The Camino de Santiago generates more and more interest among people over time, due to announcements, associations and articles. With that perspective in mind, the international bestseller written by Paulo Coelho serves a worthwhile purpose for readers. Discovering what the pilgrimage meant to the Brazilian author is a stimulating experience in itself, which can only be felt if you read the book The Pilgrimage yourself.
union of souls
The Pilgrimage (the book) begins with a discussion of the religious and historical context of the Camino de Santiago, comparing it to the other Christian pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem. When all the people walk the same path, there is something that results from the communion of souls. Paulo Coelho admits that the pilgrimage was an effort to find himself there. The Pilgrimage is a virtual diary of the soul of Paulo Coelho, in which he is genuinely worried about leaving his business, and he was also apprehensive when he was about to start his pilgrimage in France.
born again
He vividly recounts the first night when he experienced sensations never experienced before, and subsequent nights when he cried with joy. Throughout his pilgrimage, Paulo Coelho was accompanied by a guide who described why the journey would be transformative for him. The guide explained that the trip was almost like a rebirth, since the pilgrims encountered new situations every day, most of the time they did not even understand the language that was spoken around them. So, in a way, they were all like children who had just been born.
reservations disappear
The reservations that people have towards each other disappear as many of them may end up helping each other. Even small favors from God are accepted with grace, because everything is new and that’s why they seem beautiful. That is why one needs to undertake a religious pilgrimage, if only to achieve a new outlook on life.
A pilgrimage for all
The guide also taught Paulo Coelho RAM exercises so that the qualities of Adoration, Rigor and Mercy could be cultivated in Paulo Coelho. The author was firmly convinced that the trip was for all ordinary people. The guide said that everything Paulo Coelho was taught only made sense if it was applied in real life.
Same trip, different religious groups
Although the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is carried out with different religious groups, they all have their own way of teaching things to their disciples. Paulo Coelho has been ordained in the Order of RAM, which is a bit mysterious and esoteric compared to other groups. There are secret meetings in the group and people tell each other passwords before chatting. They also fight against a dog that is the symbol of evil. Paulo Coelho conveys some serious insights and lessons; the only problem is that they come with a different religion that people are not really familiar with.
