Just a small town girl, living in a... fearless world! She took the midnight train goin´ anywhere... I actually took my car, not a train, on a bright windy January morning and went with my niece on a journey to Santiago de Compostela, Muxía and finally to Cape Fisterra. Roman conquerors, who named this place in the last known corner of their Empire and one of the westernmost points of continental Europe finis terrae, believed this to be the End of the World. It was also the chosen final destination for this pilgrimage on wheels of the Camino de Santiago I had begun in Germany (see part I of this blog), to the place I am originally from. I was excited for more adventures, eager to soak in the beauty of cities and landscapes I had seen and been to many times before in a dormant state of the soul, and grateful for the privilege of the whole experience. As Max Planck revealed: "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." The Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS) brought me an evolved consciousness that was materializing now in seeking opportunities to follow my expanded heart´s desire for nature, nothing less than looking forward to connecting with the Divine.
Streets of faith: a sign with multiple pilgrimage routes through the Iberian Peninsula I found in Muxía. In red, my start and destinations.
First stop on the Journey was the city of Santiago de Compostela and its majestic Cathedral, the official final destination of the Camino and the burial place of James the Apostle’s relics according to tradition. I used to live here during my college years. After brain retraining, it was like seeing everything for the first time. There were hidden treasures everywhere, the grey ancient stones of houses on narrow streets reflecting the light. Once inside the Cathedral, I mindfully tasted and rejoiced in my newly gained inner freedom amongst legendary walls built to last forever, while sending blessings to Annie Hopper (the founder of DNRS) and to myself, for being brave, disciplined and for never stopping believing. Staring in awe at the golden altar framing the gentle figure of the Apostle, the sound of the organ music playing sculpted this victory in my brain to be remembered in my personal history book of neuroplasticity.
Standing tall and strong: Delighted to meet this tree with the City of Santiago and the Cathedral on the background.
My journey continued to mystical destinations. There are two other places that have been attracting pilgrims since the medieval origins of the Santiago Route due to their religious and mythical significance.
The Sanctuary of the Virxe da Barca (Lady of the Boat) in Muxía lies on the coast. This rocky little peninsula with a robust church facing the Atlantic Ocean enticed me. It is known for a very special ritual involving a big rock almost hovering in the air to be passed under, the Kidney Stone, which is thought to have healing properties and to call on solidarity. Rocks, as well as mountains, were always a big inspiration in my retraining. Who would have thought? Not me. Whenever I needed to, I used to see myself solid as a rock. Now it was time to honour this inspiration by crawling under the Kidney Stone in gratitude and making a wish, turning this tradition into my very own. During the process, I was repeating to myself “fear out, fear out…” It was liberating and purifying. Never underestimate a beautiful ritual to solidify the new neural pathways in the brain.
"Ain´t no stone low enough!" Lean on me: I hear you.
The Lady and the Sea: Church of the Virxe da Barca.
Cape Fisterra is located on a little rocky mountain that due to its elongated shape had always reminded me of a finger pointing towards America. In fact, an imaginary straight line would find its end in New York City. The End of the World for the Romans was my land and sea of hopes and dreams that I had revisited so many times in my memories, and the magnetic attraction I had always felt for it grew to reach epic proportions. Here I experienced the Power of Nature in conjunction with brain rewiring: it anchored me in the healing essence and beauty of what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the Heart of Reality. I explored the terrain with eyes of joy and didn’t leave any stone untouched. While allowing the incipient sundown to bathe me in its light and focused on the vastness of the ocean turned into a blue crystal, for a moment, I saw only a sea of possibilities.
Nice to meet you! The best is yet to come
Driving back home, not sure if our GPS was guiding us in the right direction, my 19-year-old niece said to me: “Verónica, trust the process”. I always have and I always will. Don´t stop believin´. Thank you Journey.
The Natural Brain: Focused in the Healing Power of the Natural World
and (Re-)discovering Nature with new
eyes.
Next Edition: February
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