That's a photo of me about 52 years ago with one of my brothers and one of my sisters. I am the one oblivious to the camera, though most of my family would find that hard to believe.
Why the El Camino?
About 30 years ago I walked/hiked all the time-deserts, forests, mountains. I couldn't imagine a week without contact with nature. Life got busy and my nature walks for the most part evaporated. Last year, after a health challenge, I took up walking again. I often walk with friends. A few friends and I started talking about walking the El Camino this summer and here we are.
What do I hope to get out of the walk?
Like Forrest Gump who proclaimed "I'm running because I want to run", I am walking the El Camino because I want to walk. I want to walk for days, weeks, in the company of friends with my feet connected in gratitude for Mother Earth, Gaia. Everything else will follow.
Veerle de Bock:
Walking is like meditating for me, it helps me to ground,
to understand, to be. Walking the camino feels like a bringing an important phase
of my life to a conclusion, a phase where I hold space for change to happen,
a phase were I have the courage to go deep inside at ever deeper levels
of my existence, a phase where I am connecting and integrating knowledge,
a phase where I learn to take unconditional responsibility.
Walking the camino out of gratitude for all my experiences,
for all the joy, for all the teachings.
Walking the camino out of gratitude for my family,
for how we hold and love each other.
Walking the camino out of gratitude for all my wonderful inspiring friends all over the world.
Walking the camino out of gratitude for mother Earth.
Walking the camino as a preparation for my physical body to melt into the next step of evolution and consciousness.
Julie Declerck:
"I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within" - Lilian Smith
Lia Verrees
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After 4 years of Rosanja, a center for yoga and therapy in Belgium, working with many people it is time to let go, to move on.
June 2011 will be the time where another important phase of my life has ended.
Before moving to the next phase I want to give myself this moment to integrate, to take time for contraction, to take in what was good and honor it deep in my heart. A time to let go of what is no longer good for me, what is no longer healthy.
To walk the Camino is in the first place a way to honor myself, for walking my own path.
To reconnect with my body, which is yearning for movement.
To walk literally on my own two feet.
To reconnect with Earth, while being surrounded by inspiring people.
To take the time to do so without haste
To empty the mind
To do nothing else but walking in gratitude for Gaia
For life, and simply be and see what comes.
Laurie Thorp:
When I was invited to join these amazing women on this incredible and challenging adventure, my heart sang Yes! Ah, and then my mind and all the reasons why I can't, shouldn't, don't want to.... came barreling through like a freight train in the night. I listened to that freight train filled with all the reasons to say no and I had made the decision not to take this leap.
Last week, after telling Laurie K that I definitely was not going, I woke up in the middle of the night. I tossed and turned a bit, restless, could not go back to sleep. And so I listened to the night, to the silence. Out of the silence came a voice..."yes, you are walking the el camino." I argued, I negotiated..."How about I go for just a week? Two? Who will take care of my dog? Can I possibly take time off from work?" Steady was the voice that said, "You will go for the entire trip. Get on your hiking boots." And so, I am going.
I do not know what the Divine Plan is in all of this, I simply know that I am listening. I am walking. I can already feel my feet on the Earth. I can feel the rumblings of transformation and I haven't a clue what that might be. I feel my own Mount Everest calling me and my heart is still singing.
Anja Wolters
I like to introduce myself, I’m Anja (1965), a friend of Lia since 2004 when we met each other on a training for family constellations.
I live in Amsterdam
To pay my study, to keep my house, to resole my shoes and eat and drink a bit, I started a small practice again in the centre of Amsterdam
In the mean time a I started a constellation Health under the banner (you say it like this…?) of CHE (Centre of Human Emergence, http://www.humanemergence.nl/ (dutch) part of a global network http://www.humanemergence.org/ ( english) .With the constellation we aim to build up a centre for Integral health. We are a very nice group of six people with different backgrounds but what we have in common is that we are all really devoted to take part in the transition of healthcare which takes place.
After a year of working at the concept, purpose and principles are we now in a stage to give our manifest form and structure and build up relationships to co-create.
Although we don’t earn a penny with it yet, we all know that it this is what we have to do coming decennia…;-D.
Why I like to support you during your walk to Santiago
Well Lia was telling about her plan and also that someone was needed for the luggage. Before thinking I said that I would consider it. This was in November 2010. In the beginning of Feb Lia remembered me about el Camino and it didn’t took me long to say yes. Why not? I like to support movement in a broad sentence… I like to facilitate people in their process… I like to be in good company (knowing Lia)…)I love nature… I like to go to places I’ve never been before… and I like the balance in having some responsibilities and some freedom…. So, it only could be a yes! And aside from that I’m very grateful that you all donate an amount for my stays in the hostels, it facilitates my support for you too ;-D
This about me for now. I don’t know if we meet before you all go for a walk…but I’ll follow the Blog. To all of you a lot of pleasure with the preparation…. Saluutjes, Anja
