Home and the heart of things
In the past few days I have dissolved a home of 21 years in northern Germany and moved to the Spanish island of Majorca. It poses the question of what we define as home and where to let go of meaningless material attachment. One of the key lessons of walking the...
Gratitude
I've just been watching those amazing images of the crowds in Zimbabwe celebrating the fall of the tyrant Robert Mugabe who has steered a country once revered as the bread basket of Africa into a destitute nation dependent on food aid. Most of us folk who grew up in...
Are you being brainwashed?
I'm sure you've had the experience recently. You are talking to someone when you notice they have switched off with their “cemented opinion”. But you continue talking, still hoping to convince that person with your “rational argument.” I fall into the trap every...
Your friend the obstacle
What we perceive as an obstacle is a “teacher” telling us where we have to learn and refine our character.
Guarding the temple of your soul
A few days ago I saw a front page headline in our local newspaper: "Trump opposes gun control." It got me thinking: If I was living in the United States, it would maybe have been of interest to me. In this case it was just another example of the media setting the...
And, see no evil …
The great Napoleon Hill once said that every evil carries within it the flames of self-destruction. It was a warning by the famous mentor to his students, political and business leaders to reflect carefully on their actions and goals. When they are not in sync with...
Our greatest challenge: The environment
There is something happening to our world, telling us with stark reality that the greatest challenge of our time is the environment. The natural catastrophes of the past months with the elements of fire and water wreaking havoc to the lives of millions of people,...
Who takes the blame?
During our recent walk on the Camino in Spain we met a young guy with a big hat on a remote mountain. Miguel was selling cold drinks and water to pilgrims and at the same time giving them an arm band with wise words written on them. I got the quote: "analyze,...
Paths less travelled
Starting the last stage of my Camino from Lires to Finisterre, I met an old granny on the road who advised me to take the Path along the beach rather than the marked route I had intended taking. Sometimes the universe comes through the voice of a granny, telling...
The Last Way
The bigger the crowd the bigger seems the disconnect. Walking the last 100 kilometres of the Camino de Santiago this year was startling, to say the least. Most of the way markers have been defaced with graffiti. Piles of empty plastic bottles and other rubbish...
Camino: Persistence
The hardest part of a long walk is the last stretch. You feel you are close to your goal, yet the path seemingly continues forever. Energy starts sagging, doubts creep in. You go through an emotional roller-coaster. We are capable of so much more than what our...
Camino Santiago: Problems or just difficulties?
Some years ago I met a fellow pilgrim from the USA who told me about the big differences he saw between problems and difficulties in life. A good question to ponder about: https://youtu.be/E7bJDz5VZh0 www.reinogevers.com Walking on Edge: A Pilgrimage to...
Camino Primitivo: Planning with flexibility
When you are planning to climb a high mountain, preparation is everything. No wonder all the guide books warn pilgrims to be mentally and physically prepared. You need to check the weather report, take enough food and water and at the same time be open to changing...
Day Five: Go lean to go far
When walking between 20-25 kilometres per day on the Camino you appreciate carrying as little as possible in your back pack. You have to go lean to go far which applies very much to life as well. The Hospitales Route or Hospital Route which we crossed yesterday...
Camino Day Four. Living Life
Day four of our walk on the Camino de Santiago. We left the mountain village of La Espina this morning. A pilgrim wrote on a marker stone: ''You don't choose a life. You live one.'' It got me thinking. Happiness has so much to do with Being rather than Wanting....
