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It's possible to walk any of the many routes of the Camino Santiago by following a simple sign.  Siempre sigue las flechas amarillas - always follow the yellow arrows. They're there wherever and whenever you need them: painted unobtrusively on the back of a street sign or on a rock or gutter; emblazoned on the side of a building; handwritten by a member of the local Camino Committee, or expensively produced by the provincial junta. By following the yellow arrows it's possible to walk the breadth (and, indeed, the length) of Spain without GPS or map or guidebook.  Over the course of the Camino they came to symbolise for me, the presence of the Holy Spirit: usually unseen unless you pause and take the time to look; always there when you need them most; a faithful guide in unexpected places leading inexorably to the holy destination. They are like the myriad little promptings and leadings and coincidences and "chance" encounters, which anyone on a Christian pat...

This Advent I'm going to be following the Adventword process, of reflecting on a different prayer word for each day of Advent, and here, on Twitter and on Facebook, contributing to a growing, communal Advent calendar of thoughts and images as Advent develops. The word for today is Journey , which, of course, immediately makes me think of the Camino. Of all the many hundreds of pictures I took on the Camino Santiago, this is my favourite. Clemency is ahead of me, walking steadily, and I have paused for a few seconds to unpack my camera and dash off this quick shot before she gets too far ahead. I'm pleased it worked out so well. There's a lot of obvious iconography here: moving from dark to light, the ancient architecture, all that stuff, but really that's all an illusion. This is actually a motorway underpass. But that has it's own iconography, when you think about it. Overhead, a thousand cars are thundering past, each intent on some journey or other, ...

The Camino is an addiction. Last time we were in Spain we met a bloke who'd walked it 32 times, but he was Spanish and didn't have to pay airfares. We've walked it twice, or three times, depending on how you count, but the call of the Path of Miracles won't quite go away. Of the dozen or so main routes, I've walked all of the C. Frances and C. Primitivo, and part of the C. Norte. I'd like to have a crack at the longest and hardest route of all, La Via De La Plata, but Clemency doesn't like the sound of the long hot slog through the dry heart of Spain. She would like to do a leisurely repeat of the Frances, but we are both a bit wary of how popular it has become. So, we're thinking that the Portuguese Camino might be a good option and April might be a good time. Most people who walk the Portuguese route start at Porto, about 200 km from Santiago,  There are several possible routes, including a couple beginning on the South Coast but we are looking at...

We have not spoken in months. He posts a comment and I see that we're still at it, keeping pace; keeping, almost exactly, the same step in what we are thinking and even what we are reading. We both laugh aloud at the unexpected pleasure of seeing each other.  She tells me she's reading Dylan Thomas; I am reading Malcolm Guite but the poems which have pulled us both up short cover the same ground. Another one added to our long list of synchronicities. I read his news from the other side of the world. The wisdom he gives to others answers my own question for the day. I notice that the issues in his Buddhist community are the same ones wracking my Christian one. There is no need to ask, for I know what she will want, but I do anyway, just for the reassuring sound of her voice. She makes a joke which renders me helpless with laughter but which I doubt any other person would notice. We plan, with unspoken agreement, the day ahead. There is a trajectory to my life; a patte...

The Bay of Biscao: Basque Country.  I have been reading the Codex Calixtinus , or at least a translation of it and commentary on it by William Melczer. The codex was written in the 12th Century and is the first substantial record of the Camino Santiago. It consists of 5 short books which have independent origins but have been combined by an unknown editor/author, who has appended a pseudepigraphic introduction to each in the name of Pope Callixtus II. They are all to do with the development of the cult of St. James in the early middle ages. Book 1 is a collection of liturgical bits and pieces and Book 2 a collection of miracles attributed to the saint. Book 3 records the miraculous transfer of the saint's body from Palestine to Galicia and Book 4 is an account of the military expedition undertaken by Charlemagne and Roland who attempted to drive the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. Book 5, the one which I am really interested in, is a pilgrim's guide to the Camino: the ...

I watch my grandson approach some other little boys in the park. Being Noah he soon has befriended them and organised a little expedition, in which they move from slide to swings to see-saw and back again. They are all concentrating on enjoying the playground equipment, but are learning a good number of things incidentally: for example negotiating skills; how to establish and maintain a relationship; co-operation; how to strike a deal; how to insist on rights. All of these incidental learnings are far more important for the lifelong development of all these little guys than improving their skills at sliding down steep metal slopes on their backsides. I thought about this yesterday when Father Ron Smith asked me " Do you think your recent pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella, via el Camino, have any constructive part in this new facility for 'taking time' in meditation and prayer? " While the short answer is "yes" the longer answer is about the incide...

In the albergue at San Salvadore the hospitalera (the woman in charge of hospitality in that hostel) gave us both a gift: a small badge in the shape of a yellow arrow. She had made them herself and gave away maybe a dozen of them a day to pilgrims. We pinned them to our hats and have worn them since, for they are fraught with symbolic value. The various routes of the Camino Santiago are marked with a few easily recognised symbols. Sometimes there are scallop shells set into the ground or painted on buildings or perhaps incorporated into railings. Sometimes these are realistic but are more often stylised into a symbol recognised from one side of Europe to the other. There is a small trap for young players in that on most of the camino the tip of the shell points the way, but in Asturias the base points the way. It does cause a few problems when borders are crossed, but none that aren't easily rectified. But the most ubiquitous sign is la flecha amarilla , the yel...

El Camino de Santiago isn't one route but a network of routes stretching across every part of Europe. When the paths converge in Spain they make their way to Santiago de Compostela in a variety of ways: I have walked all of the Camino Frances, all of the Camino Primitivo and part of The Camino del Norte. As well, I have driven parts of the Camino Ingles and the Camino Portugues. All of the routes are well maintained, clearly marked and have an infrastructure for pilgrimage that will sustain pilgrims on a daily basis: there are pilgrim hostels or other accommodation options at regular intervals, fountains providing drinkable water, shops and cafes and bars. All have a plentiful supply of interesting things to see and do and on each of the routes there are fellow travellers who will provide congenial company. No matter which route is chosen, the experience of pilgrimage will be constant: you will walk a long way and find yourself profoundly changed by the daily encounter with a...

Opening Prayer E te Atua to matou Kai-hanga Ka tiaho te maramatanga me te ora, I au kupu korero, Ka timata au mahi, ka mau te tika me te aroha; Meatia kia u tonu ki a matou Tou aroha I roto I tenei huihunga. Whakakii a matou whakaaro a matou mahi katoa, E tou Wairua Tapu Amine. Introduction and Thanks Welcome, welcome thrice welcome as we gather here in St Matthews to celebrate our common life and plan together for our future. As we gather in this place, I am mindful of all who have carried the torch of faith before us, and who pass it to us today. In particular, we remember those of our number who have died in the past year, particularly Jim Brooks and Stan Mawhinney. It has been my privilege to journey amongst you for yet another year, and I am grateful for the strong team amongst whom I work at Peter Mann House. Alec Clark , has continued his work as ministry educator while accepting the additional duties of being Vicar General. I know from experience...

1. Travel light. 2. Travel lighter still. You think you need that? Really? Give it to another pilgrim. Post it home. Throw it away. You can get rid of another kg yet. 3. Never pass an open church without going into it. 4. Never pass a Fuente without drinking from it and giving thanks: for whoever put it there; for your baptism; for the Living Water. 5. Blisters are the surfacing of minor irregularities in your body. Drain them quickly or they'll spread. Cover them when walking, but, whenever possible, expose them to light and air. When irregularies of your mind or your spirit surface, as they inevitably will, treat the resulting problems in the same way. 6. Walk within yourself.  7. Your body is wise. Listen to it. 8. The path is wise. Listen to it. 9. Learn enough Spanish to be able to order a meal or some groceries and manage the payment afterwards. 10. You're making your own Camino for your own reasons and in your own way.  So is everyone else, ev...