Today I want to share with you a cold, hard truth about the Camino de Santiago:
No matter how much you plan and prepare for a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, your journey will be a full-on mystery tour.
I don’t think anyone really knows what the Camino is, at least not past the basic descriptions that we can all agree on. And definitely no one – including you – knows what your Camino experience has in store for you.
So, let me share with you my strategies for creating the Camino experience you are dreaming of (and mitigating risks at the same time) so you can set yourself up for your own personal – rewarding – mystery tour.
1) Get to know your expectations
We all have them. It would be impossible not to, with all the videos and books and movies and online accounts of other people’s Camino experiences.
If you get to know your expectations, you can begin to identify which ones are realistic and which ones are not. Which ones are inherited or picked up from others, and which ones are all yours.
You can take that a step further and ask yourself if you truly want what you are expecting, or if you’d like to expect and receive something else. You can also let go of the grip you have on ideas of what the Camino is or is not supposed to be, and instead shift to an attitude of expectancy.
And you can also discover what really matters to you when you are envisioning your Camino experience. For some that will be walking in solitude, while others are going to the Camino for the communal pilgrim meals. You may be hoping for a month or more outside in stunning scenery. Will you find that on your chosen route?
The biggest expectation I hear? Perfect weather. Well.
2) Set intentions
I like to set intentions when I walk the Camino, as a way to set the tone and to divert my attention from any preconceived ideas about what the journey will be. The way I set my intentions is by asking myself a simple question: What do I want more of in my life, or what do I want less of? More love, more patience, more connection, more strength, more fun, more flexibility.
On the other side of that, I may want less drama, less stress, less procrastination, less doubt, less worry, less pride, less arrogance, or to make fewer assumptions.
You could set an intention to heal and find peace from a devasting loss. To build your faith by trusting God and the people who you meet on the Way. To lighten up or loosen up and take things as they come. To be a better friend or partner. To see the glass as half full rather than half empty.
Another way to think about intentions is to fall back on the idea made popular by Stephen Covey in the late 1980s: Begin with the end in mind. When you get to Santiago de Compostela, and when you get back home from your pilgrimage, what quality or state of being do you want to have as yours, all yours? What inner souvenir do you want to bring back with you?
It helps, I find, to write down my intentions, say in the front of my journal, and to read them every day to remind myself what I said I wanted more or less of. That encourages me to bring that focus into the conversations I have with myself, with other pilgrims, and with those beautiful people who serve the pilgrims.
And the last thing to say about setting intentions. I hope you are hearing in this that there is nothing wrong with you. You don’t need to fix anything about yourself. I just want to invite you to explore the question of what you want more and less of in your life.
3) Use your imagination
The next strategy is to use your imagination. Start by imagining your best possible Camino experience. Imagine yourself at your starting point on the Camino, feeling calm and relaxed, as if you already know it’s going to go well. Imagine yourself on the trail, following the yellow arrows, talking with new friends, and enjoying the scenery. Imagine yourself at the top of the mountain after a strenuous climb, savoring how strong you are. Imagine your arrival in Santiago de Compostela, with you feeling strong and proud of your accomplishment and the connections you made on the trail.
Next, identify what you are most concerned about when you imagine yourself on the Camino. Are you worried about being alone on the trail? Or eating a meal alone in a restaurant? Are you afraid you will feel homesick and will want to bail on your Camino dream just a few days in? Are you concerned about getting injured or sick? Or are you more worried about losing your trekking poles, boots, or worse, your passport and money? Or is your worst scenario missing your flight or train and getting stuck in the wrong city? Or something else?
Now, I want you to imagine you are on the Camino or on the way to the Camino, and you see another pilgrim experiencing that thing you are most worried about. What would you say to that person? What help or assistance would you offer? How would you resolve the situation for that other pilgrim?
Next, imagine that other pilgrim is you, and you are experiencing that thing you are most afraid of. What help or support do you need? Who is around you, and who can you ask for help? And now, perhaps the most important question of all: What could you have done to prevent this situation?
After all this imagining, you may want to break out your journal, record your thoughts and emotions, or explore your ideas further.
This leads me to the next strategy, which is:
4) Know your role in all of this
So many of the problems pilgrims encounter on the Camino, or on the way to the Camino, are preventable. Do you want to prevent injuries? Train or condition your body for the rigors of walking the Camino before you leave home. Then when you are on the trail, be aware of your surroundings and the terrain ahead. Check the weather forecast and plan accordingly. And most important, put your safety first, above the drive to walk every step of your chosen route.
If plot twists do occur, slow down, take a few deep breaths, take inventory of the situation, look and ask for help, and I think you will find that you can solve most problems.
And my final strategy for you today . . .
5) Expect disruption and plan for it
The Camino is going to throw you off your mark. It will challenge you physically, emotionally, and mentally. Expect that. Welcome it. And trust that you have what it takes to make this journey.
You may have to dig deeper than you have ever dug before, into your resourcefulness, your courage, your determination, and into your heart, to let others share in this experience.
You may have to bravely ask for and receive support to make this happen. You may have to cut corners in your spending or allocate your time differently. You may have to get downright uncomfortable.
Will you get the transformation you are seeking? Maybe. Is the Camino worth it? Maybe. But here’s what I know for sure: You are worth it. You are worth having your dreams become reality.
So:
- Get to know your expectations
- Set intentions so you begin with the end in mind
- Use your imagination to create a vision of the Camino experience you want to have
- Know your role in all of this
- And expect the disruption that comes from walking a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago
Here’s my conclusion: You got this.
And I am going wrap up with a message to anyone who is dreaming of walking the Camino but is hesitating or waiting for that elusive “someday.”
Here it is, and I say this with love: Planes go to Europe every day. Get on one. This is your time to walk the pilgrimage to Santiago.