Spiritual lessons to learn when one “walks the Camino”
For the next many weeks I’ll be in Spain, embarking on a spiritual pilgrimage I’ve longed to walk for over 20 years, and have been planning for over a year.
You (like me, at times) may be wondering why one would invest so much time, treasure, and energy into such a journey. Why not just rent an Airbnb along the French Rivera or some other beautiful and relaxing venue for my sabbatical. I came across this post that comes very close to explaining my supposed lapse in judgment :::smile:::
I’ll be sharing the day to day details of my journey on Polarsteps as well as weekly take aways here on substack; but for now, I’ll share another’s wisdom about the Camino.
Buen Camino!
References: Nolan Buckley, Google:
We want to share this with those who may be considering walking the Camino de Santiago—not simply as a physical journey, but as an invitation to discover what the Camino might awaken within you.
Historically, the three great Christian and Catholic pilgrimages recognized since the Middle Ages are the Holy Land in Jerusalem, the Vatican in Rome, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
But what does it mean to “walk” the Camino?
To walk the Camino is, in many ways, a figure of speech. The word walk carries a much deeper spiritual meaning. It speaks of a journey through life—a journey of faith, reflection, challenge, growth, and transformation.
It teaches us to move forward one step at a time, to trust the path even when we cannot see where it leads, to embrace the unexpected, and to allow each step to change us.
There are seven principal routes to Santiago, each different in its landscape, terrain, history, and level of difficulty:
* Camino Francés (The French Way) — the most popular and well-traveled route, stretching approximately 780–790 kilometers from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, across the Pyrenees, to Santiago.
* Camino Portugués (The Portuguese Way) — offering both a central route through vineyards and historic towns and a beautiful coastal route.
* Camino del Norte (The Northern Way) — a scenic coastal route of approximately 825 kilometers.
* Camino Primitivo (The Original Way) — the oldest route and one of the most challenging, beginning in Oviedo.
* Camino Inglés (The English Way) — a shorter route of approximately 113–120 kilometers, historically used by pilgrims from Britain and Ireland who arrived by boat at the northern ports of Galicia.
* Vía de la Plata (The Silver Route) — the longest traditional route, beginning in Seville and following ancient Roman roads through the remote interior of Spain.
* Camino Finisterre–Muxía — uniquely beginning in Santiago and continuing westward toward the rugged Atlantic coast, once believed to be the end of the world.
To walk the Camino is to…
Take one step at a time.
You learn not to be overwhelmed by how far you still have to go. You simply take the next step—and then the next.
Carry what is necessary and let go of what is not.
This applies not only to what is in your backpack, but also to what you carry in your heart. Some things are necessary for the journey; others must be surrendered.
Endure the difficult moments.
The rain, the hills, the fatigue, the blisters, the uncertainty. And somewhere along the way, you discover something important: you are capable of more than you thought, as long as you keep going.
Be present.
Notice the beauty along the trail. Notice the people you meet, the quiet moments, the laughter, the prayers, the landscape, and even the smallest things that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Walk with intention.
You are not simply walking toward Santiago. You are walking toward something within yourself—perhaps an answer, a healing, a deeper faith, a new beginning, or simply a clearer understanding of who you are.
Trust the Way.
You cannot always see what lies beyond the next hill. Sometimes you cannot even see the road ahead. Yet you continue, trusting that the path will reveal itself one step at a time.
Walk with others.
Share meals, laughter, struggles, silence, stories, and encouragement. You discover that the journey becomes lighter when it is shared—and that sometimes the people walking beside you become part of the blessing of the journey.
Pray with your feet.
Every step can become an offering—a prayer of thanksgiving, a petition, a plea for healing, an act of surrender, or a prayer for forgiveness. When words are not enough, your feet can pray for you.
And perhaps most importantly, the Camino teaches us that the destination is not the whole point of the journey.
Reaching the Cathedral of Santiago may mark the completion of the physical walk, but the deeper Camino does not end there. It continues within you.
You return home, but you do not return quite the same.
You carry the lessons of the road with you: the courage to take another step, the wisdom to carry less, the grace to trust what you cannot see, the gratitude to appreciate what is before you, and the faith to keep walking even when the way becomes difficult.
The Camino is not something one walks simply because it is popular or because it is a trend. We believe it is walked with intention—with an openness to encounter something deeper, to listen more closely, to surrender what needs to be surrendered, and perhaps, most of all, to allow the journey to transform us.
Because sometimes, the greatest distance we travel is not the distance between two places.
It is the distance between who we were when we began and who we have become along the way.
Blessings to you. Enjoying your sharing of your trip