10/12/2024 0 Kommentare
How short can a pilgrimage be?
How short can a pilgrimage be?
# Pilgerinitiative-en

How short can a pilgrimage be?
What is a pilgrimage? Or how short can a pilgrim's life be?
Each and every one of you has surely asked yourselves this question.
My favorite definition comes from a thesis by Sarah Marlene Pali and reads “A pilgrim is someone who walks and someone who seeks.”
Yesterday, while I was on my daily walk in the forest right outside my front door, this sentence came to my mind again. The sky was overcast, it hardly seemed to get light, leafless trees, large puddles, the world was black and white and foggy.

After a short time, my focus changed when I found interesting tracks on the road. After a quick search on the internet, I realized that they were traces of roofs that I had never seen so consciously before. I lingered at the large puddle and explored the mirror images, clouds, branches... I saw them much more clearly in the mirror than in the direct encounter. Now my spirit of discovery, my childlike view of the surroundings, was awakened. I looked at the trees more closely, suddenly seeing shapes and particularly beautiful structures in gnarled branches. And it occurred to me that December, with its peace and quiet out here, is actually a wonderful month for a short pilgrimage.

I am always searching. Even though I have found many answers in the meantime, I am often driven by questions about the next step, about truth, about an essence. And often my own beliefs or the statements of people prevent me from perceiving the real me. In nature, it seems to be quite simple. A maple is a maple and an oak is an oak, you can recognize that even without the trees bearing leaves.
Among pilgrims, Psalm 121 is well known.
A song of pilgrimage. I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains. Whence shall I receive help? My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD will guard you; the LORD is your shade on your right hand,
that the sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will guard your soul.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from now until forever!
Now, the mountains in Pomerania are a bit of a challenge. But on this short walk, I was met by a local who helped me and made me happy, who was happy to be as God intended me to be and to let go of what doesn't belong to me, just as the trees have let go of their leaves.
For me, this walk was definitely a pilgrimage. What thoughts come to mind? Would you like to share your experiences in our pilgrimage community? Perhaps at the next pilgrimage get-together or even via a small blog post.
/Sabine Petters
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