living stones

a stone mason's skill is defined by astute
perception of usefulness-
how will this stone fit amongst the other stones-
how will this part of the wall hold up-
is the wall straight-
given the stones how much integrity can i
build into this structure-

as we know now from modern physics
stones are alive
there is motion in the stones
on one hand it is super fast
on another it is deep and slow

is it right to say that a community
is built of such stones
as  Peter wrote about
Peter the rock
Petros

there needs be certainty
for community to thrive
someone needs to know that
this stone or that stone
will always be there
and the house will stand
in relationship to this consistency

a christian community has a sense
of the transcendence of such stones
stones die or crack or fall down
and they are still part of the wall
or the arch or they leave their imprint there
their lives are marked by eternal trajections
and thus when they pass into eternal life
they remain as stones in the
transcendent thinking of the community
still struggling still working to settle in
still nudged firmly together with the grout of prayer

the mason must think
must perceive the best possible fit
it's not going to be perfect as in brickwork
but with a feeling for gravity
with a perception of form
with a relational sense
this one will work   -   this one will not
this one will go better over here

the living stones can begin to settle in
the foundation stones will hold everything up
the practice of strengthening the wall
requires a healthy recollecton of the work of yesterday
and a constant mind toward the best possible wall
the best possible house
the best possible community

the stones live
they live with one another
they set with one another
in an eternal fashion
defying the pressures of time

although
walls neglected do break down
as we know
and the stones lie there in disarray
at a loss
almost yearning to return to the  order
the mason devised centuries ago

living stones are subject to both elegance
and disarray
the natural state being one of contingency

i seek to understand more
the way of living stones

new topics

enough of politics enough of the public surge
for vague ideals never fully realized and disappointng
all too often

i report i had a moment of mild conversation
with two adversaries who wished to show
they don't have ill-will toward me even knowing my harsh stance
i saw what was going on and remained silent the whole time
only interjecting a positive word when i had the chance

i wish to live in a quiet cave alone
with fresh water and quiet my only companions

my reward was a chat with the abbot
and a book that came to me in my mail box
a book always gives light to my day
i think books have magic in them
they are the most enchanting things
to recieve a book in the mail is like
being let in on a treasure by someone who really knows

it's buried right here
start digging

maybe wendell berry is right
if you're at home on your feet no matter where you stand
you'll be at home

this is why i wish to uphold the community insistence on books
there needs be books around
libraries are places of necessary enchantment
a community is not really a community
until it can boast a nice library

and a peculiar way of singing of course

i don't know you'd think there'd be an abundance of thoughts out there
regarding what makes the idea of community so endemic to the human project

but maybe most people just take it for granted

grace happens there
or
it very well should

tea and books
staples for any autumn day
community is always breaking down its own walls

thinking food
as well
i think it is important to know food

amen

jh

sociological delusions

it occurs to me now that the experience of cognitive distortion
is one a vast regularity
most people contend with some form of epistemological incongruity
almost every day
a perfectly comprehensible world which is more or less guaranteed
to work to our mutual benefit is not the disturbing undercurrent of reality
most everyone intuits

we know it's there we know we cannot escape it

this principle appears to manifest itself in individual and
communal way
there is a saying
man proposes god disposes

but i also have become aware recently of an event that
sits terrible heavy in my cognitive safe
and it occurs to me that the incomprehensible discord
existing in the political hashing out of the relations between church and state regarding marriage
is well-nigh beyond possible resolution

i am grateful thus that my thinking about how a community life
is related to the life of an individual has been opened up

cutting to  the chase
in a recent statewide ballot amendment
to the state constitution the proposal
as supported by the catholic hierarchy and
numerous other religious bodies
the amendment to define marriage in a traditional and natural way
was defeated

but was it?

and here's the problem...

in a widespread public vote is it gauranteed
that a numerical and statistical victory
one merely of numbers - constitutes an actual victory??

could it be and must it be possible to interpret the
demographic and geographic determinants of such a proposed victory

when one peruses the election results by county in minnesota
all 87 counties reporting 100%
one begins to realize that virtually all the counties
away from the urban centers
voted to clearly define the social institution of marriage
only 10 (?) counties had majorities which shot down the measure
almost 2% of the voting public failed to mark the dot for a vote either way
this brings the percentage differential to around 51% to 49%

thus 77 counties stood in strong solidarity with the archbishop of minneapolis/st paul

so while people in my very own community can walk around with smug attitudes of political supremacy they can only do so as far as i can tell as proponents of a vast delusion
which
given the topic at hand should be no big surprise

this points to a vast a terrible disconnect between urban living and rural living
and i find this disconnect rather disturbing
perhaps this explains why i have a propensity towards country music

i think the value of a community of knowing the values of a people who live off of the  land people who farm and work things out away from urban mayhem....we need to listen to these people more
the   am ha eretz  have keener insight and are colored richly with natural reference

even in the county where i live the vote for the archbishops' proposal
was 69% thus only a mere 29% of the local people where i live think that opening marriage
to boyboy girlgirl systems is an affair worthy of human consideration
and more than i live in minnesota
i live in stearns county
i do not live in the big cities nor do i want to live there

a proposal i reject completely
i am in fact insulted that it is even a proposal
and that humans are being forced to look at this
it's like looking at old porn or something
i want nothing of it i don't want to live around it i don't want it in my back yard
thank you very much

anyway
the community idea will live on somehow

i know in my disappointment
that truth is rarely evident
in the majority vote

pilgrim's prayer

or....  i have arrived nowhere


although i may have travelled all the roads,
crossed mountains and valleys from East to West,
if i have not discovered the freedom to be myself,

i have arrived nowhere

although
i may've shared all my possessions
with people of other languages and cultures;
made friends with Pilgrms of a thousand paths,
or shared alburgue with saints and princes,
if i am not capable of forgiving my neighbor tomorrow,

i have arrived nowhere.

although
i well may have carried my pack from beginning to end
and waited for every Pilgrim in need of encouragement,
or given my bed to one who arrived later than i,
given my bottle of water in exchange for nothing;
if upon returning to my home and work,
i am not able to create brotherhood
or to make happiness, peace and unity,

i have arrived nowhere.

although
i may've had food and water each day
and enjoyed a roof and shower every night;
or may have had my injuries well attended,
if i have not discovered in all that the love of God,

i have arrived nowhere.

although i may have seen all the monuments
and contemplated the best sunsets;
(observed,  if you will,  rainbows)
although i may have learned a greeting in every language,
if i have not discovered who is the author
of so much free beauty and so much peace,

i have arrived nowhere

if from today i do not continue walking on your path,
searching and living according to what i have learned:
if from today i do not see in every person,  friend or foe
a companion on the Camino;
if from today i cannot recognize God,
the God of Jesus of Nazareth
as the one God of my life,

i have arrived nowhere.


                                                                                Fraydino

vortexting

it is not often in a liturgical year when
a reading from the divine office
set as it is in a 2week or 4week cycle
coincides almost perfectly
in echoed harmony
the first reading at mass yesterday
nov 5
echoes in my reading of the glenstal
book of daily prayer for
tuesday lauds of week1
philippians 2:1-4

it being voting day i moved to think of
some inherent message in this coincidence of scripture

the system of american government is set up
supposedly
as a means for individual expression

community expression in politics begins to look
too much like power struggle i suppose
so the gist of things is
on voting day
you vote as an individual

so how does this settle with the clear admonition from st paul
to  "be of one mind"
how am i to contend with what appears to be inimical political positions
while living in a community

am i voting for individuals or am i voting
for the well-being of community
the one holy catholic and apostolic church

at some level a vote is a way of annihilating individuality
for one enters into a limited sphere of cognitive and rhetorical propositions
and will do so along with others who are being equally deceived into the presumptions
of individual conscience

"do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit"

is this a thought people have in mind when voting for national leadership
or local cultural atmosphere

it is difficult to subjugate ones sense of person for a greater good
especially when that greater good remains dubious in the mind of the voter

i have been asked by my bishop to vote in a certain way
and recognize the universal integrity of marriage and family
from a catholic social religious context
in a state constitutional amendment

i find i can do nothing else
i must vote because the bishop has asked
and i am willing to set aside any convictions i may maintain on a personal level
this is not hard for me to do
i find  i agree completely with the bishops' stance

i also have to vote with  the community of saints in mind
even if this puts me at odds with the explicit existential reality
of political temperaments in the actual community in which i live
but then again i must vote with those who aren't as aware of things catholic
as i am but may well one day be so
what is good for them
i must vote for the fallen and the lost

to love others as i would wish to be loved
as christ admonished in the gospel of yesterday or was it the day before
is easy for me in some ways
i wish the same sort of light the same sort of discipline the same sort of
challenge to live sacrificially
as i have accepted for myself
i did not buy into any offering of a  "this world"  freedom

striving to be of one mind is a challenge for us
we've been brainwashed into believing that we are in fact
autonomous

placing christ crucified as the judge of
differences of point of view
is a way to recognize our legacy

offer your life as christ would like it
as he showed us the way
not as would make your personal life more fulfilling

vote sacrificially

try that

the demands of the community are much more important
than the intellectual achievement of any one person
and the community is always larger than we perceive

before embarking on the journey today
the journey that takes me to the voting boothe and back

i wish to quote from Romano Guardini's text
THE SPIRIT OF THE LITURGY

..."the church is self -contained, a structure-system
of intricate and invisible vital principles,  of means and ends,
of activity and production,  of people,  organizations,  and laws.

it does consist of the faithful, then;
but it is more than a mere body of these,
passively held together by a system of similar convictions
and regulations.

the faithful are actively united by a vital and fundamental principle
common to them all.

that principle is Christ Himself;
His life is ours; 
we are incorporated in Him;
we are His body,  Corpus Christi Mysticum.

the active force which governs this living unity,
grafting the individual on to it,
granting him a share in its fellowship
and preserving this right for him,
is the HOLY GHOST.  (SPIRIT)

every individual Catholic is a cell
of this living organism or
a member of this body. "

Cual, es el espiritu del Camino?

 

mine is

we are all nature's children
and therefore we form a part of her
nature loves us
but do we love her

think with humility
especially when you think
of and about others

share your thoughts and
your daily bread

give without expecting something in return
give a part of yourself
those who give more recieve more

we are each but a small grain
that makes a granary pile
enormously small
but we form a part of it
we are all somebody

feel free to be yourself

sometimes
the most important thing
isn't
what we learn anew
but
to realize what we can live without

he who thinks he knows everything
apart from being mistaken
turns himself into a boring old person
whatever his age
he who is able
to learn and surprise himself
is and will be forever young
even if he is a hundred

COME TO THE PATH
YOU WILL SURPRISE





    Pedro J. Lorente

          -proprietor of a shop in astorga

request

jh--i hope you'll post that pilgrim poem
that you picked up in the church at O'Cebreiro
i wanted to copy it down but never got the chance
it seems it had some good meditations on
the post-camino pilgrimage
(i.e., the rest of our lives)

things fall apart

odd
i think to myself
life is sometmes very odd

if i had any preconceived notions about the camino
it was that most people are actually doing some sort of
serious pilgrimage

at dinner the other night a man who basically invited himself
to our table
thought that the statement
¨don´t judge anyone elses ´  camino¨

but we notice things and we judge for ourselves
what is going on

my take on the matter is that most people
are in it for the simple experience of making some distance
and perhaps meeting people
very few people are stopping at the churches
very few people indicate any sort of serious pilgrimage
the effort to get in touch with something ancient
a practice which marked christians from the earliest days

the camino is a market place of possibilities
i´m sure it stands as a place of commercial success
money flows along the camino

outside the church of santa marina
in sarria the other day a man from germany
asked in an animated way
what was my purpose
he told me he had only ever spend about 5 days
on the comino at any one time
he has returned numerous times but only walks for 5 days then returns home

he wanted know what the big deal was
he himself felt drawn somehow to spend time on the trail
but had no interest in completing it
it seemed that for him it was enough to be on it for awhile
then call it good and go home

i responded that at some level most people are seeking something
even if they can´t express anything beyond some immediate daily experience
they walk and they move ahead with a sense of expectation
whether that expectation is satisfied in any way is within the
minds of those who go through the process

in a small town before sarria i was accosted by a guy
with the intention of having me participate in a project
he wanted to photograph and interview pilgrims
to get some sort of working idea of what the motivation and interest
in the coamino was really all about

i explained to him in no uncertain terms that i am opposed to cameras
it is my intention that cameras will cease to matter
i wish to destroy the cameras i want nothing more to do with
any photographs
he looked at me with a dumb expression of surprise
then shifted his attention to the next unsuspecting soul

i do not wish to speak of the pilgrimage
i do not wish to convey to anyone
what has happened and what it is about

i only wish to say that i stopped at every church along the way
and i understood each church as mine
and i would participate gladly in any liturgical event
any mass in any place where a catholic church exists
i felt completely at home in every church in which i sat
and i felt the presence of many many souls
who sat prayerfully and hopefully in the same pew as i
or merely stood outside with prayer in the heart
appealing to the presence inside
from the heart
awaiting an angelic touch

the pilgrimage only matters to the lost

alluvial steps

we walk in the rain
and the rain is insistent
beautiful but a bit uncomfortable
like a dancer impatient for fame

the wind whips the rain
electric cable whines through the night
wind whipping the trees on the mountains
in gallicia
i hear the drone still
it sang me a horrible tune last night
and the wind laughs

some days you can go only so far
some days don´t seem right
so you do what´s best to get through

triacastela pulls us to a stop
her small streets ask us to stay
the stone of ages past
stacked lined-up
made into walls made into homes and barns
i see these old stone walls and know
my life is somehow nothing
yet to look at the walls for a long time is
to know the entertainment of man and stone
to taste a bit of momentary security
and wonder at effort... intelligence.... and natures' gifts

sally sleeps
john twangs in the corner
i tap out words fitting for the lost time of an ever expanding universe

it´s a wonder that i still know how to read

the community is hanging together in weakness

anon

arrows

from leon to foncebadon
my eyes have been noticing the arrows
painted yellow on the sidewalks on the streets
on the sides of abandoned buildings
more recently the arrows have been construed
with stones on the dirt and stone paths
all the arrows point ahead
they all give some assurance that we are all on the way

but what about the couple i saw walking the other way today
i usspect they´ve made their way to santiago de compostela already
and are returning
they´re in it for the walk
bothe ways
but the rest of us are walking west
the arrows are our shared assurance
in the loose knit community
of the pilgrims

the arrow does not suggest speed
some move along fast others go quite slow

the arrows are at ground level for the most part

the other indications of shared community are
the greetings
the daily assurances of good will from strangers
the occasional conversation

the churches we recognize

we share rooms and sounds
our snoring like arrows filtering through the night

two or more walking

what is in a walk?
time effort willingness necessity perhaps

in the spirit of this blog i find myself wondering about community
three of us walk along the camino de santiago de compostela
we walk together we separate we meet up again
and all is well
we agree to watch out for one another
we give one another space
we share the fact of pain in the feet
we meet folks along the way
everyone is going in the same direction
most everyone else is walking with a degree of athleticism
i tend to go slow
i know my stamina is limited
but there is wisdom in going slow
what in fact is the rush
about anything
the three of us prefer to go slow

the spanish people for whatever else might be said about them
are people who know what leisure is about
i watched them in Leon in the evening walking
couples friends
the stroll seems obligatory
the taking time to sit and observe the passing of day
seems to humanize everything
tragedy presumptions of progress politics
all these things are measured by leisure
everything businesses farms cars walkways
everything is measured by human need
and human need is measured by the importance of leisure

i walk by businesses and most of them do not open till 10 in the morning
there is a 2 or 3 hour break and then from 4 till 7 they are open again
how sensible

what is in this walk
what gain
i do not know
i only know that i am walking
as rene char once stated

"THAT DAY I WAS JUST A PAIR OF LEGS WALKING"

the camino is about sharing faith
faith in the goodness of humanity
faith no matter what the dispostion
takes on a human quality
and the shared camino suggests something beyond time
something stretching way back in time
something stretching forward
history and mystery intersect on the camino

ultreya!

2nd and 3rd gear

every journey has its process
the way things unfold before the journey
the necessity of thinking about the journey the
deep feeling of being comitted to a journey
the knowing that the journey is going to happen
the swirling in the  mind the attempt to be somewhat certain
that i have everything i need for the journey
the nagging awareness that maybe i have too much

one could think of these various modes
which indicate certain periods on the journey
one could refer to these as gears

on the way to compostela now i feel like
i am in 2nd gear i've left the driveway
and i'm getting ready to get going along a thoroughfare
but i'm not quite there yet

soon i will be on the move and i will make
some stops along the way
soon the speed with which i move will increase
and the distance will become manifest

my foot is on the clutch
i'm getting ready to shift gears.....

OK

here we go.....

what i learned in school today

today my studies included a long walk
i measured out approx. 5.3 miles
and i learned a few things along the way

after the initial inspiration
i loaded up my backpack with weight
i threw in some barbells
and some ankle weights
and some cast iron woodplanes
and my sleeping bag
i thought you know what i'm not going to weigh this
i'm just going to hit the road
so i lofted the thing on my back and immediately knew
a little surprise
i immediately knew that after 5 miles i would be tired
with this much weight
i wondered how much weight i was carrying
i thought: it feels like 50 maybe 60 lbs

well i walked about a mile to the interstate bridge
and i took the pack off and i felt almost like i was about to fly
my legs felt light and wobbly and i thought
geez
this pack is really heavy
so i had a little over a mile to go before i turned around
i hoofed it
the last part of the mile was all uphill and i hoofed it
my new KEEN boots felt great
the only concern i had was the knowledge that my feet aren't used
to being cooped up in boots
so my big toes particularly was aching a bit from rubbing against the
upper part of the shoe below the tongue
i realized my toenails were a little long
but i also felt i could go on and not have a problem

at the end of the second mile i lifted the pack off again
and again i had the sensation that i maybe could fly
i thought...man i hope i don't have to consider carrying a pack this heavy...
i took off my boots and my feet rejoiced
not that they were uncomfortable but
they were feeling the effects of new shoes new solid insoles
and considerable weight on the high end
my shoulders were sort of sore
and my hips and thighs were complaining ever so slightly but
noticeably just the same
so i set out to return and after one mile i stopped again
i took my pack off i took my shoes off
and i stretched and walked a bit
i had eaten an appple and an orange
so i felt strong and i knew i had enough energy
but my legs were starting to ache a bit

gee i wonder how much this thing weighs
i thought and thought

i thought
when i get home i will weigh myself right away
and then get a reading without the pack on

i was walking into the monastery when the bells for mass began to ring
but i rushed up to the communal shower room and stood on the scale
277 pounds it said
so i released myself from the pack
and i weighed in at 231
that's with boots and clothing

so a 46 lb pack
i said to myself
no way am i going to haul 46 pounds
my goal is to carry half that

as i neared the monastery i asked myself
could i walk further
and actually i felt a second wind coming on
and i thought you know
i could walk another 2 or 3 miles
but that would be about it

with half the weight i could've walked another 5 or 6 miles easily

so what did i learn

 i learned that it has been a long time since i've carried weight on my shoulders
and my lower back and innerthighs are making that known right now as i type

i learned that pacing and stopping and stretching help a lot

i learned that by cinching up my bootlaces i can add some strength to my feet
it's better than having them loose as i did when i began

i learned i do not want to carry 45 lbs
and thus it behooves me to strategize for lightness

i learned that certain areas of my feet might become susceptible to blisters
and that i could in fact know that as i walk and i could address this immediately
with tape

i also got a sense that with a few days effort even 45 lbs would become mangaeable
i felt that i would get stronger by the day if my feet would hold out

tomorrow i want to do a strengthening session with my full 45 lbs pack
i'm going to keep it heavy for a few days
hoping that when i finally pack for this pilgrimage
i will be delighted in the lightness of my burden

i also had a profound sense that the pilgrimage has already begun

reporting from central lake woeBgone

former pilgrim

On the pilgrim forum I came across the following verse Sir Walter Raleigh wrote in the 16th century regarding his Pilgrimage:

"GIVE me my scallop-shell of quiet,
My staff of faith to walk upon,
My scrip of joy, immortal diet,
My bottle of salvation,
My gown of glory, hope's true gauge;
And thus I'll take my pilgrimage...."

blisters and pain

it would seem more than logical that
the primary concern in terms of comfort
and strength for a long journey
would quite naturally be the feet
especially if one is walking

the feet

in order to test the boots i have
i took them along with me to montana
on two occasions i was given to longish hikes
5 - 6 miles up and down small mountains

the boots i had worked great for this
they were strong in the ankle and have good soles
my feet did not suffer a bit

but yesterday i walked 8 miles with very little by way of rest
and my feet took a beating
at one point i was forced to take my boots off and walk in my socks
on the flat asphalt road
blisters of serious magnitude had accrued on heel(s)  and toe(s)

it became apparent that i had to do some strategizing

so with blisters and pain i determined to get some
lightweight hiking shoes with ankle support
and i did not hesitate
i took me to the local SHEELS and set about shopping
and trying things on
i arrived at a shoe/boot made by KEEN
a very lightweight boot
i judged a full 1/3  the weight of my CHACOS
the sole is very strong and the insole was removable
and i allowed the salesman to convince me that
some special hightech insoles would serve me well
he seemed so pleased with his sales acumen
i bought them
and i am pleased

this one act of necessary conspicuous consumption
will free me to consider other less pressing worries
like bedbugs
i know these boots are made for walkin

the weather i cannot control
the status of lodging is beyond my influence
but my shoes my feet
this is something i can do something about

and i have

did someone say something about a walk

jh

pre- and post-camino travel arrangements

Hi jh,

I know you are are the road today and tomorrow.  Thought I'd post some travel possibilities here now, while I have the information in front of me.  We can discuss over the phone when you get back.

I'm thinking we'll want at least one day and 2 nights in Leon before we start walking.  Everyone on the pilgrim forum says it is a very nice city, worth spending some time in.  I've received a recommendation that we stay at the guest house at the Benedictine monastery:

In Leon you can get your Credential at the Albergue del Monasterio de las Benedictinas (Sta Maria de Carbaial) They have a pilgrim albergue AND a very pleasant guest house. Perhaps for your first night after traveling the guest house would be more comfortable for you. You need a reservation for the Monastery Guest House or Hospederia. Here is a link to their Web page in English. >> http://www.hospederiapax.com/ Both the Albergue and the Hospederia are next to each other on the same street which is listed on the web page. Be sure to visit the splendid cathedral in Leon which is near-by!

It seems like this would be a nice way to begin our journey.  I've sent them an email to check on availability for the nights of Oct. 1 & 2.  John suggested taking the train from Madrid to Leon the same day we arrive in Spain, but we are both open to spending a day in Madrid either at the beginning or end of the journey, if you want to.  If we do proceed on to Leon on Oct. 1, we could take the train leaving Madrid at 14:40, arriving Leon at 17:34, for 45 Euros.

John would like to spend a few days relaxing in Spain at the end of the trip.  I've received a recommendation for the Little Fox House, near Muxia, near the coast west of Santiago de Campostela:

The Little Fox House has a fire going in the lareira, soup's on, bread in the oven, big beds are warm and cosy, and the surroundings just beg for pilgrim meditation walks. Weather is cool but mostly sunny. ...pilgrims walking to Muxia, Finisterre or those finishing in Santiago are very welcome to come and "chill" for a few days. Compostela is necessary as the idea is for pilgrims to reflect on their Camino before returning home.
I am a writer and psychotherapist and four time pilgrim.This is my private home, not an albergue. Those who come here come as guests and all is strictly donativo. It is a haven of peace and quiet and your need for privacy will be respected. Sometimes I feel as though I am in the 14th century!
... Minumum stay three nights, maximum is five. There is a "job jar" as most have indicated they want to be put to work as part of the re entry process!!! The old church in front is in desperate need of some ruthless gardening. Carantona is 9klms off the Camino to Muxia near Ponte do Porto. It's a gorgeous walk along the Ria de Camarinas. I can pick you up in Muxia if you can't walk another step! Reservations are essential as there is room only for a maximum of four (or six VERY good friends!). All meals are included (mostly vegetarian) and tours of the history and mythology of the area can be arranged (dolmens, lighthouses, hermits and iron age castros ...) and hopefully so can some trout fishing!

This sounds perfect to me.  John is amenable to it.  What do you think?  (Did you catch the part about trout fishing?).  I have sent her an email inquiring about availability at the end of October.

Next on the agenda is to find a hotel in Madrid at least for the night of Nov. 1, plus however many extra nights we might want to spend there at the beginning or end.

If you have the opportunity I'd spend time in Madrid. I love the city. It has unique art galleries, a huge park with boating pond and has everything you would expect in a European capital. If you look at Booking.Com and search for hotels near the Puerta del Sol (the very centre of the city and of Spain) you will get a very good selection at all prices. There are also local hostals such as: http://www.hostaltriana.com/

I checked Booking.Com for hotels near Puerta del Sol.  There are 3 or 4 hotels with rooms US$60-90 each.  Each of these only has 1-4 rooms left.  Other hotels in that area are mostly >$120 per night.  I suppose we might also want to consider something near the train station.

I'm not sure how much will be open in Madrid on Nov. 1, since it is a holiday.

I've also been advised that we should book our train tickets from Santiago to Madrid now, since many people in Spain travel to their place of origin for All Saints Day.  So we should decide soon whether to return to Madrid on Nov. 1 or on Oct. 31 or sooner.  There seem to be only 2 trains per day from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid.  One is an overnight train taking 9.5 hours.  I would prefer the train that leaves at 16:05, arriving at 21:48, for 54 Euros.

Things seem to be taking shape ... are we really doing this?  ... let us know your thoughts on all this soon.

Sally

** Just got an email back from the Little Fox House.  She does have availability for us, and it sounds like she can be flexible with regard to our arrival date, as long as we keep her informed of our progress. 

bed bugs

Yikes!

One more thing to worry about on the camino...

http://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2011/06/dont-let-bedbugs-bite.html

and one more thing to add to my pack-- insect repellant

At the moment I am paranoid about bringing bed bugs home with me.  I don't think I can put my internal-frame pack in a washing machine or dryer, as recommended at the website.

And what do you do if you find bed bugs at the only albergue in town?  Sleep outside?

Another pilgrim mentioned something about XXL ziplock bags that you could put your whole pack inside at night.

Now I'm hoping for really cold weather so that this might not be a problem.

OK, I just came across this on the pilgrim website:
"If the backpack cannot be washed it needs to be sprayed with bed bug killer or taken to professional cleaner."

 And here was another reassuring comment:
"Discussions of bed bugs always brings out fear and disgust by those about to start their first Camino. It really is not a big threat. You probably will "hear" about "someone" along the way but never experience anything yourself.
The time of year is one of the main factors.
Don't let the fear of the critters spoil your enjoyment of preparing for your Camino. Take simple precautions "just in case" but don't worry. "

pilgrimage preparations

Less than a month to go before John, jh and I leave to walk the last 200 miles of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Campostella in Spain.  I still feel a bit uncertain about what to pack.  I found a pilgrim site with the following average weather maps for Spain for the month of October.  This should help me to choose what combination of clothing layers to bring.

In the maps below, the east-west trending blue line is the Camino Frances, which is the route we will be taking.  Our starting point, Leon, is located just above the Camino Frances label, where another route comes down from the north to join the Camino Frances.  Santiago de Campostella is the hub where many routes converge, about 200 miles to the west of Leon.  You can click on the maps to see an enlarged view.

It looks like average high temperatures for the month of October along our route are 17.5 -20 deg. C  (63.5-68 deg F).  This is quite a bit cooler than I had expected.  I had worried about heat, since southern California can still be quite hot in early October.  It looks like I should perhaps be more concerned about cold and rainfall.  Average low temperatures for October along our route are 2.5 to 7.5 deg. C (36.5 to 46.5 deg. F), and average rainfall for the month is 13 cm (about 5 inches).

From the pilgrim forum:

It rained on 7 of 31 days last October (in Santiago; 8 days of rain in Lugo near Sarria). The average daily temperature was between 48 and 76 with the highest being 87 and the lowest 39.  October is very pleasant. The crowds have diminished by then, but everything is still open.

i take this opportunity to intercede in an effort for my wide readership to take note

Invocations for Unity

From a text devised by Fr Paul Couturier, an Apostle of Unity

Lord, for the low importance we have given to those words that came from

your Heart: “I have other sheep not from this fold. I must also bring them;

they too shall hear my voice”:

We ask you to forgive us, Lord.

For our disagreements with our Christian brothers and sisters, sometimes full

of irony, or narrowness of spirit, or exaggeration; for our intransigence and

harsh judgments about other Christians and Churches:

We ask you to forgive us, Lord.

For all acts of violence or unkindness against our fellow Christians; for all in

the past and sustained to this day for which we are to blame:

We ask you to forgive us, Lord.

For all attitudes of pride and self-sufficiency that our Churches may have

shown across the ages to other Christians, and for all our failures of

awareness or understanding towards each other:

We ask you to forgive us, Lord.

For the bad examples in our conduct, which have slowed down, diminished

or destroyed the effects of grace in the souls of others:

We ask you to forgive us, Lord.

For forgetting to offer prayer, frequent, friendly, fervent, on behalf of our

fellow Christians:

We ask you to forgive us, Lord.

Above the frontiers of language, race and nation, through all our rich

difference and diversity:

Unite us, Jesus.

With Christians who are persecuted and in need, with our migrant and

refugee brothers and sisters across the world and in our midst:

Unite us, Jesus.

Above our ignorance, our prejudices, or any unconscious hostility, through

better understanding and ever closer communion:

Unite us, Jesus.

Above our different spiritual and theological traditions, in one spirit, one

Bread and one Body:

Unite us, Jesus.

O God, for the increase of your glory:

Gather your scattered people.

O God, for the triumph of good and of truth:

Gather your scattered people.

O God, that there may be but one fold and one Shepherd:

Gather your scattered people

.

O God, that justice and peace may finally reign in the world:

Gather your scattered people.

O God, to bring fullness of joy to the heart of your Son:

Gather your scattered people.

Daily Prayer of the Chemin Neuf Community, based on Couturier

Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one,

we pray to You for the unity of Christians,

according to Your will, according to Your means.

May Your Spirit enable us

to experience the suffering caused by division,

to see our sin,

and to hope beyond all hope.

Amen.

Prepared by the Catholic League, a charity and society supporting Catholic ecumenical

principles and endeavours, towards the communion of all Christians in visible unity with the

Apostolic See of Rome. It may be reproduced free of charge

.

www.unitas.org.uk www.paulcouturier.org.uk

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR THE UNITY OF CHRISTIANS

18 - 25 JANUARY EVERY YEAR

camino del norte

I've started doing a little research on this northern route.  It looks beautiful, but could be more challenging than the standard route.  I thought I would order a guidebook from Amazon, but the only ones I could find were in Spanish, French or German.  I've tried ordering the French one through inter-library loan.  I'd have an easier time with French than Spanish.  We'll see if the library can find it.  It would be $60 to purchase.  The Spanish versions are cheaper.

The following is a direct quote from http://www.santiago-compostela.net/cdn/index_cdn_en.html

 

"The Camino del Norte (also known as the Coastal Route or the Northern Route) is one of the longer branches of the network of ancient pilgrim routes which together make up the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) . It runs for some 825 km. from the French border at Irún, through San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Santander to join the Camino Francés, (the main spine route of the Camino) at Arzua. It is also possible to divert to Oviedo and walk the Camino Primitivo (the original route) which joins the Camino Francés at Melide. 

"The scenery on this route is fantastic with fine coastal views. The terrain is quite hilly for much of the route, and you are often sent inland to reach a bridge over the numerous rivers. It is much less crowded than the Camino Francés, and because of this, pilgrim accommodation is sparse in places. There is a great Wealth of ancient monuments, particularly churches and monasteries, and the larger cities have excellent facilities. (Bilbao even has a metro which ends at the beach)

"The weather on this route is highly variable, and you need to be prepared for some quite wet days."

blue pilgrims

this is merely to announce the cognitive shift of
perception and intention of this blog
while maintaining the general title
it is my personal desire to move the conversation
along the lines of christian pilgrimage
for this is the essence of community
this is   'the way'    of which we speak

the implication being that
a reading on this blog is tantamount to
taking a step along the camino
you have participated in a movement
known the world round as a pilgrimage

the choices are immense
one can stop turn back or step forward
tentatively even nontheless

welcome

buone camino

keep the conversation moving


amen

ultreya

!

community and silence...

community and death and beauty

what does it mean for a community to be able to say
our reason for existence is in something beyond us

we exist so that by exhausting our need for existence
we give witness to something else

we are being deliberate about our obsolescence

there may be a day when this community no longer exists
but for as long as it does we give witness to that thing
which is well beyond us
we live by ideals so that in that by the successful expression of those ideals
we eventually have no purpose...our duty is complete

i was thinking about this recently as a way of not stating
what is obvious in monastic life
i was thinking about this during the funerals of two recently deceased monks

one of the monks was an artist and he spent a good deal of time
in his life trying to give beautiful expression to things
during his life he was never acknowledged for any particular piece
people tended to know he was an artist
but most people could not name any particular piece he had crafted

the other monk was a scholar a reader a linguist
he took great pride in knowing the origin of words
he was famous for his enjoyment of bawdy limericks
he understood the expression of christianity as being
a festival spirit of joy
a festival that is always nearly over and forgotten

the truth about community is that it will live
according to the transcendental values held close held true

for a christian community to say
we are in this world but not citizens of this world
leaves the community with the problem of having to organize
life
around practical matters as if they are necessary for matters that transcend our most practical designs

in the rule of benedict garden tools are given a status
equal to that as the vessels of the altar
so that the notion of survival is granted both a practical and
a transcendental purpose
we are beholden to partake in the mystery of creation
and beholden to acknowledge our dependency
on the creator and we aim our efforts
toward a hoped-in perfection

a bronze sculpture will endure quite a long time
many generations
and the name of the artist may disappear
but that is no matter for the artist
his goal is something to which he perhaps
cannot even bring adequate words

yet

he must try

new post

i suppose the last post was a bit too combatative in form to attract the wider scientific community whom i most certainly thought would by now have answered the relatively innocent query into communal dispositions if you will

in a recent life event i was able to experience first hand how the scientific mind might be valuable for community living...in a recent bout with skin encrustation a horrific combination of dry red nervous treacherous skin rash afflicted i was with discomfort and pain and stress

through a manner of "knowledge deduction"  a process of rather quick but patient observations of the characteristics of my dis-ease for most certainly i was truly dis- eased i was relieved unwillingly of my desire for contentment ah well such is physical mayhem

any how

this intellectual mind went through a process of tipping the scale to one or two characteristics eliminating these in order to address the skin...he cured me

i took his "scientific "  advice

and i took it seriously

i went to a tanning booth i drank cocanut milk smoothies i took some benedryl i finally got some sleep my nerves settled down i stopped swimming in a chlorinated pool

in short i submitted my very life to well reasoned medical opinion and i benefitted greatly

so just by way of dialectical detante
i want it known far and wide that i have accepted and seen the value
in some form of  medical science

and thus i enjoy the necessary communal attitude that attitude that makes community so
much better let me tell you
gratitude the attitude of gratitude can be brought forth happily from the generous bestowal of medical science

i also receive accupuncture from the same guy

he's a wizard

first class

and i guess i must admit however grudgingly that i am sitting at a computer console spelling out inane thoughts to the whole of the cyber world and nobody listens....i mean that is some science too  can't forget that

so bring along the scientists
let one sit in the garden
let another make the food
let another dispense good medicine
let another fix the cars
let another paint the house
let another chop some wood
let another clean the floor
let another light the incense
let another make the incense
hey there's another use
a scientist may be able to make incense

invaluable possibility

where will we put the microscope
that's the only question

wind energy
now there's a good project for a scientist

artists are probably more problematic for community life
they're so needy and reactive and expressive
maybe we need to encourage the artists to just be a bit more didactic
and systematic and diligent
and this too will benefit the art work

anyway

worthless servants
that's all we are

the presumptions of science are no more than one more channel on an outdated tv set

i wish to thank stu and sally
for the lively and deep reflection/conversation
elucidating as it were
the inner sentiments of science and scientists
thinking of god

i am taking my point of departure here
in concern for the words written by pierre tielhard de chardin sj
regarding the awareness of man
with the new astounding power in the 1940s
the power to devastate the world with atomic fire

it is my particular bias that the collective thinking
inherent in the "progress" of science reached a turning point
toward general hubris in the 20th century
with regards to two ends of the life spectrum
which have now come under confident control of the
world of technology and medical science
i regard this rather tentatively for i view the advance
as one riddled with ignorance
and thus subject to tragedy

the effort to gain control over human reproduction
through the use of synthetic contraception and abortion
has spelled a definitive break with the past
birth even conception was considered something both
ordinary
and miraculous
as well as life threatening
today at least in the countries sporting medical self confidence
there appears to be a sense of control over these matters
in ways mankind in general has never known

and with the development of nuclear power
it is clear but never really stated much anymore
that there is in the possession of the military
(if no one else)
the inherent ability to extend widespread destruction
if not the ability to wipe out all signs of human life
at least to reduce human life to a desperate remnant
(one that has been imaginatively explored in various science fiction modes)

the overarching question which i intend to bring to
the elevated discussions here at communitas dies
is:
does science serve some useful purpose
in beginning developing maintaining and propogating
community life?

a physicist i know will say:
well if you have a campfire you have science

but i am thinking of applied science
the science we confront daily
the science which is held out before us
as somehow essential to viable patterns of survival

i ask myself
where does "science" enter into the life i live
and how essential is it
can a community live without reference to scientific knowledge??

consider the community in which i presently reside:
where does science meet the reality of daily life?
my abbot is a chemist
( i have wondered whether or not his training in chemistry
affects his way of thinking in his role as "christ in our midst")

certainly science is involved in the architecture
certainly science is involved in the heating and cooling of buildings
certainly science comes into play in the feeding of 2000 plus people every day
plumbing electricity computers automobiles
the teaching of science is at a premium on this college campus
(recent reports hold that an alumnus is set to go into space with NASA)

but these matters are directed toward education primarily
and i find myself asking:
what good is any of this to me?

i contend that most applied science is both useless
and highly exaggerated in importance
i do not need atomic accelerators or any knowledge that comes form them
i do not need astronomy
i do not need geology (although i dream of rocks and volcanoes and
tectonic plates)
i do not need any of the science associated with microbiology
i do not need most medical science
i do not need computers
i do not need laboratories
i do not need anything that comes from the human sciences
(in fact i have recently concluded that there is something horribly bereft
in the presumptions of these disciplines)

any community must find practical means by which
to sustain life
heat food light sanitation
these seem to be the basics upon which any community could
sustain some form of shared life

a christian community must attend to the word
and reason and knowledge enter deeply into this matter of lived expression

thus i regard that there is quite a distinction between
running an institution
one which requires intensive attention to practical scientific matters
and sustaining a community

theoretically a community could band together around
a fire around tents or teepees
hunting fishing gardening might all require some form of "knowledge"
and be indeed increased with efficiency
given data from the world of scientific trial and error

humans are inclined to knowing
this is a given
a community might be understood as a place of shared knowing

i will contend that what is promulgated as "science" in our day is
essentially superfluous
unnecessary
nothing comes to us through the world of science
which cannot be safely done without

this is not to say that there is no usefulness
in knowing the movement of the stars
the twitching and rumblings of the earth
the chemistry of things
all knowledge is to some extent useful

but a basic community must recognize that
science is far less important
than the willingness to enter into a shared life
with basic food basic prayer
and a commitment to reflection
a commitment to a way of knowing which is not so much applied
as contemplated

i call for the end to practical science
it must no longer be taught in the schools
philosophy is the goal
and leisure is the context

to hell with the pragmatists and utilitarians

to heaven with those who know
it is enough to pray
and entrust ones livelyhood to the will of

god