Having a conscious intention is part of what sets a pilgrimage apart from ordinary life. It is about making a journey for a purpose, even if that purpose is not fully clear. In fact, walking the Camino with a question can be a powerful intention. I have also found that the process of discovering and clarifying purpose was important preparatory work for my pilgrimage.
Last year, my intention was to learn to be open and accepting of whatever life had to offer and to learn to flow with what wants to happen. The Camino provided multiple opportunities to practice this and to learn lessons that continue to guide me. This intention to live life with more openness and acceptance and flow continues to be my intention in my life journey.
This year, I am starting the Camino with an additional, more specific purpose and intention. This time I want to integrate my work – coaching and hosting – with my pilgrimage. I want to develop an ability to integrate contemplative practice with work in the world. I am walking to explore the possibility of hosting other people on their contemplative journeys. Along the way, I intend to make time to stay connected with coaching clients and with hosting teams in preparation for up-coming trainings. It doesn’t feel like I have the luxury of being as disconnected from the rest of the world this time. So I am carrying my laptop and will be discovering how to connect with the “outside world” from the Camino.
Will I be able to let go of these responsibilities and concerns while I am walking? Will I be able to find the time and connectivity to be fully present in my work when those times come? Will I be able to relate to the the Camino and to other people as a fellow pilgrim or will I allow my focus on information gathering and design to remove me from the immediacy of my pilgrimage? These are the questions that I expect to be living with and learning from over the next few weeks. One of the beauties of pilgrimage as a practice is that it is also a microcosm of life. Whatever I practice and learn on this pilgrimage about integrating contemplation and action will shape my capacity for this integration in the rest of my life.
So, as I prepare to begin the walk, I want to restate my intention for this pilgrimage. I intend to be present to the integration of work and reflection in my life, to learn the skills and practices to flow between these two experiences and to be fully present in whichever one I am in. I am holding the image of the tides flowing in with power and clarity and flowing out with equal power and clarity.
One other thing that am learning about intention is that it is different from a resolution or an expectation. My experience with making resolutions or grand designs for self improvement is that they don’t work. I would begin with lots of enthusiasm but quickly run out of gas. I would get discouraged and focus upon my failures and mentally beat myself up. Before long, I would give up the project all together.
My experience with intentions is that I can hold them differently – more as a compass setting for where I am headed than as an expectation or obligation. When I find myself falling short of my intention, I can gently remind myself that this is a learning process and, like returning to my breath in meditation, I can begin again to realign myself with my intention. As I experience little successes, I savor them and cultivate a sense of generosity for myself and for what I am learning. In this way, with patience and gentleness, I am finding that my mental backpack is lighter and my journey is easier and more joyful and I experience progress toward my intention.
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