Just a few days ago I was in this 'galerie d'orange'. A place at the end of a pilgrimage route, a place near a cathedral. Ending 2015, entering 2016.
Thank you, dear reader of Pilgrimage and Place.
See you next year.
donderdag 31 december 2015
zondag 20 december 2015
Rural flight
Perhaps half of all abandoned villages in Spain are in Galicia. As processes of aging, rural flight (& urbanisation) and bad (economic) perspectives continue, this development will increase. Will immigration or tourism have an impact?
I collected some fine articles, a book and a movie on the subject.
So, if interested, go ahead ;-)
Population increase (red) or decrease (blue):
Have a look at this 13:11 documentary on Galician Ghost villages published by Celtico on the situation of the living landscape and on a family started to live in a former abandoned village.
See also this article in NPR (Aug 2015)
In Spain, Entire Villages Are Up For Sale — And They're Going Cheap
or this one in Christian Science Monitor (Aug 2015)
For sale in Spanish 'paradise': entire villages. Cheap.
A Spanish exodus to the cities leaves a desert in its wake
(FT subscription field may popup)
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More information in
The Depopulation of Rural Spain in the Twentieth Century
by Fernando Collantes and Vicente Pinilla, 2011
In 'Reducing Depopulation in Rural Spain:
The Impact of Immigration' the authors (Fernando Collantes, Vicente Pinilla, Luis Antonio Sáez and Javier Silvestre, 2013) discuss research on the impact of immigration that could lead to substantial reduction.
Immigration and depopulation is also subject of the article
'Silent blight in a countryside of empty homes and shut shops'
in The Guardian (Aug 2015):
"Young people are leaving rural areas of Europe for the cities at a time when birth rates are at historic lows. As the countryside empties, should rising immigration be seen as a solution, not a problem?"
woensdag 25 november 2015
Camino as model for Shikoku.
Some time ago Pilgrimageandplace highlighted the Shikoku pilgrimage in Japan. (See here)
The route of the 88 temples.
"The Japanese government is hoping to take advantage of the Camino de Santiago to develop the niche religious tourism sector."
"The head of the Galicia regional government, Alberto Núñez Feijoó, and the governor of Japan’s Kagawa province, on the central island of Shikoku, recently signed an agreement to work together to promote the Shikoku Pilgrimage, known as the Way of the 88 Temples."
"The Japanese government is hoping to take advantage of the Camino de Santiago to develop a niche religious tourism sector, creating its own pilgrimage circuit by uniting the two routes. The hope is that it will help boost the country’s ailing economy, as well as opening up what is still a largely insular society that has one of the lowest immigration levels in the developed world.
As with the Camino de Santiago, Japanese tourism authorities will be hoping to attract visitors also interested in trying local cuisine. The local Udon noodle and seaweed soup that comes in dozens of varieties is among the best-known dishes in the region. The area also has its own native species of chicken, as well as its particular way of preparing tuna and sea bass sashimi."
(source article see below)
(source article see below)
dinsdag 24 november 2015
Sacred Journeys, Bruce Feiler
Last year I had an item on the documentary series of
Bruce Feiler on Sacred Journeys.
Bruce Feiler on Sacred Journeys.
I found the series is available on Youtube.
(Jan 2016: Movies in this blogitem are removed from Youtube.
Where available alternatives are listed)
(Jan 2016: Movies in this blogitem are removed from Youtube.
Where available alternatives are listed)
So, like to introduce them again to you!
Faith
in Lourdes,
on the Shikoku,
in Jerusalem,
in Mecca,
on the Kumbh Mela
and Osun Osogbo in Central Africa.
in Lourdes,
on the Shikoku,
in Jerusalem,
in Mecca,
on the Kumbh Mela
and Osun Osogbo in Central Africa.
Part 1, Lourdes France
Part 2, Shikoku Japan
Part 3, Jerusalem Israel
Part 4, Mecca Saudi Arabia
(54:30)
Alternate location here.
Alternate location here.
Part 5, Kumbh Mela, India
Part 6, Osun Osogbo Nigeria
Homepage of the series is here.
Earlier Blog entry here.
You can subscribe to this blog by leaving your email.
Then you'll get an update as soon as new items are added.
Earlier Blog entry here.
You can subscribe to this blog by leaving your email.
Then you'll get an update as soon as new items are added.
vrijdag 23 oktober 2015
Introduction to pilgrimage and transformation
This introduction gives you some pointers and thoughts on pilgrimage and transformation.
Do people change while walking a camino?
Yes, people always change while performing.
OK, but tell me more...
Just read on and pick what you like...
Do people change while walking a camino?
Yes, people always change while performing.
OK, but tell me more...
Just read on and pick what you like...
Spirituality
First on spirituality, giving a clue where a transformation could occur. Not trying to define the concept ;-)
Recently I read an article from Fisher on four domains of spiritual wellbeing, a nice overview:
"spiritual health is a dynamic state of being, shown by the extent to which people live in harmony within relationships in the following domains of spiritual wellbeing:
1. Personal domain (wherein one intra-relates with oneself with regards to meaning, purpose and values in life. The human spirit creates selfawareness, relating to self-esteem and identity).2. Communal domain (as expressed in the quality and depth of interpersonal relationships, between self and others, relating to morality and culture. This includes love, justice, hope, and faith in humanity).
3. Environmental domain (past care and nurture for the physical and biological, to a sense of awe and wonder; for some, the notion of unity or connectedness with the environment).
4. Transcendental domain (Relationship of self with some-thing or some-One beyond the human level, a Transcendent Other (i.e., ultimate concern, cosmic force, transcendent reality, or God). This involves faith toward, adoration and worship of, the source of Mystery of the universe."
(Assessing Spiritual Health via Four Domains of Spiritual Wellbeing: The SH4DI
John W. Fisher, Leslie J. Francis, Peter Johnson
Pastoral Psychology, Vol. 49, No. 2, 2000)
Caminoist on spirituality
A nice overview article on pilgrimage, the camino and spirituality provides Sandy Brown in this Caminoist blog article.
Seven secular pilgrimages (and one added;-)
CNN just published an update on seven secular pilgrimages that could change your life.
Perhaps you can guess the three on the picture?
The others are: Kumano Kodo (Japan), Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Mount Kailash Pilgrimage (Tibet), Pilgrims' Way to Canterbury (England) and Char Dham (India).
I think CNN left out a rising star: Olavs route in Norway!
So look here for this one (Olavs Route).
And perhaps walking to Canterbury gives you appetite to follow on the Via Francigena through France, Switzerland and Italy to Rome.
Sacred Travel: The Pilgrimage Experience
What can the ritual of Pilgrimage tell us about deepening the sacred dimension of life?
What spiritual state or benefit are pilgrims ultimately looking for?
How do they know and express it, if and when they find it?
See introduction and other parts of discussion with Phil Cousineau, Pico Iyer and Zoila Mendoza below.
Global Spirit: Sacred Travel The Pilgrimage Experience - Introduction
(3:11)
My fellow weblog The Pilgrim's Gaze just published a spot for a documentary The Power of St James' Way.
"The Power of Saint James’ Way is a documentary that contains true stories of pilgrims whose pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela radically changed their lives. Amazing witnesses that testify this phenomenon plus explanations from experts in different disciplines that try to identify why these changes may occur." See it here.
- Transformative Pilgrimage, William S. Schmidt, Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 2009 (article)
- We Make the Way by Walking: Spiritual Pilgrimage and Transformative Learning While Walking the Camino De Santiago, Elizabeth J. Tisdell (article)
- Spiritual Tourism, Travel and Religious practice in Western Society, Alex Norman (book)
- Pilgrimage and Healing, Jill Dubisch and Michael Winkelman (book)
- Transformational tourism, tourist perspectives, Yvette Reisinger (ed) (book)
zaterdag 17 oktober 2015
The Way II
 |
| Filmposter The Way, 2010 |
These days (October 15-18, 2015) la Cidade da Cultura (City of Culture) holds Fairway, a forum on the camino and pilgrimage. A forum with many exhibitors, speakers and touroperators.
What already was a rumour, gets more substantial.
What already was a rumour, gets more substantial.
One of the speakers on the conference is Carmen Estevez, writer, sister of Martin Sheen and aunt of Emilio Estevez.
She announced The Way II !
woensdag 16 september 2015
Promoting sister blog
On
september 16 2015
the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
holds a
special pilgrim's mass, in honor of Denise Thiem.
A pilgrim who's life was taken walking the Camino de Santiago.
The Pilgrim´s Gaze published a photomovie that perhaps helps to have your own thoughts.
All photo's
are made on the Camino Frances, all before Astorga.
Photography
& Presentation: me
Music:
Mattia Cupelli
dinsdag 18 augustus 2015
Inspiration on Pilgrimage and Place
Today the blog is an inspiring one. Thinking of place and pilgrimage...
I like you to meet four pieces:
Rufin, O Donohue, Milosz
and a little movie by me.
F i r s t
"Immortelle randonnée : Compostelle malgré moi"
A text from the book Immortelle randonnée by Jean-Christophe Rufin on a new walking species.
The text on the picture is Rufin's (in Dutch), the picture is mine. Taken on the route Rufin took: The Camino Primitivo.
But here's the text in English:
Silently the awareness grew that inside of me a very pleasant companion was hiding: the emptyness. My mind didn't produce images or thoughts and certainly no intentions. Everything I ever knew faded away and I felt no urge whatsoever to dig it up.
Discovering a landscape, I didn't compare it to Corsica or whatever place I once visited.
I saw it all with a refreshing new look and received the complexity of the world in a brain that again was as simple as a reptile or a sparrow. I was a new human, liberated from it's memory, desires and ambitions. A special kind of homo erectus: the walking species.
(As the book isn't translated in English yet the translation is mine)
S e c o n d
"For a New Beginning"
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
John O’Donohue
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life’s desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
John O’Donohue
T h i r d
"On Pilgrimage"
May the smell of thyme and lavender accompany us on our journey
To a province that does not know how lucky it is
For it was, among all the hidden corners of the earth,
The only one chosen and visited.
We tended toward the Place but no signs led there.
Till it revealed itself in a pastoral valley
Between mountains that look older than memory,
By a narrow river humming at the grotto.
May the taste of wine and roast meat stay with us
As it did when we used to feast in the clearings,
Searching, not finding, gathering rumors,
Always comforted by the brightness of the day.
May the gentle mountains and the bells of the flocks
Remind us of everything we have lost,
For we have seen on our way and fallen in love
With the world that will pass in a twinkling.
Czeslaw Milosz
F o u r t h
Impressions from a camino
Impression by Paul Kouwenberg
(1:55)
woensdag 12 augustus 2015
Just a bench, worth a pilgrimage
Let's talk about a bench,
a famous bench,
a bench worth a pilgrimage for many young adults,
a bench from a movie,
so a film induced pilgrimage.
The Fault in our Stars
The 2014 movie is based on a book by John Green and directed by Josh Boone.
Reviewers indicate it's very sad but very beautiful. Part of the movie was filmed in Amsterdam. And a special scene, where main actors kiss, involves a bench they're on.
Young adults choose this scene and this spot as their pilgrim destination, rivalling the House of Anne Frank. The book and film induce the young 'to walk in the footsteps of their young heroes' as Tagholm says in his article, see below.
The trailer to the movie
(3:00)
The bench in Fault in our Stars
(1:24)
The bench film scene
(3:26)
Map to The Fault of our Stars, with a 75 minutes walk to discover the movies hotspots. (This map and descriptions are in Dutch Language, maps however are universal;-)
The article that started my interest in the first place is here. Very recommended.
It's written by Roger Tagholm and published by Publishers Perspective on July 21, 2015:
In Amsterdam, A Bench Has Created a YA Pilgrimage
maandag 27 juli 2015
Pilgrimage to the dead and famous
Visited Jim Morrison's grave at Pere Lachaise in Paris, done Elvis Presley?
(Kajinek32 en Baha, Wikimedia commons)
Looking for Jim Morrison's grave at Pere Lachaise:
(MEGAMACE Fitness Productions, 2:13)
How about a pilgrimage to the birthplace of John Wayne. The 'western' actor who died in 1979.
In april 2015 Winterset Ohio opened the John Wayne birthplace and museum.
Winterset? Yes, also the place from the novel The Bridges of Madison County.
(website museum)
(UkesterBrown, 1:13)
Reminds me of The World of James Herriot in Thirsk (UK). I visited the James Herriot conference many years ago. A conference about James Wight. You perhaps know this British veterinary surgeon and writer as James Herriot. Author of All creatures great and small (and many others following).
(Kreuzschnabel, Wikimedia commons)
As this blog is about place have a look at the Yorkshire Dales, the countryside of James Herriot.
(Harry Mateman 5:53)
A virtual pilgrimage along 94 graves:
(MsCemeteryChick 9:54)
Continue this exploration on
or
The future item on this blog will be a 'pilgrimage' to a bench along a canal!
An example of film induced pilgrimage.
maandag 6 juli 2015
Northern Spain camino's officially on Unesco Heritage List
Some time ago I posted an item on several northern Spain camino's finding their way to the Unesco World Heritage List.
See item here.
On July 5, 2015 this decision became final.
The text:
"Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain [an extension of the “Routes of Santiago de Compostela”]—A network of four Christian pilgrimage routes in northern Spain, the site is an extension of the Route of Santiago de Compostela, a serial site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The extension represents a network of almost 1,500 km: coastal, interior of the Basque Country–La Rioja, Liébana and primitive routes. It includes a built heritage of historical importance created to meet the needs of pilgrims, including cathedrals, churches, hospitals, hostels and even bridges. The extension encompasses some of the earliest pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, following the discovery in the 9th century of a tomb believed to be that of St. James the Greater."
Source: Unesco (http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1317/)
Spain is happy.
See item here.
On July 5, 2015 this decision became final.
The text:
"Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain [an extension of the “Routes of Santiago de Compostela”]—A network of four Christian pilgrimage routes in northern Spain, the site is an extension of the Route of Santiago de Compostela, a serial site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The extension represents a network of almost 1,500 km: coastal, interior of the Basque Country–La Rioja, Liébana and primitive routes. It includes a built heritage of historical importance created to meet the needs of pilgrims, including cathedrals, churches, hospitals, hostels and even bridges. The extension encompasses some of the earliest pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, following the discovery in the 9th century of a tomb believed to be that of St. James the Greater."
Source: Unesco (http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1317/)
Spain is happy.
woensdag 24 juni 2015
New routes, a selection
Hiking is hot, trails are hot, pilgrimage is hot.
After 'Wild' (saw it?) and 'A Walk in the Woods' (forthcoming) hiking in the US is immensely popular. The Bigfoot Trail will attract a lot of feet trying to get a glimpse of the sasquatch. The trail leads 360 miles through the Klamath-Siskiyou mountains in northern California and Southern Oregon.
Read this article
or visit the trails website,
but remember it's brand new and perhaps not yet ready for you!
And if it's hot, there have to be more of them.
Now, I'll introduce another set of interesting, even special, choices.
- The National Forest Way in the UK.
- The Bigfoot trail in the USA.
- The Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands.
- And, if your feet had enough, just pick the Al Andalus train to Santiago de Compostela.
The National Forest Way in the UK
The National Forest Way opened in May 2014 and guides you along a 75-miles trail through Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. Right, England! And all England is here, according to the National Forest Project: Coal and granite, heathland and hills, meadows and water, woodland ofcourse.
The environmental project transforms 200 sq miles in the middle of England.
Read more on the project website.
The environmental project transforms 200 sq miles in the middle of England.
Read more on the project website.
The Bigfoot trail in the USA
Read this article
or visit the trails website,
but remember it's brand new and perhaps not yet ready for you!
The Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands
Now this is interesting, a complete new contemporary pilgrimage route. A route to contemplate the wisdom of life. Please turn of mobile phones!
This, again brand new, pilgrimage route leads you along the city of Nijmegen in eastern parts of The Netherlands. The initial route is 136km, more is planned, much more, perhaps sometimes covering the earth.
This, again brand new, pilgrimage route leads you along the city of Nijmegen in eastern parts of The Netherlands. The initial route is 136km, more is planned, much more, perhaps sometimes covering the earth.
So, today you can walk the hilly environment, along rivers, ancient forests and cultural landscapes. The initiative looked at the Camino to Santiago, at Henro in Japan and came up with this Walk.
Not religious, contemplative!
It's rituals and symbols are the Pilgrim's book of tides, a symbol of the 'icoon', a lace to collect the daily rings and an advice to fast: no internet or mobile phone.
You can read more on this pilgrimage route on their site, but: only in Dutch for the moment.
Not religious, contemplative!
It's rituals and symbols are the Pilgrim's book of tides, a symbol of the 'icoon', a lace to collect the daily rings and an advice to fast: no internet or mobile phone.
You can read more on this pilgrimage route on their site, but: only in Dutch for the moment.
Al Andalus train to Santiago de Compostela
And finally, a trail on wheels: Al Andalus.
In july Spain’s national rail company, Renfe, allows you to travel from Leon to Santiago de Compostela in their luxury Al Andalus train.
Usually it tours in the south of the country, now it's an alternative for blisters, stuffed summer albergues, strenuous backpack walks.
Book a six-day trip on the 'palace on wheels' at €3,740 per person.
woensdag 10 juni 2015
Pilgrimsgaze
An introduction to a new weblog (and facebook page): The Pilgrims Gaze.
The best handpicked pilgrimage gems of movies, presentations, music, culture, drawings, documentaries on these Facebook or weblog sites.
The weblog is on pilgrimsgaze.blogspot.nl
Facebook page is on Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
The best handpicked pilgrimage gems of movies, presentations, music, culture, drawings, documentaries on these Facebook or weblog sites.
The weblog is on pilgrimsgaze.blogspot.nl
Facebook page is on Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
zondag 7 juni 2015
四国八十八箇所
The occasion, apart from my enthousiasm, is a nice documentary on Youtube. Your's to see, your's to explore, your's to enjoy.
Honzon
junrei, to wander around, is not only a practice on the Camino the Santiago. In
fact the Kumano Kodo pelgrimage trails in Japanese Kansai region are also
designated as world heritage site.
The
documentary (2012, about 30 minutes) features the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the
pilgrimage to the 88 Temples of Shikoku Island. The pilgrimage associated with
the Buddhist monk Kōbō Daishi.
Well, let's
not tell you what's in the documentary, I invite you to see it...
A nice overview and more information provides the next site, including maps, guides, etc.
Also further background information here. Including some terms, stamps 朱印 (sounds familiar?), stampbooks and prayer slips.
If you're still interested have a look at this 12:12 photographic impression from Following the arrows;
In another topic in this Blog I mention work of Ian Reader. Well, if someone can tell you more on pilgrimage in Japan!
Link to this topic here.
Ian Reader: Making pilgrimages
Ian Reader: Pilgrimage, a very short introduction
Ian Reader: Pilgrimage, a very short introduction
Other books include
Robert Sibley: The Way of the 88 Temples
Maria Rodriguez del Alisal: Pilgrimages and spiritual quests in Japan
Addition Nov 2015:
Shikoku looks at the Camino as it's model.
Shikoku looks at the Camino as it's model.
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