I have just finished reading the Witch of Portobello. It took me some time to get through, largely because I knew that there was a lot for this book to teach me and my eyes and heart were not ready to receive it. In the book, there is a discussion about the snake that eats its own tail as an image of reinvention or rebirth. I feel like I am going through this process at this time. What is the one thing that I must remember during this time which is full of doubts and fears but at the same time curiosity and excitement?
You should always bear in mind the goal of this transformation, without shutting away the process. It’s actually in this very moment that you can grasp the wider meaning of your life.
I had this realization while doing the pilgrimage to Saint James. I was, in the beginning obsessed with my sword and so wanted to get straight to the end of the journey. It was actually by living the journey in all its aspects that I was finally able to find my sword. Both elements then must be present in your spirit in this time of change.
carolena, your words have really resonated with me…you put what i have been thinking into words…thank you for sharing!
Dear Paulo, This topic reminds me of the movie ‘Wizard of Oz’. I watch this film every year between Christmas and New Year’s day. The Tinman, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and Dorothy all have their own purpose to fulfil. Each sharing the Yellow Brick Road has individual reasons for seeking the Wizard of Oz, who lives at the end of the road. Thank You Paulo, With Love : )
I’m grateful for every step I have walked in this life, every little step make so much sense… when stopping up for a bit and remembering where I really want to go. Every little step and footprint nurture the final walk to my destination. When I arrive there, I’m more ready than every before, thanks be to the road life brought me to. Thanks to all walking ahead, along and behind me…your company means the world to me.
I love when you, Mr Paulo, take part in the postings here too. It certainly gives the blogging an extra thrill indeed :)
When reading the Pilgrimage, I was always obscured by a cloud, couldn’t fully understand it, since the story revolved around the sword. How can a sword be so important?… and the confusion put a sort of a block in my comprehension.
Now, more than ever, I realize, it represents all the things we learn along the way. Experience. The sword represents many things, such as wisdom, courage, patience. And these things, a person can say over and over again, tattoo it on themselves, but until they grasp it, comprehend it, they will never obtain.
And how does one do that? through experience.
So, the journey presents us with experience. Not the final destination. It’s the Experience, the journey.
You give a kid a toy, they’ll play with it for a day if not less and then throw it away in some corner of the house. But let him/her work for it to get it, put time and thought into how to obtain it, and when they do, they will appreciate it more!
If I’m wrong, someone correct me!
Thank you!
Le “mitote” est toujours present et il se dissipe. Chaque fois que je relis et revois mon parcours,j’y trouve quelque chose de different.
Curiosity gets the better of me, I know I’ll have to change my ways…
ronronne….
:)
These things are valid for me too now.
Paulo- I agree with you and think that ‘Patience’ is a very important though difficult tool in our journey.
But I also have once concern – what could one do when you try to interpret signs and again, as Saran said, find your heart full of doubts that make you unsure whether you’re interpreting God’s signs correctly? coz I think, and you said before, we have the tendency to hear what we want to hear and see what we want to see, so how can we actually be sure that we interpreting signs and omens correctly not according to our perceptions? Thanks