We always have a tendency to see the things that do not exist and to be blind to the great lessons that are there before our eyes.

Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

As I embark on a 500+ mile walk on the Camino Frances, I am moved to answer the questions in the quintessential guidebook used by many of the pilgrims who embark on this adventure: John Brierley’s A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino.

I am already a big proponent of intention setting and purpose – I’m a life purpose coach after all, so for me, this is an exercise I love doing and something I know will enhance the experience of the trip as well as the wisdom it shall undoubtably provide.

So you will see some of my questions answered in the next few posts here and they are all taken straight from the guidebook.

How do I differentiate pilgrimage from a long distance walk?

This is the first question in Brierley’s guide.

I am certain for me this particular walk is indeed a pilgrimage. Meaning I expect to desire and hope for an experience which opens me up to new people, ideas and self reflection in a way that transforms or inspires me.

It is important for me to not only complete the walk, but to walk through something. For me, it is walking through grief, pain, wonder, joy. Connecting with other people around the world in a meaningful way. Hopefully inspiring others to travel with purpose as well as reconnecting with the part of myself that is an adventurer and traveler by nature.

But really, this pilgrimage is about remaining open and receptive to what it has to offer me.

What this pilgrimage ends up actually being is entirely unknown until I do it.

You will hear people who walk the Camino do it for many different reasons. For some it is vacation and a novel way to see the sights or to get in shape. For others it is introspective or to process a transition or grieve. For many it can be a religious experience or spiritual calling.

For me, I got the itch about 10 years ago when I first purchased Brierley’s guide in 2013.

It struck me when I bought the 2023 guide. Wow, it has been 10 years.

At first I thought, better late than never, but I noticed the self judgement and course corrected. It was just the right time to go. As they say, ‘the Camino will provide”. I think this is the first The Way provided for me. It was this simple insight that it’s not about how long we dream about something, it’s being in touch with who we are now and honoring that.

So for a decade, I knew this walk was in my future, intuitively. I trusted it and now I’m here.

Not the exact way I thought it would go. Just like a pilgrimage is a metaphor for life itself, there is no real way of knowing how it will go.

So two weeks ago, I decided.

I booked a ticket.

I boarded a plane.

And here I am in France making my way down to St. Jean Pied de Port to start.

It is said the original pilgrims began walking to Santiago de Compostela, Spain over 1,000 years ago to what is believed to be the remains of apostle St. James. There are many different routes culminating at the cathedral in Santiago where the remains are thought to be kept.

Every step I take has intention behind it and also is literally taken on top of those who have walked before me with their intentions. I don’t take that lightly as an energy person.

The ground is pounded with the sweat, singing and swearing of many modern day people with their own reasons for walking. Stretching back to the 9th Century, I can only imagine what they did or thought and most likely at some point when I’m hungry, I will be wondering what they ate… and where to get it.

There is a reason for me being here and doing this thing many people only dream about doing and I don’t know exactly what that is yet.

There is a definition of a pilgrimage that says it is a rite of passage with a specific destination.

We want the certainty of a destination as humans, don’t we? The feeling of “there, there” even when we know it’s usually the walk to the destination that makes life meaningful and enriched. It’s not about getting exactly to where we want to go, but how we get there, who we are in the process of getting there and taking action in terms of how we want to be for ourselves and for other people that makes the ride feel like living instead of ‘that’s life’.

So how do you make sure the journey is worth taking, the trip is going to be the thing that is meaningful, insightful and real?

On the Camino it is clear. You simply, walk to the church.

(Simple, not necessarily easy)