God is out – a poem inspired by el Camino de Santiago.

Hello friends!

Here is another poem that began to reveal itself to me, while I walked along el Camino de Santiago. I must confess, it all started off as a teensy bit of a rant, because I was surprised and dismayed to find so many of the churches and hermitages in the towns and villages I passed through were closed.

Many a time I wanted to step out of the strong sun and sit for a while in a sacred place, to light a candle, say a prayer or just be still. Door after heavy door was shut to me and I thought this a tad odd, considering the Camino is a sacred pilgrimage route. Anyway, instead I turned my thoughts outwards and inwards, away from church buildings towards a simple question “Where do I find God?”

Whichever way you interpret God, it is my hope that this poem will resonate with your heart. Enjoy!

God is out.

I am not to be found inside the churches with locked doors,
Nor behind cathedral iron grilles and shady cloister walls,
Instead you may find me when your heart sincerely seeks,
A sign from the universe adorns nature’s edifice,
For the truth is plain to see with your mind’s eye and your soul,
My signature is found in every design that I make whole.

I am neither radiating from gilded altar screens on high,
Nor from melancholy icons and priestly robes that rustle by,
You will find me among the noble trees standing tall and wise,
Where chestnut, oak and beech converse, reaching for the skies,
And if you listen close enough you might just hear me speak,
In lullaby song of dragonfly wings or gurgle of a creek.

I am not hidden in a chalice or a Holy Grail to some,
Neither am I there in battles knights have fought and won,
Instead I am the soft breeze caressing your pilgrim face,
And in sunshine-sparkle fingers giving you a warm embrace,
For I am the still, small whisper that beckons to your soul,
“Take some time, come walk with me and I will lead you home.”

I am not to be found in fragrant incense burner bright,
Nor in crypt below where secrets held are cloaked in dark of night,
You may find me in every stranger, who is a friend upon the road,
And in echoes of the laughter as you share the pilgrim code,
I am in the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine,
For I am without and within your heart as you are within mine.

– by Sarah Justine Packwood

This poem features in our new video about el Camino de Santiago, which I have uploaded to my YouTube channel. You can watch it by clicking on this link: “A Poetic Journey along el Camino de Santiago” (Camino Frances)

How and where do you find God? (or Goddess, the Universal Mind, Great Spirit, Source…) I am curious! Feel free to drop me a line in the comments below.

For now I am sending you peace, love and light,

Sarah xxx

18 thoughts on “God is out – a poem inspired by el Camino de Santiago.”

  1. Each of us in our own way worships our own beliefs in how we got here and where we go when we leave. You have hit the nail on the head Dear Sarah. God is everywhere and in every moment. He is part and parcel of who we are both singularity and enmass. Thank You for your incite and vision.

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    1. Thank you Shelley. I agree with you, there is something about being in nature that somehow amplifies our ability to recognise and connect with our inner world. Perhaps nature helps to strip back a lot of the ‘white noise’ around us in our normal, every day lives, so that we have the quietness to go within. Peace, love and light. Sarahxxx

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  4. Beautiful poem and I think you might have just found the secret to a pilgrimage. I don’t think the destination is as important as what is found on the journey.

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  5. It’s a lovely poem. Thank you. I’ve been off on my travels and meant to comment before. I love the churches and don’t mind the incense and the candles, and all that stuff, and all the history – you’d expect that from me! – but I’m with you all the way on the beeches oaks and chestnuts, and the breeze and the sunshine – and the dawn and the stars. God is alive where we find him – and that’s not where we go looking. It’s taken me a long long time to realise that!

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  11. I can only agree. God is not in the adornments and rituals of man. God is in the actions we give each other and ourselves, in nature and all around us. Religion and spirituality don’t really mix for me, and while I appreciate ritual, I do so in my own way. I am loved by love through love.

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