Yo Soy El Camino

My experience of walking the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain this summer was a fabulous opportunity for reflection and personal stock-taking. Some people I met along the way spoke of the Camino as though this ancient Christian pilgrimage route was an intelligent entity, and I found myself thinking similarly. I was struck by the fact that the Spanish translation of Jesus’ words in John 14 – “I am the way…” – is “Yo soy el camino.” Jesus is the way/path/route/camino.  And so, as I walked and thought I found myself praying, silently and sometimes aloud, to the “Way.”

Something I learned about the Camino (when I use the word “camino” you’ll have to decide for yourself whether I mean the path in Spain, or Jesus) is that the Camino does not necessarily give us what we want. Instead, the Camino gives us what we need.

I ran into a little difficulty during my pilgrimage, and consequently I received what I needed but not what I wanted. I started off very gung-ho from the French/Spanish border wearing hiking shoes that were not properly fitted. On my second day I walked 42.5 kilometres, with 1200 metres of elevation gain, carrying an 11 kg backpack, in +30 degree temperatures. As a result I injured my feet. I was forced to slow down and ultimately I was able to walk only 586 kilometres of the 817 kilometre route.

The lesson the Camino taught me was to slow down, be less driven, enjoy the moment, and stay in the now. This was a lesson I realize I need to take to heart, not only in Spain, but in my whole life. As we begin the autumn season, and all the activities that come with it, I hope I will remember this lesson the Camino taught me. It’s not really something I “want” but it’s something I need.

I also came to a heartfelt realization that the pilgrimage experience does not begin or end upon a path, like the Camino de Santiago, designated as a pilgrimage route. In the early days of Christianity, as the New Testament’s Acts of the Apostles says, the faith itself was referred to as “The Way.” Our journey of faith does not depend on a particular trail or sacred building or set of doctrinal precepts. All of life is part of the spiritual journey: the Way.

The Camino de Santiago gave me a deep appreciation for the symbol of pilgrimage, namely the scallop shell. The scallop shell marked the route leading to the city of Santiago. Just as there are many walking paths toward Santiago, the fan-shaped scallop shell has  numerous lines converging at a single point. And it is the whole shell, not just the point where the lines converge, that represents the pilgrimage. Similarly the spiritual journey is not characterized by a single way, neither is it preoccupied with a destination.

I hope to deepen and apply the lessons the Camino is teaching me. Perhaps the Camino – wherever you find it – has lessons to teach you too. May you have a fulfilling journey, especially in this autumn season.

– Dean Kevin Dixon