Rock Cairns

[Andrea Innes-Michailov]

This is so important.  I have had a hard time explaining to others, let
alone myself WHY I need to do this pilgrimage.  Your news about the cairns
put it in perspective for me.  I need to make this pilgrimage to leave my
sorrows behind.  What a beautiful thing, what a hopeful thing.  Thank you
for sharing that special piece.

By the way, "cairn" (I believe) is a gaelic word.  Can anyone say what it
means? (probably means "pile or something)...I happen to live in Kearny, NJ
which was a scottish settlement years ago.  Kearny and cairn are certainly
related somehow.  Perhaps that is not a coincidence either!

Andrea

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage [mailto:GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU]On
> Behalf Of Sue Kenney
> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 12:40 PM
> To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
> Subject: Rock Cairns
>
>
> Wondering if anyone can enlighten me about the significance and history
> of the rock cairns along the Camino. I was told these stones were
> sometimes referred to as "sorrow stones. At the monestary in Samos, the
> Mother Superior told us to carry a stone and place your anger or fear
> "into" a stone.  The same can be done by putting your sorrow "into" a
> stone. The stone is then placed on a rock cairn,  with the intent that
> you leave some of your sorrow behind.
>
> I was so impressed by this idea that each day I left a little of my
> sorrow on the Camino, as well as a little of the sorrow of many people
> in my life. After 29 days of this, I didn't have a lot of sorrow left to
> deal with when I came home. Upon my return I told my friends and family
> what I had done for them. I noticed they began to believe that some of
> their sorrow was gone, left on the Camino. What a wonderful gift.
>
> It's my understanding the Inuits and the Vikings had a similar ritual.
>
> If anyone can help me to understand more about this I would be very
> grateful.
>
> Sue
>