The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

On the way to yourself

2021-05-31T20:55:48.969Z


Erding - clearing your mind, just concentrating on yourself: these are the reasons why Claudia Beil walks the Way of St. James. The pilgrims are not the only ones who are fascinated by the oak stove.


Erding - clearing your mind, just concentrating on yourself: these are the reasons why Claudia Beil walks the Way of St. James.

The pilgrims are not the only ones who are fascinated by the oak stove.

“The way is the goal” - this saying of the Chinese philosopher Confucius applies to many areas of life, but especially to pilgrimages.

A well-known route is the Camino de Santiago, which leads to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Claudia Beil from Eichenkofen has already reached the place of pilgrimage in several ways.

“I had the plan in mind at a young age, but the problem was always the organization,” says the mother of two, who works in the family's own painting business and is active as the chairwoman of the entrepreneurial women at regional and state level. The 55-year-old started her first pilgrimage on the Way of St. James in 2007. She had planned three weeks for the section from Leon to Santiago (with detours almost 500 kilometers), with daily stages between 22 and 30 kilometers. Beil was traveling alone: ​​"I wanted to clear my head and just concentrate on myself."

As a test, she marched around the Kronthaler Weiher several times with twelve water bottles in her backpack. Equipped with twelve kilos of luggage and a travel guide, but without any knowledge of Spanish, things finally got serious. "You can hardly get lost because all the paths are very well signposted with the scallop shell," explains Beil. She slept in large dormitories as well as in small hostels.

The main theme for the pilgrims is “backpack and bladders”, she says with a smile. She was grateful for some advice. "The right way of packing is very important, and careful care for your feet with deer sebum ointment." On the way you listen to yourself, end up with some problems. After just a week, your head will be empty, but there are also days when you can only cry, says Beil. "Living out of a backpack also makes you humble and realizes how well you are and what abundance we live at home." On the way, everyone experiences their limits and experiences their own personal miracle, but that is a story of its own, she says.

The pilgrim is rewarded for the hardships and perseverance on arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

"The view of the cathedral from a hill is simply overwhelming, followed by the service with the singing of a nun, and tears come to you," says Claudia Beil, moved.

In Santiago she also receives the “Compostela” certificate, which attests that at least 100 kilometers have been covered on foot.

The Eichenkofenerin has three of these certificates at home, because in 2015 and 2017 she reached the pilgrimage site on a different route.

“The difference to my first pilgrimage was stark.

Back then it was much more original.

Many roads have already been paved and there are many more pilgrims on the way, ”she noted.

The fact that the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was already a mass phenomenon in the 12th century was reported by graduate theologian Nikolaus Hintermaier in his online lecture “Fascination Pilgrims”.

However, the pilgrims of that time mostly had a different motivation than they do today.

"Most of them hoped for a miracle or for healing through St. Jacobus, and there was also great hope for salvation through the relief of sins," said the 57-year-old.

He is a consultant for theological adult education and a pilgrim guide at the Catholic Educational Institute.

+

In an entertaining way, Nikolaus Hintermaier from KBW talked about the fascination of pilgrimages in the online lecture. 

© Peter Gebel

Today's pilgrims are often out and about in groups and, in addition to experiencing nature, seek to come to terms with God and themselves, says Hintermaier.

“The important thing is the spiritual component of a pilgrimage, which makes the difference to pure hiking.” For Hintermaier, pilgrimage also includes the effort to get out into nature, where you are exposed to wind and weather.

"Walking itself is meditative for me, because I can let go and get free from everyday life with its thoughts and worries."

The pilgrim's card issued by the home parish has always served as proof of the stations covered.

The collection of colorful stamps is still in great demand.

While pilgrims were once able to spend the night in monasteries and pilgrims' hospices often free of charge or cheaply with their letter of safe conduct, accommodation from hotels to guesthouses is available today.

At the first stroke of the bell, the pilgrim should rise, attend the service, and then march off.

But even then there were lazy comrades who liked to stay longer.

The well-known children's song "Brother Jakob" is dedicated to them, explained Hintermaier.

He can also reveal the secret of the famous shell that can be found all over the Camino de Santiago.

Many miracles are ascribed to Saint James, who is said to be buried in Santiago de Compostela, including the salvation of drowning people who already had a shell stuck to their robes.

So it became a symbol for the Way of St. James and is considered proof of the completed pilgrimage.

Sabine Penzenstadler from Moosinning covered the entire Way of St. James from Germany to Santiago over 2,700 kilometers - in stages within nine years.

The artist arrived in 2013 and was mostly alone on the way.

"In principle, everyone goes alone, even with a group, because time for yourself is important," says the 64-year-old, who also captures her experiences in pictures.

She has been passing on her experience for years as a pilgrim guide at KBW Erding and the Bavarian Pilgrims Office.

+

Snack by the wayside: Sabine Penzenstadler is a pilgrim companion at the Bavarian Pilgrims Office.

© private

Penzenstadler recommends simply giving the pilgrimage a try.

The KBW has several tours in its program that accompany Hintermaier, Penzenstadler and Petra Altmann.

"There are always nice people with us who have the same goal, along with spiritual impulses, songs, but also stretches in silence or a picnic."

In the online lecture, Penzenstadler showed pictures of two stages of the Bavarian-Swabian Way of St. James between Donauwörth and Memmingen.

She reported of nice encounters and exhilarating experiences in nature.

“Despite the often bad weather and no cell phone reception in the forest, I felt happy,” she says.

Her advice: "Just do it, it could be good."

In autumn (10 to 20 September), she and the Bavarian Pilgrims' Office planned a trip on the Way of St. James, which is also suitable for beginners with a good basic level of fitness thanks to shortened stages (11 to 16 kilometers).

The group covers the last 100 kilometers from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, provided the corona pandemic allows.

Claudia Beil will also return to Spain as soon as possible.

Your equipment is ready.

This time she wants to start from Arles in the south of France.

But actually it doesn't matter which way you go, because one thing you learn from pilgrims is: "The most beautiful way starts at the front door and leads you to yourself."

GERDA AND PETER GEBEL

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-05-31

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-02-11T13:13:27.447Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.