British Pilgrimage
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Pilgrimage is Wayfaring to a ‘Holy Place’.
Wayfaring to a place of spiritual significance, in search of wholeness, is a very ancient human ritual. People with such a focus to their Wayfaring journeys often call themselves ‘Pilgrims’.
Any Wayfaring journey can be made into a pilgrimage, if that is what you seek. But not all pilgrimage can become Wayfaring, as in the modern world most pilgrims travel by car or coach.
Pilgrimage usually implies a religious or spiritual affiliation, while Wayfaring offers a more universal morality (how well shall you fare on the way?).
In Britain, pilgrimage thrived until the late Middle Ages, when in 1538 it was banned by Henry VIII as part of the Reformation, and the tradition went dormant. It rose again in the 21st Century with the success of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain and France.
The word ‘holy’ at root is not specifically religious. It comes from the Old English halig, which means whole, healthy and wholesome. Its nearest living descendent is ‘hale’ as in ‘hale and hearty’. Anywhere can be holy. It is not a fixed point in the landscape, but denotes a relationship, an act of reciprocity and communication. This is more of an ‘ecofluency’ approach to holy places. They are not taps to be turned on or off, but spirits willing to communicate. This is why Wayfaring is an effective mode of pilgrimage, as the dedication of a journey on foot is itself a powerful and sincere offering of time, energy and focus, and can be a key to help unlock the holy places of this land.
Gifts for the Giving
Pilgrimage is not only about the journey. As a ritual, it literally enshrines the destination. And if arriving at a holy place to seek wholeness is the pilgrim’s goal, there is an aspect of pilgrimage beyond simply walking there that is often forgotten - the giving of gifts.
We can see an echo of this in the nylon ribbons hanging on special trees, or modern coins flung into holy wells. But these good intentions are not well thought-through, and will likely pollute the holy place pilgrims are trying to engage with. This is not recommended.
If a holy place is not a static object, and if holiness is a relationship, this implies a ‘give-and-take’ reciprocity. In the Middle Ages, this aspect of pilgrimage was well-known. Shrines fought to claim their relics were the best, as the flow of pilgrims seeking wholeness meant the flow of gifts. One of the most common gifts pilgrims gave was beeswax candles in the shape of the body-part that needed healing. In an age when candles were the only source of light, this was an important economic contribution.
Furthermore, wealthy pilgrims often competed for the kudos of giving the richest gift (the gift honours the giver). Hence the much celebrated ‘Regale of France’ - the world’s biggest ruby - donated to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury by the King of France (this became Henry VIII’s thumb ring after Reformation).
When pilgrimage was banned in 1538, one of its often quoted and much disliked ‘crimes’ was the distastefully mercantile approach to gift-collecting, the Pardoner-esque greed for financial largesse, seen among the controllers of shrines. This is why, I believe, the concept of gifts has not been so well highlighted in the modern renewal of pilgrimage traditions. We have inherited a distaste for the material matter in association with holy places. But this is not helpful, for our world and bodies are (amongst their other properties) material realities. As such, to find the relationship you seek with a holy place, it is recommended to come bearing gifts.
What Gifts to Give a Holy Place?
As already mentioned, don’t give a gift that will pollute the holy place. This makes no sense if you are seeking wholeness in return. If you sow barley, don’t expect to harvest wheat.
Money can be an appropriate gift, as most churches and cathedrals operate at heavy loss. There is a myth in Britain that churches are wealthy. The Church (big C) is wealthy, but individual parish churches (small c) have to pay the Church to stay licensed and open, and they often get no funds in return from the Church (or the Government). So always chip a church a coin if you appreciate their continued existence.
But beyond such practical assistance, money is not the right gift to offer the spirit of a place in exchange for wholeness, as money itself carries a carbon footprint and karma that burdens every offered coin. So what is an appropriate non-polluting and healthy gift to offer a holy place, for Wayfaring pilgrims?
My preferred gift is song, especially if it is connected with the destination you seek. Charge it up along the way by singing at all holy places met. Song is the original faery gold, a huge-feeling event that becomes breeze and disappears. But its echo perhaps lasts forever. Plus, song weighs and costs nothing, and the more you give it away, the more you actually own it.
Another option for a gift is silence. You might call this meditation, contemplation, prayer or vigil. The act of being still and staying put at a holy place is a valuable contribution to its sanctity. It is not easy to give, which is the mark of a good gift.
Take this further, and a very powerful gift is the act of surrender into unconsciousness (aka sleep). This level of deep trust, of accepting vulnerability, makes for easier communication with a holy place. What dreams may come? Be sure to follow the prompts provided.
If you want to leave behind a physical item, a good option is a single hair. This contains all your DNA, it is entirely ‘you’, and yet it will cause no damage to you or significant detritus to a holy place. Where can you best leave it?
Candles are also a good option, though not in the way they once were. I like to carry a small beeswax candle when I make a Wayfaring pilgrimage, and to light it for a minute or two at every holy place along the way, before sitting with it in silence at my eventual destination. I consider this as the gift of light, of pure accumulated sunshine. You should always be very careful with candles, and not leave them unattended, nor leave behind the metal holder of your tea-light. Beeswax is a far better choice than paraffin candles, as the latter require deep earth drilling and industrial production, and the fumes paraffin candles gives are unhealthy. Beewax is the better choice in all regards.
You can get a 20hr beeswax candle, handmade in Wales, for about £13.
Handmade in Wales 20hr Organic Beeswax Candle - £13
A further possible gift is to carry something taken from the start of your Wayfaring pilgrimage. A stone is a good choice - but not too big. Also, a shell is a very traditional pilgrimage item. The famous Worcester Pilgrim was buried with cockle shells from pilgrimage.
You may also wish to give your pilgrim staff away at the end of your pilgrimage. This is never easily done. I prefer to give my staff to water, rather than leaving it lying around for someone else to grab and use.
Perhaps the best gift of all, imo, is to carry water from a holy place at the start of your Wayfaring pilgrimage, a spring or well, and to drip this along the path, to create a stream of intention. You can pour it at your destination, giving it to a tree there, or dripping it around stones.
Ceci n’est pas un Camino
In the UK, there has been a buzz of new ‘pilgrimage routes’ as the UK seeks to emulate the success of the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. It is important to remember that there is really no such thing as an ‘authentically ancient pilgrimage route’, and any claims of this are mostly modern marketing.
You cannot be guaranteed to find true tradition, or depth of experience, on a path just because a route-maker called it a ‘pilgrimage’. The wholeness sought, the sincerity in your heart, and the gifts you offer, are what make a journey into a pilgrimage. Not following signposts or a guidebook from people claiming authority.
The true tradition of historic pilgrimage was pragmatism. Travelling from home, there was not such a focus on the ‘one correct path’ as we see today. Changing conditions in politics and weather, and the more flexible nature of roads and their safety, meant that pilgrims travelled however they could.
That said, we can connect holy places of historic pilgrimage association into modern paths. Likewise, the nature we meet, despite being brand new, has often not changed very much in a thousand years. The modern blackbird sings songs the ancient pilgrim might well recognise. The same old Yew still stands by the same old door.
The advantages of following a modern set ‘pilgrimage-route’ is convenience, and also the hope for community. The disadvantages are environmental damage and crowding. On the Camino, people call this ‘Disneyfication’.
You can make a Wayfaring pilgrimage via a set-route, or create an A to B route for yourself. Or you can walk from home (and back again). I recommend the latter. The majority of historic pilgrimage would have started and ended at home. Walking there and back again gives you time to digest the blessings. ‘Destination’ becomes halfway, and the ultimate holy place is home. I talk more about this on the Wayfaring Routes page.
But if you prefer to try an ‘easier’ pilgrimage, without the inconvenience of finding your own path, you may wish to try one of Britain’s set-routes. There has been a recent flurry of new ones. None offers anything like the facilities of the Camino in Spain in terms of low-cost accommodation. But if you want to meet other people who consider themselves pilgrims, your best bet in Britain is along a set route. And you can always use Wayfaring accommodation options - Coldharbour and Sanctuary - to find your own low/no-cost accomms.Wayfaring Routes
These are 8 of Britain’s best ‘pilgrimage routes’:
St Cuthbert’s Way
Melrose to Lindisfarne, Scottish Borders - 5-6 days, 62 miles
The Old Way
Southampton to Canterbury, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent - 19 days, 240 miles
The North Wales Pilgrims Way
Basingwerk to Bardsey, North Wales - 10-12 days, 130 miles
St Peter’s Way
Chipping Ongar to Bradwell, Essex - 3-4 days, 41 miles
The Pilgrims Way
Winchester to Canterbury, Hampshire to Kent - 12-14 days, 138 miles
The Great Stones Way
Barbary Castle to Old Sarum, Wessex - 3-4 days, 46 miles
St Magnus’ Way
Evie to Kirkwall, Isle of Orkney - 3-4 days, 55 miles
St Michael’s Way
St Ives to St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall - 1 day, 13 miles
Two Saints Way
Chester to Lichfield, Cheshire & Staffordshire - 7-8 days, 92 miles
