pilgrims & pilgrimage

How important was it to you to do what might be called the "full" CF from SJPP to Santiago in one go? I know a lot of people split it up into stages for various reasons (health, time, money), while some prefer the one long journey, and perhaps some people would only do the whole thing in one...

This was posted by Donna Mast on the Camigas Facebook group (she gave me permission to post it here) It really rang true for me. "Being a pilgrim on the Camino is a curious thing. You walk with many others, and you also walk alone. You make instant friends and build bonds with pilgrims, yet you...

I have just finished my time as hospitalera at Canfranc's Elias Valina Albergue. This albergue is only for pilgrims with a credential who are walking unsupported. Our last night we had a couple of lads who "claimed" to be pilgrims, however, they were were just boys out hiking one of the popular...

I guess we’ve all made mistakes in life. I’m sure too that at some point we’ve all hurt someone whom we love very much. Life demands so much from us, ever so much and it’s inevitable that we will make some terrible mistakes along the way, usually in our earlier years, when the world is still a...

I was amused, shortly after my last Camino, when I saw a yellow arrow on a street, not in Spain, and felt a subconscious compulsion to turn and follow it. There is a part of me that always wants to be following those arrows and scallops, to live on pilgrimage. Life, though, intrudes. I'm a...

There are lots of threads now on “skipping stages”, “where to stay an extra day”, etc. Is it now just a cheap hiking trail? I guess it probably is. Does anybody actually walk the camino for religious reasons now? Why am I asking this? I am not religious. When I walked my first camino it...

Reading @vanrobin's post about the present location of a statue of Santiago Matamoros in SdeC Cathedral led me to search for the above idea. This website appeared first. Any contributions that will help expand knowledge and understanding is bound to be useful. Political correctness has its...

I know there are many reasons for persons to walk the Camino. Some have religious reasons and consider themselves pilgrims in the way that ancients who walked it must have. Has any had or have know someone who has had a "calling" to walk it? I am a retired pastor and have considered walking it...

I did my first camino in July-August 2021. I had a really great experience right up until Santiago but Santiago left me massively underwhelmed and disappointed. My main reason for this was that I felt that having walked from St Jean that those who had walked similar distances, with our backpacks...

Nice little piece in the Observer/Guardian this morning https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/mar/28/secular-pilgrims-why-ancient-trails-still-pack-a-spiritual-punch Covers ground that we frequently walk on this forum, but drawing in some interesting far-flung examples. I hadn't heard...

What does it mean to be a pilgrim? This was the topic of discussion at this year's Canadian Company of Pilgrims AGM. I had the honour of facilitating and being part of a panel discussion with George Greenia (Professor Emeritus and Founder of the Institute of Pilgrimage Studies at William &...

While the topics discussed on the Camino Forum are myriad it appears, given the history of the Camino through the centuries, that something is missing from the Forum. There are discussions about the many different Camino routes; the best time to walk them; recommendations for albergues...

I realize this probably isn't a frequently asked question, but I don't know where else to put this post. I recently heard reference to year-round pilgrims and I'm curious about them. It's not something I can imagine for myself but I am intrigued by those who have. I'm hoping some of you have...

Hi – I have been wondering, pondering really, for a while now. For the religious carrying on when Camino is difficult, terribly difficult, is simple. A Catholic, for instance, has surrendered to a God greater than themselves – they are surrendered and go on pilgrimage with the intention of...

I searched for an existing thread like this and although I found a few that mention the camino spirit, I didn't find one where different people explained what it meant to them. The spirit of the camino is a feeling experienced on the trail that can be hard to define or to explain to...

Hello everyone, Over the years I've read about lots of people talking about individuals who did Silent Caminos or Caminos in "Vow of Silence" but I never found an article from a person who actually did it. So I decided to create this post since I recently finished my Silent Camino. The purpose...

People always ask me what did I find on the Camino -that is somewhat of a random thing. you never know who you will meet or what enlightenment you might find. Kind of like an Easter egg hunt. The more reveling question of what were you looking for? What were you seeking? I found on 100 days...

Still as a product and material associated with the GEOARPAD project - Portuguese Inner Way to Santiago de Compostela, I share this review of the book: The origins of religious feeling according to Durkheim, by MAURICE HALBWACHS. It is very interesting to understand the motivations...

Le Chemin du Vézelay or La Voie de Vézelay is the first part of a very long pilgrimage route starting at Vézelay in France and finishing at Santiago in North West Spain. Pilgrims have walked this route for many years to the place where they believed St James was buried. Lucy and Martyn walked...

Why pilgrimage? The advent of Covid 19 has brought this question to the fore. Do I not find spiritual satisfaction during my daily walks in nearby parks, natural reserves and even urban areas? The answer is: yes, it is true that I usually do experience some overwhelming and inspiring...