Carpe Diem #1122 leaving all behind

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to present to you our new episode of Carpe Diem. This month we are on the Road to Santiago guided by Petrus and the novel "The Pilgrmage" by Paulo Coelho. Yesterday I told you that the Road to Santiago has to do with growth and today I hope to inspire you through the "thought behind that growth and how to accomplish it".

After Paulo has learned the "Seed Exercise" they (he and Petrus) are walking seven days. And every day again Paulo does the "Seed Exercise". After those days he finally has become one with the "Seed Exercise" and he does it on the "automatic pilot", the "Seed Exercise" has become part of him. His spiritual growth starts.

While Paulo and Petrus are on their way they talk with each other. Paulo asks Petrus why he has left all his own projects behind to be his guide on the Road to Santiago, in the quest for his sword. Than Petrus answers:

Along the way to Santiago De Compostela

‘When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don’t even understand the language the people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations. And you accept any small favor from the gods with great delight, as if it were an episode you would remember for the rest of your life.
‘At the same time, since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and you feel happy to be alive. That’s why a religious pilgrimage has always been one of the most objective ways of achieving insight. The word peccadillo, which means a “small sin,” comes from pecus, which means “defective foot,” a foot that is incapable of walking a road. The way to correct the peccadillo is always to walk forward, adapting oneself to new situations and receiving in return all of the thousands of blessings that life generously offers to those who seek them.
‘So why would you think that I might be worried about a half-dozen projects that I left behind in order to be here with you?’ (Source: The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho)

reborn again leaving all behind first spring day

© Chèvrefeuille

Isn't that what we do every day again? Every day is a new day, what is in the past doesn't exist anymore in the present, don't look forward ... be there right in the moment. Isn't that what we try to accomplish with our haiku or tanka? Isn't that what we tell in our haiku and tanka? Be part of the present, be in the moment, be one with the moment ... be the moment.

This is what (at least to me) this virtual pilgrimage is about ... to be the moment ....

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until January 17th at noon (CET). See you ...