On the second to last day of my Camino, I picked up a leaflet entitled What comes after the Camino while enjoying a coffee at a café on the way.
The leaflet by La Fuente Del Peregrino includes a story inspired by an encounter between Jesus and the rich young man.
“One day, a young pilgrim arrived at a monastery searching for an elderly pilgrim who was known to be the wisest of them all. In spite of his youth, he had already completed the majority of the well-known pilgrimages of the world.
He approached the wise man and asked, “Master, what must I do to become a true pilgrim?” The elderly man looked into his eyes and felt great compassion for him. “Son, if you truly wish to be an authentic pilgrim, return to your home with your family, your neighbours and your friends, serve them, forgive them and love them. Then you will be a true pilgrim.
The young man laid down his walking stick, turned around and left deeply saddened. He was willing to walk thousands of kilometres even carrying a tremendous amount of weight on his shoulders, but he was unwilling to fulfil what the wise man advised him to do.”
The true test of the Camino is to take the spirit of the Camino into everyday life. The Camino teaches a pilgrim a different way of being, which is based on values of empathy, kindness, generosity, and acceptance. I guess that most pilgrims begin a lifelong quest to live the teachings of the Camino, just as the wise man suggested in the story.
As a pilgrim lives the Camino spirit in everyday life, they can inspire others around them to become better people and adopt a similar approach to life. The Camino teachings ripple out into the hearts and minds of many, not just the pilgrim who walked the long road to Santiago.
So the real test is to become the way, to live the spirit of the Camino, and to share the life-changing lessons that were taught along the way.
“You’ll become the Camino. You’ll become the Way.”
If you are interested in walking the Camino de Santiago, download my book, A Wild Woman’s Guide To The Camino de Santiago. I share everything you need to know before you begin your Camino. Read at A Wild Woman’s Guide To The Camino De Santiago or click the link below.
(c) Samantha Wilson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
