Yes. Sorry Caminoheads! But Here is another post about rocks!!! It might sound boring, but would it be even possible a Camino without rocks? Would it be possible a Camino without the rock we carried from home? Would it be possible a Camino without the Cruz de Ferro? Would it be possible a Camino without burning or leaving something at Finisterre or Muxia?
In the past weeks, for different reasons, I have been involved in different conversations about acceptance, letting go, dropping a weight, unburdening, decluttering… surely you understand what I was talking about, right? (Be patient with me please! Spanish is my mother tongue, but have a life-adopted Brazilian father with whom I speak Portuguese and I am trying to write to you in English, so at times words aren’t exactly equivalent).
The conversations were around “what would be possible for us?” to do in the different circumstances we face in life when something is needed from us?
I was telling a friend of mine why for me this idea of “letting go” was difficult, and that for me, “dropping a rock” was more possible. He asked me why and my first thought was the action we, pilgrims, do at the Cruz de Ferro; and went on giving him the example from the movie “The Way”: either “in bits”, like Daniel’s ashes that Tom (Martin Sheen) leaves along the way, or “all together” as Sarah, the Canadian pilgrim does with the abortion she underwent, when we “drop” it through a “physical action” as we would do with leaving a rock (or a piece of paper that has our feelings for this we carry or even the ashes of what it used to be) we are able to imprint in our minds, souls and bodies that we have consciously put this weight at rest. Still exists, it is embodied in the rock, the piece of paper, the ashes, etc. but what we have done with that conscious action is allowing the earth to hold it for us, instead of being us the ones who carry the weight (which at the end of the day, it is held by the poor earth anyway!)
To me “letting go” represents something like pressing “mute and lowering the sound to zero”; somehow, to me means that I carry them with me but I don’t give them the right to talk to me or come to bother me. Some people say that this action is like “surfing a wave”: it comes to you, but you let it pass without affecting you. I tried, but it doesn’t work too well for me.
I have had an idea rambling in my mind lately (while I battle emails at work as if they were weeds!) that maybe, we can allow ourselves to “drop these rocks we carry and their weight”, because at the end of the day, we will always carry the experience and at times too scars…
Cruz de Ferro loves,
Cris
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Oasis 2021 – 20th to 23rd August, 2021
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Regarding imprints on rocks some hold that certain materials hold psychic impressions so ghosts are impressions and not actual spirits….well some of them!I don’t know myself and think that they are generated in the mind which is not to say that they are illusions as we must ask what causes the mind to generate them and indeed what is our own consciousness itself?I have asked myself sure questions ever since I can remember and have had a few strange experiences over the years.I very much doubt that our individual consciousness survives death after all it’s built up in this life, probably reabsorption into some kind of cosmic consciousness being most likely?
Hummm Kevan… I think you have a point here…! What if we could pass on the rock the burden, as a physical and conscious decision, and this is why we feel better after it?
Wouldn’t you like to write a post for us on this topic, telling maybe one of your experiences? It would be pretty cool!! If you feel like, email it to me at [email protected] or post it here in a comment and I post it in the blog. No pressure and certainly, not an obligation, just if you would like! We truly enjoy your presence here!
Hugs,
Cris