Last year, I walked the leg to the Iron Cross at night, which was hallucinatory. Experiencing the stunning landscape during the day is a whole new experience.
In Rabanal, a small mountain village, we first fill our hungry bodies with food, to make up for the energy burned. At the albergue, we mentally prep for the loud snorchestra that awaits. As I sip bad coffee at a café, I grumble about the cold - it's sunshine keeps me cheerful. The Camino continues testing my limits.
The ascent to the Iron Cross has a magical, fairy tale-like quality, stepping into the unknown. It's a trippy, almost surreal experience. The rock I left last year must still be there with the others.
Consider the small stone you've carried, destined for the Cruz de Ferro, the Camino's highest point: the Iron Cross atop the León Mountains. Contemplate what meaning you want it to hold.
I'm discussing about intrusive thoughts on the Camino:
the Camino won't magically stop ithem. Instead, with more time to think and less to think about, rumination can intensify. The trick is letting thoughts come and go without resistance, achieving balance. This meditative release may eventually grant peace of mind. When clarity is elusive, trust the Camino's process - it has its own logic.
I see the Camino in three stages: Discovery - adapting to intensity and finding pace; Spiritual - quieting the mind, intense focus; and Release - realizing past fixations weren't so important. There's no shortcut to Release - the first two stages are necessary.
That small stone we have with is carries symbolic meaning. At the cross, it joins a centuries-old ritual of release and reflection. It's no accident this happens in the final third of the pilgrimage - that small stone plays a big role.
While the Camino may not offer answers, through deep immersion it lends clarity to once obscured issues and soothes the nervous system into enduring tranquility. The stone, like some thoughts, stays at the Iron Cross as I continue my walk.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Rainy Day
9:34 Intrusive thoughts & Iron Cross
11:26 The 3 Stages of Camino
15:37 After Iron Cross
18:50 Obsessive Need to Photograph
20:08 Sensory Overload
23:20 Ponferrada
If you’d like to watch from the beginning, here’s the first episode:
One Camino is not enough
[ Ссылка ]
