Connection in the woods
Just in case you never heard it before, I hike, a lot. I love trekking and I'm often out for pilgrimages, looking for curiosities and great natural places.
But, in the last one I decided differently...
In fact, I decided to go for the Oropa Sanctuary in the Alps, called “the shrine between earth and sky” where one of the most important black Madonnas is kept.
From the site:
The Oropa Sanctuary is the most important and largest Sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary to be found in the Alps. It is located in a unique, natural and unspoilt setting at 1200 mt. a.m.s.l[...]
Keep in mind that I'm no believer although I truly appreciate sacred art, so unique, natural and unspoilt setting was what truly intrigued me about the Oropa Trail, specifically the Serra route.
What I will do instead is to describe my arrival at the sanctuary, after picking up one of the hardest route for the last mile, the real route that has been trodden by pilgrims since the IV century.
Coming out from the woods and gazing upon the sanctuary in the far distance was simply majestic. I then approached the main building, the upper basilica, and walked through the sacred yard. After entering, looking at the ceiling, with the dome towering at 80 meters high, passing near the humongous marble columns and finally resting my eyes at the black Madonna left me struck with my mouth open.
And, I felt something.
Yes, you read that correctly, I felt something. It was not a calling, it was not my name whispered into my ears with a harp gently played and definitely wasn't another pilgrim bumping into my backpack.
What it was was a connection. A connection spanning several centuries in the past, with all the pilgrims that passed through that trail, with their burdens, in search for something more. I wrote above that I'm no believer but I need to clarify that what I don't really believe in are cults; I do believe in a force above us that could be defined as an “natural equilibrium” (mind, not Karma).
Anyway, believer or non believer, worshipping this or that god or just waiting for the natural equilibrium to kick in, we are all the same, we are all connected.
We're all wanderers in the dark, looking for a light to brigthen up our life.
And since we're all the same, we might as well be that light to each other (starting being kind, like stated in the gentle wolf and the angry wolf recent post)
In case you might be interested in watching some photos from my journey, here's a link
The journey into the adult life is basically moving on uncharted areas of the map. And there, there be dragons.
Alex