Pat Holland
Pilgrims are looking for change on their journeys, and coaching is ready to help them find it
What is it about the Camino de Santiago, the long walk in Spain along a medieval pilgrimage route, that has such an effect on those who take it? The pilgrimage, virtually dead in the 1960s, is thriving again, with huge economic, social, religious and personal significance. Every year up to 250,000 people walk along it. Many are unsure why. For every conventional Catholic there are several walkers seeking spiritual truth of some sort, solace for a loss, preparation for a change or a therapeutic space. For others it is a quiet space, beautiful churches, art – or maybe just the wine.
Just do it
As a coach I believe that coaching might clarify why someone walks across Spain, sleeping in unisex hostel dormitories among noisy strangers and eating basic foods.
I put this suggestion to an online Camino discussion forum. I received a definite answer: “No. You cannot prepare for the Camino”; “You don’t do the Camino, it does you.”
Nevertheless, much as I value the powerful simplicity of coaching in clarifying what is within us, my heart tells me that the pilgrims may be right. They may be expressing a deeper desire. If we let go of all responsibility and luggage, we can experience a childlike wonder, friendliness and passion. The last thing we want is to be brought back to adulthood, certainly before setting off.
Where to begin?
On the Camino, walking along the dusty tracks, coaching is hard. Everyone’s pace is different. Today’s good companion may drop back or stride ahead, never to be seen again. However, coaching techniques, the ability to listen without judgement, and to empathise, are helpful while many share their reasons for walking. As the pilgrims travel, they also move along their Camino of the mind.
At the end of the Camino, at the Cathedral in Santiago, or at Cape Finisterre, the alternative end for the unorthodox, there can be a sense of loss. They may get post-Camino blues and find it hard to re-adjust to the rush of modern life. Some deal with it by becoming serial pilgrims. Others keep the Camino dear in their heart. Some change their life.
Here coaching may help. It is said that the hardest Camino is the one you begin when you return home. Many realise how far they have wandered from their original ideals and values.
The magic of the Camino lies in the unexpected. The helping hand of a stranger, the calming silence of a small church, the realisation that the stones beneath your feet are Roman paving stones, worn smooth by millions before you.
A deeper silence
People come home different, changed by having the time and space to walk out their dilemmas, if they have any, or just to enjoy being and living in the richness of the moment.
So if the main value of the Camino is itself, then my job as a coach is to encourage those who wonder about it and perhaps coach those who want to change.
The Camino changed me. I now seek a deeper silence. My hill walking, my archaeology and my coaching skills are coming together in a new and unexpected way. As a coach I am ready to accompany those who want to change their way too.
Pat Holland is administrative officer, community and enterprise, at South Tipperary County Council
pathollandchange@gmail.com
Coaching at Work, Volume 6, Issue 5