• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

The mystical and unexplained....

gypsy9

Active Member
Hello to all pilgrims or soon-to-be-pilgrims

Given that these ancient and sacred pilgrim routes are positioned along the ley lines of the earth and, according to legend, aligned with the "stars"- the Milky Way...I was wondering about unusual or mysterous sightings. Anyone have any experiences of an earthly, cosmic or interdimensional nature they would like to share?
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Now there is a good thread .. ermm .. unfortunately no

- except, a couple of years ago, I walked up from my parked up camper van/ first aid station onto the meseta into the dusk, and sat until it was dark and then walked the mile or two back - wanting to be as alone as I could be and quite the opposite happened. I was walking in starlight on the Meseta above the area before San Bol. Dark, dark, enough starlight to walk by and the air skin warm and my body became quite electrified, I had the most vibrant 'pins and needles' all over my skin and into my very core and felt that I was pressed, utterly pressed on all sides by pilgrims past. It was the most extraordinary experience. I had to stop and wait and invite it in, as it were, and try to somehow connect to whatever was going on - I couldn't of course, whatever was going on was only impinging on the limits of my senses ... but it really was extraordinary, splendid, I felt that were there anything metal up there - or even a tree! - and I could reach towards it there would have been sparks.
It was as if I were utterly surrounded by people but I could not see them .... no explanations, just an experience.
Don't you just love it, being on this planet? :wink:
 
A ley line can be anything one decides to make it, but the Milky Way does not align with the east-to-west direction of the Camino Frances.
You can see this at night, by noting that the Milky Way (the disk of the galaxy) is always across the sky in some funny direction. Never due East-West. (From the Goddard Space Flight Center)
The other caminos head to Santiago in nearly random directions, so there might be one that aligns with the Milky Way. I suppose that they all could be on ley lines, if properly defined.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Agree with you about the stars and as ley-lines are always straight lines I find it difficult to see how any Camino follows one, except, perhaps, that the ancient churches may all be on one and the Camino meanders from one to another?
- but ley-lines cannot be 'whatever one decides to make it', wherever you want them to be. Whether the Camino Frances tracks a ley-line I wouldn't know, not the faintest idea, but were you to check the uk using our Ordnance Survey maps you would easily find exact ley-lines, fixed in the land. Just open any large scale OS map up, lay a long straight rule on it and you can line up churches created on older pre-christian sites, notched hills, pre-historic sites, hill forts, henges, sacred springs .. not 'almost lined up' but exactly on straight lines, over hundreds of miles. Ancient centres such as Stonehenge and Glastonbury show as being the crossing point for a large number of these lines.
Why they are and what they are - I have absolutely no idea at all, but the geography is there :wink:
 
Ley lines ARE whatever someone decides they are. As an example:
Maps have been produced, however, with lines on them which allegedly mark off special energy spots on earth. For example, the Seattle Arts Commission gave $5,000 to a group of New Age dowsers, the Geo Group, to do a ley line map of Seattle. Photographs of the result, which looks like a defaced satellite photo of the Seattle area, can be purchased for $7.00 from the group. It proudly proclaims that the "project made Seattle the first city on Earth to balance and tune its ley-line system." The Arts Commission has been criticized by skeptical citizens for funding a New Age, pagan sect, but the artwork continues to be displayed on a rotating basis in city-owned buildings within Seattle.
New ley lines are crafted regularly by groups such as the Society of Ley Hunters by connecting points on a map!
 
My theory is that the Camino Frances has become a ley line, because of all the people who have walked its path for thousands of years. The old saying is that with each step, you leave a bit of yourself on the camino, but pick up something from everyone else who has walked it. (sounds like your meseta experience, Br. David) I haven't had any encounters or "Road to Damascus" type experiences on the camino BUT I have had prayers answered immediately (well, within hours, which in light of eternity, is immediate). I spoke with two ladies who in 2009 encountered someone in Galicia who "disappeared" into the fog after helping them.

If you're going to the Camino anticipating mind-blowing spiritual experiences, you are likely to be disappointed. In my experience, the effect of the Camino was more subtle & even 2 years after walking it the last time, still making changes in my "normal" life.

Kelly
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I enjoyed reading your experience Br. David- not so easy to capture with the contraints of language.
Yes, I suppose my post was misguiding to infer the Milky Way aligned with Camino Frances.
I was meaning to highlight our simultaneous connection to the earth and the stars. I believe our ancestors did not build churches -sacred sites- in random places. There was an art and science to the construction which included cosmological knowledge..(including direction of the doors, windows etc)
I am no expert, but I would venture to say that churches/temples are clear indicators of converging and highly charged (increased) energy.
I agree with your outlook Kelly in that a path walked so often, by so many, creates its own charge.
Science and ancient people also attest that planet earth is in an interesting position at this time; (in greater alignment with the Milky Way and Galactic Centre; thus receiving greater pulses of electromagnetic energy- and also via the sun. Lots of info in this area...and yes, it is of interest to me.
No, I do not expect mind-blowing experiences...I just wish to travel with an open heart.
perhaps quite simply, my own sacred site-or ley line within.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
I always considered myself somewhat of a "doubting Thomas" in matters of faith. However there was a point in the Camino, don't remember precisely where, as I was at the crest of a hilltop overlooking a village I caught a glimpse of heaven. Not figuratively. Literally.

I doubt no more. For it was as if I had put my hands in the wounds of the risen Jesus.

I have had the good fortune to have traveled the world and see the most spectacular of sites that nature and man has to offer. The euphoria of that moment was levels beyond that which I've ever experienced before. I doubt no more. Not sure what to make of it all but I can say that the experience was life changing. I suspect others might have had as profound an experience along their Camino.
 
Love this thread. I have had a couple of "interesting" experiences while walking the Camino. The one that baffels me the most was on my return journey from Santiago to Porto last fall. I was walking alone as my partners all left in Santiago. I had gotten off trail and therefore lost two days in a row. Fortunately people were kind enough to set me straight and on one occassion, drove me back the 5 K I had taken in the wrong direction.
On that trip, I had made a habit of inviting my guardian angels, my mother and father and best friend George all who had passed away to join me on my walks. I called o n them every day, like a morning prayer. So after I got lost 2 days in a row, I had a frank talk with these "beings" and told them that I did not want to get lost again and I was counting on them to keep me on the "straight and norrow". So about 1p.m. that day I was in my meditative walking mode and I heard a bell in my right ear I turned sharply and saw no animal or person near that could have produced the sound. So I walked a few steps further and heard it again. I turned in the direction of the sound, and right there in front of me as a blue arrow indicating a 45 degree turn on the trail. I would certainly have missed that arrow if that bell had not sounded.

Coincidence? I don't think so. I have heard similar bell stories from pilgrims. You are never alone on the Camino.
 
I don't know if this qualifies for mystical or unexplained.

I took a photo of my brother and his wife walking out of Moss and although it was pretty good light the camera chose a pretty high iso setting. So I thought I would clean it up a bit and reduce noise, then sharpen it to compensate.
I haven't had to do this to any other shot I took in the day, only ones at night in bad light.
The sharpening process was done in photoshop and makes the photo look kind of like a negative.

I won't tell you what I see, I'll leave that up to you.

2laq077.jpg


link to image is here http://i54.tinypic.com/2881hd0.jpg as the forum seems to have cropped a bit off to the right. Or you can right click the image and click view.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Clearly there is an image on the right that represents a third person. ANything else? Wow, I'd say this was an unexplained event.
 
I see a third person to the right, people seem to see different people.

I have no idea if you received my pm, it's sat in my outbox and not sent messages like I would expect.

I can post the original picture if people think I have edited it in any way.
 
I would love to see it. Not sure about the pm. I will check later. Gotta sign off now. I look forward to seeing your post in the morning.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
This is the original, not the best picture in the world.
The only reason I spent time on it is because it's a shot of my brother and sister-in-law.

As you can see the tall grass(?) is there, but looks totaly different.
There is no way you would see anything in this shot, but after seeing the previous one it makes it visible, or it does to me anyway.


5793088420_72c927cf2d_z.jpg
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Brother David, I was truly impressed by your story. I have no doubt that you transended the time warp and you were with they ancients or they were with you. So many time I have seemed to enter into a different space on the Camino and at home. Usually it is when I am walking. Is it that I just let in what is there for us all?

Bev
 
Beverley said:
Brother David, I was truly impressed by your story. I have no doubt that you transended the time warp and you were with they ancients or they were with you. So many time I have seemed to enter into a different space on the Camino and at home. Usually it is when I am walking. Is it that I just let in what is there for us all?

Bev

Thank you Beverley - it is both odd and not odd at the same time isn't it.

Einstein once said that the greatest delusion that humans have is that there is a past, a present, and a future - sometimes we do 'let go' and seem to break through, or transcend, that barrier that isolates us - it does seem like one connection doesn't it. :wink:
 
The hills were quite beautiful despite of the rain. The wind roared through the power line towers with the sound of a train without the Doppler effect. When the wind was not deafening in my ears, I could again hear the moan of the wind in the power lines. It is about the same note as a bass drum, but sustained. Some smaller power lines were singing a soprano note.

Now, for the Shirley MacLaine moment: after passing a small town, I looked back for a Kodak moment. There was a break in the rain, and I was willing to pull out my camera from its rain protection. In glancing back, I saw a chapel and wondered to myself how I had missed it walking through the town. After turning around fully and fumbling for the camera, there was no chapel in the skyline of the town. There was not even a building taller than the others to stand out. I can only speculate that parallel universes suddenly coincided, and light from another universe suddenly escaped into this one. The chapel exists in the other one, but not in this one. Or I had rain in my eyes.

Or I am delusional! Evidence for that is that I have become Monk from the TV show. There are old, now inaccurate, distance markers as often as .5 km along the Camino. I have taken to touching each one, usually with my trekking pole, just as Monk touches parking meters. When I hear voices and start talking back, I will take a serious personal inventory.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Ibcus, I was reading about the small town, "La Virgen del Camino", when I read saw your pic-
And then, of course, the accompanying legend whereby the Virgin Mary appeared to a local shepherd in the early 16th century (and requested that a shrine be built).
Falcon, co-inciding universes/a converging of space-time-dimensions. Who really knows?!!
Your experience surely deepens a sense of wonder for this great mystery called, Life....
 
In 2007 I walked in memory of my mum who passed away suddenly at the tender age of 39 a decade prior. I walked to remember and to end a difficult ten years of my life full of broken relationships and heartache.
I was looking for some form of closure I guess and that closure came when I woke early from my slumber in Molinasecca and headed out of the town in the darkness.
It was pitch black that morning, the sun still to wake from the mountains to the East and from some distance off dogs were making one hell of a noise, literally going beserk.

I walked past them until there was silence, my walking buddies had walked ahead leaving me with my thoughts. The stars were incredible, I mean like no sky id seen before or since. It was so beautiful seeing the milky way streaking across the sky that I stopped to take it in.
I had never seen a shooting star before, I guess I had just been terribly unlucky, but at that precise moment, I looked up and saw two brilliant bright stars fall from the sky in unison.
To me, who is not religious, this was my closure, this was a direct message from my mum to say, 'Thats it Greg, you are free and I am proud'.

A very similar thing happened to a good friend and walking buddy last Autumn. She had begun the Camino with the news from Australia that her grandmother was ill. News filtered back to her from time to time until a decision had to be made to contiune and risk never seeing her grandmother again or heading home.
After much deliberation, she continued along the Camino and reiceved the inevitable news whilst in Astorga. That morning my friend walked alone. I came across her sitting alone on a bench staring across the mountains at the most incredible double rainbow with all 4 ends visible touching down.
This was her message, her closure and her goodbye.
What was remarkable about these rainbows were that the sky was clear blue, devoid of any clouds whatsoever.
 
Beverley said:
Brother David, I was truly impressed by your story. I have no doubt that you transended the time warp and you were with they ancients or they were with you. So many time I have seemed to enter into a different space on the Camino and at home. Usually it is when I am walking. Is it that I just let in what is there for us all?

Bev

I'm curious to know what "the time warp" is and who "the ancients" are. You are in "no doubt" about this so I hope you can shed light on this for others.

Thanks.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Falcon, I think you already know what I am getting at. No explanation needed for those who know. No explanation possible for those who don't.
 
Come now Caminando. This is how a thread degrades into accusation and defense. People who are 'interested to know' are trying to set up someone who has been open and honest so that they either fall or look ridiculous - it is not neccessary and it is not kind.

We all have access to google - any subject can be researched. It is not neccessary to try and put people on the spot - such an attitude only makes people retreat and vow never to post again - it is not kind.

Science tries to explain how, religion tries to explain why - we, moving as we do in this extraordinary phenomenal universe try to make sense out of it. Very 'odd' experiences do happen to us and they have done so since we have existed. They are more commonplace than you can imagine.
This thread is named "the mystical and unexplained" - 'unexplained' says it all.
It is a thread where those who have experienced something out of the ordinary on the Camino, something mystical and unexplained, that can resonate with others who have also experienced the 'unexplained', can say what they saw or heard, where they can share it - possibly for the first time in public - it is not neccessary to try to justify it nor explain it.

Come now, be kind. More, be of open heart :wink:
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Br. David said:
Come now Caminando. This is how a thread degrades into accusation and defense. People who are 'interested to know' are trying to set up someone who has been open and honest so that they either fall or look ridiculous - it is not neccessary and it is not kind.

We all have access to google - any subject can be researched. It is not neccessary to try and put people on the spot - such an attitude only makes people retreat and vow never to post again - it is not kind.

Science tries to explain how, religion tries to explain why - we, moving as we do in this extraordinary phenomenal universe try to make sense out of it. Very 'odd' experiences do happen to us and they have done so since we have existed. They are more commonplace than you can imagine.
This thread is named "the mystical and unexplained" - 'unexplained' says it all.
It is a thread where those who have experienced something out of the ordinary on the Camino, something mystical and unexplained, that can resonate with others who have also experienced the 'unexplained', can say what they saw or heard, where they can share it - possibly for the first time in public - it is not neccessary to try to justify it nor explain it.

Come now, be kind. More, be of open heart :wink:


I dont accept your "Come now " comments. Your preaching tone throughout is unhelpful . People post opinion and can expect comment when it is polite. My response was polite and asked for more on a remarkable statement. Come now, be reasonable. More, be of open mind. :wink:
 
I dont accept your "Come now " comments. Your preaching tone throughout is unhelpful . People post opinion and can expect comment when it is polite. My response was polite and asked for more on a remarkable statement. Come now, be reasonable. More, be of open mind. :wink:[/quote]


Sorry, Caminando, but your post did come off as sarcastic, although that was not your intent. It may have been the quotation marks.
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Falcon, my apologies. I should have directed my comments to Caminando. But my reply still stands Caminando.
 
Since we're here, I suggest some some light reading, or heavy, of some of the tried and true mystics, St John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila. Among her gems, good for the camino: :arrow: “Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:God alone suffices.”
 
Woah where did you come from! :?: I read St Teresa I want to go to Avila. Thanks for the post.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Splain'in

Oh yeah. How about these mystics on the Camino? John Paul the Great and San Francisco de Asis. Quiz: Where is this place peregrinos? They're two of the greatest mystics of all and they are on the Camino. Could these Saints be the reason we are even talking about the "mystical". I think so. How about you?
camino-2007.1186270020.camino07_567.jpg
 
Oops. One more mystical splain for now.

Another pop quiz. Which one on this list was a mystical kind of guy? Where is this list carved in stone, yet? (Clue: Its on the Camino. Its Catholic.)

906ec8046c30f0dc8a161f39ab55f8e97cde757c

bf1ce29d70e429e5475bcc11989c2d1d6cc0359c

d934fdb762dc29651d19693a6a3a5666856c52fe
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Mystics who are Saints of the Roman Catholic Church who made a Camino pilgrimage. Sorry for the lack of explanation.
 
Ok.. I have a couple under "unexplained" though maybe not mystical. If I posted these already, I apologize.

The Poopy Fan. When I walked the Via de la Plata portions in 2009, I was touristing in Sevilla the first few days and I wanted to find a gift to take to my 5 year old granddaughter back in Oregon. I wanted something small I could carry and wouldn't have to ship home. At the Cathedral, I found some gypsies selling beautiful hand painted fans for something like 3 Euro. I found a green one I loved and bought it. I figured I could use it in the heat and give it to Emma as "the fan grandma carried across Spain."

Next morning as I was getting ready to start walking, I stuck the fan in my back pocket. I packed my mochilla, ate my breakfast, then had one last moment in the bathroom. I had this great BM (sorry if it's too much information, but it's part of the story), got up, turned to flush the toilet and... OH NO!

The beautiful fan was in the bowl... with the poop! ::crying::

I fished it out and threw it away, saddened by this course of events. Then I continued on my journey.

Somewhere on my first or second day's walking (I've forgotten which day and my journals are in storage), we were dying of thirst from the heat. We came into a village and found the fountain, but it was not working. A couple of village men stopped and showed us how to turn on the fountain, and we began filling our bottles.

Suddenly, from over my shoulder I heard a voice calling, "Peregrina! Peregrina!"

I looked and saw a hand waving from out of a barred window.
"Quieres agua fria?" (Do you want COLD water?")

Heck yes! I hurried to the window where there was a lovely lady holding a big 2 liter bottle full of ICE WATER! Hooray! I drank some of the water and filled my bottles with the rest.

"Gracias! Gracias! Muchas Gracias!" I told her! Then I remembered I had some St. James Chaplets I'd made to give to people along the Way. They were red cord with St. James medals. I told her to wait a moment. I went to my mochilla and dug one out and took it back to her.

She said, "For ME?" I nodded. She began crying and thanking me - then told me to WAIT HERE!

She disappeared from the window and I waited. Soon she appeared at her front door, and handed me a gift. From behind her, she pulled out the EXACT same green fan I had lost in the toilet!
I got goosebumps and cried. It was a magical experience, for sure!

----
The next story was on the same walk. We were not smart and began our VDLP walk in August. The heat was deadly and we only walked about 8 or 9 days before we tossed in the towel. I had two bottles of water I carried, but the fountains were few and far between and many were dry. The amount of water we had to carry added so much extra weight it was painful. It really was dangerous walking. Somewhere between Almaden and Real de la Jara, I began wishing I had brought my water bladder system. I thought more and more about it as I took each step. WHY didn't I bring that Platypus? Oh, I wish I had that Platypus. I'd see Joe drink from his and think, "Dang.. I wish I had my Platypus!"

Suddenly, I looked down, and in the ditch I saw something. I bent over and picked it up and started laughing. It was a perfectly new bitevalve ... for a Platypus! I laughed so hard! Then I said to God, "Well.. that's not EXACTLY what I was thinking about.. but thanks? Could I please have the rest?

A few hours more, I look down and guess what? There is the TUBING on the ground - nothing wrong with it. I laughed again, a little less loud..

We arrived at Real de la Jara. There, you have to pass by the albergue and go into town for the key. Joe waited there while I went to the Piscina to retrieve the key. It was bloody HOT and I really was needing water. Why didn't I bring my Platypus?

I got back to the albergue. We were the only pilgrims there. I unlocked the door, walked in, and there on the counter, with a sign saying FREE was the BAG for the Platypus system! Once more, the Camino (and God) provided! All I had to do was ASK!

I used it the system the rest of that journey.
 

Attachments

  • Emma with fan.jpg
    Emma with fan.jpg
    22.1 KB · Views: 4,095
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Annie, those are great stories, thanks for posting them.
 
Thanks Annie for sharing the beautiful posting, it certainly made my day.

I was getting hesitant to open this thread as it had some sad sarcastic rebuttals which is not what this forum is about.
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
JALAN JAUH said:
Thanks Annie for sharing the beautiful posting, it certainly made my day.

I was getting hesitant to open this thread as it had some sad sarcastic rebuttals which is not what this forum is about.

Sad.
 
Caminando said:
Beverley said:
Brother David, ... I have no doubt that you transended the time warp and you were with they ancients or they were with you. ...
Bev

I'm curious to know what "the time warp" is and who "the ancients" are. You are in "no doubt" about this so I hope you can shed light on this for others.

Thanks.
I do work with homeless people in this city. One evening a man arrived with a woman and they were clearly impressed with each other. During dinner, the man dominated the conversation, calling himself a 10,000 year old "ancient". He also claimed to be Jesus Christ.

To me, it was a delusion that helped justify the man's homeless state.
I wonder, did the delusion lead to homelessness, or did homelessness lead to the delusion?

David, Victoria, Canada
 
For the homeless who are mentally ill, it starts with the mental illness. As a practical matter, society can go with the Theory X program, where we assume that the discomfort of being homeless will eventually result in the homeless stopping being homeless. Or we can go with the Theory Y program, where we treat the mental illness, and perhaps the causes of that illness, such as child abuse, poor education, and physical illness. In the U.S., we tend to go with the Theory X program as we try to balance our various government budgets. There is no evidence that it is working, but maybe we just have to out-wait the homeless, and they will get with the program despite their mental illness.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
skilsaw said:
Caminando said:
Beverley said:
Brother David, ... I have no doubt that you transended the time warp and you were with they ancients or they were with you. ...
Bev

I'm curious to know what "the time warp" is and who "the ancients" are. You are in "no doubt" about this so I hope you can shed light on this for others.

Thanks.
I do work with homeless people in this city. One evening a man arrived with a woman and they were clearly impressed with each other. During dinner, the man dominated the conversation, calling himself a 10,000 year old "ancient". He also claimed to be Jesus Christ.

To me, it was a delusion that helped justify the man's homeless state.
I wonder, did the delusion lead to homelessness, or did homelessness lead to the delusion?

David, Victoria, Canada
Hi
the time warp is "just a step to the left and then a jump to the right"
as for the homeless man who feels he is a 10,000 years old and Christ to boot,who's to say he isn't?
I have walked the Camino with people who believe the bones of St James were found in a field in Galicia and he travelled there in a stone boat!!!,and that the virgin mary also in a stone boat made it to Muxia. all I know is that the CF is a special place and I defy anyone to walk the whole way and not feel in a good place and in tune with all the elements if both your mind and heart are open.
I once walked to Santiago and then Finisterre with a young French girl who the year before had left many stone's along the way to absorb the magic and planned to use them as healing stones when she retrieved them only she had forgotten where she had left them!! she was a great walking companion who regaled me with songs the whole way and brought her own magic to my Camino.
I have a special place where I always feel strong and in tune with the universe,As an aid to my memory I took a fallen twig from the floor ( having asked the ancient tree permission first)it now stands on my shelf,I only have to touch it to be transported back to my own special place.
non of this could I ever mention down my local pub when answering questions about the Camino for fear of being labeled mad-I just tell them to walk first and question later.( its just a step to the left)
Ian
 
I like that. :wink:

By the way a stone boat wasn't a boat made of stone. Those old ships didn't have deep keels so ballast was loaded onto them when they were without cargo (stops them turning over!). When they beached to take on cargo they jettisoned the ballast. The ballast was stones - seashore stones mainly. To travel in a 'stone boat' meant it would be a private charter, a vessel that was not also carrying cargo, nor picking up cargo on the way. :wink:
 
I didn't know that's why they called it a stone boat! Interesting!

I did know about ballast, however. Several Portland, Oregon streets are still paved with ballast stones.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I have a special place where I always feel strong and in tune with the universe,As an aid to my memory I took a fallen twig from the floor ( having asked the ancient tree permission first)it now stands on my shelf,I only have to touch it to be transported back to my own special place.
non of this could I ever mention down my local pub when answering questions about the Camino for fear of being labeled mad-I just tell them to walk first and question later
Sagalouts
I know this pub too, I have not walked yet and can't wait, Sept this year, I enjoy reading all the comments and the threads and it gives me plenty to look forward to. The Camino must be a special place and the special experiences people have on it and seemingly after! it all add to the enticement/excitement/anticipation...building up in my life...(excuse the grammar!)
 
With regards to "respect", I believe the intent of the word does not mean hear what I say and don't challange it. I believe it is a high honor to be challanged further to explain my point. Answering a challange engages connection and that is what this forum is about. If I make a racist statement and I am not challanged, does that mean you respect me and my position?

Caminando I answered your challange to explain myself "time warp and ancients" and I did not feel you did not respect my words. I answered from my heart.
On another topic but related, I saw The Tree of Life this weekend.Wow, did I respect the film maker and I would love to challange some of his positions in the film.


with respect, Lets to the time warp agaaaaain! :wink:
Bev
 
Beverley said:
With regards to "respect", I believe the intent of the word does not mean hear what I say and don't challange it. I believe it is a high honor to be challanged further to explain my point. Answering a challange engages connection and that is what this forum is about. If I make a racist statement and I am not challanged, does that mean you respect me and my position?

Caminando I answered your challange to explain myself "time warp and ancients" and I did not feel you did not respect my words. I answered from my heart.
On another topic but related, I saw The Tree of Life this weekend.Wow, did I respect the film maker and I would love to challange some of his positions in the film.


with respect, Lets to the time warp agaaaaain! :wink:
Bev


Hi Bev

Thanks for responding in the civilised way that you have, which is refreshing. Others can learn from that.
Just for the record, you may agree that you were not 'challenged', but were simply asked to say more :D
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I was walking along the trail heading into Zubiri on the second day out with a Frenchman and two ladies from the UK. I had met the ladies at Roncevoux and one of them had told me a tale of a Spanish lass who had two suitors, one French and one Moor. She could not make up her mind who she loved most and would walk the trail between their encampments to visit them both. When the suitors were joined in battle both were killed and to this day her ghost walks the trial from Pamplona to Roncevalles (Roncevoux). So goes the tale.
The trail at Zubiri runs along the Rio Arga and there are many points where thorny bushes crowd the path and places were, heading to Pamplona, there is a steep bank on the left and the river on the right. My French friend and I were walking a short distance ahead of the English ladies when we came to such a place and along the thorny path a young Spanish lady in colloquial dress passed through them without seeming to snag her clothes at all. She impressed us both with her beautiful face and figure and we both commented, after she had passed, about her beauty and grace. After a few minutes rest the English ladies caught up to us and we commented to them of the young woman in the antique dress and, since there was no place for her to leave the path without plunging into the river or scaling the bank, were certain they would have seen her. It was not the case. They both stated, most soberly, that they had seen no one come down the path. Has anyone else seen such a sight?
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
I had a "visitor" at the Santa Clara Convent in Carrion de los Condes who was not very nice. I won't go into detail here but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced something unusual there, in the small double rooms?
 
Sharni said:
I had a "visitor" at the Santa Clara Convent in Carrion de los Condes who was not very nice. I won't go into detail here but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced something unusual there, in the small double rooms?


I stayed in the private rooms there and even though I was alone, I had the feeling that I wasn't. It was just an odd, unsettled feeling.
 
It was a blistering hot day,my companion walker( younger agile sister) was yards ahead of me as I struggled to scale the steep climb up to OCebrio. My mantra of the day was "Yukon Do It"(the name of the nail polish on my toes) which I chanted out loud as I climbed. I was first annoyed as a butterfly fluttered around my head - it was hot,I was exhausted,water bottle was empty and this da-- butterfly kept hovering over me. Each step forward was a challenge and I was ready to stop,hail a cab and have it transport me out of here-NOT. I stopped and perched my weary body on a rock and cried- first small whimpers and then water-works bawling. What could I have been thinking,my 62 yr old body was tired and wanted to quit,I could be in my comfortable home with a good book and a chilled glass of wine. This was a crazy idea- walk 450 miles in Spain!!! As I wiped the tears away I looked out at the beautiful countryside and was filled with a sense of calmness and inner strength. My body creaked and groaned as I hoisted it off the rock. My butterfly was still there, hovering and out loud I said "Mom, I need your help,give me a push now and then." I reached the top of the climb where my sister was anxiously waiting for me. She noticed my smile and commented on it. I simply told her " Mom helped me the last few miles!!" To this day I love the magic of butterflies and even planted a butterfly bush in my garden. Note:my Mom passed 35 years ago and I am hoping she accompanies me on my next Camino- a solo in the Spring of 2012 when the butterflies will be plentiful!!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I just found this thread and would like to bring it to everyone's attention in the hopes of gathering more of these wonderful experiences. Please add your mystical or unexplained experiences.
A Spanish pilgrim walked into the albergue where I was spending the night in Ventas de Naron and he looked exactly like a friend of mine that passed away several years ago. His mannerisms were the same - it was the Spanish version of my friend.
 
So pleased you did find it pbucilla it has been fascinating reading thank you to the many contributors for your openess to share!
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
A friend by the name of Santiago suffering of terminal cancer told me about the Camino, its history and all. We lost contact, but a couple of years later at my retirement last year, I was in search of doing «something», got a backpack and started walking. By the time I arrived in Grañón early afternoon with a nasty tendinitis, I decided to call it a day.
They have a lovely church there (not much else) so I decided to step inside (don’t know why, as I am an agnostic) It was the 6pm mass and I sat in the last row far behind. When it ended, we all went to the village square, the priest came straight at me, asking if he could do something for me. Told him that I am definitely not a member of his club but since he asked, my friend Santiago, a devout catholic, came to my mind. I asked the priest to consider my friend in his thoughts that evening and he promised that he would.
Next day I received a mail, that Santiago had passed away the evening before, peacefully as I was told later.
Of course this was all coincidental but I felt that I did the Camino and that visit of a church, -the first since two decades-, for a reason.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
During my Camino in 2013 I became acquainted with another peregrina. After walking with her off and on for some days, she confided in me details of an unusual incident she had experienced earlier in her Camino. Since hers is not my story to tell, I will not do so.

I will say, however, that I am now part way through a book which deals with this very thing. Its title is Opening Heaven’s Door – What the Dying May Be Trying to Tell Us About Where They’re Going, by Patricia Pearson. Although it deals mainly with persons dying, it speaks of ‘sightings’ and feelings of ‘another presence’ experienced by the bereaved, survivors of disaster (e.g. Ernest Shackleton’s remarkable story of survival), soldiers, etc., and explains why our culture is so reluctant to speak openly on this matter. I think it is a worthwhile read for anyone half interested in this subject.
 
Hello to all pilgrims or soon-to-be-pilgrims

Given that these ancient and sacred pilgrim routes are positioned along the ley lines of the earth and, according to legend, aligned with the "stars"- the Milky Way...I was wondering about unusual or mysterous sightings. Anyone have any experiences of an earthly, cosmic or interdimensional nature they uld like to share?
I started my first Camino with an open mind and an option for a quick flight home. It wasn't long however before I met groups of fellow travelers and came to feel quite comfortable walking by myself, and in a foreign land. After a week or two I began to notice, what I can only describe as, "some great power". To me it was palpable, taste it, feel it, touch it, it was all around me and surly everyone else could feel and see it to. I felt comforted by it's presence and enjoyed to the fullest, living in the moment. When I reported this phenomena to my daughter, via email, she politely responded to me. To our entire family however, she reported that dad had definitely gone over to the dark side and they should prepare themselves for his return.
Strangely, on my second Camino when I went looking for that unidentifiable power, it was not so easily found.. I thought it would be waiting for me right beside the trail like a back pack simply bend over and pick it up. It proved much more elusive. I seemed only to catch up with it again during my last week when I had all but given up hope of finding it again.
Yes, there was magic there for me and it's probably the thing that keeps pulling me to return.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
For as much as I've enjoyed reading this thread and am hoping to find some kind of magic along my Camino I sincerely hope I don't see something that spooks the life out me. I wouldn't say I'm a believer in "ghosties" for want of a better word but I have had an experience whilst walking in Scotland past an old drovers inn, and I think I went whiter than the drover that I saw!
 
Without sounding ridiculous, my whole journey from beginning to end was one long mystical experience. Landing in Dieppe on the north coast of France with a bicycle and a vague idea where northern Spain lie on the planet, the fact that I arrived in Santiago at all virtually unscathed 2 months later was as mystical as it gets. I attended the pilgrim's mass on All Saints Day in the Cathedral. There was a choir in full voice, an organ sounded from somewhere, the bells were ringing and the botefumero was swinging above the heads of a packed service. I burst into tears as my naked and vulnerable soul stood before God and asked forgiveness for all the ways I neglected my relationship with God. I knew then that I was instantly loved and accepted by that God in all my imperfections as I always had been. I knew it because I felt it in my heart. THAT was a mystical experience!
 
I don't know if this qualifies for mystical or unexplained.

I took a photo of my brother and his wife walking out of Moss and although it was pretty good light the camera chose a pretty high iso setting. So I thought I would clean it up a bit and reduce noise, then sharpen it to compensate.
I haven't had to do this to any other shot I took in the day, only ones at night in bad light.
The sharpening process was done in photoshop and makes the photo look kind of like a negative.

I won't tell you what I see, I'll leave that up to you.

2laq077.jpg


link to image is here http://i54.tinypic.com/2881hd0.jpg as the forum seems to have cropped a bit off to the right. Or you can right click the image and click view.
Looks like a third person to me. Actually some of the images used to represent Santiago himself...
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Science speaks?:)

If the Solar System and the Milky Way had their Frisbees lined up, we could see the Sun, Moon and planets always be in front of the Milky Way.


Milky Way. ESO/S. Guisard

But they’re not, the Milky Way is actually inclined from the celestial equator at 63-degrees. They cross each other through the constellations of Monoceros and Aquila-Serpens-Ophiuchus. For me, the Milky Way starts over there and ends up over there. The plane of the ecliptic and the Milky Way make a big cross in the sky. The orientation between the Solar System and the Milky Way is coincidence. They just happen to be perpendicular-ish. But they could also just happen to line up, and that would be nothing more than a coincidence too.

The Milky Way and the Solar System aren’t lined up. They couldn’t be any more un-lined up if they tried. Here’s the Milky Way, here’s the Solar System. I’m a Power Ranger. So, I’m sorry, but just won’t be able to use that to justify your cosmic theories about the return of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Or alternately… like any good conspiracy style thinking…

Good news! The Milky Way and Solar System are almost perpendicular and clearly that near-opposite alignment generates some kind of woogly ethereal gyroscopic metastatic force that clearly is causing your gluten sensitivity and heralds the coming of FSM. What magical effect is this perpendicular alignment causing for you?
 
I like that. :wink:

By the way a stone boat wasn't a boat made of stone. Those old ships didn't have deep keels so ballast was loaded onto them when they were without cargo (stops them turning over!). When they beached to take on cargo they jettisoned the ballast. The ballast was stones - seashore stones mainly. To travel in a 'stone boat' meant it would be a private charter, a vessel that was not also carrying cargo, nor picking up cargo on the way. :wink:

Wow. A misunderstanding of technical terms that any sailor of the day would have understood yet would have meant nothing to a landlubber but that the boat was made of stone.

I recall reading a guidebook where the author described how an oil company had been drilling for diamonds ... where in fact the term diamond drilling refers to the bits on the drill being encrusted with diamonds. The oil company was looking for oil.

A prime example of how myths are started.
 
I like that. :wink:

By the way a stone boat wasn't a boat made of stone. Those old ships didn't have deep keels so ballast was loaded onto them when they were without cargo (stops them turning over!). When they beached to take on cargo they jettisoned the ballast. The ballast was stones - seashore stones mainly. To travel in a 'stone boat' meant it would be a private charter, a vessel that was not also carrying cargo, nor picking up cargo on the way. :wink:

Another explanation I heard was that the boat was transporting Italian marble (stone) to the Roman colonies. As Italy was most certainly a stopover point on a sea journey from Jerusalem to Iberia that makes also sense to me. As much as your explanation does, I hasten to add. SY
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
I don't know if this qualifies for mystical or unexplained.

I took a photo of my brother and his wife walking out of Moss and although it was pretty good light the camera chose a pretty high iso setting. So I thought I would clean it up a bit and reduce noise, then sharpen it to compensate.
I haven't had to do this to any other shot I took in the day, only ones at night in bad light.
The sharpening process was done in photoshop and makes the photo look kind of like a negative.

I won't tell you what I see, I'll leave that up to you.

2laq077.jpg


link to image is here http://i54.tinypic.com/2881hd0.jpg as the forum seems to have cropped a bit off to the right. Or you can right click the image and click view.
The photo is no longer active.... can you reload it?
 
It happens even before you reach the Camino. At 69, I was very stressed about travelling to the other side of the world to walk the Camino alone and although I didn't realise it, I was grieving for my mother, my sister and my ex husband, all of whom had passed away. This was a text I sent to my children:

"Sitting at the airport. Last night, in a half dream, I saw my sister Lila walk past. She was wearing her glasses, which I haven't seen her do for years, and had her head down watching the trail. She had a little pack on her back. Looks like I'm not going on my own after all, she's coming with me."
 
Thank you for this thread. .
I agree mysticall threads are replete in the everyday and when I revisited my blog I see I picked up on what others have mentioned here way back then, insofar as the whole Camino is mystical.
That said, I did have a few experiences that were stand out, particularly in a golden-lit room at O'Cebriero.I woke up and noticed a strong, golden light streaming through the shutters The moon was not particularly bright and it might have been the mist but it felt very surreal. I woke my husband and he commented it was like a stream of daylight was coming through the window. We checked the time, yep it was 1am, nowhere near daylight time!. I got up and loosened the shutters and the whole landscape outside seemed to be bathed in this stunningly beautiful light. Tim got up to have a look too. It didn't feel scary at all, quite the opposite.
It just felt warm in the room even though the building was without heating and the temperature was cold outside. It might have just been the super lovely mist that Galicia sports but the sense of belonging and warmth wasn't so readily explained. Here's the piece if you want tmore context of how we lucked out on such a lovely place to rest that night:
 
Last edited:
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top