Life Is A Pilgrimage
Updated: Oct 14
Notes for the road ahead:
Notice. Discover. Become
News! Our movie - Soul Of My Feet - won an Honourable Mention Award in the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival! The movie will be released at a future date.
And please scroll to the end of this newsletter for more exciting news!!
Notice ~ The art of paying attention
The real journey is figuring out how we want to live once we return from Camino. We may spend the rest of our days figuring this out, no jokes! This is where mindset comes into play: How can I trick my brain that a neighbourhood walk is as heavenly as walking the Portuguese coastline with the smell of salt and barbecuing sardines in the air? And all my pilgrim friends are just around the corner ready for lunch and carefree laughs. Maybe not. But I can give myself a permission slip to go for a nice walk in my hometown, chat to people along the way and stop at a café for coffee. I could even plan a future getaway with friends. What’s to stop us? Just us really. What helped assuage the Camino blues recently was writing this and reminiscing about all my beautiful beginnings on various Caminos.
Discover ~ A little something from the wider world
One of the things I love about pilgrimage is that it introduces us to worlds beyond our own. In Japan (the Camino I’m working on), there's a concept called mono no aware - a sensitivity to the passing of things, and a gentle awareness of the bittersweet beauty of impermanence. Think of cherry blossoms. Their beauty is inseparable from the knowledge that they won't last. Their fleeting nature makes us appreciate them more.
In our own lives we can spend so much time trying to hold on to things as they are - a particular chapter, an identity, a relationship, even an earlier version of ourselves. Yet life keeps moving. Seasons change. We change.
Perhaps there's a freedom in allowing things to be beautiful without needing them to stay the same.
It's a thought I'm carrying with me.
Become ~ Allowing the journey to change us
Right now, try verbalising one thing you're ready to release, and one thing you'd like to welcome into your life. 3-2-1 go!
Don't worry about turning either into a plan. Just notice what comes up when you give yourself permission to imagine something different.
Sometimes, becoming begins with a little less holding on, and a little more openness to what might be.
Because a pilgrimage doesn't end when we come home. The real journey is discovering how we want to live when we get there. (Like me this year: I let go of a grudge.)
NEWS! 🌿 Something new is taking shape…
I’m building an online community!
One of the things I've been thinking about lately is how much we need to stay connected In-between walking Caminos.
We need spaces to share our lives, be inspired, ask questions, be truly heard and gently hold each other accountable for the things that matter to us.
Because a pilgrimage doesn't end when we come home. The real journey is how we bring what we've discovered into our everyday lives - how we grow, create, find our way and step into the next chapter.
So I'm creating a MONTHLY online gathering for YOU - women who've walked a Camino or joined one of my retreats, or worked with me, as well as new women who feel drawn to this way of living. Think of it as a place to refuel your spirit, nurture your curiosity and keep pilgrimage alive, wherever you are in the world.
What we'll do together in 90 minutes:
🌿 Share the journey. Catch up on life between Caminos, celebrate what's unfolding, ask questions and keep the spirit of pilgrimage alive at home.
✍️ Write for a deeper life. Explore thoughtful writing prompts to uncover new insights, listen to yourself and discover what might be waiting to emerge.
🍵 Have a tea ritual & discuss what we’re reading/ where we’re walking. Slow down and savour the moment while we meet and chat.
💛 Tap into possibility. We will do some group tapping to make room for more goodness, courage and possibility.
✨ Be inspired. We will welcome occasional guest speakers with ideas, experiences and wisdom to share.
Above all, this is a space to connect with women who understand that life is an ongoing journey of discovery. A place to share honestly, learn from one another and celebrate life.
Come and be part of the beginning
I'm inviting you to join me and bring this new circle to life together. It’s free for the first 6 months. If it takes off I may develop it into a membership for a small fee.
I love this idea because life is a pilgrimage, and we don't have to walk it alone.
I'd love to see you there. Please let me know if you’re interested by replying to this email with a YES! And please vote for the name of the circle: SOUL BLOOM or THE BECOMING?
Darene
Keep walking. Keep wondering.
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