John Brierely and The Purpose of Camino

[Deleted member 67185]

A discussion of John Brierely's (he of the guidebook) views about the purpose of the Camino is on the Facebook page of the Confraternity of St James. An interesting read.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=confraternity of saint james (csj)

IS THE SPIRITUAL PURPOSE FOR DOING THE CAMINO BEING ERODED?
DOES THE MYSTICAL PATH EXIST OR IS IT A FIGMENT OF JOHN’S IMAGINATION?
IS ALL OF THIS OVER COMPLICATING WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A LONG WALK?
HERE IS WHAT HE SAYS:
“Several questions relate to what I term the mystical. Some people seem to find this term challenging but any reference to the metaphysical worlds generally meets with some resistance. The main problem is how to describe in words what is intensely personal and inherently experiential. Words and our interpretation of them can be divisive but if we really listen ‘from behind the heart’ we can always find common ground. The caminos are pilgrim routes, which means they have a religious or spiritual focus. They have evolved over millennia as a way to support us in our search for meaning and to help answer the deeper existential questions of life. I was called to write these guidebooks and they came from a very specific set of instructions. The source of this clarity was not familiar to me and although it made no sense at the time I never doubted it.

Suffice it to say that it was crystal clear that the inner spiritual path was to have as much focus as the outer practical path. Dual awareness is key and however inadequately I manage this task it is the only aspect that inspires me. If, by referencing some of my own inner struggles along the way, it encourages others to share theirs and explore the spiritual world then I will have achieved my purpose. If it ever becomes apparent that this aspect of the guides is no longer wanted or no longer serves that purpose then I would simply cease to publish them. I have no interest in maintaining a manual for those wishing to go on a long distance hike. If we don’t address the spiritual we perhaps miss the whole point and end up walking down a cul-de-sac with only our own mortality waiting for us at the end. The camino, as a Path of Awakening, calls us to Self-realisation, which requires self-transcendence. We have, collectively, been asleep a long time but it is now urgent we wake up. This requires slowing down so we can speed up the process. The camino is a crucible wherein these paradoxes can be experienced and understood, providing we are open to change and transformation.

Would I change anything in the guides if I were to start all over again? The simple answer is no because the intention has not changed.

What do I see as the biggest challenge to the camino? — The erosion of a spiritual purpose for setting out. This is a Path of Enquiry and, like the Grail legends, we must ask the right question if we are to find the treasure that awaits discovery. This can only be found by looking within and this generally requires taking time out from the familiar to open up to the numinous. The camino(s) are ideal for that purpose. A smartphone can find us a bed at the end of the day but it cannot show us the way Home. That said I meet many who eschew any spiritual purpose and set off on a hiking adventure only to find that something happens along the way. It is often subtle but even the most cynical can have a change of heart and are usually happy to admit that they feel their life has been changed in some way. The camino calls us to keep an open heart and mind and to support each other in our individual journey of soul awakening, without judgment. The mighty oak grows from a tiny seed but only if the seed is watered and nurtured.

I trust these musings answer some of the questions raised and, hopefully, raise further ones! The camino is a quest and I am grateful for this opportunity to have been able to engage with you. We travel the path together… not two but one.

Ultreia… John (Brierley)”

 

[miffy]

Cool...so as I am drinking my second bottle of wine on my upcoming Portuguese Camino trip, I'm gonna be getting some sort of soul awakening.

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Cool...so as I am drinking my second bottle of wine on my upcoming Portuguese Camino trip, I'm gonna be getting some sort of soul awakening.

Who knows, it's up to each individual how they respond either to wine or the Camino.

 

[RJM]

One does not need to go all the way to Portugal to get pissed on vino, but whatever. I know what walking the Camino means to me. That is all that counts, but....
You would never find me on the Haj because I am not Muslim (and not allowed, but even if I was) and I feel that my non-Muslim self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
You would never find me on the Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan because I am not Buddhist and I feel that my non-Buddhist self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
You would never find me on the Kumbh Mela because I am not Hindu and I feel that my non-Hindu self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
Even if I did walk any of those other pilgrimages, the last thing on my mind would be acting the fool, getting pissed and roaming about their temples and holy places disrespectfully, painting graffiti, leaving garbage strewn, complaining, whining etc.
I want everyone to discover the Camino, but I guess I must admit there are many I see on it I wished hadn't.

 

[chinacat]

Thank you for posting this, davebugg.
I don’t use FB, so wouldn’t have seen this.
(You’ve also reminded me that it’s time I revisited the Confraternity’s site .. thank you.)

His words resonate within me as a Michäelic deed.
It’s a call to consciousness: to Know Thyself.

 

[Mark Di Marzio]

I no longer use Facebook either - so i appreciate the re-posting John's post .

I agree 100 % with John Brierley's words .For me personally ,without an appreciation of the spiritual aspects underlying the motivation, intention and act of walking the Camino de Santiago- it is just a long walk or a 'hike' like any other ,,, and lacking in deep substance and meaning . I am drawn to the Camino as i feel that it has the mystical elements of bringing a greater awareness of our life's purpose and awakening us from sleepwalking through this finite ,material life .

 

[Rosemaryk1]

A discussion of John Brierely's (he of the guidebook) views about the purpose of the Camino is on the Facebook page of the Confraternity of St James. An interesting read.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=confraternity of saint james (csj)

IS THE SPIRITUAL PURPOSE FOR DOING THE CAMINO BEING ERODED?
DOES THE MYSTICAL PATH EXIST OR IS IT A FIGMENT OF JOHN’S IMAGINATION?
IS ALL OF THIS OVER COMPLICATING WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A LONG WALK?
HERE IS WHAT HE SAYS:
“Several questions relate to what I term the mystical. Some people seem to find this term challenging but any reference to the metaphysical worlds generally meets with some resistance. The main problem is how to describe in words what is intensely personal and inherently experiential. Words and our interpretation of them can be divisive but if we really listen ‘from behind the heart’ we can always find common ground. The caminos are pilgrim routes, which means they have a religious or spiritual focus. They have evolved over millennia as a way to support us in our search for meaning and to help answer the deeper existential questions of life. I was called to write these guidebooks and they came from a very specific set of instructions. The source of this clarity was not familiar to me and although it made no sense at the time I never doubted it.

Suffice it to say that it was crystal clear that the inner spiritual path was to have as much focus as the outer practical path. Dual awareness is key and however inadequately I manage this task it is the only aspect that inspires me. If, by referencing some of my own inner struggles along the way, it encourages others to share theirs and explore the spiritual world then I will have achieved my purpose. If it ever becomes apparent that this aspect of the guides is no longer wanted or no longer serves that purpose then I would simply cease to publish them. I have no interest in maintaining a manual for those wishing to go on a long distance hike. If we don’t address the spiritual we perhaps miss the whole point and end up walking down a cul-de-sac with only our own mortality waiting for us at the end. The camino, as a Path of Awakening, calls us to Self-realisation, which requires self-transcendence. We have, collectively, been asleep a long time but it is now urgent we wake up. This requires slowing down so we can speed up the process. The camino is a crucible wherein these paradoxes can be experienced and understood, providing we are open to change and transformation.

Would I change anything in the guides if I were to start all over again? The simple answer is no because the intention has not changed.

What do I see as the biggest challenge to the camino? — The erosion of a spiritual purpose for setting out. This is a Path of Enquiry and, like the Grail legends, we must ask the right question if we are to find the treasure that awaits discovery. This can only be found by looking within and this generally requires taking time out from the familiar to open up to the numinous. The camino(s) are ideal for that purpose. A smartphone can find us a bed at the end of the day but it cannot show us the way Home. That said I meet many who eschew any spiritual purpose and set off on a hiking adventure only to find that something happens along the way. It is often subtle but even the most cynical can have a change of heart and are usually happy to admit that they feel their life has been changed in some way. The camino calls us to keep an open heart and mind and to support each other in our individual journey of soul awakening, without judgment. The mighty oak grows from a tiny seed but only if the seed is watered and nurtured.

I trust these musings answer some of the questions raised and, hopefully, raise further ones! The camino is a quest and I am grateful for this opportunity to have been able to engage with you. We travel the path together… not two but one.

Ultreia… John (Brierley)”

And remember, that tiny seed has to split and crack open. It too, has to suffer before growth happens. Wonderful post and I appreciate the time and thought you put into it.

 

[Rosemaryk1]

Cool...so as I am drinking my second bottle of wine on my upcoming Portuguese Camino trip, I'm gonna be getting some sort of soul awakening.

Yes, if you are open to it.

 

[Former member 49149]

A discussion of John Brierely's (he of the guidebook) views about the purpose of the Camino is on the Facebook page of the Confraternity of St James. An interesting read.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=confraternity of saint james (csj)

IS THE SPIRITUAL PURPOSE FOR DOING THE CAMINO BEING ERODED?
DOES THE MYSTICAL PATH EXIST OR IS IT A FIGMENT OF JOHN’S IMAGINATION?
IS ALL OF THIS OVER COMPLICATING WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A LONG WALK?
HERE IS WHAT HE SAYS:
“Several questions relate to what I term the mystical. Some people seem to find this term challenging but any reference to the metaphysical worlds generally meets with some resistance. The main problem is how to describe in words what is intensely personal and inherently experiential. Words and our interpretation of them can be divisive but if we really listen ‘from behind the heart’ we can always find common ground. The caminos are pilgrim routes, which means they have a religious or spiritual focus. They have evolved over millennia as a way to support us in our search for meaning and to help answer the deeper existential questions of life. I was called to write these guidebooks and they came from a very specific set of instructions. The source of this clarity was not familiar to me and although it made no sense at the time I never doubted it.

Suffice it to say that it was crystal clear that the inner spiritual path was to have as much focus as the outer practical path. Dual awareness is key and however inadequately I manage this task it is the only aspect that inspires me. If, by referencing some of my own inner struggles along the way, it encourages others to share theirs and explore the spiritual world then I will have achieved my purpose. If it ever becomes apparent that this aspect of the guides is no longer wanted or no longer serves that purpose then I would simply cease to publish them. I have no interest in maintaining a manual for those wishing to go on a long distance hike. If we don’t address the spiritual we perhaps miss the whole point and end up walking down a cul-de-sac with only our own mortality waiting for us at the end. The camino, as a Path of Awakening, calls us to Self-realisation, which requires self-transcendence. We have, collectively, been asleep a long time but it is now urgent we wake up. This requires slowing down so we can speed up the process. The camino is a crucible wherein these paradoxes can be experienced and understood, providing we are open to change and transformation.

Would I change anything in the guides if I were to start all over again? The simple answer is no because the intention has not changed.

What do I see as the biggest challenge to the camino? — The erosion of a spiritual purpose for setting out. This is a Path of Enquiry and, like the Grail legends, we must ask the right question if we are to find the treasure that awaits discovery. This can only be found by looking within and this generally requires taking time out from the familiar to open up to the numinous. The camino(s) are ideal for that purpose. A smartphone can find us a bed at the end of the day but it cannot show us the way Home. That said I meet many who eschew any spiritual purpose and set off on a hiking adventure only to find that something happens along the way. It is often subtle but even the most cynical can have a change of heart and are usually happy to admit that they feel their life has been changed in some way. The camino calls us to keep an open heart and mind and to support each other in our individual journey of soul awakening, without judgment. The mighty oak grows from a tiny seed but only if the seed is watered and nurtured.

I trust these musings answer some of the questions raised and, hopefully, raise further ones! The camino is a quest and I am grateful for this opportunity to have been able to engage with you. We travel the path together… not two but one.

Ultreia… John (Brierley)”

I haven't the space to take in the article at this point, but I am fairly familiar with Brierly's approach, having used his Portuguese guide. I am quite taken at the moment by this: spirituality is about experience. For that reason, it has been my experience that places retain whatever has happened in them. Someone mentioned Glencoe recently, in a thread, I think it was about having found a Tilley hat. The place reeks of what happened there, hundreds of years ago. The pathways along the camino are redolent of the footfall of millions of pilgrims... songs have been written, and their echo is caught in the branches of trees, in the very stones in the earth. To be pilgrim... to be on a quest... is a permanent human condition. and so ends my unintended lesson for today! Buen camino, at home and on the Way!

 

[josephmcclain]

I haven't the space to take in the article at this point, but I am fairly familiar with Brierly's approach, having used his Portuguese guide. I am quite taken at the moment by this: spirituality is about experience. For that reason, it has been my experience that places retain whatever has happened in them. Someone mentioned Glencoe recently, in a thread, I think it was about having found a Tilley hat. The place reeks of what happened there, hundreds of years ago. The pathways along the camino are redolent of the footfall of millions of pilgrims... songs have been written, and their echo is caught in the branches of trees, in the very stones in the earth. To be pilgrim... to be on a quest... is a permanent human condition. and so ends my unintended lesson for today! Buen camino, at home and on the Way!

YES, YES, YES!!

 

[Former member 49149]

Please forgive me for coming in again. This time, I quote from El Gran Caminante, translated by Rebekah Scott:
"I have no fixed schedule. I start, I finish, I stop to eat, to rest when I get tired... I stop to look at what appeals to me, not necessarily what the guidebook says I must see... Out here I blast myself free of the official and unofficial versions of myself. I open the door to the genuine sensitivity and morality that lives inside me... Yes sir, out here I abandon the boredom, superficiality, consumerism and violence that explode continuously from television, radio, shopping centre, the mayor, the priest and the pharmacist; the mortgage, the aseptic life of the internet and "wireless communication" that follows me into the very toilet....Here I can, besides the sky, hold the silence in my hands - the Path's silence, and mine. I can put them together. I can hear, without outages and coverage failures, the melody of air, stone, earth nd grass. I can spend hours and days with that part of me that is neither body nor mind, basking in the calm. I have all the time in the world. I go, and go, and go some more. But where? To the tomb of the Apostle, like they did in the Middle Ages, but without repudiating anything else: Esotericism, magic, divine signs. Push and push on, carrying weight and losing strength, purging my demons and charging myself with spiritual energy. Out here I am filled to the brim with spiritual energy: my inner furnace is shovelled full of coal and sparked by the clear, untroubled air.

 

[jmcarp]

I think Mr Brierley is spot on. Bravo, John, and keep doing just what you're doing. There are plenty of other guidebooks for those travelers (note that I'm not calling them pilgrims) who want to fool themselves into thinking that the Camino is not a spiritual journey simply because that's not their purpose in walking the path.

 

[Robo]

Cool...so as I am drinking my second bottle of wine on my upcoming Portuguese Camino trip, I'm gonna be getting some sort of soul awakening.

If you are embarking on a Camino, rather than a hike..... quite probably

 

[Deleted member 67185]

If you are embarking on a Camino, rather than a hike..... quite probably

Yup... good point, Rob

 

[Frank Wortley]

I think Mr Brierley is spot on. Bravo, John, and keep doing just what you're doing. There are plenty of other guidebooks for those travelers (note that I'm not calling them pilgrims) who want to fool themselves into thinking that the Camino is not a spiritual journey simply because that's not their purpose in walking the path.

Ditto Jim. I came across the saying that "As you walk the camino, the Camino walks you". I found this a truism with the added observation that it walked me a lot longer than I walked it. I hope to begin my 3rd Camino 3 September.

Frank
Gosford, New Soth Wales, Australia

 

[Mark Di Marzio]

Ditto Jim. I came across the saying that "As you walk the camino, the Camino walks you". I found this a truism with the added observation that it walked me a lot longer than I walked it. I hope to begin my 3rd Camino 3 September.

Frank
Gosford, New Soth Wales, Australia

"As you walk the Camino the Camino walks you " - a beautiful and simple truism . Well said .

I will also (God willing) be walking my 3rd Camino in September 2018 .

Cheers and Buen Camino

Mark -Melbourne , Australia .

 

[Frank Wortley]

"As you walk the Camino the Camino walks you " - a beautiful and simple truism . Well said .

I will also (God willing) be walking my 3rd Camino in September 2018 .

Cheers and Buen Camino

Mark -Melbourne , Australia .

"As you walk the Camino the Camino walks you " - a beautiful and simple truism . Well said .

I will also (God willing) be walking my 3rd Camino in September 2018 .

Cheers and Buen Camino

Mark -Melbourne , Australia .

I plan to start walking from SJDP on th morning of the 5th. When will you begin. I am not keen on "walking together" but don't mind the idea of "at the same time" and see what happens.

Frank

 

[Mark Di Marzio]

Hi Frank ..

I will arrive in Madrid (God willing ) and hope to be walking from around 23 or 24 or 25 September thereabouts . im not 100% sure - i just play it by ear and I'll see how it goes .

I wish you well . Take care and Buen camino

 

[Frank Wortley]

Hi Frank ..

I will arrive in Madrid (God willing ) and hope to be walking from around 23 or 24 or 25 September thereabouts . im not 100% sure - i just play it by ear and I'll see how it goes .

I wish you well . Take care and Buen camino

You take care too - Buen Camino

 

[martin1ws]

...
What do I see as the biggest challenge to the camino? — The erosion of a spiritual purpose for setting out. This is a Path of Enquiry and, like the Grail legends, we must ask the right question if we are to find the treasure that awaits discovery....

I see my Camino as my spiritual journey.
But this is my Camino... if someone else makes only a long walk I try really not to think that he or she should do something different. And even if he or she starts as an confident atheist on a long walk on the Camino you never know what happens.

...
You would never find me on the Haj because I am not Muslim (and not allowed, but even if I was) and I feel that my non-Muslim self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
You would never find me on the Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan because I am not Buddhist and I feel that my non-Buddhist self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
...

You will probably never find me on the Haj because Muslims think, this is not allowed for non-Muslims and so my non-Muslim self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
I know some (European) Buddhists and because of this I do not think that Buddhists would feel that I would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion (Buddhism). So maybe the day will come when I try a "different" pilgrim route like the Mount Kailash or the Shikoku Pilgrimage - but at the moment I do not feel that I get "called" to such a pilgrimage. Of course I would try to be respectful on such as "different" pilgrim route.

 

[David Tallan]

You would never find me on the Haj because I am not Muslim (and not allowed, but even if I was) and I feel that my non-Muslim self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
You would never find me on the Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan because I am not Buddhist and I feel that my non-Buddhist self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.
You would never find me on the Kumbh Mela because I am not Hindu and I feel that my non-Hindu self would be in the way of those seeking spirituality in that religion.

An interesting perspective. I've come across a number of people who have walked both the Shikoku and the Camino and I believe some sort of certificate, available in Japan and Santiago (although not at the Cathedral office) is available for people who have done both. [Edit: Actually, it is another Japanese pilgrimage route I was thinking of in terms of the dual certificate, the Kumano Kodo route connecting three Shinto shrines. See further down the thread for more details. But I have met some people who have walked both the Camino and the Shikoku.]

I think the statistics show that the majority of people walking the Camino do so for spiritual, rather than religious reasons. While those walking for religious reasons are certainly Christian, the same cannot be said for many who walk for spiritual reasons. You will find people of all faiths walking the Camino for spiritual reasons.

Certainly, there are many people who also walk for other reasons - fitness, culture, a cheap holiday, etc. These people are just as likely to be Christian as not (probably more likely, in fact, given the demographics of the countries they come from).

So the question comes up, are non-Christians walking the Camino "in the way" of Christians walking? If a Jew or a Buddist walks for spiritual reasons, does that get in the way of a Christian receiving what he or she is seeking? What do other people on the forum think?

Similarly, for those who find the non-spiritual pilgrims a distraction, does it make a difference if they are a Jewish or Muslim or atheist pilgrim? Are Catholics who are just there to party less of a distraction?

I never saw my pilgrimages as getting in the way of others, but maybe I was wrong.

 

[Bradypus]

An interesting perspective. I've come across a number of people who have walked both the Shikoku and the Camino and I believe some sort of certificate, available in Japan and Santiago (although not at the Cathedral office) is available for people who have done both.

I walked the Shikoku 88 temple route earlier this year. I am not aware of any dual-pilgrim certificate for those walking on Shikoku but there is certainly one offered to those who complete both a Camino and one of the Kumano Kodo routes - a network of paths connecting three major Shinto shrines in the peninsula south of Osaka/Kyoto.

So the question comes up, are non-Christians walking the Camino "in the way" of Christians walking? If a Jew or a Buddist walks for spiritual reasons, does that get in the way of a Christian receiving what he or she is seeking? What do other people on the forum think?

I do not think that the presence of non-Christians per se is a barrier to Christians receiving spiritual benefit from their pilgrimage. However, the sheer pressure of numbers walking today presents some major challenges. So does the boorish and inconsiderate behaviour of a small but conspicuous fraction of one's fellow walkers. Restricting the Caminos to those clearly identified as Christians walking for specifically religious reasons would certainly reduce the numbers. So in that strictly limited sense there may be something in the suggestion. But I fear that simply identifying oneself as Christian and declaring one's purpose as "religious" would not necessarily eliminate insensitive behaviour. Personally I value the diversity of religious and spiritual background amongst my fellow pilgrims and would be sad to see that lost in a retreat towards a more exclusively Catholic pilgrimage. My own personal solution to the overcrowding issue is to walk less popular routes during quieter periods of the year.

 

[David Tallan]

I walked the Shikoku 88 temple route earlier this year. I am not aware of any dual-pilgrim certificate for those walking on Shikoku but there is certainly one offered to those who complete both a Camino and one of the Kumano Kodo routes - a network of paths connecting three major Shinto shrines in the peninsula south of Osaka/Kyoto.

That's what I was thinking of. Thanks for the correction. I think it serves just as well in terms of demonstrating the partnership between the Christian and Buddhist pilgrimage routes.

 

[Bradypus]

That's what I was thinking of. Thanks for the correction. I think it serves just as well in terms of demonstrating the partnership between the Christian and Buddhist pilgrimage routes.

The link between the Kumano Kodo and the Caminos is taken very seriously - certainly on the Japanese side. I was very warmly welcomed after walking the Nakahechi route and presenting myself at the visitor centre at the Kumano Hongu Taisha. At the entrance to the centre is a concrete Camino marker which was a gift from Galicia and displays the distance to Santiago as 10,755km It was slightly surreal to see something so familiar in such a distant and different setting. I might also add that my avatar at the moment is the symbol of the Kumano Kodo taken from my own dual-pilgrim certificate where it sits alongside the scallop shell.

 

[RJM]

I certainly would never want to see the Camino restricted to only those of the Christian faith. That notion is for one impossible and is absurd, archaic, oppressive, prejudice and actually goes against basic fundamentals of Christianity and most faiths. That of openness, empathy, kindness and charity. My comment was just my feelings, obviously. I love the fact that the Camino is such a melting pot of faiths and cutures. It is just that personally I would just feel a bit like an outsider on those other pilgrimages and I'd hate to think my presence may be keeping someone of that particular faith from having a bed for the night. That's all. Maybe a bit of a silly notion on my part, and probably a bit influenced by some of what I have seen on the Camino (Frances more specifically). The graffiti, the trash, the carnival like atmosphere around the plaza in Santiago. Also the sophomoric behavior of some pilgrims. Attending mass in Santiago and having streams of people walking around inside, chatting, not taking off their caps. Generally not caring who they may offend and forgetting it is a church. I have been to several Buddhist temples in Asia and have been to mosques in the Middle East. I would not dream of acting that way in them or around them.
Naturally all that may evoke a knee jerk reaction sometimes. It is frustrating and I suppose this forum can be a bit of a vent.

 

[jmcarp]

If you only listen with your ears and see with your eyes, all that you'll see is the physical world around you, whether in your daily life or walking along a dusty path in Spain. Open the eyes and ears of your heart and you'll see and hear what Mr Brierley is talking about.

 

[Robo]

If you only listen with your ears and see with your eyes, all that you'll see is the physical world around you, whether in your daily life or walking along a dusty path in Spain. Open the eyes and ears of your heart and you'll see and hear what Mr Brierley is talking about.

How very true @jmcarp !

I would never have understood that until my first Camino. It would have sounded like some kind of 'touchy / feely' woo woo nonsense.

Only when you experience it, do you really 'get it'.....

What an emotional but amazing roller coaster ride a Camino can be

 

[Peligro]

Walking last January a fellow pilgrim asked me "why are you walking?" I was unable to articulate an answer. Last week I was walking again and I still could not articulate an answer to his question. I am drawn to the Camino and it makes me happy - even climbing O Cebreiro in the wind and rain with fog so dense I had no view at all I was happy. I am starting to feel the answer after four trips to cover the first 650 km. I might not ever be able to really answer the question probably because a spiritual experience is so hard to describe. I think the Camino has changed me less than it has helped me learn how to find the things about me that were already there that I like the most. It's hard to keep those things available in the real world so I have to keep going back. Even when I get to Santiago in August I will not have finished the Camino.