With just three short weeks until we're in Wales, many of us are in the midst of external preparations for the journey-- making travel arrangements and to do lists, checking weather forecasts, and thinking about what to pack. During the past three months, however, we've also been making internal preparations for the pilgrimage, tilling the soil of our souls, so to speak, to begin to create fertile ground in which the experiences and encounters may take root.
For those who are new to the journey and for those who have been along since the beginning, here's a recap of what has been discussed so far . . .
Excerpt from Message #1 from February 14, 2013
Greetings fellow pilgrims!
Since today is Valentine's Day, I wanted to share with you a recent story from the BBC about St. Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers. For the past year, archaeologists have been working on restoring part of the church on Ynys Llandwyn (the island of Dwynwen's church), one of the sites we'll be visiting on our pilgrimage. You can watch a brief video describing the project here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
Legend has it that pilgrims would visit the island's church and holy well with the intention of praying for their romantic destiny. If a couple visited the well and the fish were particularly frisky that day, it was seen as a good omen for the relationship.
Like the lovers who visited Llandwyn all those centuries ago, we each embark upon this pilgrimage with our own prayers and hopes for the journey. During the upcoming weeks I invite you to take some time to reflect upon the intentions you are bringing with you on the pilgrimage. Some of these may be clear to you already, while others may be a bit murky and need some time to settle before they become apparent. And some may take you by surprise as you're gazing into a holy well in Wales . . .
Legend has it that pilgrims would visit the island's church and holy well with the intention of praying for their romantic destiny. If a couple visited the well and the fish were particularly frisky that day, it was seen as a good omen for the relationship.
Like the lovers who visited Llandwyn all those centuries ago, we each embark upon this pilgrimage with our own prayers and hopes for the journey. During the upcoming weeks I invite you to take some time to reflect upon the intentions you are bringing with you on the pilgrimage. Some of these may be clear to you already, while others may be a bit murky and need some time to settle before they become apparent. And some may take you by surprise as you're gazing into a holy well in Wales . . .
Excerpt from Message #2 from March 17, 2013
My mind is set on a journey,
My intent is to put to sea.A beneficial plan, a gift it will be.
My mind is set on a plan,
My intent is to put to sea.A beneficial plan, O Lord, it will be.
(Excerpt from a Welsh prayer from the Middle Ages)
Greetings pilgrims!
I wanted to touch base and send you a Celtic pilgrimage blessing on this St. Patrick's Day as we continue to prepare for our journey together.
Of course, in a way our pilgrimage has already started. Like the traveler in the poem above, we have set our minds on a journey. Beneficial plans are being made . . . for taking time off from our daily responsibilities of work and family, for travel to the UK, for planning what to pack for our journey. Tiffany will be in touch in the next couple weeks with an e-mail about some of these practicalities so stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, you may have started to think about your intentions for this pilgrimage as well. You may be wondering what gifts the journey has in store for you . . . and what gifts you may bring to the community of pilgrims. Although it may not seem like it at this point in time as we are spread across the country (24 pilgrims signed up so far, we only have one more space open!), we are a community of pilgrims. The Welsh word for Wales, Cymru, means compatriots or fellow countrymen. By the end of our journey, we will truly be Cymry, companions.
Excerpt from Message #3 from April 14, 2013
Hello good pilgrims!
Last week about half of our group gathered in the Cathedral Library for a brief time of introductions, conversation, questions, and of course, good strong cups of tea! One theme that repeatedly came up in our conversation was that of longing . . . longing for a sense of rootedness, longing for ancient sacred places, longing to connect with the river of Celtic spiritual tradition, longing for renewed and deeper community.
The Welsh have a word for a particular kind of longing, hiraeth. Hiraeth is the longing for a landscape, place, time, relationships that are, in a way, just out of our reach, lingering in our memories or on the fringes of our dreams. To read a lovely essay on the subject of hiraeth, you can check out this essay from The Paris Review: http://www.theparisreview.org/
So my question in this email is to echo the question that Tiffany asked those who were gathered last week, "What are you longing for?" Something to consider and hold as we continue to prepare for our journey.
The Welsh have a word for a particular kind of longing, hiraeth. Hiraeth is the longing for a landscape, place, time, relationships that are, in a way, just out of our reach, lingering in our memories or on the fringes of our dreams. To read a lovely essay on the subject of hiraeth, you can check out this essay from The Paris Review: http://www.theparisreview.org/
So my question in this email is to echo the question that Tiffany asked those who were gathered last week, "What are you longing for?" Something to consider and hold as we continue to prepare for our journey.
