@brittarnhild
For two days I´ve been up in the mountains, doing a pilgrimage with my colleagues. Two days with rain and sun, with talking and silence. Surrounded by nature.
Walking together. Talking together.
A good way to learn to know each other in a new way.
One day with rain,
the next in the sun.
That´s life, isn´t it?
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
A pilgrimage is said to have three steps.
The breakup, the road, the goal.
The pilgrimage priest, a deacon and I invited to a pilgrimage.
We walked out with the Santa Birgitta prayer - God, show me the way and make me willing to walk it!
Along the road we had several stops.
here the deacon show us a sign on a house wall which tells about "aunt Kikki" who came here in 19191 and spent all her life working with children in this poor area of Trondheim.
At Svartla´mon, the poorest working class area, the inhabitants had a terrible hard time during WWII. But then Russian war prisoners passed by every day on their way to work on a submarin bunker, they managed to sneak food to them under the fence. As a thank for this, some prisoners made gifts for the locals.
We talked about giving and receiving, and gave each other something hot to drink.
As we continued we could walk in silence or we talked two and two.
We were encouraged to notice the beauty of God´s creation.
It is amazing what we see when we open our eyes, really open them.
As we looked for the special sign which marks the pilgrim ways in Norway, we heard the story of the two men walking to Emmaus, talking about the death of Jesus and the women who came to the empty grave only to be met by angels telling them that Jesus was alive.
Crazy women!
Back in the church, in front of the altar, we met the Emmaus walkers again, now eating with Jesus.
We lit candles, one each, said silent prayers and reflected on how a pilgrimage not only take us to the goal, but how reaching the goal, meeting Jesus, change our lives. Make us continue doing the good deeds.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Everybody should have a special project in their lives. Mine is to find out how we can make pilgrimages more filled with diaconia. Not just breakup - road - goal.........but a continuation, a change of attitude. This pilgrimage from yesterday, when we walked with a small group of people who has lived in Norway only for a short time, and come to a café in this church once a week to practice Norwegian, is part of this special project I am working on.
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
As we are getting closer to July 29th, St.Olav´s Day, Trondheim is filling up with pilgrims, with Nidaros Cathedral as their goal. Most pilgrims come from far away, but there are also more and more locals walking. Some longer distances, some shorter. Today pastor Torstein in the cathedral, and pilgrim pastor Elisabeth from Denmark who comes to Trondheim every summer to welcome pilgrims, arranged a pilgrim walk for inhabitants at ome of the senior homes here in Trondheim. I am working with a project on pilgrim walks and diaconia, and when I heard about today´s walk I asked if I could join.
So some time after breakfast, we were a group of all together 18 people, walking from the senior center towards the cathedral. Ending up at Nidaros Pilgrim Center, where we had a late lunch.
Walking slowly, three of the pilgrims with their walkers, all of us helping each other up and down hills, we had several stops along the way. Pastor Elisabeth led the walk, gave us words from Jesus, showed us the old cross on the cathedral wall where pilgrims through centuries have put their fingers, shared pilgrim tales from other caminos, challeged us to walk two and two sharing from our hearts, let us drink from the St. Olav spring, prayed with us.
Three hours on a morning in July. People I had never met before, but by walking, by sharing, by reaching the goal, we all set marks of love on each others hearts.
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
In medievel times a pilgrimage was a dangerous thing. Many people were seriously ill and walked to Nidaros seeking healing by the grave of St.Olav. The road was long, you traveled slow, you had to trust the locals along the way for food and shelter, wild animals could be everywhere, so could robbers and evil people.
My mind is focused on beauty, on serenity.
But also on the healing offered by nature, by the pilgrim way, by the people I walk with, by St.Olav, by the goal far ahead
and by my Creator, my Saviour.
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
Just like in life, the pilgrimage take me along different roads. Just like in life, I walk towards autumn.
Fallen leaves, while I walk in silence and prayers, a reminder of all the fallen blessings in my life.
I pick up a leaf, look at it, feel it, remember, relive.
The blessings have been many.
And there have been, there still are, times when I search in vain for the blessing. I am disappointed, I am bent down, everything is darkness.
Then the sign is there to show me the road, and I am reminded of the tale in the Bible where Jesus made water into wine, into the best wine.
While I continue walking I pray;
God, bless the dirty water in my life.
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
Morning has broken here in the tiny little place in Sweden where I am with a group of deacons. Our pilgrimage has started.
The others are still a asleep, while I am out on my morning walk. In silence.
Morning walks are sacred for me.
Then I am back inside. I open internet and my blog and it is like having you all around. We are talking about divinity, about holy places, about what is sacred for us.
As you take me into your heart, your words, your love fill me.
People are sacred for me. You are. Not as a cliché, but as real people, of flesh and blood, created by The Creator.
Last night I read a legend about creation, When God gave snow colour.
We all sat in silence and prayers, letting God fill our minds.
This morning, before breakfast, I will read a little tale about time.
What you have shared will follow me through my day, through this pilgrimage. Some time tomorrow we will talk about sacredness, divinity, holiness in the group. I will share some of your words.
And the coming days, months, years, I will continue to work on this theme.
Thanks fopr being here with me.
Thanks for being YOU!
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
I am packing for a pilgrimage. For four days I will be on the road. I will walk with a group of deacons. Our task is to work with the pilgrimage theme and how we can use it in the diaconia in our congregations.
Every night and every morning I will be in charge of the words for reflections. I have been thinking a lot about this. How will I do it? How will I focus? I am still wearing my thinking cap, but I know that I will, twice a day, read for the groups one of my legends, one of my tales. We will not sing a hymn, nor say a written prayer. But I will ask the participants to still their minds, to be in silent prayers......and when Thursdag night comes I will initiante a talk about holy places in our lives, a talk about what is sacred for us.
I will continue my thinking as I walk, and as I share my tales.
And now I have a question for you:
What is sacred for you?
Where are the holy place/places in your life
And why?
I hope to hear from you.
Your thoughts will help me in my own thinking.
The photo was taken up in the forest behind The House in the Woods, a sign to mark one of the official pilgrim roads leading to Nidaros Cathedral
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
In the Green Pilgrimage Network all different religions are gathered.
We want to fight for our environment together,
as green pilgrims.
Yesterday we discussed the Jordan River Rehabilitation project.
The Middle East is and has been one of the world´s most difficult conflict areas.
I remember Carolyn, my Indian mother, once said to me "BrittArnhild, read and learn as much as possible about the Middle East. It has been, it is and it will be the center of all the world´s conflicts"
The other night I had dinner with one of the delegates from the Middle East. he said "give us peace in the Middle East and thousands of people in the UNsystem will lose their jobs"
The conference hall filled with tension.
It is impossible not to when such a topic is on the agenda.
Our meeting was not one to solve the old problems though.
Our very important task is to walk together,
as pilgrims, even through this thousand years old conflict.
The swifts were, during the conference, launched as a symbol for green pilgrims.
(I am sorry I have no photos of swifts, only this little droodling I did during our discussions.....
so the seagulls from Lofoten have to do....... aren´t they beautiful.....)
The swifts travel freely, in Jerusalem, all of the Middle East, a wall never stops them, and all over the rest of the world.
Let the swifts be a symbol of green pilgrims,
and of peace between all people.
| | |
| | |
@brittarnhild
Together with ARC, The Alliance of Religions and Concervations, we are hosting a pilgrom conference these days, with delegates from 26 different ARC members, 12 different confessions, from all over the world. Green Pilgrimage Network.
Some time during the day Professor Chris Baines had a launch of the swift pilgrim initiative.
With swifts as a symbol for green pilgrims everywhere.
After a long day of meetins and excursions,
we gathered outside the hotel where the conference is run,
and had a procession up to Nidaros cathedral.
Led by Rev. Martin Palmer from ARC and rev Berit Lånke from the National PIlgrim Center here in Tronheim, we were easy to be seen through the city.
A colourful fellowship.
Outside the cathedral we had a Celebration of the Journey of the Pilgrim,
drawing upon insights, prayers, readings and thoughts from all the different faiths represented.
A remarkable hour.
An hour where the swifts of Nidaros cathedral joined us.
I´ll share with you a litle from the celebration:
The 20th century poet T.S.Eliot summed up that moment of arrival when, having made the journey, you surrender yourself to the experience of holiness- to the feeling that the gap between heaven and earth is gossamer thin. In Celtic thought holy places are called thin places for that reason. The poem was written about a "thin" place called Little Gidding in England, which is why is mentions England in the final line. We suggest you substitute the name of your own thin place.
If you came this way,
taking any route,
starting from anywhere,
at any time or at any reason,
it would always be the same: you would have to put off
sense and notion. You are not here to verify,
instruct yourself, or inform curiosity
or carry report. You are here to kneel
where prayer has been valid.
And prayer is more
than an order of words, the conscious occupation
of the praying mind, or the sound of the voice praying.
And what the dead had no speech for, when living,
they can tell you, being dead: the communication
of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living.
Here, the intersection of the timeless moment
is England and nowhere. Never and always.
Faithful Pilgrims:
A conference where you make friends from ALL over the world.
The first photo shows the statue of St.Jacob on the west front of Nidaros Cathedral.
On July 25th, St.Jacob´s day, he always gets a garland. This year a black ribbon was added.
During our conference we have two white candles lit:
one for the pilgrims on the train in Santiago de Compostela
one for pilgrims affected by terrible floodings in northern India
The conference contimues today.
| | |
| | |
text and images britt-arnhild
The city of Trondheim and the diocese of Nidaros are a part of the world wide Green Pilgrimage Network. This week representatives from Europe have been gathered in Trondheim to work on the program for a huge, worldwide conference here next summer.
Parts of our days have been meetings, parts have been getting to know Trondheim better. And the very best thing to do for a pilegrim net work is to do a pilgrimage. Of course it is.
So yesterday we took the tram up to Lian, a restaurant where they serve local food, and where they have a magnificiant view of Trondheim and her surroundings.
One of the first days of October.
Bright. Crisp. Colourful.
A pilgrimage where you leave something, you live something, you walk towards something.
A pilgrimage can be so many things.
It is about life. To live as a pilgrim. On your way.
At the same time living here, now, with an open mind.
Open senses.
Starting up in the hills we walked through the autumn forest.
Towards the city.
Farms.
Villas.
From the quiet to motre and more people.
Always
LIFE
LIVING
Feginsbrekka
The Mountain/hill of joy,
where you see The Goal for the first time.
The cathedral
A rest.
Some refreshments.
Looking for the small signs which show you that you are following The Way
Near the cathedral is a sign, a memorial of Nicolaus Breakspear,
who later become Pope Hadrian IV.
Breakspear was the founder of the diocese of Nidaros,
in 1153.
He came from St.Albans north of London,
where one of the pilgrims, one of the Green Pilgrimage partners lives today.
The Goal.
The Cathedral.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Links to
Alliance of Religions and Conservations
:::::::::::::::::
A day at work.
A pilgrimage.
Can you see why I have the best job in the world?
| | |
| | |
Recent Comments