Along the way

My Walk of Wisdom from June  21 to June 26, 2015. By: Jan Veltman

Without wanting to disparage everyone else, first of all my congratulations to Damiaan and Manja.

Sunday, June 21, 2015 was the day, after many years of pioneering and making contacts to be able to realize a dream, a dream that I think has come true. The overwhelming interest in the Stevenskerk in Nijmegen was a special moment. The later, many encounters with fellow pilgrims, but also random other encounters, have also left a special impression on them. Furthermore, I have experienced a lot of enthusiasm and positive reactions to my sleeping addresses.

The lectures of Désanne, Frouke and Jan, but the words of Shayk, I later landed on my own in a special way. Then let everything sink in further for a further deepening. The closing in the Stevenskerk by the creator Damiaan was a beautiful and humorous words, a nice conclusion, but a nice start for the pilgrims.

A beautiful start from the old center of Nijmegen through the Ooijpolder to the hilly surroundings of the “inner abroad”. Then to be able to enjoy a piece of Germany to be able to see the Gelderland river area via the Mookerheide  and the two Brabant towns of Grave and Ravenstein.

During my journey I realized that the “Walk of Wisdom” and the area around “Nijmegen” are connected in a special way. Although it is a contemporary pilgrimage independent of any religion, Nijmegen and the surrounding area from Roman times is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands. Pilgrimage is not only an ancient activity but also meaningful, independent of any religion. For me, pilgrimage and meaningful thoughts are inextricably linked. In this way, through the further deepening of the lectures, among other things, I have let the words, “listen”, “accept” and “read well” have an effect on me.

But also about the fact that walking and pilgrimage are not only verbs, but also with the same meaning, namely “to walk”, there are essential differences for me personally. Walking is walking from A to B, usually within a set time limit. For me, pilgrimage means meeting but also discovering and walking and then waiting to see where you end up. After my discovery and then the encounter with my shadow, I realized while walking that this shadow was stored in my backpack. I don’t see the “burden”, but I do feel it.  My process of becoming aware of spiritual growth and further deepening during the Walk of Wisdom has increased again.

An additional special feature for me was that I was registered as a 2nd^{pilgrim and} was also welcomed as a^2nd pilgrim at the final destination. The pilgrimage after 6 days on June 26, 2015 gave me an extra sense of further growth of even more wisdom.  

A pilgrim’s greeting from Walk of Wisdom

Jan Veltman

Photo: Bart Kouwenberg