I have often found my reading has a meandering nature leading places I did not know existed or could not have planned visiting. Recently whilst reading Pilgrimage - Adventures of the Spirit, I came across the following lines from the Spanish poet Machado.
I thought the fire was out
I stirred the ashes
And I burnt my fingers.
- Antonio Machado
I stirred the ashes
And I burnt my fingers.
- Antonio Machado
(photo: ravi bhavnani)Wanderer, your footsteps are
the road, and nothing more;
wanderer, there is no road,
the road is made by walking.
By walking one makes the road,
and upon glancing behind
one sees the path
that never will be trod again.
Wanderer, there is no road--
Only wakes upon the sea.
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
sino estelas en la mar.
- Antonio Machado, Proverbios y cantares XXIX" in Campos de Castilla.
the road, and nothing more;
wanderer, there is no road,
the road is made by walking.
By walking one makes the road,
and upon glancing behind
one sees the path
that never will be trod again.
Wanderer, there is no road--
Only wakes upon the sea.
Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
sino estelas en la mar.
- Antonio Machado, Proverbios y cantares XXIX" in Campos de Castilla.
(photo: boblycat)Although I am not Christian I would, one day, like to walk the Camino, to climb Croagh Patrick again, to visit Jerusalem and walk the stations of the cross. I would not expect to meet God along the way but I suspect I would learn more about my fellow man.
Meandering though it was, this post is done. Now let's go on.
For more information ...
antonio machado
pilgrimage - adventures of the spirit
3 comments:
While you often profess to be an unbeliever (as in unbeliever in organized religion, a God) , this post surely shows your deep personal spirituality, which is abundantly clear to anybody who meets you.
And it is all contained in the first line:
"Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more".
Indeed; by glancing behind, you will see the path, which can help you to the future.
Can we look forward? Yes, of course. However you may not see how the path lies. But you have to be aware that you are on the path. As your topic heading says - "the road is made for walking".
Just recoginize that you are on the road, as opposed to looking for a road to be on.
Without getting too heavy, here is where my mind is at currently at (i.e. for the last 5 years or so.)
This is what the heart says. Emotionally I am an atheist, I just don't believe there is something out there. Atheism states something about your state of belief.
This is what the head says. Intellectually I am an agnostic, this is a defensible position that reflect what I know. Agnosticism says something about your state of knowledge.
This is what the soul says. There is something more to us humans that the worlds of science or religion reveal. I try to discover that 'something more' through my reading and thinking. I am unsure what it is but I have resurrected the 'old idea' of the soul to describe it. I am still thinking about this, I expect I will be for at least the next decade or two!
What does your heart say, what does your head say, what does your soul say?
What do you understand by the word soul?
OK, all this stuff is out there. Do you want to walk the path?
I quote you "I just don't believe there is something out there." Of course you know what I'm gonna say.
Athiesm SmAtheism. I was one of those for ages but it was too much hard work. Like, being an atheist is fucking hard work.
Agnostic. Ok. I'm Jimmy Jones. I don't believe in your God
So that leaves us with spirituality. Spirituality is mostly influenced by upbringing/environment/parents. Unfortunately spirituality has been hijacked by religion, but fear not. Spirituality is after all only a word - a long word. Easy solution. Lets call it something else - gaia, chi. Seems less important now.
So climb Croagh Patrick, visit Jerusalem and walk the stations of the cross. But be assured, the only person you will meet will be yourself.
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