"Sorrow Stones" as Camino Intentions

"It is said if you pick up a stone and put your sorrow into it, when you place the stone down you leave some of your sorrow behind." 

From the book My Camino

by Sue Kenney

The Caminio has given me so much to be grateful for that I like to give something back to it each time I walk. Before I begin a group journey I make an offer to family, friends and even strangers by email and social media by asking to receive an intention from them. It could be for themselves, another person or for the world. 

For each request I receive I pick up a different stone. I put their intention into it by gripping the stone while I walk and then shift the thought to the stone. When the time feels right, I let it go by setting it back down on the path as a way to give it over to the Camino with the confidence and trust it will be received. 

Some of the stones are small and some are big. It doesn't really matter. I just look for the one that is calling to me. Stone is the slowest moving organism on our planet, and by virtue of that, they are alive and so I listen to them. 

There are rock cairns all along the Camino Frances path and as you can see by the picture, pilgrims leave all sorts of odd items like a pair of boots with the toes cut out! There must be a story behind those shoes!

I received requests from pilgrims who wanted to offer peace, healing and love to other pilgrims. One person was under a lot of stress and wanted help to let it go. Another person lost their Mother and asked for help dealing with the grief. 

And there was a request to help people realize their own dreams no matter where they come from, trouble pasts, abusive families etc to change peoples lives! How noble are these requests? Yet another wanted to offer loving support to their son. A fellow pilgrim offered their Intention to release all that is not serving their highest good and find more joy and fun in life.

Along with 50 or so intentions I also received this beautiful prayer of intention from Laure, a woman who would like to walk the Camino one day. This is a special gift and I am humbled to receive this gift.  Muchas gracias.  

"I will meditate and pray:

-for your feet to be safe and healthy, 

-for your legs and hips to support your and carry you gracefully along the Camino, 

-for your eyes to see the beauty of the people you meet and landscapes you traverse, 

-for your ears to hear the wind, the birds and inspiring stories of pilgrims, 

-for your nose to smell the morning coffee, lavender and rosemary bushes, the sunflower fields, the fresh scent of soap and cooked food at the end of a long day, 

-for your mouth and tongue to taste the delights of tapas, wine and tarta de Santiago, 

-for your skin to feel the kisses of the sun, the caresses of the winds, the gentle embrace of comfortable clothing and soothing hug of warm showers, 

-for your third eye to sense all it is you need to sense, and 

-for your heart to love, open and receive."

Many thanks. 

A very special woman wrote about seeing me on Breakfast Television inToronto years ago. "I have followed you since I woke up watching a TV show while going through cancer treatment 7 years ago and you were talking about the Camino.  The TV was on channel 9 which I rarely watch, and I sat bolt upright and knew I was meant to hear your story." She asked to learn the lesson of forgiveness and: May all people see animals as souls to be treated with kindness instead of items to be used and abused."

Several people asked for help for teenagers who were struggling with drugs or emotional difficulties. 

Each day the first stone is for me, then my children and my Mother, then my sisters and brother and them my friends. I continue to pick up stones along the way in my life offering peace, happiness and love to all sentient beings in the world. It is my Camino gift to you. 

Love and light. 

Suseya!

Sue Kenney

@barebottomshoes

www.suekenney.ca

The next group Camino is in October 2015. We will offer backpack service and all accommodation is booked. Details will be on the website but feel free to email mycamino ook@gmail.com

Day 4 Love on Cebreiro

One of my favourite places to stay on the Camino is Fonfria. Angela, the owner is in my documentary film, Las Peregrinas. She was a brand new business women at that time and has just opened her Albergue Reboleira. 

Cebreiro is very special to me. It was on this mountain that I experienced a profound shift in my ability to connect with universal love. I tell the story of My Miracle on Cebreiro in the book My Camino. I especially love walking this mountain barefoot which I did most of the day. 

For several years I have brought sacred sage with me so that I can offer to do a smudge on the mountain for the pilgrims in my group. This day, the group gathered in a circle to protect me as I struggled a bit trying to light the safe in the wind. Once we got it lot, I blew the flame out so the smoke could be used to smudge. 

I explained that the group should face the east, just as the sun was rising, and once they had been smudged it would be a good time to thank the Creator by saying Miigwech Creator. This was taught to me my Sherry Lawson, a dear friend who is from an Ojibway First Nations Tribe in Camada. The ritual was truly a precious moment for all. Miigwech Creator.  

Today I met a pilgrim on her second Camino, named Inge from Belgium. She found my bookmark for My Camino at an Albergue last year. She contacted me to find out how to lead a group and asked if I could agree with her. She has a beautiful group of women walking with her. What a delight it was to meer her at the Albergue in Fronfria that day. 

Throughout the day i walked barefoot as much as I could. I was feeling a lot of pain from a split in my skin that had got infected. One of the pilgrims Jan suggested I try her Oil of Oregano and I did. That day I placed Sorrow Stones for my family and friends. I also left 5 intentions from the list of requests I had. 

The weather was warm and the smell of cow dung permeated everything. Fortunately, I no longer find it to be repulsive. Instead the smell brings back good memories of walking the Camino. And following yellow arrows reminds me of my first Camino in the winter of 2001. 

Mireya!

Sue 

@barebottomshoes

My Camino Book

www.suekenney.ca

Day 2 Barefooting a Bit

Today we walked from Cacabelos to Trabadelo. We stopped for the best Cafe con Leche at Arroyo. I met Victor, the owner a few years ago when he worked at the Albergue next it the church in Cacabelos. He drove our group to his restaurant and we had the most amazing meal. He is now building his own Albergue which should be finished in September. He is only 2 kms from Cacabelos. I recommend you check it out if you are on the Camino Frances after September 2015. 

I find I am still getting used to the terrain and wear my Demi-soled Barebottoms a lot. They give me the same feeling as being barefoot, only the ball of my foot is protected. I had the design in my mind for about a year. It was only because I got a very bad infection in a cut on the sole of my foot, that I made them for the Camino. I didn't think I would be able to walk barefoot at all. Thanks to this design  I'm getting all the benefits of being barefoot, with some protection. They are made of neoprene with a thick leather demi-sole that only covers the ball of the foot. This is the part of the foot that takes the most wear when Barefooting since we tend to have a mid-foot strike. The heels and toes are still bare. They are a perfect shoe to introduce people to Barefooting or for experienced walkers and runners who need some coverage die to long distance Barefooting. 

They also fit under my minimalist shoes and ask as a 'sock' that keeps my feet in place so they don't move around, creating friction and possible blisters. 

I ended up doing about 5kms barefoot today. Many people are curious about why I am waking barefoot. It's a great opportunity to introduce others to it. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Camino Sue

@barebottomshoes

Blogging Barefoot on the Camino

In a few days leave for Spain to guide a group of new Camino pilgrims on the way. We will be covering 225kms over 11 days with a group of 9 pilgrims. Each person has come to the group in a different way and after 5 conference calls together, we have bonded closely. The excitement, anticipation and sheer joy of spending time in nature on a medieval pilgrimage following the footsteps of millions gets my adrenaline  going. I love the thrill of living a simple life, carrying a backpack and just walking everyday. To be honest though, there is always a little fear thrown in, even as a seasoned pilgrim I never know what the Camino has in store for my group or for me.

My plan is to blog about the experiences, the people we meet, the trials and tribulations and maybe a bit about the thoughts that go through my mind as I walk the Camino for the 11th time. I will be barefoot, in minimalist shoes when needed and of course, I will wear my own design Barebottom Shoes. This adds another element of experience as the 7000 sensory nerve endings in the soles of my feet take in the terrain, temperature, and all the ground I step on. They send feedback to my central nervous system, via my brain, to commission my body to adapt to every situation. It's truly a visceral way to connect with the path and nature too.

My Offer: I'm walking the Camino for YOU!

The first time I walked the Camino (in boots) I learned that I could put my sorrow and the sorrow of others into a stone and set it down on the Camino. The story profoundly changed the way I deal with what happens in my life (and in the world) and became a ritual I perform everyday on the Camino as a way to let go of the things I cannot control. Here is a short video of the Sorrow Stone story produced by Bookshorts. My offer to you is to carry your personal intentions along the Camino. All you have to do is send me a message, a comment here, an email, or PM with an intention for yourself, a family member, a friend or for the world. It could be the intention of world peace, health, happiness...whatever calls to you. I promise to spend time on my journey walking with your personal intention, that I will put into a stone that I pick up along the way. Then, when the time feels right, I will set the stone down on the Camino path. With great honour, I will let the intention go out to the world, as if it is so. I am grateful for your request.

After I walked the Camino in the reverse direction in 2009, al contrario, it became absolulely clear to me that I no longer walk the Camino for myself, I walk for the WORLD, so please know that I am walking for YOU. 

Buen Camino! 

Sue 

www.suekenney.ca

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