John, Luke, and I are going on a trip, a pilgrimage of sorts, that will culminate in walking part of El Camino de Santiago de Compostela. This translates into English as The Way of St. James of the Field of the Star. What does it mean?
Santiago de Compostela is a city in northwest Spain and the alleged burial place of the apostle St. James. Complicated legends surround the saint, but a condensed version is that after bringing Christianity to Spain, St. James returned to the Holy Land where he was martyred. His disciples brought his body back to Spain and it disappeared for 800 years. Around July 25, 813, a bright star led a hermit to a field containing an ancient burial ground which held the body of St. James. A huge cathedral was constructed and Santiago de Compostela became one of three great pilgrimage sites during the Middle Ages, the others being Jerusalem and Rome.
Stars play an important role in guiding us. Mariners sailed by the stars. We speak of the North Star as a guiding light. A star led the three wise men to Jesus. The pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostela was created in part because of a star.
Stars have a magic about them. We look up in the sky at their glistening beauty and try to comprehend how far away they are. The star closest to us makes life possible on earth. The awe we feel for stars influences our language; we speak of people who are bigger than life as stars. Those who have been sprinkled with stardust are magnetic and successful. On the level of physics, our very bodies are made from atoms that were once at home in the stars.
I am calling this blog the Way of the Star because of the importance stars play literally and metaphorically in guiding us. We hope to follow the light of the Star on our pilgrimage.
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