In this conversational episode, Susie Taaffe and Cass explore the Camino de Santiago as a form of moving meditation. They describe how the pilgrimage forces attention to the present moment—knowing where water is, caring for sore feet, and making micro‑decisions—turning the journey into a simplified practice of mindfulness. The dialogue highlights the strong, reciprocal community among pilgrims: strangers share supplies, offer foot‑care, and provide emotional encouragement, creating a continuous flow of support. Cass reflects on modern life’s compartmentalization and how the constant, tangible support on the Camino serves as a "soothing balm" for the soul, offering a model for reconnecting with oneself. They discuss the metaphor of feet as the vessel of the journey, noting that neglecting them mirrors how people neglect their inner selves in an "autopilot" existence. The conversation positions the pilgrimage as a first step toward remembering and healing that inner vessel, emphasizing that asking for and giving support is essential both on the trail and in everyday life.
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And I was just thinking when you were listing all of the tasks, and it nearly sounds a bit like it's like a moving journey of meditation because you get so caught up with all these things that it's nearly like you get snapped out of everything else and you're really grounded into the present moment. Because the present moment, like, you need to know where that water is, because if you don't know where the water is, you can't walk 20 kilometers without water. Well, you can, but it would hurt.
And people do.
And you learn that you learn the lessons really quickly.
Um, but it is like a moving meditation. Um, you, you, you become really present in, in the moment that you're in. Um, because it is, it's a simplified version of life, even with all of the constant micro decisions that you have to make. But all you need to worry about for 800 kilometers is the next step and the next step and the next step after that and the next step after that. And yes, you need to worry about the food and the water, and you only run out of water A few times.
Yeah, you learn that quickly.
Yeah, you learn that lesson very quickly. Um, but it does become a moving meditation, and then the, the community of pilgrims are all in this moving meditation together, and we're all there for the same reason, and we are all there to help each other. And it's, it's wonderful to see, um, the connections that people make and the help and the, the kindness and compassion that people show to each other. Like, if you have, if you have sore feet There will be any number of people there offering you Compeed Band-Aids. Do you want a foot rub? Do you have enough ointment? Yeah. Do you need some anti-friction cream? Do you have some painkillers? What can I do to help you? I have, I have either knowledge or a skill or some supplies, and I want to help you.
And I suppose, like, you obviously choose to do a Camino because you're looking— we're not looking for something. We all know that we're looking for some— we're looking to find that part of us inside that we have forgotten about. Um, and so, I've lost my train of thought on that, but anyway. Oh, I suppose to have that support in that process, when I think probably these days we all know that everyone's so disconnected in life, that I do think that that feeling of support might be even a part of the nurturing that our souls are missing, because we all live such compartmentalized lives.
Yeah.
We get like keep calm and carry on and just keep doing things, and we probably don't feel like we have that level of support out there. So it sounds like I'd never thought about the Camino as the experience of how about imagine if you felt for however many weeks just constant support in your journey, like knowing how that feels. I I think that that would be such a soothing balm.
Yeah.
For the soul. Like, when you feel alone and you go on to do something difficult, maybe it's just retraining the soul and ourselves that support is there.
Yeah.
We just either need to know where to look for it, remember to ask for it.
Yeah.
Um, and also it's a, it's a two-way street. It's like when you're receiving support, you're giving support. It's that flow. And I think that Well, that goes back to us. That's why we're recording this. It's like helping ourselves, but if that can help others at the same time, like, that's what our North Star metric is. Like, that's why we're talking today. That's why, um, we're sharing this, because I think it's the point.
It is the whole point. And you, and you, it's, it's, you hit the nail on the head. It's remembering to ask for support, because I went in as, we are both very strong, independent, uh, women and, oh, I don't need support, I don't need help. And, uh, you know, if people— people want to help on the Camino particularly. I think generally in life though, people want to help. They want to have a connection, um, and it is missing from society in so many different aspects. And you go onto the Camino and like I said, if you've got a blister, people want to help you. They physically want to help you. Do you have Compeed? Do you have blister wool? Do you need, um, do you need me to lance your blister?
Yeah.
Like, I have seen That would not be me.
She's the medico, not me.
But women who have never— or people who have never met other people quite happily sitting down and tending to their feet and caring for their feet. Like, it's such a—
Oh my God, that just like gave me like biblical chills. It is.
Yeah, it's beautiful. And these are pilgrims helping other pilgrims. And there's, uh, people who run the hostels who will, who will wash your feet for you and tend to your feet.
Yes.
And these are the— because your feet are the most—
I've got so many chills right now with the Because I can just see, like, to me that feels so ancient.
It is, it is.
It is so ancient.
You know, your feet, uh, nowadays we've got these fancy sneakers and toe socks and anti-friction gel, but, but when— but way back in the day when people were making the pilgrimage, they just had some leather bound to their feet and people would tend to their feet. And they're the most important physical part of being able to walk the Camino, to be able to get to Santiago, to see see the, the remains of St. James and to, to, to have that amazing experience and to see that kindness and compassion and connection still through the feet and everything else as well. But the feet are just— they're so important.
Well, they're such a symbol for the metaphor of the journey.
The journey, yes. Without—
if your feet are injured or hurt and you don't look after them, you can't complete the journey. You can't complete the journey. So if you like to flip that, that's kind of a part of why you're doing it, because you're trying to Heal your injured vessel.
Yeah.
That has been broken down by life, basically. And by life, I like to call it like an autopilot life where you've forgotten yourself, you've forgotten to remember who you are. And I think that going on a pilgrimage like this, it's the first step in that remembering to take care of your vessel, being the feet. Yes.
Yeah.
In the journey of life. Yes.
So yeah, it, it is— the Camino is, is, is life in this tiny little bubble. And you can see all the decisions, like the feet and the water and everything, is just a metaphor for life decisions. And you get to experience it on a daily basis and you think, wow, this is, this is incredible.
