Monday, July 12, 2010
Second print!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Just a few more opinions of the book ...
I have almost finished reading your book and as serendipity works, this year have had so many faces of the Camino shown to me. As in the books one chooses to read, there are always messages, lessons, reminders and indeed prompts to act, behave, do something in a particular way or in a given time frame. Your book in no different for me, even if it forces me to declutter the junk from my cupboards! Thanks for your words, and your appealing writing style -- C.C.
I so enjoyed your book. Knowing you and Terry made it so very special to be included in your thoughts. S.B.
"I keep wondering if I have stepped on a stone that you trod on, I admire you for walking during the winter months, a couple of cold wet days here is pas bon !!!! but I am enjoying every minute of my journey, I have you to thank xxx" C.E.
"Wat `n wonderbaarlike belewenis, die lees van die boek. Dit het vir my baie dinge in my eie gees laat oopgaan. baie dankie dat jy dit met ons gedeel het, dit was so `n vooreg om saammet jou die cmino te stap. Ek besef nou dat die verwerking van my seun se dood ook `n soort pelgrimstog is wat ek maar alleen stap en nie met ander kan deel nie. so nou en dan kom ek rakelings by iemand verby met wie ek iers kan deel. Baie dankie Wilna." -EB
Wow Wilna!!!!! wat 'n treffende boek !
Dankie tog dis naweek en ek kan sorgeloos klaar lees.
Elke aand as ek verder lees dan is ek so ge-inspireerd en wil sommer dadelik 'n epos stuur om te deel in hoe heerlik ek lees aan jou Way....Baie, baie dankie dat jy dit goed gedink het om jou gedagtes op skrif te stel. Ek geniet elke gedagte en is so bly om jou beter te leer ken daardeur. IA
The reason for trying to contact you is to report that I have finished reading 'The Way of Stars and Stones' and to say that I found it most interesting and enjoyable. I think that knowing the author made the experiences that you were describing so much more meaningful. Also having seen pilgrims making their way through Condom and the surrounding area means that we can picture people like some of those you met, although not in such extreme conditions as you sometimes described.
As I was reading the book at the same time of year as you had made your pilgrimage, I felt this also added to my experience as the story unfolded. It did take me a little less time to read it than your mammoth walk, even though I am a slow reader! I look forward to being able to hear at first hand a little more about some of the refugios, the range of characters you met, the deserted lands of northern Spain and the dogs and other animals you came across. JH
I think your book is wonderful and would love to talk with you about it one day. BL
Dear Wilna, Ordered and read your wonderful book twice, just in case I missed something first time.
Skipped the dog stories, though. Too heartbreaking.
When I was in S.A. in January I bought 5 copies to give to my sister and friends.
Skitterend! IM
A very special day! Thank you to each and every one of you!
-- the first few months' royalties from The Way of Stars and Stones - Thoughts on a pilgrimage,
--- as well as the proceeds of my personal sales of of the book, the fees for my talks and interviews over the last few months, and the sales of my photographs and paintings
-- and I was so happy to pay the sum of $2,150.00
into the Cancer Research Foundation account at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
This money represents YOUR contributions -- the money YOU spent on buying the book, buying the photos and paintings, coming to listen to me talk about the experience, making donations and supporting the project!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Buen Camino, Christine!
Some months back I was privileged to be asked to talk to an interest group here in the Dordogne about my Camino experience. One person in the audience, Christine, felt inspired enough to let me know, very son after, that she was going to walk the Camino as well.
And today, with such pleasure, I spent a couple of hours with her, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of chatting with someone who is about to embark on a life-changing experience.
Buen Camino, Christine! Hamba Kahle -- walk in peace, walk in joy, walk with the universe!
The universe is walking with me
In beauty it walks before me
In beauty it walks behind me
In beauty it walks below me
In beauty it walks above me
Beauty is on every side
As I walk, I walk with Beauty
And I hope the summer crowds have not yet all descended on The Way!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Breaking news :: The Pope in Santiago
Well, it is official. The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict will visit Santiago this Xacobean Holy Year. His Holiness will be in Compostela on November 6th. Reportedly the date was fixed, with great care, on a date when such eminent visit will cause less upheaval. There had been rumours that the Pope might visit Santiago in July or August, but at such time the Youth Congress is expected to bring at least 50,000 young pilgrims to Santiago, and the logistics for such huge undertaking have been under preparation for some time; so, all in all, November seems to be a wonderful solution.
It has been announced that King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia will personally welcome the Pope to Santiago when he goes to the city on November 6th. It is also likely that Prince Felipe and Princess Leticia will also be in attendance.
While the King and Queen are well liked and enthusiastically received wherever they go in Spain, the Prince and princess of Asturias have star magnetism and have a huge and enthusiastic following all over the country.
So, it looks like Santiago will rock on November 6th.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
And on Facebook ...
Christopher Benoit
I walked the Camino 5 yrs back and reading your book was like walking it again - only better. It evoked all the intense moments and experiences and thoughts. And that you donate all proceeds to cancer research - that is so cool! Thanks!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
In Die Volksblad
Verskeie hoofstukke, soos die een oor klippe, en ’n ander oor bagasie, is netjies gestruktureerde essays.
Wilkinson vertel goed en beskryf uitstekend. Sy beeld die kosmopolitiese pelgrims met hul eiesoortige dialoog asof op ’n immerbewegende verhoog voor die leser uit. Daar is die mooiste natuurbeskrywings en die interessantste pelgrimslegendes. Rillingwekkend vertel sy hoe sy en Akira, ’n reisgenoot, die duiwel ontmoet het. Dan weer hoe die heilige Jakobus self haar gehelp het.
Stoffel Cilliers, vryskutresensent vir die Volksblad
From Tonight, entertainment guide, Independent News and Media
READING MATTERS
Book review: The Way Of The Stars And Stones
November 26, 2009
By Kathleen Bartels
The Way Of The Stars And Stones: Thoughts On A Pilgrimage
by Wilna Wilkinson
Jacana R179
When a close friend on another continent is diagnosed with cancer, feelings of helplessness drive the author to seek out a challenge as daunting and overwhelming as the battle her friend is facing. She sets out on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known as The Way of St James, following an 800km pilgrimage route across the Pyrenees in northern Spain. Religious pilgrims have conquered it by foot (or perished trying) for more than 1 000 years.
Click here!
It is said every pilgrim carries some burden, and the Camino provides the ideal environment to find the answers within one's own heart and soul.
The night before she completes her two-month pilgrimage, the author receives the happy news that her friend has been declared cancer-free. There's nothing trite about it, though. Recommended. - Kathleen Bartels (A reprint from: Kathleen Bartels Reviews The Way of Stars and Stones by Wilna Wilkinson | BOOK SA - Reviews and also on Tweetmeme)
A stumbled-upon review -- on an Indian website!
Book: The Way Of Stars And Stones: Thoughts On A Pilgrimage
Overlapping history with personal observation, this inspirational memoir shares the experience of one woman during the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostella, an ancient journey of more than 500 miles through northern Spain. Introduced to fellow pilgrims along the way and learning of their inspirational stories, this thoughtful work is filled with commonsense advice and spiritual guidance as the winter blusters around the travelers on their path. Emotionally confronting the reality of a loved one being diagnosed with incurable cancer, the author generously shares her experience of deep thought, light humor, physical challenge, and learning how to cope with helplessness on this pilgrimage of the spirit.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
In the footsteps of pilgrims . . .
In an interview with Diane de Beer, Book Editor of the Pretoria News, way back in July 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting this delightful and talented woman, and telling her about a few of my experiences walking the Camino. However, it was only six months later that Diane got round to writing the review and article -- and it seems that sometimes it is worth waiting for something ...
This is what she wrote:
(Photograph by Nici Williams) * 22 Feb 2010* Pretoria News
* DIANE DE BEER
IF SOMEONE had told me I would enjoy a book about walking the 850km of the Camino, the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostella across northern Spain, I would have argued. Yet once I started reading Wilna Wilkinson’s The Way of Stars and Stones, I was captivated.
It has a lot to do with Wilkinson’s telling of her story and the way she describes the thought-processes along the way as well as the many encounters she has with fascinating like-minded souls – all doing the journey for their own reasons and attacking the marathon route in different ways and with individual intensity.
Wilkinson, a 58-year-old mother of three, moved with her family to London from South Africa a few years ago. But the children are all grown-up now and she has moved to France where she runs her own little guest house, something she loves with her whole heart.
Her world was turned upside down when a very close friend was diagnosed with cancer. Not knowing how to battle someone else’s pain or how to help her friend, she decided to make the pilgrimage in her honour.
“It’s a journey on which you have to look after yourself, make it work for you,” she says.
“It’s about finding the resources to complete what you started out to do – both mentally and physically.
“From the moment you wake up in the morning until the time the sun goes down, you have to put one foot in front of another.”
Everyone does it for different reasons. Many hope to find the answers to all their questions, others hope it will be a life-changing experience. “And not many realise that you probably have everything inside you that you’re looking for,” says the wise soul who walked more than a month to find her own way.
If you’re wondering, or if you have a yearning to do your own Camino, Wilkinson is no exercise junkie and she wasn’t particularly fit before she tackled what seems daunting to many – 850 km in tough terrain.
One of the things she realised was that her decision to do it on her own was a wise one. One man told her that he had to send his wife home, because she had wanted to quit and he wanted to go on. Her negativity became so dragging that he told her to leave. Even friends find it tough to go at the same pace and with the same mindset.
What Wilkinson did was to make friends along the way. She hooked up with three angels and they would bump into one another every few days or so and spend the night at the same stopover.
She did the walk in winter because she struggles less with cold than with heat. There are much fewer participants in winter.
She was not the kind of person anyone would have expected to do the pilgrimage. Spiritual rather than religious, she wasn’t driven by any fervour and she’s not really the physical type. It was also the first time she had committed to something that took her out of her sphere of competence.
In London she had become quite a powerful motivational speaker. At present her life is about running a luxury guest house. Neither of these would have prepared her for the arduous journey ahead.
That is what makes this such an intriguing book. It could be any of us taking that impossible walk in the freezing cold with no way out.
“It’s all about how you approach it,” she believes.
She describes the pilgrimage as an incredibly empowering experience. Having walked the walk, she believes she can do anything.
She didn’t get blisters, but she developed tendonitis, which became very painful. This taught her about the power of the mind, the importance of breathing and of being in the here and now every step of the way.
“It’s not the most amazing people who make it,” she says. “I did it.” This, she believes, is because of the mind and not the body.
“When you’re climbing that mountain, don’t look up. Stop and look back to see what you have already done.”
That’s exactly what she used to do. The one thing she allowed herself to bring was a camera, and every 10-15 minutes she would snap away at the route she had covered.
Wilkinson feels lucky that she had a reasonably “easy” time. The effect it’s had on her life is that she no longer has time for nonsense.
She views walking the Camino as the most selfish thing she has done, giving herself 50 days of freedom to do the pilgrimage.
“It’s a long time away from all your responsibilities. But once there, selfishness disappears. It’s about reaching out and different talents being used to make things easier for others en route.”
Finally, the most valuable lessons were picked up along the way. “It wasn’t about the final destination, it was about every day.”
It’s an amazing read even if you would never undertake a pilgrimage of this kind. It shows how one person copes with a trauma in her own life and how she decides to conquer her fears.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
It is not about the destination. It is about the journey...
On many of the Camino forums, pilgrims are talking about offering to volunteer during the very busy Holy Year this year. As a result of these discussions, an old thorn in many a pilgrim's flesh has been exposed once again -- the debate as to who is really a pilgrim. In The Way of Stars and Stones I wrote about the Peregrinos and the Tourigrinos -- the 'true pilgrims' and the rest.
On one of the Camino forums, a pilgrim writes the following: " As far as helping out in the Pilgrims' office for Compostela-granting purposes and such, I do not think that I could do it, particularly since someone mentioned that some pilgrims lie (about their intentions?) when they get a credential. I do not understand this at all.... what is the point of the pilgrimage then? How can one lie to oneself? But if this in fact happens for the purpose of getting a Compostela, might there not be another untruths about distances covered and means of locomotion, etc? With this in mind, I probably would not grant anything to anyone, so that sort of undertaking is definitely not for me."
Incredible, isn't it? That people will lie about how far they have walked? And yet, in my experience it happens all the time. Personally I have stopped asking people where they had started or how far they had walked or whether they had taken the bus over certain sections. The less you ask, the less temptation for them to lie -- and too many times have I -- inadvertently and unintentionally -- caught people out in their lies about the details of their own personal camino. Sadly they seem not to realise that the pilgrimage is not a contest and not a race. I have met pilgrims who had walked no more than 50 kilometres of the Way and who had more intense and life-changing experiences during that short time than many of those who had walked much further and much longer.
The Camino is like the pilgrimage through life -- it is not about the destination. It is about the journey.....
Monday, December 21, 2009
An interview with Leyla Giray, of Women on the Road
Please do go check the interview --- done by Leyla Giray, the publisher of Women on the Road and then have a look at the rest of her site -- it is a fascinating and lovely site that I am sure you will enjoy -- and where you will find some very useful and interesting titbits!
Wilna Wilkinson Travels Solo To Santiago
Many women travel the road to Santiago - known as El Camino - but not all do it alone. And few do it in winter. Wilna Wilkinson is such a woman, and Women on the Road wanted to know more, much more.Q: Wilna, you walked to Santiago on your own. Why did you choose to do that?
A: Can there be another way to walk a pilgrimage? If it had been a trek or a hike or a walk anywhere else, I can well imagine you would welcome the company. But a pilgrimage is in a sense a walking meditation - in this case an 850 kilometre meditation. To be completely alone for that length of time, to have time and space to think, to reflect, to meditate, is very much a luxury in this busy and demanding world we live in.
If you had the choice of walking alone or walking with a hundred people in your sights in front of you - the next person only ten metres ahead, and a hundred people fast approaching from the back - which would you choose? Think of the litter and the pollution. Think of the number of refuges and beds and having to queue up for shelter and for food. Think of the noise, the crowding, the invasion of your meditation and reflection time and space.
Q: You also did the Camino in winter. Is this to be encouraged?
A: Walking in winter is hard and there is a danger of slippery ice, hypothermia (a very real threat and not uncommon on the Camino), but for me it was no contest. There is extra hardship, but for me the heat and the crowds in summer would have been unbearable. The beauty of the pilgrimage route lies in its remoteness, its inaccessibility, its solitude. That is what makes it possible to think, to meditate, to be yourself without compromise, without any need to conform. None of that would be possible when there are hundreds of thousands of people crowding the pathway.
What advice you'd give a woman contemplating the Camino on her own?
The amazing explorer/mountain climber, Reinhold Messner explains how he managed to climb Mount Everest without any supplemental oxygen: there has to be complete acceptance of whatever will come your way - difficulties, pain, suffering, challenges, demands, physical and mental. Know that you have the resources you need within yourself. Discover those resources within yourself and believe that you will find them. Be ready for an emotional upheaval.
Q: What should a woman walking alone bring with her?
A: In winter, when there are days on end without another person in sight, a mobile phone. Leave it on silent mode so its ringing or vibration don't distract you. Don't let your 'real' life intrude on your pilgrimage, but keep your phone ready in case of emergency.
I didn't take any make-up or creams, but I did want a little luxury - a scrap of old silk, or a scarf, something colourful to sit on or use as a table cloth. A page of poetry, perhaps, something to make you smile. And yes - a couple of immodium (you can't walk with an upset tummy!) and some NOK cream to cover your feet every morning. I walked 850 kilometres and never had one single blister thanks to this excellent preventative measure!
Q: Tell me a little about your book, The Way of Stars and Stones, and why you wrote it...
A: How could I not write about this amazing experience? I dedicated my pilgrimage to a friend with cancer and found that the walk helped me tremendously to understand her pain. I share the many parallels between walking the pilgrimage and suffering from a terminal illness in my book. The Camino provides so many answers on how to cope - it gives insight, understanding - it empowers beyond words. I simply had to share that. And the most heartening thing to hear now is from dozens of people who have cancer and found that the book touched them deeply.
Q: How did the pilgrimage change you and how have you carried that change into your life now?
A: Apart from finally finding my faith, finding the meaning of it all, experiencing the energy from the earth, from creation, from nature? For years I've worked as a motivational speaker and as coach in life skills. I taught people "Don't sweat the small stuff", "If you can dream it you can do it", "The power of the mind", "The power of positive thinking" - all these slogans we live by. But this was the first time I actually lived those slogans and really understood their meaning. For the first time my belief was tested - it is 800km of meditation - you cannot come back unchanged.
Q: Do you http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifreally live in a French chateau?
A: Yes - I really live in a little fairy castle (originally built in 1269) that stands with its feet in the Dordogne river in south-west France. To pay the bills, I run the chateau during the summer as a Chambres d'hote - and love that I can share this most idyllic spot with people from all over the world.
I absolutely love living in countryside after having spent my entire life in big cities, eating only fresh produce grown within a radius of 50 kilometres. It has changed the way I eat, the way I cook. There is time to enjoy life and the world around me, time to be creative.
I coach and speak as far afield as Japan, Iceland, the USA, but I love coming home to my little village by the river!
Q: Where do you want to go next and why?
A: I would love to walk the Camino again - if my feet allow me. I would want to go walk the route of the 88 Buddhist temples of Shikoku in Japan. But that is in the future. For now, my next trip is in a couple of weeks to South Africa where I am going to organise a fairytale wedding for my beautiful daughter, in the bush, under a maroela tree.
***
Wilna Wilkinson's Camino blog is The Way of Stars and Stones, from which all the photographs on this page were borrowed. For a peek at her fairytale castle, read about The View from a Window of a French Chateau.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Not an uncommon comment!
Interesting how I, too, feel reluctant to read other people's accounts of their caminos. The experience was so intense to me, but reading about another's similar or
even different experiences, does not get me easily excited. Yet, every now and then I read another pilgrim's account of their own personal Camino and it grabs me by the heart and the soul, and I read it as if famished.So, I am not surprised when, every now and then, I come across someone who tells me that they have not read the book as it is not really 'their thing'. Makes sense -- not every book I pick up entices me to sit down and start reading either. But this then is a comment of just such a person -- and it is heartening to read!:
I'm off this week and started reading Wilna's book, almost finished and to my surprise loved it. Even though I am also spritiual rather than religious I just couldn't be excited about someone else's walk of the Camino. Amazed at my enjoyment. It is well written and very gripping, so especially as a sceptic, (me) it makes a good story.DB
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