The End and the Beginning

Getting to Santiago

“At such times the universe gets a little closer to us. They are strange times of beginnings and endings. Dangerous and powerful. And we feel it even if we don’t know what it is. These times are not necessarily good, and not necessarily bad. In fact what they are depends on what ‘we’ are.” - Terry Pratchett

I arrived in Santiago on Friday July 21st having walked 800km (about 500 miles give or take) in 35 days. To say I feel a bit disoriented is putting it mildly.

I started the day on Friday before dawn in a town called O Pedrouzo and walked for miles in the dark. When the sun rose it was a very misty morning which reflected my inner state of feeling unclear.

I was feeling ambivalent about the Camino coming to an end; excited about getting to Santiago; so tired of walking but also not wanting the walking to be over. There is something about the simplicity of walking long distances - knowing all I have to do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going all day and for many days that allows for a certain kind of uninterrupted contemplation. I was also feeling gratefully full to the brim with powerful insights and realizations and memories of all the good people I had met along the way.

When I got to the city I went first to the Pilgrim’s office to get my Compostela - the credential that documents that one has walked (or biked or ridden a horse) the Camino de Santiago - and when it was handed to me I started to cry. I couldn’t believe I actually did this!

It will take some time to integrate all of the experiences I have had on this Camino. It has been a tremendous experience and this ending feels like a powerful new beginning for my life going forward. We’ll see. I am taking a few days here in Santiago to rest and write and reorient myself. Home soon!

Peace and Love from Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Peeka