Camino de Santiago - Day 30
Cape Finisterre, with it's famed lighthouse is one of the most recognized landmarks in all of Galicia. For peregrinos, it is the end of a long walk - 880 km - if beginning the Camino in Roncesvalles. Because the northwest coastline of Galicia is rough, jagged, and treacherous - it is known as Costa da Morte, the Coast of Death. Many vessels from ancient times to the present are resting on the floor of the Atlantic, along with lives lost multiplied many times more. At one time, this was considered the end of the earth... and it feels a little like that as you look out to the sea...
"As I begin my walk towards the lighthouse, the rain begins to beat down upon us. I think it might be hailing, the wind is kickin up, and I have no doubt of the power of this magnificent coast. I let my poncho fly with the wind and revel in the sensation of the rain pouring down on me and reminding me that I am ALIVE! It is funny - at first I think I should turn back for shelter, but I am drawn into the powerful energy of the storm, the sea, the rocks...
I am making my way towards the back of the lighthouse, when a young man (maybe the age of my daughter) walks up to me and asks "Can I hug you." I can feel that he is overwhelmed with his journey and needs to share that with another soma. "Of course..." I say and we embrace in a long hug that is so full of the pure essence of what it feels like to be two embodied somas meeting from the inside out. We break away, both of us have tears spilling down our cheeks - and he is gone.
There are many things we leave behind on the Camino - the extra baggage in our packs that we think we need when we first set out... the emotional and mental burdens that occupy too much of our vital energy and can be set free when we relinquish our fear and walk right up to them...
There are many things we carry away from the Camino - the abundant gifts that come from time spent in nature... the wonder of being with oneself... the internal awareness that comes with simplicity and solitude ... acceptance... the joy of new companions. For many of us, these companionships are built on two simple words and nothing more ... "Buen Camino..."
Peace,
Theresa
