Carpe Diem Special #81, The Pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela (part 7)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As you all know we are on two pilgrimages these months. First we are walking the Shikoku Trail and second we are walking the Camino (The Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela). On the Camino we are walking together with Paulo Coelho and his guide Petrus on search for Paulo's 'lost' sword. His sword he lost as he was initiated into The Tradition (a kind of Wiccan or Pagan kind of religion). He lost it (his sword) as he took it in his hands without the proper reasons as he was initiated ... so he wasn't ready to become an Initiate of The Tradition. Therefor he had to go on this pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela.
Somewhere in his novel "The Pilgrimage" Paulo and his guide Petrus are visiting one of the few big cities through which the Camino leads. This city, Logrono, has a great festival at the time as they are arriving there. A big wedding festival of one of the high officers and so the city is crowded with people from all parts of the world and TV-stations.

Along the Camino (Logrono Spain)

Paulo, doesn't want to be there, it's to crowded for him after all the days of his pilgrimage performing all kinds of rituals and exercises in the warm embrace of Mother Nature, in her heart, in her silence and he describes how his is feeling at that moment.

[...] I was feeling very calm, and I was more and more aware of the importance of the Road to Santiago in my life and of the question of what I was going to do after the pilgrimage had ended. The area we walked through was like a desert, the meals were seldom very good, and the long days on the Road were exhausting, but I was living my dream. [...]

This is what a pilgrimage is ... is exhausting and it will bring new insights. In a way you can perform such a pilgrimage in your own home or garden. Such a pilgrimage is just stay awake for two or three days ... you will be exhausted, your mind will be silent and by the exhausting you are hallucinating or feeling yourself in a trance ... that's what a pilgrimage does with you and that's what such a short pilgrimage around your home or in your garden will do with you. I have once tried it and ... well I was really exhausted, but had the feeling that I could do everything ... I felt very strong and very creative ... for sure I wrote wonderful haiku than or maybe a short story or novel. Several years ago I wrote my first fantasy-novel and there were times that I was that kind of inspired that I couldn't sleep and had to write ... maybe writing a novel is also a kind of pilgrimage.

Camino

Why are people going on a pilgrimage? To find thereselves? Or to become in tune with nature or become in tune with the bigger world, the unconscious world or our sub-conscious world. Are they going on a pilgrimage for fun? I don't know. I think if you will find your true self, your Inner Self, taking a pilgrimage is the best way to have an encounter with your deeper Self. Pilgrimages are not easy, but for sure a pilgrimage is the best teacher for everyone.

walking the path
overcoming my physical form
finding Inner Self

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Not a real haiku or senryu, but more a little verse of insight ... that's what this pilgrimages are doing with me ...

along the road
poppies start blooming again -
the scent of straw

(c) Chèvrefeuille

Well ... we are still on our way to Santiago De Compostela, but we are closing in to the end of our Camino ... our virtual Camino ...
This episode is now open for your submissions and will remain open until March 13th 11.59 AM (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, Taisan-ji (temple 52), later on today. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku with us all here at our haiku-community Carpe Diem Haiku Kai.