the one who relies on no-one else, who walks all the way barefoot, who sleeps in the open air, who lives on nothing but what he can cook himself."
One thing I seldom heard is that a pilgrim talks with God, and trusts God to meet his needs. And that’s why every time these folks got going on about the true pilgrim and left God out of the equation, I’d head for my bunk. I don’t like to argue.
Walking the Camino as a pilgrim is not at all the same thing as walking it as an extreme sport.
And walking the camino as a pilgrim has nothing at all to do with "them." It has everything to do with what's going on inside you.
The purpose of walking the Camino as a pilgrim is not to prove to oneself, or to anyone else, how tough one is, how earnest one is, how superior one is to everyone else. Walking the Camino as a pilgrim is a faith exercise. The Camino provides an exceedingly precious opportunity to unplug from the grid, (at least for 100 K!) and get back to talking again with God. And the true pilgrim, in my opinion, is precisely not the one who is there because he chooses to be, he is there because, in a mysterious way reminiscent of a calling to the priesthood, he's there because he’s called to be there. It's not about self-sufficiency at all. It’s about listening to the still, small, voice! That's something most modern Camino walkers are too remote from the Faith even to contemplate.
And I suggest that one reason that so many of the walkers in Spain find this hard to understand, is that it goes completely against the whole notion of self-sufficiency, which remains a dominant value in Western/American culture. Self-sufficiency is so important in America that there’s a whole industry dedicated to equipping people to go out and test themselves. If you go into an adventure sports store like Gander Mountain or REI you're going to find everything you might want or need to make it, on your own, in the woods. And I do mean everything! You can be fully prepared for any contingency. You can take care of yourself, entirely by yourself, you won't need anything from anybody. You can be in control. You can be the master of your fate.
But - does that sound like a pilgrim? I don't think so!
A pilgrim knows that he controls little or nothing. A pilgrim puts his trust in God.
I have no wish to offend, here. I offer these my thoughts in the uniquely ecumenical spirit of the Camino. And I ask you to to pray for me, a sinner.
Pax
Thank you Pax. This is why I did the Camino and why I identify as a pilgrim. I felt closer to God during those 9 days than ever before. Talking to Him for hours and relying on His strength through injury I felt a peace that's difficult to grasp in the frenetic pace of our western world......
You are definitely a pilgrim. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The effort, blisters, rain, blistering sun, companionship, friendship, love etc. were all the same whether you did 100 or 800km.My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
My husband and I walked a portion of the Camino de Santiago Sept 25 - Oct 3 from SSJP to Logrono. It was all the time we could take from work and decided when planning to do the Camino in 3 stages over 3 years. We've been home for 3 weeks now and the high is still on. However this past week while talking to some people about our experience and our "Camino family" one person asked how it felt to walk with "real pilgrims" implying we were not because we didn't walk the entire 800 km in one go. Another person implied they agreed with that person. Has anyone else has a similar experience? I identify as a pilgrim of the way and I must say, I am normally a strong person who is not overly influenced by the opinion of others. However one of these people is someone I highly respect and frankly it brought me down and somewhat sullied my experience.
What exactly do you mean by "true pilgrim"?The "true pilgrim way" is a good one to follow ; but it's certainly NOT what defines what it means to be a proper pilgrim. It's just one way of following the Camino among many !! (besides, all us "true pilgrims" are crazy)
What exactly do you mean by "true pilgrim"?
lunna, that sort of post will never get you an invitation to join the camino police. ...
Thank you for the most intelligent comment so far in this thread, and I hope to be able to buy you a glass of wine one day somewhere on the way to Santiago
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