Walk with master coaches Susan Baghdadi, Betsy Rapoport, Victoria Silas, and Honeybee Henderson along Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela—aka “The Way.” The soles of our feet will find the answers as we explore our inner and outer nature.
We will walk, stopping at the medieval town of Obidos, visit sacred sites such as Nazare, Fatima, and Tomar, and end at the Cathedral of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela, where we’ll attend the famous Pilgrim’s Mass (and may even get to see the famous 125-pound incense burner swing). Find your own pace and peace. We will help you with the path.
Leave the details and the worries to us. Give us your baggage and your troubles.
We will tend them and return them to you, lighter than you brought them.
When: June 20 - 30th, 2022
Welcome to Camino 2022: Magical Summer Solstice! This year, our adventure begins in Lisbon and Fatima before heading into Galicia in Northwestern Spain, where we will walk 108 kilometers into Santiago de Compostela along the ancient pilgrimage route, the Camino Portuguese.
Walking the Camino de Santiago
Are you feeling called to soar over ancient and sacred ground?
Are you yearning to step out of the elaborate tangle of modern life, trying to make it all work seamlessly, to get somewhere, to BE someone better, to be ENOUGH? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fly away from the details of daily living? Do you long for the freedom to just be present, taken care of, with no worries about what needs to be done or undone?
A wonderful expansiveness unfolds when you’re walking the Camino de Santiago, out in the elements for several hours each day, free from everyday distractions. A new pace and sense of the world beyond time arises. Join us on the Camino, where we’ll re-open our lives through the simple act of setting out with others: the best friends you may not have met yet, gentle guides, and, of course, at least one Genie. We’ll perform a pilgrimage within while on the ancient pilgrimage without, tracking the footsteps of the millions of other souls before us, participating in the profoundly human search for meaning. The ancient wisdom of the Camino de Santiago grounds us through the soles of our feet even as we enter the threshold. Sinking deeply into the present with a sense of peace, wildness, and connection, we’ll meet the welcoming morning light, the lifting wind, the birdsong and chattering humans, the smell of cafe con leche.
What is the experience?
Since pre-Christian times, pilgrims have walked from points all over Europe and beyond through northern Spain’s famous Galicia, to the western edge of the continent; Finisterre (the end of the Earth). This same route has become known as the Camino de Santiago, with the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago de Compostela and the promise of expunged sins and renewal as its goal.
Some walk out of religious devotion; others walk for spiritual practice or to contemplate a deeper purpose or a fresh direction. Those of us who have walked this pilgrim’s path have learned that our answers tend to gently emerge from within, if we’re willing to give ourselves over to the magic of the Camino itself. The path may be already known, but the steps are our own.
We’ll walk 108 kilometers – enough to earn the coveted “Compostela,” or certificate of completion, at the Cathedral of Saint James – but this isn’t so much about a linear journey. Rather, it’s about opening yourself up to some powerful practices to take with you as you continue on your life’s journey. Through setting of intentions, journaling, and other simple practices, our goal is to help you achieve the “Five R’s”:
Release, Rest, Receive, Regale, Return
Release: What tired, limited stories and behaviors are you ready to let go of?
Rest: How can you give yourself the deep rest you need so you can dream and imagine anew?
Receive: What new insights, support, and wisdom are you open to getting?
Regale: What stories do you want to share, and how can we help you write better, happier endings for them?
Return: How do you want to bring the insights and practices of the Camino home and integrate them into your life?
Along the way we’ll laugh like hell, cry when we need to. There’s a lot of amazing coffee, red wine, and delicious almond cake. We’ll eat pork products early and often, or be one with all the plants. We’ll help each other out. We’ll forget what we were so upset about. We’ll come up with a million new ideas. We’ll get jiggy with it (does that date us?) By the final night, we’ll let it all go and be ready to take our brand new selves home.
Merrily We Roll Along
Every morning we’ll set out to walk a certain number of kilometers, gathering sellos, or stamps, for our Camino passports along the way. You’ll proceed at your own pace, walking alone or with others as you please, stopping along the way for coffee, snacks, souvenirs, or gin and tonics as needed. ("GEEN-tonics" are a HUGE deal in these parts!) If you’re ever tired, Carlos, our wonderful driver and magician, will pick you up in the comfy van, which is always fully stocked with drinks and snacks. (He or a member of his magical crew will also hold our luggage, freeing us to walk lightly with daypacks, which we’ll provide.) There is never any pressure to walk any day’s suggested allotment; this is an invitation to listen deeply into what you need on this journey.
We’ll stay at lovely Galician manor homes, charming B&B’s, or other comfortable accommodations. We’ll eat fabulous food and drink lovely aperitifs. We”ll take care of two meals a day for you, so you’ll have the freedom to eat a lunch or dinner alone or with friends however you choose.
In other words, we’ll take care of you so you can take care of yourself, in your own way, freeing yourself for the contemplation you’ve been yearning for.
The Details: A Work in Progress
We’re still ironing out some details, but this tentative schedule will give you a very good idea of the experience. We’ll meet at a central location in Lisbon on the morning of June 20th (probably with an informal gathering for a tapas dinner on the evening of June 19th for anyone who wants to join), travel by van, stopping at a few places along the way. Here’s the breakdown:
June 20th: Meet in Lisbon, hop on our luxurious Mercedes Benz bus (with cafe tables in the back!) and travel to the medieval town of Obidos, magical Nazare, Fatima (yes, THAT Fatima!), and Tomar
June 21: Sleep in Tomar—and celebrate the Solstice!
June 22: Travel to Vigo
June 23: Begin walking from O Porrino to Redondela (15 km / 9 miles)
June 24: Continue walking, Redondela to Pontevedra (18.2 km / 11 mi) and Celebrate the Feast of St. Juan Batista. There’s a fire that goes all night and it will be LIT!
(https://www.interigual.com/san-juan-historia-y-tradicion/?lang=en)
June 25: Rest in Pontevedra
June 26: Continue walking, Pontevedra to Caldas de Rei (23.8 km / 14.3 mi)
June 27/28: More walking; endpoints to come!
June 29: Arrive at Santiago and the Cathedral of Saint James!
June 30: The official end of our time together; you can make arrangements to fly out of the tiny airport at Santiago de Compostela, visit Muxia or Finisterre, or travel to Madrid or Lisbon before flying home—wherever your heart calls!
Each morning we will check-in as a group and sense into the day. Your guides will share a variety of presencing and walking techniques and powerful resourcing practices. We’ll walk 4-6 hours daily (unless you prefer to rest in the van, always a welcome option), eat, and rest. Spontaneous afternoon and evening activities will emerge. There will be plenty of time for individual or small group coaching sessions throughout the journey.
Accommodations – All accommodations are situated off the Camino. They range from tidy hotels to charming Galician manor houses with gourmet kitchens. We change accommodations several times during the trip, our luggage transported between locations while we walk. Rooms are double and shared. Single rooms are available for an additional charge of $750.
Assistance – Fresh fruit, snacks, water, and supplies such as aspirin and blister remedies and logistical support are provided by our magical Guide, transporter of luggage (and oh so much more), Carlos Alvarez, or one of his amazing crew. Our vans are always nearby if you need to rest; we will be strongly encouraging you to listen to your body and offer it what it needs.
What to Bring – Detailed packing list will be provided upon registration.
Cost – $4400 /double occupancy – Your investment includes:
transportation from Lisbon to the Camino and back to Santiago after our adventure concludes
10 nights accommodation
all breakfasts and either a lunch or dinner each day (people like to walk at their own pace, so we generally give you lunch on your own)
a pilgrim kit
daily coaching available as we walk
Cost does NOT include airfare to Lisbon and from Spain, and one meal each day. All prices are in U.S. dollars; participants outside the U.S. are responsible for any applicable exchange rates, bank fees, etc. Please please please, we STRONGLY SUGGEST that you buy fully refundable tickets (you never know what will come up in your life) as well as travel insurance that includes Covid coverage!
Single supplement: $750
Group Size – Limited to 12 participants
Registration : A $500 deposit will hold your place; we’ll contact you about deadlines and how to pay your balance.
Want more information? Email us at betsyrapoport@optonline.net and we’ll put you on the Interest List and keep you posted about our upcoming informational calls and more!
Meet Your Master Coaches and Fellow “Caministas!”
This will be Susan’s 10th Camino, Victoria’s 9th, Betsy’s 8th, and Honeybee’s 4th. Yet however many times we’ve walked The Way, each time has been utterly distinctive, with its own special mystery and magic. We’re here to support you in whatever you’re seeking! In all honesty, this may well be the last time we all do the Camino together, so if you’re a fence sitter, let this be your official nudge!
Susan Bainter Baghdadi
I am almost 50 and frankly, I just want to have fun. Shadowy-dark-steeped-in-meaning fun. Light, silly, dancy, banal fun. Teary, snotty fun. I feel ready to count all of creation as my partner in crime in this endeavor for deep delight, satiety, expression and gratitude.
I am also a North American woman, living in the wild middle east, riding the wave of what appears to be a whopper of a Sea Change. As, co-curator of the House of Dreaming in Amman, Jordan, my energies in this wild time are focused on exploring and tracking patterns of life through the lens of our dreaming. This exploration is based on deep listening, collective consciousness, and creative expression and connection. Everything is actually a dream, it seems, and certain places, spaces, locations on our planet serve as crucibles for creation; access points to the swirling tsunami of possibilities for our collective dream. The Way of St. James is one of the most potent of these spaces, and it has walked me back into its fierce and flowing embrace 10 times over the last decade. Is it also your dream to hitch a ride on the magic carpet? If so then,YALLA, let's go!
Betsy Rapoport
I’ve spent more than forty years editing and writing books and magazine articles and more than eighteen coaching. I’m a proud graduate of Dr. Martha Jo Atkins’s Dying School, have a certificate in Integrated Somatic Trauma Therapy, and practice hospice and respite care. As a writer, editor and Certified Martha Beck Master Life Coach, I understand that we are profoundly narrative creatures. My guess is that you’re telling yourself a lot of stories – about what you can’t have, what you don’t deserve, what you can’t be – that simply aren’t true. So let’s hit the road and rewrite the narrative to reveal the real you. Because when you come from that place of authenticity, you can achieve your greatest goals – and give your greatest gifts to the rest of the world.
The first time I walked the Camino eight years ago, I arrived with a lot of questions and decision points. Walking for hours in nature each day – through sheep-stippled meadows, overgrown Middle Earth forests, shimmering olive groves, golden wheat fields, and more – I allowed myself to absorb the answers I needed through the soles of my feet. It was a deeply spiritual, transformative experience. Walking with my fellow “caministas,” I laughed my ass off, forged fabulous new friendships, and turned myself into a pork product piñata. I felt rinsed clean, ready for new beginnings. (A fellow walker later challenged me, “How can you be rinsed clean if you’re full of pork?” I told her I didn’t much care for her tone and gave her another gin-tonic.)
Now I want to help you rewrite your story! To learn more about what I do, go to www.betsyrapoport.com or www.betsyrapoportlifecoaching.com.
Victoria Silas
I am a facilitator of learning, transformation, and healing. I love to learn new things, integrate that knowledge, and use it to help my clients as a coach. My other passions are traveling, spiritual pursuits, photography, music, and animals.
Previously, I was an orthopedic surgeon and practiced for 20+ years in the before times. I recently retired and now practice coaching full-time. I had done life coach training originally in 2009 and benefited from it enormously. My training as a professional coach allows me to investigate different ways to promote healing and live a more wholehearted life.
Now I help clients cultivate a sense of calm and control in their personal and professional lives, as they regain their love for their calling, rekindle their sense of purpose and create a lifestyle that reflects their values and goals.
Honeybee Henderson
From Yoga to Shamanism, to diving deep into the Sacred Feminine Mysteries, I have devoted my life to Self-Love, first finding it within and now sharing the magic with others. It is my life’s mission to help you fall so deeply, so madly, so in love with yourself, that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that YOU carry an integral key to the awakening of the human consciousness. NO pressure, but you do! And it’s my job, and my pleasure, to assist you into alignment with that higher self so you can live out your unique purpose.
With a Master’s in Spiritual Psychology, I also have training in Yoga, Meditation, Divine Feminine Mysteries, Reiki, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Therapeutic BodyWork, Ayurveda, Tantra, Sacred Embodiment Practices, and More, I can help you become a Soul Diver too. For more information, please visit me at www.honeybeehenderson.com.
Carlos Alvarez
A native of Galicia, Carlos has probably been guiding people along the Camino since he was in diapers. He has walked its entirety three times, biked it once, and guided innumerable seekers along its paths. Driver, magician, foot surgeon, lodging connoisseur, transporter of precious cargo, gourmet picnic maker, barista, master packer, cunning drone-wielding paparazzo, master negotiator, etc,, etc. Fearless and hilarious, Carlos has written volumes on respect, kindness, problem solving and Galician hospitality with his eyebrows. Seriously. You’ll see.
Visit his website at www.turigrino.com.
Registration: $500 deposit will hold your place; we’ll let you know how to pay the balance.
Want to join us? Send an email to betsyrapoport@optonline.net and we’ll get you started!
Love,
Betsy, Susan, Victoria, and Honeybee
