Created and established in the beginning of the 9th century CE, The Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, is a network of pilgrimage routes that converge towards the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region of Spain. Historically, the Camino is a religious pilgrimage that many undertook to visit the tomb of the apostle located in the Cathedral of Santiago. Today, people walk it for a variety of reasons.
Hundreds of years ago, pilgrimages were difficult affairs. They started from the pilgrim’s house and didn’t stop until their destination was reached. The accreditation for completing the El Camino pilgrimage was a badge in the form of a scallop shell – this is probably because the scallop is native to Galicia, the region of Spain that it winds through and ends.
This past October (2024), I had the opportunity to walk the Camino. I was taken with the countless scallop shell symbols found on walls, signposts and churches. The scallops serve as directional markers. They communicate that you are walking the Camino and are heading the right way.
As I walked and pondered the symbol of the scallop, I came to see and appreciate the lines in the scallop shell as representing the different paths that are used to get to Santiago. There are many paths of The Way.
Now that I am off that literal path that winds up the coast of Portugal and Spain and back on the path of my life in Philadelphia, I often think of the symbol of the scallop. Beyond the warm, fond memories that it conjures from my trip, the scallop ultimately reminds me that we are all walking a unique path of life. We are all on El Camino, “The Way,” in Our Own Way, and in Our Own Time. The path of Our Way isn’t straight; like the literal Camino, it winds through all kinds of terrain and weather. All we must do is keep walking, keep putting one foot in front of the other. And maybe, when we need it most, we can find a little marker that keeps us moving in the right direction and assures us that we are not lost.
