The count down is on and in 7 short weeks I will return to Europe and walk the Camino once again. It was two years ago that I made my maiden voyage to the ancient path, and I am excited to return. I will be walking a different route this time, starting in Lisbon, Portugal, and traversing the coast northward to Santiago, Spain. My first Camino was life changing, seemingly signalling a seismic life shift. Not going to lie, the adjustment to life after the Camino was a challenge. It coincided with my milestone 50th birthday, the dreaded “empty nest”, with the kids finally flying away and the nest permanently disassembled, unemployment, and a confusing time of unraveling- trying to discern my mystical experiences from Camino from the manic depressive symptoms that ensued at the end of my trip. Happy to say I have slowly crawled my way out of my cocoon of depression and am unfurling my wings and preparing to fly “into the mystic” (Van Morrison). There is the concept of the “second half of life” as a time of experiencing the world from a more spiritual perspective (Carl Jung, Richard Rohr). Mystics would say we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but rather spiritual beings having a human experience.  I believe my first Camino experience was my gateway into this new way of life. I’m not sure what to expect as I walk to my final destination, a place called Finisterra, a three day walk from Santiago, translated as “the end of the world”. But I am excited to once again follow the arrows and see what the universe will reveal.