Angie, You ask such wonderful, open-ended questions. S Yates gave you the best answer. It is yours and yours alone.
But, I can't help give my...perspective:
On my return from Spain and walking the
Camino de Santiago, my mother, a well-read, sage woman in her late 70s, asked me if I had felt any of the healing or positive energy purportedly found when walking the Camino. Without consideration I answered that, "Yes, I had."
Maybe I found what I was looking for, or maybe there is something magical, mystical, something to what we read in the experiences of others who have walked the Camino before us. What I was looking for was the calm one experiences during meditation. My logic was that I would have time to train my meditative muscle, allowing me to meditate better when I returned home. Meditating had been an elusive goal of mine for many years. On an intellectual plane I firmly believe in the value of meditation, in its ability to put us in touch with the universal substance some call God. I believe that in that connectedness with God we make our best decisions, avoid falling into the trap of negativism and become that better person I seek.
Motivating my desire to train for better meditative practices was my lack of results. I had tried and tried to meditate. I’ve read books and listened to calming music, all in an attempt. But it was always this mash of random flotsam running through my overactive mind.
This pre-Camino logic proved to be sound on the surface, but was completely askew of the magic that is the Camino. I put into practice..methods to train my meditative muscle. I would concentrate on my breath, concentrate on my footfalls as I walked. In the beginning I struggled as usual to stay with this effort, but as the days and weeks went on, I did improve. Was that calm that enveloped me from this exercise, this practice, or from the Camino itself? We could philosophize about that question for days, but my opinion is that there is something mystical out there. Maybe it's the Camino, maybe it's our effort, our focus, or the combined energy-field left by those who have passed before us, and maybe it's as simple as being open to what may come.
I truly believe that being open to what may flow through—at any given moment—is quite likely the most important attribute we can cultivate in this life.
Buen Camino
Happy New Year everyone!
