Pilgrim Progress One - Thin spaces

Hello bloggettes! First apologies -it's been a while! But what better time to get back on the blogging bandwagon than after a surprisingly profound interlude on the oh-so-close-to-my-front-door 'Camino de Santiago' (smug face). Currently I have some precious friends following the route, so last weekend I decided to go along for the ride. Such was the depth and range of the stories I heard and the characters I met that I became convinced that Martin Sheen was about to jump out at me from behind a near-by haystack. But, ironically, what I had neither bargained for nor prepared for, was that God could be waiting for me too and I was about to be tripped up - in a good way. 
Forgive me if I use this term wrongly, but what I am often longing for is to live in a 'thin space'. And by 'thin space' sadly I am not referring to the space between my bikini top and bikini bottoms (diet pending) but rather that state of being where you feel deeply sensitized to the reality around you, its significance and worth, your place in it all, God. In some ancient traditions like that of the Celts, they believed there were actual physical places in which you could experience more of this closeness - the holy, the sacred UP IN YOUR FACE.

So as I merrily walked the Way this weekend, in mid animated chat with a lovely lady from Tennessee, I suddenly found my voice breaking into tears, tears that appeared to becoming from some very deep place, not sadness, not really joy either, I guess I'd call it Spirit - something in my Spirit moved as we shared some hopes and dreams and I really quite enjoyed it! Was it the wine the night before, the lack of sleep due to a spectacular symphony of snoring, the sun stroke, the hormones, or something quite OTHER? the mysterious whisper that comes when you least expect, the stone in the road that brings you to your knees.

I have decided to keep blogging until my friends reach Santiago, thus joining in pilgrimage with them virtually and seeking out some thinness in my own daily walking!

What next?

What next? It's a kind of New Yeary question that seems to emerge after Christmas as surely as a turkey burp. And yet this year I've felt a rumbling within that has lead me away from this question for once, and towards a whole new way of thinking.

It strikes me that we live in a very linear way, fair enough really, as we find ourselves projected through space on the irreversible arrow of time. But I question whether the deeper life, the life of the soul is actually on this same trajectory or operates in this way at all.

We can go through life like a kind of tick box road map exercise, seen that, done that, achieved that, what next? what more? we ask, as forwards and forwards we go cramming in the acolades before the time runs out. However this New Year when I came up for air, out of the wrapping paper and mince pie frenzy, I found myself  wanting to look in a completely different direction ... How about sideways? at the people and things around me, gifts already given, perhaps needing more apreciation, or, how about down? at the depth and meaning of it all.

 I'm wondering if I sometimes lack time for people, for beauty, for art, for reflection cos they are just not fast enough. So for now, I'm going to experiment with throwing away the road map (think I may have already fallen of it anyway) and try to slow up and take a look round.

I think I've been lane swimming in a soup (not literally - thats gross). There is a lot to explore and I sense that under the surface the eternal currents of the soul might carry us to new adventures if we could only dive deep enough to catch the flow.

San Augustin

This week I moved to a new area of town named after Saint Augustine. Filled with all the mixed feelings of moving, I find myself in a local coffee shop this morning - also named after the afore-mentioned Mr August and to my surprise I find this sign hanging above the bar, which is a quote from the man himself : 'Know yourself. Accept yourself. Overcome yourself'. This came to me like a nod from a new neighbour and a shard of light as to what this next phase of my journey could be about. I think I am entering into a time of more head space and reflection and I think San Augustin has just given me a good idea as to how to use it!

My bike

Can I just say ... bikes are amazing!! I have my great friend Jeremy to thank for this new discovery. He introduced me to biking by giving me a load of English classes in different corners of the city, lending me his bike and then leaving the country. Brilliant!

Good things about a bike include
1) Lots of fresh air
2) Always arriving with a windswept look
3) Free transport
4) Excersice without the gym fees
5) Good views
6) Clear ecological conscience (apart from all the plane tickets I book!)
7) The possibilty of new adventures with the simple use of your legs

And now I wish to thank the lovely Jose for sorting me out a new bike - all purply and cool -so I can continue to zip around the city with this new found freedom :). Thank you boys!

Cycling over conquers

You may have heard of a travel book about adventures in Spain called 'Driving over lemons' conjuring up an oh so mediterranean image of an abundance of fruit and sunshine. Well here in Burgos, in the colder north of Spain, we roll a bit differently. As the autumn has set in and I've got my scarf and gloves out, I have found myself on a perilous but entertaining slalam course through the bike lanes of the city that are currently covered in conquers. I think I will always have affection for autumn in Burgos as it reminds me of the time I first arrived here: walking new ground and breathing in rich autumn colour and cold air, the smell of wood fire and chestnuts. Not the Spain of the travel magazines, but a Spain worth falling in love with.

What a star you are :)

I have been quite loving a bit of Brian Cox's 'Wonders of the Universe' lately and a recent episode got me thinking. Brian expounded to us, between a number of wistful looks into the middle distance, how all the 92 elements that make up the known universe, are fabricated in the life and death of stars. It has to be very very hot aparently, for nuclear fusion init. In its life, the star core is a creative furnace for the foundational elements of life and in the explosive power of its death, it throws out all we need for physical existence. Of course Brian needed to go to lots of exotic locations to fully explain this , Rio, Mexico, South Africa - it's a tough life for a physist these days ;)

But the thought is this - when I say to a friend 'you are a real star' perhaps they are, more than I realise. What if there is another dimension of the universe, that we dont fully understand, being forged in the life and death of the soul. What if the foundational spiritual elements of love, wisdom and peace are being constantly formed in the firey depths of our being and that in our life and death they could be flung out to create future more hopeful worlds. It's a bit crazy, but as I believe nothing good is lost in God's eternal economy, perhaps we are not only objects of creation but also agents of the creative process itself.

Estrellas
Ultimamente me esta gustando un poco de Brian Cox "Maravillas del Universo" y un episodio reciente me hizo pensar. Brian expuso a nosotros, entre una serie de miradas anhelantes en la media distancia, cómo todos los 92 elementos que componen el universo conocido, se fabrican en la vida y muerte de las estrellas. Tiene que ser muy, muy caliente aparentemente, para la fusión nuclear, ya sabes. Durante su vida, el núcleo de la estrella es un horno creativo para los elementos fundamentales de la vida y en el poder explosivo de su muerte, se suelta todo lo que necesitamos para la existencia física. Por supuesto que Brian tenía que ir a un montón de lugares exóticos para explicarnos plenamente esta teoría verdad, Rio, México, Sudáfrica - es una vida dura para una fisico hoy en día ;)
Pero la idea es la siguiente - cuando le digo a un amigo "eres una verdadera estrella" tal vez sea más verdad de que me doy cuenta. ¿Qué pasa si hay otra dimensión del universo, que se entiende completamente, que se forja en la vida y la muerte del alma. ¿Y si los elementos fundamentales espirituales del amor, la sabiduría y la paz están siendo constantemente formado en las profundidades ardientes de nuestro ser y que, por nuestra vida y muerte, podrían ser lanzados a crear mundos futuros de más esperanza. Es un poco loco, pero como creo que nada bueno se pierde en la economía eterna de Dios, tal vez no somos sólo objetos de la creación, sino también agentes del proceso creativo divino.

Dawn

'Dawn' the perfect tag for a Christian motivational poster, and in this case also the name of my house mate - full name 'Alba Cuevas del Valle' -'Dawn Caves of the Valley', yes really - how cool! This post is dedicated to her and a motivational chat we had the other night.

Am back in Spain and, as usual, contemplating life and Alba says to me 'Of course happiness in life does not depend on material things, it depends on the philosophy of life you choose and how you nurture it'. Wow! And it dawns on me (!) that is exactly what I need to focus on right now. Getting back to the bones of my belief and breathing them into life. I reckon that a review of our core values and how we live them out is a good a challenge as any for this Septemberish time :) Happy Autumn!

Alba
'Alba' la etiqueta perfecta para un cartel cristiano de motivación, y en este caso también el nombre de mi compañera de casa - nombre completo 'Alba Cuevas del Valle' , sí realmente - que guay! Este post está dedicado a ella y una charla motivacional que tuvimos la otra noche.
Estoy en España de nuevo y, como de costumbre, contemplando la vida y Alba me dice: 'Por supuesto felicidad en la vida no depende de cosas materiales, sino depende de la filosofía de la vida que uno elija y cómo la alimenta'. Wow! Y me doy cuenta (!) Que es exactamente el enfoque que necesito tener en estos momentos. El volver a los huesos de mi creencia y la respiración en vida. Creo que una revisión de nuestros valores fundamentales y la forma en que los practicamos es un desafío igual de bueno como cualquier otro en este tiempo Septeimbrero :) .Feliz otono!