NEXT UP-- CAMINO PORTUGUESE - STAY TUNED!
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
DECISIONS........
“The sea is my grounding….my connection to earth and soul” -A Camino of the Soul
It is in the walking on the ever evolving beach with the sun burrowing into the depths of my back...warmth penetrating to the very core of me... that my restless spirit finds solace. Warm waters,sea waves washing over my toes as I pad along, bring a calm and oneness with the Universe.
It always happens this way. Times when my spirit, chaotic, spun in upheaval, loses its way. My mind blurred I fall prey to the possible pitfalls of ‘head-talk’ choices I am contemplating. What if this...what if that? Ego...head talk...steps in and crushes my newfound heart commitment to move forward and follow my soul’s calling.
And so I come to the sea, and the answers flow. The answers are always available… the Universe speaks constantly. It is my choice to listen...or not. My choice to decide the next moves I will take, the places I will, or will not.
I have the choice to change my beliefs at any moment-- those moments the head -talk begins to strangle the soul knowledge. I trust that in allowing the experience of feeling the negatives, letting them pass through just as a ticker tape along the bottom of the television screen on the nightly news, the negative thoughts will fall away, replaced by those truths I know to be real...those truths of my heart...my soul..
And then….the tape rolls again…. And I must release again. It is in these times of conflict, a soul in torment, that I come to the sea. Perhaps not even remembering that I will be healed, almost instantaneously. The sea has that power….I have that connection.
Often I have thought, actually I believe, that this draw to the sea was born in me. My mother walked the beaches of Alki Point in Seattle, Washington when she was carrying me….several months of morning strolls along this windy beach of Puget Sound. It is my home...it is my soul’s birthplace. A child cradled in her mother’s womb --the sea, the rocking of her stroll - comfort.
And so it is here as I walk the white sands of Hilton Head,South Carolina on this April weekend, breezes softly blowing, pelicans in flight. The sea brings peace...brings me home.
18 months ago I completed my Camino de Santiago. The walk itself was the journey of a lifetime. The lessons, the whispers of the Universe, during that pilgrimage have led me here….right to this place in my life. Nothing in my life is out of order.
Writing, and knowing that another walk is in my future, are a given. The decision to follow my calling and walk is what has drawn me to this moment in time.
The troubled question has been: how can I go venturing on another pilgrimage when finances are tight? Should I not stay home, go back to work, rebuild my bank account? Isn’t that the practical thing to do? Isn’t that the responsible approach?
Of course it is! My head -talk has guided me to reach out to past colleagues all the while knowing, deep in my soul, that the walking and the writing are my calling. The walking and the writing will provide.
I believed this at the end of my Camino...why do I question it now? Why the troubled soul? Perhaps because I have been home. Home with family and friends, back in an environment which calls for stability and responsibility. Head-talk is hard to battle in normal life.
My book is written. I followed the call to write -A Camino of the Soul: Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers is published. And,there is another book in me...and another... beyond the next walk. I am a teacher - a sharer of places and sights others do not get to experience in this lifetime. I have a call to be the eyes and ears. It has been my passion these last few years living overseas….to share what I see, feel and learn with family and friends. I have been blessed. And, in the writing of my book, I know I have touched spirits and hearts. I know because they have told me so. And there is more….I am not done.
And so….decisions. Do I follow my soul knowledge? Or,do I follow the safety of my head- talk? Oh, I know...you are reading this and saying “ Really Kate? There is a question?. You KNOW the answer”.
Perhaps…..but somehow the chaotic war in my soul, that war between heart and head, has continued. Somehow, what my soul knows to be true, and what my head-talk yells out..screams in my ears in the early morning hours meant for sleep... still collide.
Until now. Here, again at the sea, walking the shores...feeling the energy of the sun burn into my being and take hold…...waves pulling me in. Sun warmth cradling my soul and bringing me back to my truth,
I am to walk and write. That is all there is. The rest will take care of itself. The finances will come. Stability may never come….I can accept that. Stable has never really been my strong suit! My life story has churned with changes... that I bring about. My path has been far from
predictable.
And again now, here at this place,.I am at peace and can move forward. Decision made.
Camino Portuguese here I come and all else will fall into order..in this I trust.
Remember to listen, Kate….Listen to the whispers of the Universe. The answers are here….the answers are at the seashore.
http://amzn.com/B01DTAKQUG
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
UNDERSTANDING.....
Missing the trail...the long days of solitude, fresh air and incredible sights when I am on a pilgrimage path. I have been feeling the loss of the thing I love the most….the walking.
And yet, it is the walking that has led me to this precious, amazing, incredible moment
In time----the moment I launch my book and spend time with fingers trekking a keyboard rather than feet connecting with the rich, clean, trail dirt in another land.
Fingers trekking a keyboard - exactly what life has been the last few weeks.
And in that process I am reminded again and again that the walking...the pilgrimage path... is what calls to my soul. Words flow forth and the longing to be on the path again pulls.
I knew it at Finistere - the completion of my Camino Santiago de Compostela.
Standing on the cliffs, Atlantic ocean crashing against rocks below, I knew in my soul this was my calling - this, the walking, and to write.
Jeannie called it to me in her angel voice. “ Start writing….” She whispered in my heart as I Ieft Pamplona and climbed the Alto de Pardon - the height of forgiveness -
“...don’t ask what or why ...Just start”
And with her directive, warm secure words felt rather than heard, faith in what she knew was my truth, I began.
A Camino of the Soul - Learning to Listen When the Universe Whispers …..my story….her story…. has been shared.
I am grateful and blessed for the lessons of these last few years. Thankful for the love Jack, in all the ways he knew how, gave to me. I am aware….I am now so truly aware of our purpose together.
It is said ‘ nothing in my life is out of order’. It is a truth I know in my soul. I am exactly where I am meant to be…. I continue to learn to listen when the Universe whispers.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Saturday, March 12, 2016
TAPESTRY
Notes to Myself-January 2016
When things go wrong and we get uprooted, what if that’s not life being against you, or life being harsh? What if those moments are a divine storm? And what if those moments are happening because all the things that don’t serve our greatest potential and our spiritual path are being uprooted not to punish you, but for your best interests? What if your worst week or your worst day was divinely sent, and actually your greatest day?” -- Mastin Kipp
My Mom has always said that our life path was like a magnificent tapestry. Woven, threads crossing threads, colors on colors. We walk through our lives only seeing the jumbled mass of stitches and strings on the back. But, every now and again in life...once in a very long while...we have a moment when the picture is clear and we see ever so briefly what we are weaving...and then it disappears once again. These moments of clarity help us to know our purpose and, although brief, the moment can transcend time and carry us through until the next viewing.
When I read Mastin Kipp’s thoughts on bad or negative moments actually being part of a divine storm, my mother's words came back. I think because I am feeling that my world is in such a state of flux as I move into my 60th year soon, I am holding tight to the inner knowing that the threads of the tapestry are still intertwining… just as the Universe directs... all is in order. But oh how lovely it would be for one of those clear viewings right about now!.
And how I wish, for just a brief while, this divine storm I am living would quiet. I want to trust in your words Mastin Kipp…..and I do, usually..….but how I need some calm from the storm.
While walking this morning It occurred to me that perhaps it is time to try and draft what I know of my life. Bullet points of moments in time...an outline of my story. Walk through scenes of time….write them...watch them….and see what becomes clear. Maybe a simple bullet list chronologically….leave the subjective for another chapter...focus only on the occurrences that seem to be focal points in my mind. Perhaps this will help guide me from the storm...into the clarity of the overall beauty I am creating?
March 12,2016
And the clarity came. Two months later and I have completed a book that has been in the making for a year. It will launch soon - next month in fact!
Funny, an exercise in looking at the important events in my life was like a momentary turn of the tapestry; everything was clear for a few glorious minutes - A few minutes which allowed me to move forward with conviction.
I wonder what the next glimpse will show.....
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Following my Path....
March 1st, 2016.
I sit here stunned at the flight of time. Weeks since I last posted here have been
spent writing a story that has been in me for a couple of years. And welcoming a new baby granddaughter into the world!
Last spring, I attended a writer’s workshop in Chicago sponsored by Hay House.
As many of you know, I went because I heard a definitive whisper from the Universe.
That Hay House emails would continue pinging my in -box upon my return from my Camino in Spain seemed a pretty straight foreward announcement that the draw I had to pilgrimage walking and writing was to be followed. No, I had not signed up for Hay House events and no, I had not signed into any writer’s workshops which may have allowed a tag on from Hay House. How Hay House garnered my email info remains a question - I am just thrilled we got connected!
That Hay House was the publishing company of one of my favorite authors, and in a way a mentor, Wayne Dyer, that Hay House published the works of Anita Moorjani and Gregg Braden, both authors I had read several times over during the last few years, that was not coincidence - It was synchronicity. And, because I believe in listening when the Universe whispers, I took it to heart and went to the conference.
Hay House was offering a contest for attendees. Three package prizes which would allow publication of a book either through Hay House or their self-publishing arm, Balboa Press, were up for grabs. 175 entrants, many with published works in other venues, took part. Of course, I spent the summer working, writing, and drafting the required proposal to enter the contest.
That I did not win a prize I felt so certain was mine, I now see clearly as part of a grander plan. The majority of the work got written. The emotional piece, which occurred in working through issues of a collapsed marriage as I wrote and re-wrote, was given a place of release. And, after walking away from the book idea for a couple months during and directly following my Camino in Italy in October of this last year, it all came full circle as the New Year arrived. I entered an amazing writing program and have breathed new life into my story.
As of today the book has been resurrected and sits in the capable hands of my editor, who I trust, will work her magic and produce a finished product within the next couple of weeks. While she deletes, comments and corrects I will be choosing a book cover design! And, all things in order, my book will launch in late April or early May on Amazon.
So, you see, perhaps not writing here, or out walking at the moment, but definitely active in following the path of my continued Camino….A Camino of the Soul: Learning to Listen when the Universe Whispers.
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
A CAMINO FAMILY IS BORN.....
” Ladies, come join us”!
They call to us in English...American English. Liz and I have spent the morning on this climb to Orisson hearing British and Australian versions….for the first time we hear Americans..
Two men, sixty somethings, obviously dear friends from their demeanor and completely ecstatic to be sitting here on the outdoor terrace of the hostel at Orisson.
“ We have smoked salmon...bring your beers and come sit!”
Their voices are full of enthusiasm…. infectious! We gather the iced mugs of beer we have been sipping, pull our weary bodies from where we flopped down earlier and wander over to their table across the immense outdoor dining terrace. Two fellow Americans, promising a feast, gathering pilgrims on this first day.
“Pacific Northwest salmon” they announce proudly.
A flurry of questions arises from others trying to picture where the Pacific Northwest might fit on a map, not entirely familiar with the expanse of the United States.
“ I have a cousin in Arizona” says one. “ Is it near there?”
“ My sister lives in Denver… I don’t think that’s close, is it?” questions a man from Holland.
“ Pacific Northwest? “ I ask with surprise, “ What city?”
“ Seattle area ” they answer in unison.
“ Richmond Beach to be exact” says Guy, smiling.
I am sure my mouth has fallen open in an astonished gape. Jack and I left this exact same neighborhood when we moved overseas 6 years earlier. Our house near Richmond Beach had been our dream home. Gardens, an expansive lawn and a view of the Olympic Mountains across the waters of Puget Sound. Six years later, and here in the Pyrenees mountains, the first pilgrims we truly connect with are from this same neighborhood. Universe, what’s going on?
The afternoon flies by as fellow travelers are shown to their beds or tents. As some leave, more join. These two enthusiastic peregrini have created a party! And then we learn, they have done this before. They walked this Camino just the year before and had had the time of their lives. Now, two lifelong buddies, following their hearts are walking this pilgrimage for a second time….beginning on the exact same date and location as before.! Thier first night out, here in Orisson, had been one of the greatest memories of their adventure and they were determined to re-create and offer that sense of camaraderie and excitement to us newbies. It worked!
By 4 PM there must have been twenty of us laughing, sharing information on hometowns, our Camino hopes and dreams for the next few weeks and promises to keep an eye out for each other along the way. Pacific Northwest smoked salmon, beer and wine...and a peregrini family is born!
To this day, well over a year later, I am pleased to call these fellow pilgrims friends. Many of us have stayed in touch….and I know beyond doubt we are connected for all time….we are Camino Family.
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