Wisdom – what is it really?

At the end of last year I walked the Walk of Wisdom to take stock for myself. In 2016 I was weighed down by the amount of arranging behind the route and therefore decided not to prepare anything: only in the evening did I look at where I would sleep that night.

The second day I got the spirit to walk through the night. Around midnight I opened the heavy gate of the Reichswald. Above bare winter branches, stars twinkled in a windless forest. Hours later I walked to the rolling Sint Jansberg who received me with the tingling sound of a flowing stream. It was a magical night – precisely because I hadn’t thought of it a moment before.

I want to work with this sense of the unexpected. I give up my office to be on the route as much as possible from April onwards. Open to meets. Doing nothing for hours, lying on a bench. I’m going to look for ‘sacred’ places: with all 34 maps of our route guide, I’m looking for a text that, according to the experience of a pilgrim, is ‘correct’ and belongs to that area. These will be the pages of our second Pilgrim’s Book of Hours, Seasons of Life.

Of course, there is still a lot to arrange. But I have help: from Manja – with everything. Lidia of England at the departure ceremonies – every third Saturday of the month. Hans Peerden and others at the guided silent walks that we are going to provide. Lucy Holl in the editorial office. And there are many more!

This is wisdom for me: learning from your experience, accepting the now and orientation on how you would like life to be. My orientation in 2017 will be profound. I want to accept the superficial arrangement and often remember that every surface becomes an entrance to that depth as soon as I let go of the arrangement.

I wish you all the wisdom for a beautiful new year,

Damien, pioneer and fellow pilgrim.

Click here for all employees.