adios, hasta luego

this will be the last post from this camino.

as i am leaving santiago and travelling back to berlin, i am filled with emotions, partially contradictory ones. empty and full at the same time. but i am. for that i am grateful. the camino has already given me so much. and it will continue.

what have i learned?

inner peace, contentment, comes not from aggressively trying to control the external world, but from a quiet, attentive surrender to the present moment.

we are all interconnected, evolving in a continuous, fluid process of becoming.

by accepting our beautifully flawed nature, knowing that because somos humanos, we will inevitably make mistakes that cause hurt, we must continually try to cultivate yoyu (an abundance of heart), ultimately walking the ongoing camino de la vida not with a restless search for answers, but with attentive waiting for whatever life naturally reveals.

we possess only a fragment of time to be alive, now. to be free, we need to break free from societal expectations. that freedom is in ourselves. we have to take it.

contentment also means making space in the soul for all emotions, including sadness, loss, and emptiness. we need space for it. spacetime. flow.

introspection, this observation of ones own soul in all its complexity, colours, light and dark, wonders, harmonies, disharmonies, stained, bruised and scarred from experiences, memories, the interconnectedness with other souls, is ultimately a path towards becoming a more empathetic social being.

i learned, that this habitual process of trying to be present, of observing with all senses, not actively thinking, but just absorbing what is, then writing notes, taking photographs, reviewing them, reliving the feelings in the moments experienced, helps me to uncover things about myself that i long thought were dealt with. they never are, but they are fuel that can be used. i discovered that i like writing and i will do more of it.

in regards to being a more empathetic social being, my focus will be on finding those projects that have positive impact on others, at least on some level. at minimum aestetically, poetically, spiritually, but hopefully also practically.

any questions - you are here, so you know where to find me.