The moment that I experienced a longing to know myself, to find answers, to seek truth, I began to walk the path of spiritual development – the path back to my Self. This necessity was an unconquerable urge, a devotion to discovering who I was, wishing to hear the voice of my heart and soul.
There were many milestones along the path to my Self, one of which was walking the pilgrimage in Spain – Camino de Santiago de Compostela. This was the path where Saint Jakob walked, taught and created miracles. This path stretched 500 miles, ending in Santiago de Compostela where Saint Jakob’s tomb is located. It has been a pilgrimage route since the 14th century and is said to follow the Мilky Way trajectory on the Earth.
El Camino, The Way, is an astounding place of a very special energy, of beauty and power. As I walked The Way, I was beginning to feel that nothing could stop me from walking forward, and that there was no going back. I walked with the bare minimum that fit into a small backpack, realizing how little was necessary. There was a feeling of total freedom and an intimate connection with the soul, the higher self, God, Cosmos.
I walked El Camino ten years ago. I was not physically ready and walked very slowly. Everything was very hard, bleeding blisters on both feet, knee pain and back pain from the backpack. Sometimes, I had to walk all day soaking wet as it poured from the skies. Each day, on the verge of exhaustion, I walked a little further than the day before. Sometimes it seemed that I would not make it to the next dormitory and had to surrender to the fear, but continued to walk anyway as there was no going back. In my prayers, I only asked for strength to complete the pilgrimage. No matter how difficult, painful or unbearable, I carried a relentless desire to walk to the end, to change myself, to change my life and make it conscious. Step after step, I walked on the path to my Self regardless of the circumstances, occasionally allowing myself to cry and sing when days got particularly challenging. Step after step, I lived the death of my settled down, habitual life, and time after time, I arose as Phoenix from the ashes.
Having walked many steps on the path to myself, it was only natural that my inner work would progress into helping people to walk this difficult path or to embark on it for the first time. This is why I named my practice, “Camino Wellness Center.” We are all on the Camino, on the path to oneself, to the real Self. This return to who we really are is the essence of healing.
~ Nataliya