The Way

Watched the movie "The Way" last night and found it very inspiring. "The Way" is actually known as "The Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James." It is the route of a spiritual journey that pilgrims of all faiths and backgrounds have traversed for over a thousand years. "The Way" covers 800 kilometers that traverses an idyllic northern Spanish countryside. Shirley MacLaine wrote a book about it, entitled "The Camino." The movie's website is http://theway-themovie.com/index.php.

It is a journey of introspection and commitment. While there normally is a general purpose for traveling "The Way," it, nevertheless, helps one's internal growth and resolve. It is, as presented in the film, the difference between "the life we live and the life we choose.”

What impressed me about "The Way" is the similarity of our own, individual journeys. We may not be traversing the Pyrenees, but we are, nonetheless, journeying through life in an attempt to find an inner level of comfort or peace. Most of us live our lives to ensure livelihood, stability and comfort. Others travel the globe in search for adventure, purpose and inner peace. I believe that there is no right or wrong way to experience life, I believe the importance lies within self expression, who you are and what you're about. The great journey of self, is the journey within.

Whether you're a spiritual believer or not, we are all on a journey. The only difference being purpose and goals. Self expression is a good thing, as long as it does not become forcibly oppressive and demeaning. In one of my meditations, the message relayed was, "Express yourself, and you will know God." Be true to yourself and your truth will lead to a spiritual awakening. If not that, it will certainly lead to personal enlightenment. As we all journey through life along "The Way" we have chosen, give thanks for the experience, the adventure, the insight, and the purpose.

"Do you not realize that the hope of a better nation - or a better world - is bound up in the progress and enlightenment of the individual?" (The Urantia Book, P. 1630). And, "...when you once start out to find God, that is the conclusive proof that God has already found you." (The Urantia Book, p. 2078).

In our meditation room, I found a plaque and it simply stated, "Live each day for the journey, not the destination."

Namaste