Share your pilgrimage

Been on few pilgrimages in India. But life till now seems like a pilgrimage. I can feel myself with your experience on climbing through the waterfall. Many a times in my life went through that. Still when every new waterfall came the same doubt existed up until now. A huge water fall did I climb recently. My life too had too many a turns that will seem fake even for a movie. Whenever pain ceases and peace prevails there is the feeling of a pilgrimage done.

I was through a terrible such pain from last November. The people I trusted were battering and torturing and that’s not in literal sense. I didn’t know who was wrong. I made a prayer for 10 hours continuosly without even water and I had already fasted five days. Miracles happened. I can’t say a thing now. May be someday.

It is after that miracle I read your book Pilgrimage. I’ve read The Alchemist,Zahir, Eleven Minutes, Brida over a period of time. I picked up the Valkyries for a train journey. I had to buy two in the promotion so I picked up The Piligrimage too. I wanted to read the Valkyrie as my mind was just after much trouble. I am not much a fictional reader and that day I was brain dead to read any philosophy. Valkyrie seemed to fit but I lost the book when I was going to finish it. So ended up reading The Pilgrimage.

I’m thankful that you wrote that, and I’m thankful that I got to read that.

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My first pilgrimage (on my own) was in 2005.
I decided to implement a promise I had made, to go and visit a monastery in Lesvos , a Greek island.
There is the house of the Saints Rafael – Irene – Nicolas.
There was an oblation Ι wanted to do, since the Saints had fulfilled many miracles to me and to people that I knew . I also needed to pray for certain matters, so I decided to go there without a second thought.
I booked a flight on the 24th of March. I stayed there for almost two days, the 24th and the 25th.
When I got to Lesvos,I felt such peace and joy inside me that I cannot describe in words.I was totally alone in a totally unknown place, but I felt no fear.I had protection.
Many great emotions wrapped me..I stood there and looked at it and I thought :”Thank God I made it, as I had promised”.
The monastery was in the countryside uphill and it was surrounded by many many olive trees.Beautiful view.
I had a really great time.I prayed a lot, I walked around,I attended the church and helped the nuns-sisters at some certain things they needed.There is α well of natural Holy water and near it, is the process of the Holy oil ,so i helped there.
I was constantly trying to observe everything ,so maybe I could see one of the Saints, because many people had and they say that they have seem Them walking around.
Well nothing happened on the first day.Only praying and enjoying the moments.
The next day (on the 25th) was a big day for Christians. It was the Annunciation. That day ,pilgrims were coming all day ,from all over Greece and from aboard.Many ill people came along so as to pray,and waiting for some miracle to happen.I won’t forget their faces, full of fear and hope.I met some of them and my day was full.
I had to take my flight back to Athens that day at 21:00 ,so I tried to enjoy it, as much as I possibly could.
At 16:00 there was the afternoon church(the second one that day) dedicated to Virgin Mary.It was beautiful.The psalmody (chant)was magic .As the voices were coming from the sky.
After that, around 17.:00 ,I thought taking some photos so as to remember those two days.
At that time, my mother called me and asked me if I had seen anything..And I replied:” No,nothing yet”.
I took a lot of photos that day and the time came, where I went to take some photos of the Saints too.
Within the churches( the big and the small ones), there lies the bodies ( the Holy bones)of the Saints inside of three Holy sepulchres (tombs) .On each one, you can see the whole-length painted Byzantine pictures of each Saint, with their eyes closed and their hands crossed over their chest.
I looked at their faces very carefully and prayed at the same time.So, around 17:20-17:30, I took a photo of Saint Rafael, then one of Saint Nicolas and finally went to take one of Saint Ιrene’s .I looked at her, face to face, very carefully.She had blond hair,a long white dress and she seemed so young and peaceful.Only 12 years old.Everything was extremely quiet.
I took the camera and at the moment I was about to shoot the photo, something amazing happened!.
Suddenly, she opened her right at eye and looked at me deep in the eyes, very briskly for a few seconds. Then, she closed it again.
Her eye was yellow and a golden light came out of it.
I jumped over and my camera almost fell off my hands.My heart started beating very loudly and it seemed to me as it was about to jump out of my chest. I couldn’t calm down! I was so terrified, only because it was so sudden. I started walking around the monastery in circles, being very nervous and my hands were sweating.I was trying to figure out what had happened.I knew that this could happen ,I had seen so many miracles already, I was sure of it ,no doubts, but still I was afraid of my mind tricking me. My only problem was that, I knew that I was true, but I wanted to be sure, so as not to confess a lie when I was about to tell my friends about my experience. So I prayed again to Them, to give me a sign to show me that what I had seen ,was real.Not to convince my self, but just to be sure so I would tell the truth ,if I told the story.This doubt was eating me for hours..
Well, the time passed by and around 21:00, I heard the taxi outside.So I had to leave.I had to take the flight back to Athens. I didn’t want to but I had no other choice.
Five minutes before I left ,I went again to each one Them , to kiss them goodbye. .I went at Saint Ιrene’s sepulchre and I was staring at her once more,when this girl named Eugenia* came along and smiled at me.She looked at Saint Ιrene’s face and said to me” If you observe her carefully, you will see that she opens her right eye and looks at you.”I was very absentminded at that moment looking at saint Ιrene, that I didn’t pay attention to what the girl told me. “What did you say ?” I asked her.She smiled at me and with her calm and soft voice, she repeated the same. “If you observe her carefully, you will see that she opens her right eye and looks at you.”
I was frozen ! ” Really?- I asked. “Of course!”-she said.Then I turned to one of the nuns that were behind me at that moment and asked them if Saint Ιrene does really open her eye.
“Oh my child, did you see it too? -the old sister asked me full of joy – “many people have seen it! This year a woman came to visit the monastery and she asked me:
-” Dear sister ,why have you changed the Saint Ιrene’s picture?
-”Oh my dear child ” I replied-” we haven’t changed it in years.It’s always been the same”.
_”Of course you have”,- the woman insisted-”when I visited your monastery last year ,the Saint Ιrene’s eyes were open and now that I am here,they are closed”!
So, it was a miracle that many had seen.And I had the honor to see the God’s work one more time.It was unbelievable. Five minutes before I left, they showed me with the most crystal clear way, that what I had seen was true.Amazing!
I was so thrilled, so happy that nothing could be compared to those emotions.I felt I could walk back to Athens and needed no plane.
I kissed everyone goodbye, thanked my dear angels and was off to the airport.
While being in the taxi ,I called my mother and told her what had happened and she asked me something, that froze me for the second time:
-”What time did you see Her?Was it around 17.20-17.30?”
-”Yes, why?” – I replied , unable to say more words.
-”Because I prayed at that time, so they would give you the opportunity to see one of Them. I knew that you wanted it so much”.Then she hung up.
I was stunned once more.Something in me changed ever since.They are always by my side.
I got home and told everyone what I had seen and the whole experience of being in the monastery.
At some point, I showed them the photos too.But to my surprise,after I’d finished showing all the photos, I realised that there was one photo missing.
That of Saint Irene’s…

* P.S Those two days ,the girl named Eugenia,was a very good company to me. She told me many stories about the Saints. She had seen them alive several times. This girl had a gift.Something about her, made you think that she was not human.I will never forget her.Hope to see her there again.

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Dear Paulo,

WOW….WOW….WOW….
Im impressed with how I got thru The Pilgrimage.It is very difficut for me to finish a book (infact, always lose the interest in the middle). About mid of last year a good friend of mine sent me The Pilgrimage, and I hit the end easily…. very amazing.

Reading the book was just like finding answers for all my life-time questions, yet, giving the idea of taking the walk myself.

Right before finished the book, I decided to go for the walk in the very near future, but very unfortuned, I cought in a situation that upside down my family’s life that took all the entire energy and time as well not too long after that.
The plan was delayed.

Im back now, situation is not back to normal yet,but I’m strong enough and able to manage the situation better.
I found many informations regarding this matters from the internets.

Perhaps, I’m into your book too much or the idea of getting deeper spiritual experience, the information about tours, etc,… hasn’t satisfy me.

I’m expecting more than just a walking tour in a group,is it possible to find A MASTER who is willing to guide me along the path? How? Where?

The departure point, is it always be St.Jean Pied De Port? or can be any other point? why?

Since I’ll be travelling alone and my home-town is very far from the path, more informations will help me. A well plan journey will be best.

Thank you and have A Wonderfull Christmas to you all.

Love, Alexandrina

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Escrevo em minha página do Orkut a peregrinação que fiz do interior de Mato Grosso à Matchu-Picchu no ano de 2.005, “pauloviecelli@hotmail.com” inspirada na peregrinação que descreve no Livro “DIÁRIO DE UM MAGO” e que dentre praticamente todos os livros seus que já pude ler, este foi especial e ajudou-me a descobrir o verdadeiro sentido do “reencontro consigo mesmo”. As formas de entender o que significa na prática o (eros,philos e ágape)e o que pode mudar em nossas vidas, na minha acredito ter chegado ao Nirvana. Disponho o que escrevo à todos que acessarem minha página, certamente inspirado em vossas obras. Grande Abraço Fraterno e fiquem a vontade.
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The only major pilgrimage that I have ever made was a trip to Mexico that ended up lasting an entire year. It was more than a “vacation.” In fact, it wasn’t a vacation at all, because it was very challenging. When I set out on the trip, I had no idea how long it would take me, but I knew that I had to arrive somewhere, though this destination was not a specified place on a map. The whole thing was as much an internal journey as it was an external adventure or undertaking. Before I left, in the months that preceded my departure, I was consumed with the concept of “border” – the idea of crossing a border (a metaphorical, internal border) beyond which I knew there would be no return. The actual physical border between Texas and Mexico is the point at which I crossed into something that I can only describe as a whole other dimension or reality. There are the villages that I passed through, the roads and foot-trails that I travelled along, but to describe these would be only to describe the superficial dimension of a journey that was actually taking place somewhere deep within my soul.

In my mind, when I set out, I had this idea that I wanted to arrive at this particular church, set on a hilltop in a town, deep in the jungles of Chiapas. Because a civil war broke out almost immediately after I set foot in Mexico, it took me almost an entire year to arrive at this place. By the time I did arrive, it didn’t seem to matter any more, because the journey itself had become of supreme importance. That ultimate destination was merely a bi-product and of little incident in the larger scheme of this “pilgrimage.”

If I were to write a book about that journey, just as in The Pilgrimage Paulo did not describe his arrival in Santiago de Compostella, I probably wouldn’t bother describing my arrival at that hilltop church, because everything that needed to happen, everything that I came to Mexico for (without knowing it), happened before I ever got to the end of the road.

I won’t even attempt to go into any detail, because if I were to do so, I would have to write an entire book. Let it suffice to say that this journey out beyond the Border of The Known changed me profoundly and forever. Nothing in my life has ever been the same since.

In fact, right toward the very end, when I was told that I would have to return to “my world” (I know this sounds strange but that’s exactly the way it happened – a “messenger” came to me and said, “It’s time now for you to go back to your own world and do the work you need to do.”) – when this happened, I doubted my ability to return. I couldn’t find any way to get back across that border between the two dimensions. This “messenger” helped me to make the crossing, and then he disappeared. For a long time after I had physically returned to my own country, I felt like I was having a sort of out-of-body experience. The things which all my life had seemed real and ordinary no longer seemed real to me, at east not in the same way. There was another reality, another way of experiencing and being, and the residual effect of that reality remained upon me for many months. Making that return was one of the greatest struggles of my life. My body was back, but my spirit (my mind with it) was still in that other reality. Finally, after much effort, I learned how to slip back and forth across that border, or even to dance along it as though it were a line drawn in the sand. I was no longer “stuck” in either dimension, but could pass back and forth across that border at will.

This all sounds very “crazy” – I know. And it was crazy, but it is also very very real. What I assumed was going to be a physical trek into the wilds of Southern Mexico turned out to be a perilous and challenging yet glorious journey to center-self…and beyond. I did not follow any marked pilgrims’ route, but it was definitely a Pilgrimage of The Soul, and one far beyond my wildest imaginings.

Thank you so very much for writing The Pilgrimage, Paulo. It has helped me, after all these years, to understand that I am not alone. I made the journey alone, but other such journeys have been made by others, such as yourself. We did not walk the same route, but in a way perhaps we did.

Much Love,
Savita

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Interesting question, looking forward to reading all replies! In 1998 I was intensely interested in finding answers to some questions. Then one day I stumbled upon a poem by Oriah, Mountain Dreamer that pulled at my heart. So for ten years I worked on getting into the nitty gritty of ‘me’, what I ached for, how far I was willing to go to make a dream come true – would I sacrifice everything for sake of it? Would I dare to look foolish, selfish and such for the adventure of being alive? What is love? How cand I love better? What do I have to give? Learned about what ‘I’ really believed in without caging, also, about how to turn some weaknesses into strengths, reclaiming truthful emotions, facing fears, letting go of outside influences that just did not fit, learning more about spirituality that lives inside, and personal accountability. Being sincere and giving myself permission finally, to be natually who I am: a gentle, patient, strong and sometimes weak woman, who loves to be helpful, loves music, nature, especially sensitive to children, animals, and their pain. I am still digesting and integrating the experiences. Still learning and growing through doing. What I nurture in myself is also what I will nurture in others.
Thank You Paulo, Love to All, Jane : ) xo

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…at once I will walk the road to Santiago, if you go with me!
…but also in any other direction.
;-) Monika xxx

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Dear aditya,
what I wanted to say is, when you have such a good teacher like Paulo by your side, the road and goal are secondary – you will learn a lot and will be inspired regardless where you go.

love
Monika

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Thank you Ricardo. Do you know which period of the year will be the best?

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