The thinning' time

With the sun setting around 6pm and a chill in the air there is a reminder that a journey which began in high summer is drawing to a close at the onset of winter . Here in the Celtic heartland of Galicia this is the 'thinning time' - the period when the spheres between the spirit world and the material world are at their thinnest.Late last week I was at Fisterra which is where the Celts believed that the two worlds actually met . The tensions between the spiritual and the material have been constant during this pilgrimage . I have been invited to examine my motives and revise my priorities.
The profound tranquillity of walking by the Ocean at Muxia on Saturday and the intimacy of the Mass in the Cathedral today have been fitting codas to this immense undertaking . It is now 11 days since I arrived at Santiago.Even now the sheer scale of the achievement is beyond me . Someone once said to me that living is about standing on the tiny piece of earth that you inhabit . All I can say is that I feel that I stand more securely than I did eleven weeks ago.
When asked to reflect on the Camino in Emaus at Burgos I referred to the Camino as a school . The lessons that we learn on the Camino are the ones that we are called to apply in daily life.That will be the challenge and will be the true test . It is not a question of looking back with nostalgia to eleven amazing weeks but living what I have experienced and shared with so many remarkable people.
While I was at lunch today there was a Galician film on in the dining room tracing the Camino from St Jean to Santiago . As I watched I realised that I had walked every step of the way and 850km more!