I have never embarked in a pilgrimage before.  In Mexico, I often saw numerous people end their long journeys at the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe every year in December.  They always looked exhausted and dirty but extremely faithful.  The pilgrims would walk for hundreds of kilometers some bare footed or on their knees.  Others would put thorns in their heads or in the soles of their feet, or striking a lash on their backs.  I admired them but at the same time I always wondered what motivated them to go on the pilgrimage.  Were their sins so big? Or perhaps they experienced so much suffering and poverty in their lives that they offered the pilgrimage as tribute to be granted a better life? Some of these pilgrims walked indeed because they were thankful for the lives they had.

Several decades later, I am still wondering about the motivations of those pilgrims.  More so, as I am about to go on a pilgrimage myself.   El Camino de Santiago, or as it is also referred The Way of St. James, starts at the border of France with Spain. I will try to walk 800 kilometers for as long as it may take me to reach Santiago de Compostela and finish in Finisterra, (The end of the World) going through  mountains, forests, valleys, deserts, and plains, sleeping in refugios or hostels in bunk beds.

For years I have known it would be something I liked to do.  The first time I heard about it was when I was a little girl and a dear relative of mine told me how beautiful the Cathedral was and how many pilgrims he saw in Santiago de Compostela when he first went to Europe.  Many years later, I read in Spanish El Camino, the first published book by Paolo Cohelo.   I felt moved by the transformation he found along the trail when he was in his 40’s, diagnosed with schizophrenia and desperate to find his calling.  He claims he heard the voice that inspired him to write, first about El Camino, then inspirational novels that have been translated and sold all over the world.  Along with the Spanish Government, UNESCO, and the European Union, Cohelo is one of the main sponsors of El Camino, among others.

The path, which has been followed since millennia, was drawn from east to west parallel to the Milky Way.  The beginning and the end.  For the Celtics, the path followed to the last western point of land, Finisterre, the end of the Earth, where the sun died.  For many it is this configuration of the path, charged with the cosmic energy that offers individuals a unique and transformational experience.

It was Shirley MacLean the first person who made me realized this significant attribute to El Camino, when in 2000 and well into her late 60’s she decided to walk El Camino and wrote a book about it.  I got even more excited when later readings made me realize that El Camino de Compostela, translates as the The Way of the Field of Stars, which piqued my interest even more.

Suddenly, I knew it was my turn when I began to hear more and more of friends and people who had decided to take on that journey.

The stars are calling me.  At 63 years old, I believe their energy will be transformational.  I am excited to have this opportunity in my life and I hope I will have the strength and endurance to be successful.  I leave for France in late August and plan to start my walk in early September 2014.

Some members of my local chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Womens Club, have decided to sponsor my walk to raise some funds for a scholarship to a mature female student, while I personally will try to raise funds for Mental Health in Mexico.  My blog will be bilingual Spanish/English and in my next posting I will have more details about how to go about sponsoring my walk.

I invite you to visit my blog regularly and witness step by step my transformation.

August 13, 2014