Gosh, I have gotten so many comments on the material yesterday that I thought I would copy and paste some of their thoughts for you today:
Diego (Lake Arrowhead, CA) “I think we have something to add to “a state of mind” here in defining “pilgrimage”. Our souls, enjoying this energy, brought us to and through the pilgrimages we’ve taken. You’re right: We are exactly where God wants us to be now.”
Jessika (callsign Secret Agent) “Ascetic pilgrimage–makes me wonder if that was a bit like the 30 day silent Ignatian thing!”
Ron (Virginia) “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
Albert Einstein.
Cris (CSABC) “All we can do is get out of the way and then the soul takes its natural course.” (I had Richard Rohr’s, Breathing under water in my kindle, next to me!)
Cris somemore: “The Camino, when you are not a pilgrim yet or have not mastered the pilgrim’s skills yet, is a boot-camp, as you defined; but the Camino (or any other pilgrimage) is not particularly needed to be a pilgrim.”
“On the contrary, the neighbourhood is 100% needed to be a pilgrim. A pilgrim alone is not a pilgrim, maybe it is a solitary walker (or a “walking pilgrim”). What we need to be pilgrim are the other pilgrims. The other pilgrims make us be better pilgrims, and viceversa. And I think I could share the wisdom of Fr. Ruben, the priest at the church where I went to school; he loves language and likes to explain the etymology of words, and he said that “Benevolent” comes from the Italian “Bene=Bien” – “Vole=wish to do”, so someone benevolent is someone who wants to do good to others, therefore, the others are needed to express our best qualities. Generosity is nothing if there is nobody giving us the opportunity to be generous, and I could go on.
“So, coming back the pilgrims idea, I think walking with a destination, walking with no destination, walking in circles, or even walking mentally, is needed to go to the encounter of others (that is essential, and I think the “pilgrims” figure that they “needed to go out of themselves to meet the others”, and then, once you met the others“, and then, once you met the others, you have an opportunity to master your pilgrim’s skills.”
Michelle (Vashon pilgrim) “Deep thoughts Phil… a lot to think about:).”
Right Michele, I hope that we aren’t on some deep thought rabbit hole. I think that it is important to link to history and to get some idea about what we are doing being pilgrims functioning off of the traditional pilgrim routes.
Off to walk here at Phil’s Camino. Off the beaten path loves, Felipe.
I know I’m…well….a whole year late to the party here but you are all in good company – in ‘Divine Domesticity: Augustine of Thagaste to Teresa of Avila’ Marjorie OʹRourke Boyle talks about ‘Contemplation as a “road”, the royal highway on which the pilgrim advanced straight to his celestial country, was the election of Bernard des Fontaines’ (p. 71 from the chapter ‘Sanctuary’)…and subsequently the Cistercians went on to build abbeys in swamps and wooded places, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and named after the natural resources surrounding the site. They farmed, carried on domestic tasks, and took part in mental pilgrimages through contemplative practice – what O’Rourke calls a ‘pilgrimage in stability’ or what Annie calls ‘pilgrimage in place’.
I know I’m a Camino supernerd but I really do get so excited about how Phil’s Camino fits into all of this history.
C ~ Man, I am excited when you are excited! F.x
oh, and also what Jessika is calling ‘ascetic pilgrimage’, too!
C ~ good stuff here! F.x