This is not an organised tour, there will be no guide, no support team nor support vehicle, the people who live in the villages along the path have little or no understanding of English. The Camino Way is an ancient pilgrimage trail used for over 1000 years by thousands of people including St Francis of Assisi. It is said that the Camino – meaning the way or the path – lies directly under the Milky Way, following ley lines that reflect the energy from the stars shining above. The walk is challenging both physically and spiritually, and for those who complete it, their lives are changed forever, just as the lives of those who survive cancer are irrevocably altered.
For seven weeks, relying on their map and limited knowledge of Spanish, Sandra together with six others including her husband Ken, family and friends will trek 908 kilometers across the top of Spain, carrying their clothing and bedding on their backs as they traverse the challenging and demanding Camino terrain. Most nights they will be sleeping in ‘refugios’, with other pilgrims, in dormitory style accommodation, or if they are full, they will on their mats under the stars. Facilities along the way will be very basic and often will necessitate the taking of cold showers.
The walk will take them through tiny villages in the Pyrenees, through the unique Basque area,ancient forests, rolling farm country, picturesque wine regions, the desolate and horizonless landscape of the Meseta and then to the green landscapes of Galicia in Spain’s north-east with the sounds of the Gaita (bagpipe) and its haunting Celtic Influences. Sandra and team will walk a path that varies from an earthen track to cobblestone roads built in ancient times by the Romans, through fortressed towns and tiny villages, medieval monasteries and castles. This is quite a challenge for most, let alone for someone like Sandra who, following her bone marrow transplant just on three years ago, could barely walk twenty metres to the letterbox. This is truly a journey of the spirit.
Before leaving Australia, Sandra dedicated her pilgrimage to fellow cancer survivors by holding a ‘grief and loss’ healing ceremony. Sandra said, ‘I have found from first-hand experience that many who survive cancer (and often those close to them) either find it difficult to transcend, or are not given the opportunity to grieve the loss of what was and to move on. Most people assume that grief and loss comes only from the death of the physical body. I want to give myself and my fellow cancer survivors the opportunity to acknowledge our grief and loss for what it is and open the way for us to embrace our new lives.’
At the ‘ceremony’, participants recorded their feelings of grief and loss, writing down their ‘words of sorrow’ which were burnt. Sandra will carry these ashes with her on her pilgrimage.
Journey of the Spirit will commence in September this year in France at St John Pied de Port. This is the point where Sandra and her companions will climb and cross the Pyrenees into Spain. Crossing the Pyrenees is a gruelling experience, a climb of some 1500 metres, and a real challenge for most, let alone someone still suffering from the after-affects of cancer and its treatment regimes.
But this is only the start …
From here, after attending the Pilgrims’ Mass at Roncesvalles where the ‘words of sorrow’ will be blessed, Sandra and her companions will have a further 850 kilometres of physical and spiritual endurance ahead of them before arriving at their final destination, Cape Finnisterre (meaning the end of the world). It is here that Sandra will ‘let go’ and scatter the ashes from the ‘words of sorrow’ into the ocean.
Sandra’s companions together with those keeping a candle vigil back home in Australia, will be supporting Sandra as she endeavours to raise the awareness of the difficulties faced by those who are surviving cancer. It is an ongoing and ever transforming position.