Advent pilgrimage of the soul

"Make my Heart ready, O Lord!"

After doing some cleaning this morning, I found a poem from my pilgrimage, that someone had given to me when I reached O Cebreiro - one of the most arduous climbs of the whole Camino. In my whole life, I shall never forget it, or never forget the peace I encountered upon reaching the top of that mountain, gazing upon the beauty of all the other surrounding mountains, God's work, with tears streaming down my eyes. This poem helped me to reflect on my new found peace that night.

That is why it is wonderful for advent; because of the prayer and peace it encourages in a faithful reader, and a readying of oneself for the 'awakening of the dawn' that I interpret to be, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Contemplate and keep silent 
 
I've heart at night on the Cebreiro
The soft sound of wind.
Hard leaves of holly
Are mixed with the lament
Of the tender birch,
Cottons of fog are sheltering them
Silence, height and mystery.
Pilgrim that walks to Santiago
Look and contemplate, at dusk,
When night comes in at dawn
and at midday.
Keep silent and contemplate, breathe
The beauty of the countryside.
May, from the silence of your soul,
Arise the clean melody
The sound of the harp,
The harmony, the symphony.
Keep silent, think and write on the blank page
Dispel hates and nasty feelings
Violence and worries.
Join your body, spread out your arms
Concentrate and relax, let life arise
From your well, with peace, happiness and harmony.
And when you have no more ambitions or desires
Let the wind surround you,
The forest stray you
The breeze caress you
And the flame, fired inside you, burn you
And reduce you to ashes.
So, in the silence of the soul
With the darkness of the night,
With the awakening of the dawn
contemplate and keep silent.