08 Sep ROAD OUT OF TIME: Wandering Minstrels
The Camino is alive, a primeval sentience that embraces our journey from beginning to end.
This energy is generous, ever present and ever patient. As we awaken to our body and deeper parts of our psyche, we awaken to the life-force we call El Camino. She is an electromagnetic pulsing current that connects to the heart of the Great Mother.
There is an internal melody that grows as one walks the earth for hours, days, weeks and sometimes months. A steady rhythm drives the body with each step, and our body becomes our orchestra, creating internal spaces for healing and spontaneous joys.
The following verse came to me as I was walking through the verdant, valleyed region of Galicia in north west Spain. The lyrics and melody fell into place as I turned them over in my mind; singing softly, prayerfully. It was both calming and invigorating, treading the earth with this flow of song. There were times, assured of my solitude in a forest glade, when my voice rose raucously. Liberating!
It is interesting to note the similarity in the sound of the words: Shaman and Chemin.
Shaman is a person who acts as a medium between the physical and spiritual worlds. They are wisdom keepers, healers, herbalists, diviners, ecstatic dancers, seers and guides. Traditionally, before the rise of industrialism and patriarchy, they were women acutely connected with solar, lunar and earthly currents.
There is a Chukchee proverb that states: “Woman is by nature a shaman.” For the indigenous people of Old Europe, the Celts, a shaman was called an ovate. Often their work is carried out in trance, in dreaming spaces, where they join with an intelligence greater than themselves.
Chemin is the French word for Camino; Way.
Wandering pilgrims, they pray
Wandering minstrels, they play
She weaves a tale of timeless magic and
Breathes a godly fire
Shaman sees, Shaman shows; pointing the Way
Compostela, field of stars
Shaman breathes, Shaman shakes; pointing the Way
Compostela, field of stars
The road is long and dark and hard
My soul is burning dry
But earth will sing the night awake and
Dragons light the sky
Shaman sees, Shaman shows; pointing the Way
Compostela, field of stars
Shaman breathes, don’t forsake; walking the Way
Compostela, field of stars
Our thanks to Hans from Pixabay for the image.
Road Out Of Time is a regular Walk & Write blog about the spiritual, mystical and religious significance and traditions of The Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
Sarah Blogg is a Camino scholar and pilgrim of life, who is drawn to share her research into and insights about the enigmatical pilgrim path across Spain.
While for many pilgrims The Camino is The Way of St James, for Sarah the ancient road is The Way of the Goddess.
Stephanie Dale is an award-winning author, journalist & traveling writer with a fondness for walking and writing. She is the founder of The Write Road and Walk and Write.
Join Steph for 10 days in April, walking and writing The Camino.
Steph is a passionate advocate for the visibility and voices of everyday people and focuses on supporting new and unpublished writers to write and keep writing. Her work through The Write Road and Walk & Write is dedicated to empowering people to tell their stories, their way.
