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“Man’s real home is not a house, but the Road, and that life itself is a journey to be walked on foot.” Bruce Chatwin
In late October 2020, I walked the Pilgrims’ Way from Southwark Cathedral in London to Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, 182 km/113 miles on foot, alone, carrying my own gear… during a global pandemic.
A Roman road 2000 years ago, the route became popular for pilgrims after the martyrdom of St Thomas a Becket on 29 December 1170 at the hands of four knights of King Henry II. In literature, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer follows a cast of colorful pilgrims on the way, and T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral dramatically captures the archbishop’s bloody end.
In this episode, published on the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom, I’ll share the personal side of my journey. I’ve written separately about the practical side of the pilgrimage with day by day photos here.
- Fernweh. Longing for escape.
- Why pilgrimage?
- Transience and permanence. Questions I asked myself on the way.
- “Stranger, pass by that which you do not love.”
- Pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone and tackling fear
- Give it time to settle. The lessons of pilgrimage may not be immediately obvious.
- The next step
[Read more…] about This Too Shall Pass. Thoughts From The Pilgrims’ Way With J.F. Penn