Why Santiago? I could walk anywhere But Santiago is not anywhere. It is a notion, nothing more, borne across Spain by the feet of centuries Each leaving its ghostly print Leaving mine in turn. My every footfall Lands on others placed in hope In prayer In joy In pain Each touching that magnificent emptiness Through which we pass Guarded by angels Buoyed by companions Become nothing but who we are.
To start seeking an answer, perhaps, Only to discover that all along the problem was the question. To know that it truly is possible to live every day of my life Needing nothing that I cannot carry To live like a distant, distant ancestor, Yes, exactly like that, today, And be content.
The ultimate objective is to touch the reliquary containing the bones of the apostle James, who was executed in Jerusalem and whose headless body was supposedly taken back to Spain where he had been preaching.
The most well-known, the French Way, was described in the 12 th C. Codex Calixtinus and this book could still be used as a guide. However none is necessary as virtually every single turn along the way is marked by means ranging from a simple painted yellow arrow or a scallop shell to elaborate sculptures. I walked my first Camino in March I was at a very low ebb in my life and entertaining thoughts of ending it all when I remembered someone talking about the Camino.
I looked it up on the Web and thought it sounded better than jumping from the Clifton Bridge. I read how one should prepare carefully, exercising for weeks to achieve the necessary fitness and carefully breaking in a pair of high-quality walking shoes.
