That Spiritual Bit....

When I first decided on this adventure I made a visit to one of the larger bookshops in London to purchase a copy of 'The Pilgrimage' by Paolo Coelho, the book that made his name and which purports to trace his experiences on the Camino. After a lengthy search in the travel section I was forced to ask the staff whether they had it in stock; interestingly I was steered to the spiritual section of the shop. The book, with its strong spiritual element, made for curious reading for someone like me with a more practical than spiritial bias and I am not sure how much of what was written about his experiences should be taken literally. Nevertheless, I did enjoy his descriptions of some of the ‘spiritual exercises’ he supposedly undertook during his pilgrimage: walking sections very, very slowly to allow his senses to notice things that would normally be missed at a faster pace (I can relate to this when I compare what you notice when walking compared to cycling compared to driving); and, from being curled in a ball on the ground, slowly unfurling yourself and stretching upwards imagining that you are a tree growing from a seed (try as hard as I might I cannot relate to this one…). I'm not sure I will be rushing to try these particular exercises during my walk...

I also bought a recommended guide to the Camino giving useful route and accommodation information. It also provided some useful guidance on what to do when on some of the stretches that over the centuries have developed from isolated footpaths to main roads. It seems that oncoming cars and lorries bring with them 'negative energies' and these apparently need to be countered. The book recommends singing, quietly at first but as the vehicles draw near raising your volume until, at the point that the vehicle passes, you are singing at the top of your voice and the 'positive energy' of your singing balances out the 'negative energy' of the passing traffic. I am not sure I will be trying that one either….

The same book was clear in its view that you should have a spiritual reason for undertaking the walk. Anybody who was doing it purely as a physical activity or because of a general interest in the country was doing it for the wrong reasons it said. Well that’s me told…..