Food for thought on the Meseta!

[Mr. Walker]

I'm not anywhere near the Meseta yet but does any of you experienced and soul-searching pellegrinos have suggestions of things for me to ponder about during those long hot days of walking?
Knowing myself I might spend hours and hours of thinking about the World Cup or, if I'm in my most philosophical mood, how many grains of salt it takes to fill the AT&T Stadium...

 

[jimbo1953]

not done the meseta yet but the answer to grain of salt question is 42

 

[Mr. Walker]

Wow! It would have taken me forever to figure that one out! Thanxs!

 

[jimbo1953]

ha ha well 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything. i am starting my first camino tomorrow, enjoy yours when it comes around. james

 

[Kanga]

I'm not anywhere near the Meseta yet but does any of you experienced and soul-searching pellegrinos have suggestions of things for me to ponder about during those long hot days of walking?
Knowing myself I might spend hours and hours of thinking about the World Cup or, if I'm in my most philosophical mood, how many grains of salt you can fit into the AT&T Stadium...

I walked with a friend who was uncomfortable with long stretches during which he had nothing specific to think about. He was worried that all his negative memories would rise to the surface. Consequently he would start up inane conversations and speculate about weird things (like your "how many grains of salt" etc). Then one day I told him my experience, that initially some negatives might come up but that by just letting those thoughts come and go, by letting my mind wander at will, by taking in the immediate physical surroundings, by revelling in each moment, by listening and being quiet, amazing peace and pleasure does come. He tried it and was very surprised to find that it works.

My advice is not to plan what to ponder. Just let it be.

 

[PANO]

....or maybe just let your soul dangle. No need to give to everything a purpose .

 

[Mr. Walker]

Good luck! Or buen camino as they seem to say. I start in Pamplona monday morning so perhaps we will meet. Be prepared to answer more tricky questions!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here?

 

[Former member 19626]

"Travel, like life, must be experienced forward, but is best understood backward, ...to paraphrase Kierkgaard"
Here a link to interesting article I found about "thin places". For me, the Camino was a thin place. May be for you too?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/1...out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=1

 

[efdoucette]

It's an overwhelming humbling experience to honestly ponder over your beliefs and values.

 

[wayfarer]

What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here?

I remember this mantra manys a time on long wet cold days.

 

[zolarose]

WineShoppeGuy- thank you for the link to the NYTimes article. I'm saving it.
I have traveled to many thin places. Some of them very near my home. In fact, when I sing lullabies to my drowsy grandchildren, the thin place is right there.
An article worth remembering on the Camino and off.

 

[wayfarer]

Lovely article WineShoppeGuy, thanks for sharing.

 

[scruffy1]

The only guide I can offer is don't think of anything at all. Your feet will walk it alone and require little help so don't focus don't guide your thoughts but rather allow your mind free rein and should something interesting pop up follow that. Not yoga, not Buddhism not meditation simply you with yourself – often the greatest challenge anywhere, doubly so on the Camino. Nothing pops up? Say thank you that you spent your money and time coming to Spain and not Brazil – the games will probably be interesting everything else has the appearance of imminent catastrophe.

 

[whariwharangi]

ha ha well 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything. i am starting my first camino tomorrow, enjoy yours when it comes around. james

Did you know that computers think in terms of 1's and 0's?

Did you know that binary equivalent of 42 is 101010?

So a computer thinks the answer to the question of life the universe and everything is ... lololo ...

We have higher expectations of your thought process.

Another idea from hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is Ford thinking that if we stopped talking about inane things we'd actually start thinking and, more cynically, he thought that we continually talk about inane things in order to avoid thinking.

The meseta is a great place to get in touch with your brain.

 

[Mark Lee]

C'mon. It ain't that bad.
Cold beer (or hot coffee) is never more that a day's walk away.
Don't think too much. Just enjoy it.

 

[Kanga]

"Travel, like life, must be experienced forward, but is best understood backward, ...to paraphrase Kierkgaard"
Here a link to interesting article I found about "thin places". For me, the Camino was a thin place. May be for you too?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/1...out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=1

A "like" seems inadequate for a link to such a well expressed article.

 

[Tincatinker]

One of my most joyous moments on the Meseta was emerging into conscious thought and realizing that I had, for a while at least, stopped thinking. Oh that beautiful, beautiful silence.

 

[Felipe]

I guess that some queries about “getting a walking companion” are related to being afraid to be alone, with the only company of thoughts and memories that could be good, or not so good. The Meseta, with its vastness, bare landscape and lack of amiable distractions, gives plenty of time for that.
I let memories, thoughts, landscapes (look, an interesting and lonely tree on the horizon!) , feelings, very minor issues (as "should I stop at Hontanas or try to go to Castrojeriz? uhmmm...maybe another sip of water?), flow as they come, withouth particular order. I don´t think about the meaning of life or arrive to particular epiphanies, but after some days in Meseta, I feel more balanced and in peace with myself. But every time is different and experiences can vary. There are people that love Meseta, and some that just stand or even hate it. It is a very personal thing.

 

[Mark2012]

"Travel, like life, must be experienced forward, but is best understood backward, ...to paraphrase Kierkgaard"
Here a link to interesting article I found about "thin places". For me, the Camino was a thin place. May be for you too?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/1...out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=1

An absolutely wonderful piece of writing. Thanks so much for sharing. So evocative of the Camino, and even if we regard the Camino itself as a 'thin place', I think there are further thin places within that place. I'm sure we could all rattle off numerous moments/places that resonate with this idea. Off the top of my head, I think of a bench in Cirauqui which offered a view of spectacular beauty that I hadn't even realised was there until I sat down, sitting on the rocks overlooking the ocean at Finisterre lighthouse, the interior of the Cathedral in Burgos, the inexplicable feeling in the air around Foncebadon... I could go on, but I won't.

I suspect no two lists of 'thin places on the Camino' would look the same, but I imagine we would all agree that the Camino itself is a thin place.

 

[SheSeeksTheWay]

"Travel, like life, must be experienced forward, but is best understood backward, ...to paraphrase Kierkgaard"
Here a link to interesting article I found about "thin places". For me, the Camino was a thin place. May be for you too?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/1...out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=1

Thank you for that lovely link. I too have heard about thin places in the past, but associate them with spaces where people have had life altering experiences, such as a hospital room where you watch a loved one die.

I definitely think I shall encounter thin places when I do make it out onto the Camino. I may even find some of those spaces here in my own world where I live and learn and train for the Camino in the next year or two.

-E

 

[Healing Pilgrim]

Just see what happens. Or listen to the wheat grow. Then, ponder how many grains grow along the meseta

 

[clearskiescamino]

What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here?

This cracked me up lol
And it's so true!

 

[Caminomary525]

Heard a new hymn on Sunday(at least it was new to me):

Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know that I AM

Be still and KNOW

Be STILL

BE.....

Not a bad approach to the solitary walk... although on my first phase last October Roncevalles to Logrono I was visited by so many from my life who have gone before. It was wonderful to walk with them again. I wonder if we will meet again on the Meseta this year.

 

[cecelia]

I'm not anywhere near the Meseta yet but does any of you experienced and soul-searching pellegrinos have suggestions of things for me to ponder about during those long hot days of walking?
Knowing myself I might spend hours and hours of thinking about the World Cup or, if I'm in my most philosophical mood, how many grains of salt it takes to fill the AT&T Stadium...

Hi there Mr. Walker - maybe you will regret asking! You could ponder some of the questions from Esprit du Chemin on their Esprit cards - such as:
"how did the “call” for this adventure manifest itself? who or what was the messenger? it is usual not to obey a call instantly. We start by assembling the necessary courage. Do you recognize it ? How was it for you? what triggers you to set out on the journey right at this moment? what do you intend to gain with your journey? what are your expectations about your way and about yourself? what held you back earlier on? which role do these old barriers play now? what is the most important thing that you take along? which certainties fall away and which have not yet fallen away? who and what do you leave behind? is saying farewell hard to do for you? what does parting mean to you? what emotions are stirred up inside you?“The first step is the hardest” is sometimes said. How did you take your first step? Was it the hardest? which step in your life was more than worth it? which step would you never take again? which experiences were the pinnacle of your life? which was then your own role? which part did other people play in it? which insight did such an overwhelming experience bring you? what did your experience mean to others? when was it that you had lost courage?what were the trials you had to meet head-on? did they come from within or from outside?who and/or what helped you to climb out of this mental abyss? what insight did it offer you? who and/or when was your rod and staff to lean on? asking for help, does it come natural to you? can others call on you for support ? Do you do so unconditionally? which essential motto would you carve intoyour staff? you can also keep other things at bay with your staff. Against what do you want to protect yourself? How? what does “home”mean to you? who or what do you need to feel home somewhere? how do you go about it now that you are on your way? how do you see to it, that other people feel at home with you? do you feel “at home”with yourself? What do you do for it or leave out for it? what kind of hospitality did you experience on your journey? What does it mean to you? would you open your door to a stranger, looking for a place tospend the night? (“pilgrim” literally means: stranger)and for your family and
for your friends ? Does it make any difference? do you behave like a guest in the eyes of the local population ? How do you know?......(Esprit cards are available for download from the website www.espritduchemin.com)

That's just a partial list but once you're finished with those (and after checking the salt answer - because I'm pretty sure it's not right) you can count the # of steps to the next place where you can get a cool drink and figure out what you're going to leave behind so you can carry an extra one with you.
Buen camino
Cecelia

 

[Felipe]

What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here?

Yes, this is true, too...sometimes. Like "We domesticated horses, mules and donkeys. We invented wagons, bycicles, cars, buses, trains and planes. Why, why, why I am walking through rain, wind and mud, instead of being in Cancun or Ibiza, as "normal" people do?

 

[Mr. Walker]

Hi there Mr. Walker - maybe you will regret asking! You could ponder some of the questions from Esprit du Chemin on their Esprit cards - such as:
"how did the “call” for this adventure manifest itself? who or what was the messenger? it is usual not to obey a call instantly. We start by assembling the necessary courage. Do you recognize it ? How was it for you? what triggers you to set out on the journey right at this moment? what do you intend to gain with your journey? what are your expectations about your way and about yourself? what held you back earlier on? which role do these old barriers play now? what is the most important thing that you take along? which certainties fall away and which have not yet fallen away? who and what do you leave behind? is saying farewell hard to do for you? what does parting mean to you? what emotions are stirred up inside you?“The first step is the hardest” is sometimes said. How did you take your first step? Was it the hardest? which step in your life was more than worth it? which step would you never take again? which experiences were the pinnacle of your life? which was then your own role? which part did other people play in it? which insight did such an overwhelming experience bring you? what did your experience mean to others? when was it that you had lost courage?what were the trials you had to meet head-on? did they come from within or from outside?who and/or what helped you to climb out of this mental abyss? what insight did it offer you? who and/or when was your rod and staff to lean on? asking for help, does it come natural to you? can others call on you for support ? Do you do so unconditionally? which essential motto would you carve intoyour staff? you can also keep other things at bay with your staff. Against what do you want to protect yourself? How? what does “home”mean to you? who or what do you need to feel home somewhere? how do you go about it now that you are on your way? how do you see to it, that other people feel at home with you? do you feel “at home”with yourself? What do you do for it or leave out for it? what kind of hospitality did you experience on your journey? What does it mean to you? would you open your door to a stranger, looking for a place tospend the night? (“pilgrim” literally means: stranger)and for your family and
for your friends ? Does it make any difference? do you behave like a guest in the eyes of the local population ? How do you know?......(Esprit cards are available for download from the website www.espritduchemin.com)

That's just a partial list but once you're finished with those (and after checking the salt answer - because I'm pretty sure it's not right) you can count the # of steps to the next place where you can get a cool drink and figure out what you're going to leave behind so you can carry an extra one with you.
Buen camino
Cecelia

I am overwhelmed. This is ponderstuff for a lifetime. Thank you!

 

[danielc]

I guess that some queries about “getting a walking companion” are related to being afraid to be alone, with the only company of thoughts and memories that could be good, or not so good. The Meseta, with its vasteness, bare landscape and lack of amiable distractions, gives plenty of time for that.
I let memories, thoughts, landscapes (look, an interesting and lonely tree on the horizon!) , feelings, very minor issues (as "should I stop at Hontanas or try to go to Castrojeriz? uhmmm...maybe another sip of water?), flow as they come, withouth particular order. I don´t think about the meaning of life or arrive to particular epiphanies, but after some days in Meseta, I feel more balanced and in peace with myself. But every time is different and experiences can vary. There are people that love Meseta, and some that just stand or even hate it. It is a very personal thing.

I found the Meseta wonderful, just like meditation, one step after step, just let the mind empty, and achieve a feeling of deep satisfaction.

Also I remember one particularly wet day, there on the top of a hill was a van, which appeared to be selling hot coffee /tea. As I got near this was correct but no fixed charge just a donation, and a warm welcome

 

[taozenqi]

"Travel, like life, must be experienced forward, but is best understood backward, ...to paraphrase Kierkgaard"
Here a link to interesting article I found about "thin places". For me, the Camino was a thin place. May be for you too?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/1...out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=1

May your friends lead you to "thin places".

 

[Thengel1]

People have so many different approaches to every aspect of their camino's. For me, I knew what I would be thinking about while walking before I knew I was going to be walking.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

Don't try to control anything, the least of which your thoughts. Just observe...

 

[jayree]

"Travel, like life, must be experienced forward, but is best understood backward, ...to paraphrase Kierkgaard"
Here a link to interesting article I found about "thin places". For me, the Camino was a thin place. May be for you too?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/1...out-of-old-ways-of-seeing-the-world.html?_r=1

Wow. Thank you John for posting this link. The Meseta is definitely a "thin place." I never before considered the Meseta, Rumi's tomb (I too lingered), and Powell's bookstore as similar, but now I do. To paraphrase USA supreme court justice Potter Stewart, "I can't define a thin place but I know it when I see it." I love this Camino de Santiago forum (thank you Ivar).

 

[amancio]

Just let yourself go, be carried away and be surprised to let your mind wander in an environment where you have TIME, unlike in the rest of your ordinary life days... The answer is always 42, as somebody suggested above, haha

 

[jeffnd]

Think about all the people that have been there before you. Think about the workers who built the Roman road 2000 years ago. Think about the saints who have walked it, both known and unknown. Think about the poor who walked it 1000 years ago and the royalty too. Put yourself in their place. What was waiting for them around that next corner? Was it a friendly town or thieves, ready to kill them for a few pennies?

Imagine you were a pilgrim 200 years ago. You meet a man going the opposite direction. Would you know that you had just met John Adams, a man who would become the leader of a country that doesn't exist yet?

Everyone thinks about pilgrims and how they traveled centuries ago, but what about pilgrims in the 50's? What was there walk like? Will you be brave enough to ask a stranger in the next town? They probably know.

You can ponder the road itself. Why did the Camino go through this little town, but not that one over there?

Think about the pilgrim who walked just last year. Or even yesterday. Why are they walking? What was going through their minds? What were they searching for out on this road? Did they find it?

Imagine pilgrims in the future. 50 years, 100 years, and 1000 years from now. How will the Camino look then?Maybe there will be a pilgrim who spends those miles on the meseta contemplating YOU!

Spend your time thinking about your loved ones, every single one of them. Try to remember your first memory of them. Think about what they really mean to you. Will you tell them when you get home?

Contemplate the graffiti. What were they trying to say? Were they leaving a message of inspiration and hope? Humor? Dispair? Or were they just some jerk with a can of spray paint? Will you leave your mark?

Remember the farmers you see while you walk. Don't forget, that's where the food that sustains you comes from.
Take a drink from your water bottle when you are thirsty and think about how refreshing and good it is. Plain and humble water.

Marvel at the flatness of the meseta and realize it's not all that flat when you're walking.

Talk to a stranger. Maybe there is that one person you keep running into, but have never exchanged more than a "hola.". What's their story? Find out. Your new best friend might be 20 feet away.

Listen to the silence. When you get tired of trying figure out just how in the hell you listen to silence, turn your radio on. Not your mp3 player, but the radio. Most cellphones come with built-in FM radios now. Your might hear a song so good, you'll spend the rest of your life trying to find it again. Or they might just play the same crap they play back home.

So, do all that and that should kill about an hour...

 

[Mr. Walker]

Think about all the people that have been there before you. Think about the workers who built the Roman road 2000 years ago. Think about the saints who have walked it, both known and unknown. Think about the poor who walked it 1000 years ago and the royalty too. Put yourself in their place. What was waiting for them around that next corner? Was it a friendly town or thieves, ready to kill them for a few pennies?

Imagine you were a pilgrim 200 years ago. You meet a man going the opposite direction. Would you know that you had just met John Adams, a man who would become the leader of a country that doesn't exist yet?

Everyone thinks about pilgrims and how they traveled centuries ago, but what about pilgrims in the 50's? What was there walk like? Will you be brave enough to ask a stranger in the next town? They probably know.

You can ponder the road itself. Why did the Camino go through this little town, but not that one over there?

Think about the pilgrim who walked just last year. Or even yesterday. Why are they walking? What was going through their minds? What were they searching for out on this road? Did they find it?

Imagine pilgrims in the future. 50 years, 100 years, and 1000 years from now. How will the Camino look then?Maybe there will be a pilgrim who spends those miles on the meseta contemplating YOU!

Spend your time thinking about your loved ones, every single one of them. Try to remember your first memory of them. Think about what they really mean to you. Will you tell them when you get home?

Contemplate the graffiti. What were they trying to say? Were they leaving a message of inspiration and hope? Humor? Dispair? Or were they just some jerk with a can of spray paint? Will you leave your mark?

Remember the farmers you see while you walk. Don't forget, that's where the food that sustains you comes from.
Take a drink from your water bottle when you are thirsty and think about how refreshing and good it is. Plain and humble water.

Marvel at the flatness of the meseta and realize it's not all that flat when you're walking.

Talk to a stranger. Maybe there is that one person you keep running into, but have never exchanged more than a "hola.". What's their story? Find out. Your new best friend might be 20 feet away.

Listen to the silence. When you get tired of trying figure out just how in the hell you listen to silence, turn your radio on. Not your mp3 player, but the radio. Most cellphones come with built-in FM radios now. Your might hear a song so good, you'll spend the rest of your life trying to find it again. Or they might just play the same crap they play back home.

So, do all that and that should kill about an hour...

Amazing! Great! John Adams? The second president? (Yes, Google)
Wow, an hour... Ergo, one hour seems like a year on the meseta?

 

[jeffnd]

Amazing! Great! John Adams? The second president? (Yes, Google)
Wow, an hour... Ergo, one hour seems like a year on the meseta?

Spanish kilometers!

 

[Mr. Walker]

Spanish kilometers!

I can't wait!

 

[AntAthOBuaidhe]

Try pondering the question: Why is there something rather than nothing?

 

[Mr. Walker]

Try pondering the question: Why is there something rather than nothing?

That's a good one! Thanx! Normally I would answer: Why not?
Hopefully my mind has broadened a bit by the time I get to Burgos.

 

[jayree]

I am reading the book "A Way. The Story of a Long Walk" by Jenna Smith recommended elsewhere on the CdS Forum. It is outstanding and extremely well written. In the chapter 'Crunch, Ping!' (the sound of boots on gravel and walking poles) she writes this (p. 125) which seems to apply particularly well to the Meseta ...

"The walking looked after me, even on the days when I didn't like walking. Whether I wanted it or not, my body was becoming healthier, my face taking in more sun, my legs becoming stronger, my mind less frazzled. The repetitive, unpleasant motion, the 'crunch, ping,' was doing good things for me, despite my feelings of annoyance. The walk was taking care of me, making me stronger overall."

As I said before, my experience on the Meseta was "I hate the Meseta. I love the Meseta. I am the Meseta."

 

[amancio]

"I hate the Meseta. I love the Meseta. I am the Meseta."... beautiful words. It is just a matter of time, I carry a long staff, about one foot taller than myself, and it helps me keep the pace and "hugs" me as I walk.

 

[siseale94]

I remember this mantra manys a time on long wet cold days.

Me too! It was wet, windy, cold and I enjoyed it. Sounds strange but when I ponder my Camino, I always think of the Meseta.

 

[tploomis]

I had no preconceived idea of what I would be thinking on the meseta, but I found myself thinking about what I should do with the rest of my life, which I had to admit would not last forever.

 

[bimblingalong]

Great memories of the Meseta, plenty of solitude, great messages & insights......some of the best nights sleep & wildest dreams!!.

 

[dougfitz]

Spanish kilometers!

or Norse miles! They had me fooled. On St Olav's Way, one man told of walking 3.5 miles that day. Only later did I realise I should have been more impressed.