Rediscovery of a sense of pilgrimage in our times.

Rediscovery of a sense of pilgrimage in our times.

pilgrimpaths.ie

Why is this happening?

What are people looking for?

 "A whole generation of new pilgrims … wishing to cut through the clutter of institutions, and achieve self-discovery in a new place". Rowan Williams

'Pilgrimage is an act of unplugging and reclaiming

all that has been lost in the 21st

century.’

What is this world doing to us?

It helps people to find peace, compassion, and wisdom within, through the practice of

mindfulness and walking.

‘From restlessness to mindfulness’

To be put in touch with the wonder and awe of creation opens up a pathway to God. 

A A renewed theology of Creation

“Who made the world?Who made the swan, and the black bear?Who made the grasshopper?This grasshopper, I mean-- the one who has flung herself out of the grass…”

We find that reconnection in Landscape …

…In Nature (Honey suckle on Scattery)

‘Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.’ Rachel Carson.

Holy Island , off MountshannonInis Cealtra

… a place where we are brought to the edge of our lives

Monaincha: Roscrea

A place that brings us into contact with the world of soul… the world of Spirit

Thin places ….where the veil between this material world and the world of spirit is very thin

Reconnecting mind – body – spirit

….from restlessness

to mindfulness

Walking reconnects us …

‘Solvitur ambulando!’

It is solved by walking …

‘a prayer his body made entirely.’

The first step on the pilgrim journey is to return to a sense of one's own body. To get out of our heads.

Søren Kirkegaard : "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts." 

‘A journey can become a sacred thing:Make sure, before you go,To take the timeTo bless your going forth,To free your heart of ballastSo that the compass of your soulMight direct you toward The territories of spirit’John O’ Donohue: To Bless the Space Between Us 

"Bless to me, O God, the earth beneath my feet,Bless to me, O God, the path whereon I go,Bless to me, O God, the people whom I meet.

‘That each footprint may be a shedding’

Breathe out the poisons of tension, stress, and worry; breathe in the power of God

Before setting out get in touch with your intention for the walk …

Symbolise it with a stone 

Sometimes a sharp stone

Invitation - pick up a stone and bring it with us as we walk, feeling its sharp edges. As we feel the stone, the invitation is to reflect on the sharp edges of our own lives, whatever feels sharp of difficult at this time. To walk with those edges in mind and also in solidarity with others we know who may be finding life difficult.

The Cillín was the burial grounds for children who were not baptised at the time of death. Cillin sometimes also served as the final resting place for victims of suicide. Some of these burial grounds are over 1,000 years old and many remained in use until the mid-20th century. These cemeteries were usually located in isolated places often near streams. Burials frequently took place at night. 

A place to think about what is trying to be born or is stillborn in our lives.

St Lugh’s Well, Terryglass

What makes this world so lovelyIs that somewhere it hides a well.

Some experiences are like wells too.People create them.They are life-giving happenings.They are redeeming experiencesThey are wells of wonderWells of hope.

What comes to mind when you think of a well?

When people went to the well

they left somethingof themselves there,

something of the intention

they carried.

I would like to live like a river flows Carried by the surprise of its’ own unfolding

Stand still. The trees before you and the bushes beside you are not lost.Wherever you are is a place called here,No two trees are the same to Raven,no two branches the same to Wren.If what a tree or a branch does is lost on you,you are truly lost.Stand still. Listen.The forest knows where you are.Let it find you.