I began reflecting on the effect the Camino landscape was having on me from the outset. I was moved to write the following as I sat resting on the hillside with St Jean Pied de Port well below, ‘Mist shrouded hills add a layer of mystery, while a biting wind keeps us firmly anchored in the moment. Overhead circling Griffen vultures bolster flagging determination. And this environmental influence was noticeable before Orisson was reached!
First Camino Footsteps
A Camino combo is formed.
The first of many miracles!
Janice, Alvera and Philip stride out fearlessly each holding heartfelt hopes and dreams.
Cobbled streets give way
to an ever rising ribbon of bitumen.
Country smells invade the nostrils
and laboured breathing emanates from one of our number!
Mist shrouded hills add a layer of mystery, while a biting wind keeps us firmly anchored in the moment.
Overhead circling Griffon vultures bolster flagging determination.
Thankfully Orisson magically appears!
© Philip 2013.
My intuition says slow down, enjoy the sounds and smells, the light dancing on the leaves of the trees. This is John O’Donohue’s advice too. ‘And if you go towards it with an open heart and a real watchful reverence, that you will be absolutely amazed at what [landscape] will reveal to you.’
Of course the speed with which the ‘Camino family’ is walking can be an influential factor. And the temptation is to keep up. It is hard seeing beloved people disappearing over the horizon. One solution is meet up at the end of the day, after sauntering, lingering and savouring the silence and solitude these landscapes provide.
As the weeks pass, the body becomes attuned to the rhythms and cycles of nature. This is particularly noticeable on a longer pilgrimage where a change in the seasons becomes readily discernable. On the Frances as well as the Chemin Le Puy there are a series of dramatic landscapes, clothed in nature’s vestments. Early in the year spring heralds promise as the landscape is traversed. All the while we are witness to abundant life. Insects busying themselves with seasonal chores, mirroring the work of the increasingly sparse numbers of local inhabitants. Tinges of autumn become evident as the months pass. More readily seen is the cycle of dusk, sunset, darkness, dawn and sunrise and the beauty this adds to the landscape appearance. Surrounded by nature’s beauty, walking for hours each day, immersed in nature leads to great feeling of all is well, even when tired.
Jean Christophe Rufin describes his take on Camino walking thus,
‘When on foot on the Camino you can sense the telluride presences, the magical auras, the spiritual emanations from a hidden spring in the depths of a valley or on a rocky peak arising out of a forest.’
Joyce Rupp goes further saying, ‘The soul of the world and our own souls intertwine and influence one another.’
And then we have our inner landscape.
‘Embrace imperfections, they are “the landscape of the journey,” the detours you take on other paths which are not your own.’
Christine Valters Paintner.
I was moved to note this quote whilst researching for my 2018 documentary, ‘Walking the Camino, Immersing in Nature.’ In 2021 upon seeing it again this statement resonated once more. “The landscape of the journey within.” What a wonderful image to ponder!
It has always puzzled, and fascinated me when I hear of pilgrims skipping bits of the Camino because they might not like those sections. They are too industrial or lack the beauty of other portions. I see my journeys along the Camino as a metaphor for life. We have this inner landscape with its high and lows, all part of life’s journey. And hopefully making us a better person for having had that experience. These less than desirable
episodes are part of the journey and provide the opportunity to ‘learn life lessons,’ and gain a sense of gratitude for what we have.
Near and Far
As I walk in the pure land,
people emerge from the shadows,
friends of many a year, cast in a different light.
Confidently I stride across the terrain
gaining a sense of purpose and self,
while watching for potholes, and lurking debris.
Gradually and with reflective practice more of the landscape is traversed
and bounteous rewards continue to flow.
© Philip 2014
John O’Donohue puts it brilliantly,
‘Being fully present in the ‘Now’ enables us to fully reconnect to our intuitive wisdom as the varied terrain of our inner landscape is traversed.’
Author: Philip
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