The Sacred Forest and a Chat with Mary

​​Mary 
In
​The Sacred Forest...

The last few days have been shimmery and remarkable. What do I mean when I say ‘shimmery’. It is when occurrences and synchronicity and people and places all get together and dance. 

I have been writing about it most of the afternoon…. And the story is still being created as I walk this Journey… So it is not yet time to tell it all… Here is a bit:

Walking from Azofra to Granon, for the first time, I let myself look at a calendar, to count the number of days left and divide the miles remaining by the days. My knee injury has slowed me down and required more ‘rest’ days. While I still have plenty of ‘time’ I began doing what I have leaned away from and thought about ‘planning’ 

I was trying to figure out if there was a way I could do the approximately 37 miles from Granon to Burgos in 2 days rather than three. It isn't just the miles, there are also two passes to climb and more problematic for my knee, to go down.

Then In Granon, I walked 1km off The Camino and found a sacred forest where the veil is very thin… A place that called to me. Alburgue de Carrasquedo, It felt very familiar. There I met a modern day Knight Templar (yes, they still tend The Camino) and an amazing man of the forest. 

One looked into my face, one looked into my soul.

There I also heard a sirens call: ‘Lets take the bus to Burgos, you can skip the passes, save your knee. There isn't much to see in the mountains and the walk into Burgos is all industrial anyway.’ 

I said ‘yes’.

And the ‘extra’ time meant, I could spend a day in the sacred forest and write, which I did.

Then my dreams began to follow a pattern… 
And the man who saw into my soul… With barely any English… Recognized me…
Then he asked me to sing… So I did.

The morning I was to walk to the town where I would catch a bus… 
In a rarely used cathedral to Mary (Maria)… 
In a sacred grove, much older than the church that stands in it…

Mary and I had a chat…

She gave me something… And I gave something to her…

Then I stepped out the door…
Said ‘no’ to the bus…
​And walked. 

I am now in Burgos. It did take me 3 days. 
I Blessed each step I almost did not take.

Mary Was...
Is  
Everywhere...

On the path I almost did not take

My day walking with mist and Hearts...

The Burgos Cathedral (Also a Mary Cathedral)

And…

I decided I will walk to Finisterre no matter how long it takes.
Plane tickets can be changed.
I am no longer counting days and miles left to walk.

And…

It is time to be quiet for awhile…
I have some Ghost Bridges to walk. 
I don’t know how long…
​Probably a couple weeks.

I will return to this blog… This/these stories will be told/shared….

Yet today… I choose to live them.

So Mote it Be…  
​