Self Discovery

I left you behind
to find out about myself
found you in me too

Kim M. Russell, 2017

My response to Carpe Diem #1122 leaving all behind

This month we are on the Road to Santiago guided by Petrus and the novel The Pilgrmage by Paulo Coelho. After Paulo has learned the ’Seed Exercise’, he and Petrus walk for seven days and every day Paulo does the ;Seed Exercise’, after which he finally becomes one with the exercise and does it on automatic pilot – it has become part of him. This is when his spiritual growth starts.

When Paulo asks Petrus why he has left all his own projects behind to be his guide on the Road to Santiago in the quest for his sword, Petrus answers:

‘When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don’t even understand the language the people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in difficult situations. And you accept any small favor from the gods with great delight, as if it were an episode you would remember for the rest of your life.
At the same time, since all things are new, you see only the beauty in them, and you feel happy to be alive. That’s why a religious pilgrimage has always been one of the most objective ways of achieving insight. The word peccadillo, which means a “small sin,” comes from pecus, which means “defective foot,” a foot that is incapable of walking a road. The way to correct the peccadillo is always to walk forward, adapting oneself to new situations and receiving in return all of the thousands of blessings that life generously offers to those who seek them.
So why would you think that I might be worried about a half-dozen projects that I left behind in order to be here with you?’ (Source: The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho)

reborn again
leaving all behind
first spring day

© Chèvrefeuille