Rock Cairns

[Andrea Innes-Michailov]

wow, that is even more inspiring!!!!  I guess the camino is a magical tour
of ourselves, letting go of our sorrows and finding our own power.
Fabulous, I must go!
Andrea

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage [mailto:GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU]On
> Behalf Of Sue Kenney
> Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2002 1:04 PM
> To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
> Subject: Re: Rock Cairns
>
>
> Andrea,
>
> I am pleased that you have been inspired by my story.
>
> There is a great deal of power in stones. I left hundreds of stones on the
> Camino, but there was one stone I felt compelled to bring home
> with me. For
> most of the pilgrimage, I had an injured knee and felt that the
> weight of my
> backback was hindering my ablilty to cope with this setback. A
> fellow pilgrim
> told me to think about putting the weight of my backpack into the
> stone. I was
> desperate to try anything. Soon, the load mysteriously lightened and to my
> amazement my knee "healed". That stone is on the night table
> beside my bed so
> at the end of each day I am reminded of my own ablility to create and open
> possibilities in my life.
>
> Buen Camino,
>
> Sue
>
> Andrea Innes-Michailov wrote:
>
> > 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
> > >
>