"My only regret when I made the film "Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago" was that I hadn't found a way to address what happens when the pilgrims finish walking. Thank goodness Alexander is addressing this very needed and vitally important topic. I am sure this book will bring much peace, comfort, and reassurance to many a pilgrim upon returning home. I wish it had existed when I walked my first Camino in 2008!"—Lydia B. Smith, Producer/Director of Walking the Camino, caminodocumentary.org

This is the original Guidebook for returning home FROM the Camino, any pilgrimage or a significant life event. We spend weeks deciding on footwear, clothes, gear, blister prevention, travel details, and maps. Yet preparing yourself to return home is just as crucial. The return home is not post-Camino. Like a sign on the road in Spain, "Our steps end. The Way goes on."

Table of Contents

I. Gifts and Challenges

II. Before You Leave

III. As You Walk

IV. Arriving at The Cathedral Shrine

V. Once Walking Has Ended

VI. Traveling Toward Home

VII. Homecoming

VIII. Living Your Own Story

IX. Aiding Integration

X. Closure: Fire, Gathering, Service

XI. A Classic Rite of Passage

The front cover is the work of Marc Heffner, artist and pilgrim. The cover is intended to be evocative. What story do you see here? If would like to see more of Marc's work, visit caminoestrella.com

Alexander John today serves as a mentor for individuals who wish to make an intentional rite of passage. He is an internationally sought speaker, author, and ritualist with a background in cultural anthropology, Jungian psychology, and Christian/mystical spirituality. He may be reached at quadratos.org

This book is dedicated to all returning pilgrims and to Joseph Campbell, the great mythologist, who taught Alexander in college and who has had a major influence on his own life and work.