Article in Omnes, magazine pilgrim roads to Rome

 A nice article about the Walk of Wisdom in Omnes , a magazine for pilgrims to Rome

  Hiking wisdom around Nijmegen

 

by Ruud Bruggeman

A month before the start of the Four Days Marches, I am on my way to Nijmegen, to the opening of the start of a different kind of walk: a whole new pilgrimage route, the Walk of Wisdom. A circular walk of 136 km around Nijmegen, as the start of – so it is announced –  a new worldwide pilgrimage route.

My train enters the city, over the Waal, with a view of the brand new beautiful Waal bridge ‘De Oversteek’, which I will find out later also has a place in this route.

The Stevenskerk, towering high above the city, is packed. The first 66 pilgrims are ready to walk this route for the first time. There is a festive opening program with lots of music, dance about Mariken van Nimwegen,  festive speeches by Jan Terlouw, Désanne van Brederode, the mayor of Nijmegen, an imam, and of course also by the designer of this route, Damiaan Messing. Also with – in this city of the world-famous medieval book of hours ‘Les Très Riches Heures de Duc de Berry’ by the Van Limburg brothers, in Museum Het Valkhof – the presentation of a new, contemporary book of hours ‘Seasons of Life; Contemporary Book of Hours and Pilgrims’.

All more than intriguing enough for me to want to hear more about this from the creator of it all. A week later I speak with Damiaan in his workspace in the beautiful old villa ‘Huize Wylerberg’, located on top of the mountain of the same name with a panoramic view over the Ooijpolder. The villa is owned by the Stichting Natuurmonumenten, which has provided him with free workspace for this project.

What inspires you to create a whole new pilgrimage route?

Damien tells how from an early age he was looking for how he could contribute something good to the world. In this way, he became acquainted with religious movements, but also with Marxist, ecological and globalization movements.  He often sees beautiful ideals there, but also rigidity and conviction of his own right. Many ideals, but also many contradictions and struggles. For him, it does not lead to values such as wholeness, unity, connection, peace. For him, grand systems soon lead to the commandment: “You will change, and if you don’t want to, you’re no good!” And that doesn’t work.

While studying Religious Studies, he came into contact with the subject of Ritual Studies. There he learns about the power of rituals to inspire, empower and connect people instead of dividing them. It turns out that a ritual can really work. But then it has to be sufficiently open to everyone’s own experience, sufficiently concrete not to be too vague and also connect to daily life. Own experience as a starting point. No matter what you believe or do, every person has experiences in his life that can make him a little wiser. Damien is looking for how a person can grow his own wisdom  with the help of rituals. And so he ends up with walking, with pilgrimage, as a good means for that.

So I could actually call his path a Walk of your own wisdom.

The ritual of pilgrimage is found in all religions. Damien says: stepping out of your daily rhythm, often at key moments in your life, meeting others,  being in nature, being physically active, physical trials: it does something to you! It also works ecologically: you notice how little you need to be truly happy.

He sees that people also need it. They are happy with rituals and derive strength and inspiration from them. See, for example, how important they are on the pilgrimage routes to Santiago and Rome, such as the pilgrim’s passport with its stamps, the certificate when reaching the final destination, the shell or the banner on the backpack, putting your stone at the Cruz del Ferro. You remain an individual and choose whether or not to participate. And at the same time, it connects you to a community that contributes to it.

So Damien chooses to make a pilgrimage route. Not at the same time as big ideas; He does have one, with his global plans, but first start small and see if and how it can develop organically.

Rituals and symbols on this Walk of Wisdom

He went in search of the best possible walk of a few days near Nijmegen. The Streekpad Nijmegen turns out to be a good basis for this, but he also includes many other paths in his route to achieve the best result with the most diverse landscapes; High hills, old forests, swamp and heath, meadows, river landscape, farmland paths, pilgrimage sites, old towns and villages.

If a plan is good, it will be bubbling and cooperation and help and ideas, including rituals, will come to you from all sides. And so it goes with this project of Damien.

Pilgrim’s lace. An idea from his girlfriend Manja. Het is a leather shoelace that pilgrims are given at the beginning of the route, with a metal ring with their  registration number. In each of the 11 municipalities on the route, there are addresses where the pilgrim can pick up a plastic bird ring with the name of the municipality in it, to attach it to the shoelace. At the end of the route, it can be shown that the entire route has been walked. A new kind of pilgrim pass, in other words. Right from the start of the route, it turns out to be a huge hit among the pilgrims.

Icon. While plotting the route, he came into contact with the artists Huib and Adelheid Kortekaas. They are enthusiastic about his plan and design this icon for him free of charge: a pilgrim’s image as a seedling. It  stands for the idea that all people are a seedling of the earth, each with its own unique germination capacity. Pilgrimage invites you to let your wisdom grow and flourish. The seedling symbolizes that. The whole of life is actually one big walk of wisdom; You experience so much that can make you wiser, but often there is a lack of time and space to reflect on it. This walk offers opportunities for that.

Each runner receives a copy of this image at the beginning of the route to pin it on their bag or jacket. And the icon also comes back as a route marker.

Pilgrim’s Book of Hours. Damiaan also gets into a conversation with a gallery owner from Nijmegen who, among other things, develops activities around the old Book of Hours of the Duc de Berry. A Book of Hours was traditionally intended for laymen to be able to pray with them at the prayer times of the monks, often richly illustrated with the most beautiful miniatures. While talking, the idea of creating a modern, contemporary book of hours is born.

This is how the publication of ‘Seasons of Life’ came about. It has now been published for the first time at the inauguration of the route, a beautifully designed and illustrated edition. Well-known and inspiring Dutch people wrote a page about a life experience that was important to them. The intention is that the pilgrims themselves can also send in a contribution about their own experiences after the walk. From this, a new Book of Hours can be compiled every 2 or 3 years.

Fast.
The chairman of the board of the Vierdaagsefeesten also walked the Walk and was enthusiastic about the combination of celebrations and reflection, just as carnival and the 40-day fasting used to be inextricably  linked.

In addition to the feast of walking, Damien also sees the value of a kind of fasting: using your smartphone and internet as little as possible. This is to stay with yourself for a few days without the distraction of the daily hustle and bustle. Of course, this  should not be experienced as compelling: anyone who wants to call, text, app or use the internet should do so with peace of mind. But the challenge is there for a reason. He sees it as a kind of^21st century form of fasting.

Mariken and Moenen. At the beginning, the route leads past the statue of Mariken van Nimwegen. This is a well-known old Dutch miracle play from the^16th century. In her desperation, Mariken has made a pact with the devil Moenen, and leads a sinful life. Afterwards she repents and starts doing what she really values in her life. Inspiration also for pilgrims?

The route ends at the statue of Moenen in front of the Stevens Church, as a reminder that even after the pilgrimage, attention and vigilance remain undiminished.

The Crossing. Towards the end of the last stage, the route crosses the beautiful new Waal bridge ‘De Oversteek’. A symbol / ritual has been included in that bridge in memory of the crossing of the Waal at that spot by Allied soldiers in September 1944 during Operation Market Garden, in which 48 men were killed.

To commemorate this, 48 pairs of lights are now switched on one by one on that bridge at a slow walking pace. As a tribute to them, the Sunset March is walked over the bridge every day when the lanterns are lit. It seems like a nice ritual to Damien when the pilgrim also walks in it at the end of his last stage.

Make your own Book of Hours. When you go on a pilgrimage, there is often a theme that has your special attention. You can then make your own text about it during or afterwards, for example with photos of works of art that appeal to you, or your own photos, with thoughts from others about that theme, or your own thoughts. Something you can also hand out to family or friends if you wish.

A worldwide pilgrimage path?

The announcement of this pilgrim’s path speaks of a worldwide path.  How does Damiaan see the expansion of this to the rest of the world?

He thinks it would be a good idea to let this path develop further in two or three years. It takes time to grow, it’s a pioneering route. But in the long run, he also hopes for this initiative to spread to more and more countries, as a sign of connection between people and countries. All these paths can then be connected to each other, creating an increasingly multi-country network of Walks of Wisdom. He wants to contribute to this, and make his expertise available with this path. Interest has already been shown in several countries, and he expects that as this path  becomes more widely known, that interest will continue to grow.

 

Damien is clearly a man who is brimming with ideas, and who also appears to be able to implement them with this path. I wish him the best of luck with the further development of his inspiring project!