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With respect, I disagree.something that we cannot experience in our everyday life.
which are kind of geo located there is not much else on your list that cannot be replicated in home life.for snails in the Pyrenees
Transition. I choose that word because my wife and I walked our first camino when we were transitioning to a new life after 40 years of working and 21 years of raising kids. We had to rediscover not only ourselves, but each other. The camino did that for us. On that first camino, we encountered many others in transition, including young people who were transitioning from school to work, from one job to another, from one career to something as yet they could not discern. Then there was the couple whose 17 year old son committed suicide. They had become estranged, bitter, full of guilt. They were seeking transition to a life of hope displacing the despair they felt. I am pleased to report that all of us found our answers on the camino. For my wife and I, our new life includes looking forward every year to another camino path. For us, life is a constant transition which a camino helps clarify.What is the "Spirit of Camino" for you?
I've been writing again on the Forum for the last few days and I see the diversity that adorns the Camino. It brings back memories of my three Caminos and what I felt as the "Spirit of Camino". On the first Camino I was 67, last year on the third Camino I was 72. Which means I have life experience and can see the changes the Camino has brought me. The changes were caused by the "Spirit of Camino". something that we cannot experience in our everyday life. But what we felt on the Camino we can take home.
For me, "The spirit of Camino" is:
Love - love for pilgrims, for nature, for snails in the Pyrenees, to hug a tree, smell the flowers
Freedom - freedom of choice, when and how much I will walk, where I will walk, with whom I will talk, where and what I will eat
Albergues - togetherness in sleeping, washing clothes, hygiene, dinner with unknown people who become your friends at that dinner, community in washing dishes
After Camino, my outlook on life changed, for the better.
I tend to agree with your disagreement. I found, like many say, the Camino to be a metaphor for life. It was like a six-week bootcamp for how to live better, leading to this "Spirit of the Camino" effect. I have had similar experiences elsewhere, but for now I can't imagine a better way to bake "La Torta de Santiago" than on the Way of St. James.With respect, I disagree.
With the exception of
which are kind of geo located there is not much else on your list that cannot be replicated in home life.
Sure, you may be considered a bit odd to engage a random person in conversation over a coffee, and you may not want to invite random strangers into your home to share the accommodation but alternatives do exist.
Indeed, I'd suggest that the one great benefit of the Camino is that it can be a major shake up of normal life.
It's up to ourselves how we accommodate that lesson in our lives.
For me the Spirit of the Camino is my inner voice, a voice that day to day is drowned out in our 24/7 hurry, hurry society. The Camino is the opportunity to hear the voice. Possibly the change we sometime feel from the Camino is just our responding to our inner voice, our real self.What is the "Spirit of Camino" for you?
I've been writing again on the Forum for the last few days and I see the diversity that adorns the Camino. It brings back memories of my three Caminos and what I felt as the "Spirit of Camino". On the first Camino I was 67, last year on the third Camino I was 72. Which means I have life experience and can see the changes the Camino has brought me. The changes were caused by the "Spirit of Camino". something that we cannot experience in our everyday life. But what we felt on the Camino we can take home.
For me, "The spirit of Camino" is:
Love - love for pilgrims, for nature, for snails in the Pyrenees, to hug a tree, smell the flowers
Freedom - freedom of choice, when and how much I will walk, where I will walk, with whom I will talk, where and what I will eat
Albergues - togetherness in sleeping, washing clothes, hygiene, dinner with unknown people who become your friends at that dinner, community in washing dishes
After Camino, my outlook on life changed, for the better.
One word that captures the Spirit is intimacy: sharing stories, meals, bathrooms and bedrooms with strangers; listening and wrestling with my own thoughts; and a profound connection with Divine reality.What is the "Spirit of Camino" for you?
I've been writing again on the Forum for the last few days and I see the diversity that adorns the Camino. It brings back memories of my three Caminos and what I felt as the "Spirit of Camino". On the first Camino I was 67, last year on the third Camino I was 72. Which means I have life experience and can see the changes the Camino has brought me. The changes were caused by the "Spirit of Camino". something that we cannot experience in our everyday life. But what we felt on the Camino we can take home.
For me, "The spirit of Camino" is:
Love - love for pilgrims, for nature, for snails in the Pyrenees, to hug a tree, smell the flowers
Freedom - freedom of choice, when and how much I will walk, where I will walk, with whom I will talk, where and what I will eat
Albergues - togetherness in sleeping, washing clothes, hygiene, dinner with unknown people who become your friends at that dinner, community in washing dishes
After Camino, my outlook on life changed, for the better.
For me it was living each day for the day. Meeting beautiful souls along the way was so important. Also, the daily struggle was real! It gave meaning and purpose to the pilgrimage. I loved the reverence the Spanish people have for the Camino. I will never forget it and hope that I can carry the spirit of community or ‘church’ with me till the end of my days.What is the "Spirit of Camino" for you?
I've been writing again on the Forum for the last few days and I see the diversity that adorns the Camino. It brings back memories of my three Caminos and what I felt as the "Spirit of Camino". On the first Camino I was 67, last year on the third Camino I was 72. Which means I have life experience and can see the changes the Camino has brought me. The changes were caused by the "Spirit of Camino". something that we cannot experience in our everyday life. But what we felt on the Camino we can take home.
For me, "The spirit of Camino" is:
Love - love for pilgrims, for nature, for snails in the Pyrenees, to hug a tree, smell the flowers
Freedom - freedom of choice, when and how much I will walk, where I will walk, with whom I will talk, where and what I will eat
Albergues - togetherness in sleeping, washing clothes, hygiene, dinner with unknown people who become your friends at that dinner, community in washing dishes
After Camino, my outlook on life changed, for the better.
With respect, I agree.With respect, I disagree.
With the exception of
which are kind of geo located there is not much else on your list that cannot be replicated in home life.
Sure, you may be considered a bit odd to engage a random person in conversation over a coffee, and you may not want to invite random strangers into your home to share the accommodation but alternatives do exist.
Indeed, I'd suggest that the one great benefit of the Camino is that it can be a major shake up of normal life.
It's up to ourselves how we accommodate that lesson in our lives.
Thank you jungleboy,I asked the same question (and received some great answers!) in this thread:
What does the ‘spirit of the camino’ mean to you?
Then @Wendy Werneth and I discussed some of the answers and the concept in general in the first episode of our Spirit of the Camino podcast:
Introduction and the Spirit of the Camino
I cannot repeat the Camino in my city. There are no albergues, restaurants are expensive and walking in the parks is not at all like the Camino.
How can such a man feel the spirit of Camino?
But when we come to the Camino, then we are on the Camino. And the Camino gives everyone the same, the same nature, the same Way. It is up to us how we will accept it, experience it, how will we answer him.
I did put my bag through after my osteoarthritis flared and sometimes ate in restaurants sometimes in the Albergue when available. I mostly slept in Albergues and I walked all the way. I was still able to experience something I would call Spirit. And, I think I can bring that knowing in small but important ways to my home life. I’m grateful to the Spanish people and my fellow pilgrims.With respect, I agree.
We have different habits, different cultures, lifestyles, different religions............
We have different occupations, different ages, we live in different environments, city or village ...........
But when we come to the Camino, then we are on the Camino. And the Camino gives everyone the same, the same nature, the same Way. It is up to us how we will accept it, experience it, how will we answer him.
I cannot repeat the Camino in my city. There are no albergues, restaurants are expensive and walking in the parks is not at all like the Camino.
I see that there are pilgrims who bring their lifestyle to the Camino. At home, they walk or run a few kilometers, eat in restaurants and transfer that to the Camino. They send their backpacks by taxi, sleep in double rooms with bathrooms, eat in restaurants. They walk like at home, sleep like at home, eat like at home. They brought the spirit of their lives to the Camino. How can such a man feel the spirit of Camino?
Of course, there are exceptions, when someone is weak or sick. I met a girl who dislocated her leg and rode part of the Camino on horseback.
So, we have a word, "how many people - so many mood". And I accept that.
I see that there are pilgrims who bring their lifestyle to the Camino. At home, they walk or run a few kilometers, eat in restaurants and transfer that to the Camino. They send their backpacks by taxi, sleep in double rooms with bathrooms, eat in restaurants. They walk like at home, sleep like at home, eat like at home. They brought the spirit of their lives to the Camino. How can such a man feel the spirit of Camino?
If by this you mean to say that those who sleep in hotels, eat in restaurants, and have their bags transferred cannot feel the spirit of Camino, then I must say that you have a different conception of the spirit of the Camino than I do.They send their backpacks by taxi, sleep in double rooms with bathrooms, eat in restaurants. They walk like at home, sleep like at home, eat like at home. They brought the spirit of their lives to the Camino. How can such a man feel the spirit of Camino?
It is completely normal that I have a different view of the spirit of Camino than you, or someone else. What would this world look like if everyone thought the same.If by this you mean to say that those who sleep in hotels, eat in restaurants, and have their bags transferred cannot feel the spirit of Camino, then I must say that you have a different conception of the spirit of the Camino than I do.
For me, the spirit of the Camino is best felt when recognizing that we are all pilgrims, whether sleeping in albergues or hotels, whether cooking our own food (which, incidentally, I do at home) or eating in restaurants (which I am most likely to do where a communal meal is not offered by the albergue), whether carrying our backpacks or having them sent ahead. It isn't the backpack on the back that makes a pilgrim. It is the journey towards the destination and the openness to what it has to offer and to those who share the journey with you. However they travel.
But your mileage may vary.
I remember my first night in O Cebreiro. There was no albergue. It hadn't been built yet. There was only one inn and it was full. It was cold and wet (early spring - Semana Santa). They let me put my sleeping bag down by the fireplace in the common room of the inn. My experience was different from yours. But I wouldn't ask "How can such a man feel the spirit of the Camino?" when I hear of your different experience. It is true that everyone's Camino experience is different. But when I think of the spirit of the Camino, I tend to think about what we have in common as pilgrims, rather than how we differ. Of course, that's just my approach.In O Cebreiro I slept in a room together with 50 other pilgrims. Two bunk beds were pushed together and eight pilgrims slept together. Everything was present, snoring, stirring, blowing, getting up to go to the toilet, getting ready early. Unlike those who slept peacefully in a hotel or Casa rual. Of course, their feeling, their experience is different from mine.
I don't judge these people, they themselves chose how to live on Camino. What I'm saying is that they have a different Camino spirit than I do.
How can such a man feel the spirit of Camino?
Beautifully expressed. Which Camino will be your next? Buen Camino!Words are sometimes the least effective method of expression. My brother and I (79 and 80) will walk our third Camino this year. It is an extension of how we choose to live every day. Our secluded lifestyle on the big island (Hawaii) is peaceful, serene, simple and filled with variety - including challenges - as we still create art and woodwork at least 10 hours every day. Joyfully and tired - as when walking the Camino. Seeing others deal with the same difficulties we experience is a perfect example that Life is a sequence of ups and downs. Inspiration is obvious along The Way. Gratitude is found in abundance.
My 1st camino (CF) I completed it with a very good friend, who was a medically retired firefighter in London, who was retired due to cancer, he is an Irish Catholic, & after him cancer treatment his mother died, he carried a small pot of her ashes, which he scattered at Finisterre. He was also diagnosed with PTSD, after dealing with a lot of stuff as a fireman, Grenfell fire, 7/7 terrorist attacks in London. I had recently lost my father to cancer, my wife had been treated for breast cancer, & after working for another emergency service for over 20 years, I realised that a lot of stress builds up. With nothing to do but walk & talked, we shared our issues, problems & stresses, without any one jumping to conclusions. 9 months later, I did the Del Norte, from Hendaye to SDC, in order to raise money for a PTSD charity for the the emergency services & military. This sense of purpose, & the vastness of the camino helped me, it doesn't mater where you come from, what race,creed, sexual orientation the camino doesn't care, we're all doing the same thing, to me it's the magic of the simplicity of the camino....I used to recite a poem I knowWhat is the "Spirit of Camino" for you?
I've been writing again on the Forum for the last few days and I see the diversity that adorns the Camino. It brings back memories of my three Caminos and what I felt as the "Spirit of Camino". On the first Camino I was 67, last year on the third Camino I was 72. Which means I have life experience and can see the changes the Camino has brought me. The changes were caused by the "Spirit of Camino". something that we cannot experience in our everyday life. But what we felt on the Camino we can take home.
For me, "The spirit of Camino" is:
Love - love for pilgrims, for nature, for snails in the Pyrenees, to hug a tree, smell the flowers
Freedom - freedom of choice, when and how much I will walk, where I will walk, with whom I will talk, where and what I will eat
Albergues - togetherness in sleeping, washing clothes, hygiene, dinner with unknown people who become your friends at that dinner, community in washing dishes
After Camino, my outlook on life changed, for the better.
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