Julie's Jottings for July
An apology dropped into my email inbox recently from someone who was feeling stressed by the competing demands of their personal and professional life that they were taking a couple of weeks out to walk the Camino de Santiago. This is an extensive network of ancient pilgrimage routes stretching across Europe. They all lead to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain, where the remains of the apostle St James are said to be buried. It is a well-trodden path. Along the way, there are places to stay, people to meet, and historic churches and cathedrals to visit.
Walking and pilgrimage have long been trusted ways of reflecting on life. My own favourite pilgrimage is to Iona, the tiny island off the coast of Mull. At the end of the day, when the crowds have thinned, a walk by a wild sea brings alive stories of the Celtic saints. You can feel their thirst for knowledge and truth, and their deep connection to the earth and to prayer. It never fails to allow a different perspective on whatever is going on in the rest of life.
To take time out of daily life, to go on a holiday, take a quiet retreat, make a pilgrimage, or just taking a day out, is good for us. It gives us time to detach from work and daily stressors, creating mental space for refreshment, self-discovery, and soul-searching. But we don’t actually need to jet off to Spain or travel to the Scottish Hebrides to find that same sense of refreshment and resetting. Recently, some friends took me to the Labyrinth on the Common in Saffron Walden. This hidden gem is right on our doorstep, easily missed, and completely free to enjoy. It can act as a wonderful "mini-pilgrimage." Unlike a maze, which is a puzzle designed to make you lose your way, a labyrinth is a single, continuous path that winds its way to a centre point and back out. It is a metaphor for life. Sometimes the path brings you very close to the centre, only to loop back to the very far edges. This mirrors the way that in our human and spiritual relationships, we may draw close and then move away from the source of love. The labyrinth physically maps out a continuous cycle of reflection and transformation. Come and learn more about Labyrinth as a way of praying on Wednesday 22 July at 7pm in St Mary’s Church.
Whether you are walking the Camino or a local labyrinth, moving at walking pace forces you to slow down, stilling the mind. Carrying only what you need allows you to reflect on what you can let go of. Furthermore, journeying alongside others creates bonds of trust and shared human connection.
Bringing this back home to Great Shelford, the Magna Shelford Feast of medieval times was originally a three-day parish wake, or religious holiday, for agricultural and other workers to celebrate the Feast of the Virgin Mary (whose feast day falls in August, which we will celebrate as our Patronal Festival). It was, in essence, a medieval "staycation." Workers didn't go away; instead, they were given three days off from labour to stay in the village and join in the local festivities. It was a time of rest, rejuvenation, and community, which is just what a good holiday should be, but without the travel.
While the modern post-war revival of the Shelford Feast has lost much of its original religious connection and now extends to a week of culture, music, and fun, the core purpose remains intact. Like traditional pilgrimages where people connect with others along the way, our Feast reminds us how much we need each other, and nudges us toward generosity and service. St Mary the Virgin is delighted to be part of this year's Feast Week celebration and to welcome you to the Feast Concert Moonlight Mandolin Orchestra & Café Jazz Band on Friday 10th July 7:00 pm. Tickets: £10.
Rev Julie Norris