2/38 Getting close, and yet...
On the 9th of September I boarded a plane in Amsterdam heading for Pau in the south of France. I planned to get to St. Jean Pied de Port, the starting point of Camino Frances. But all was not well. In fact I had been very ill for the last few days with glandular fever like symptoms. The fever would come in the afternoons and ease again in the evenings if I rested enough. When present it would sap all energy out of my body and make my legs feel like jelly.
I was anxious about going yet I did not want to abort my plans. Getting to the airport had strained my body. Feverishly I arrived in Pau. Once there I discovered that was too late to get to St. Jean Pied de Port, which could only be reached via a long detour via the coast. I needed to come up with an alternative plan. I was unable to begin a strenuous walk in the mountains anyway.
What now? I tried to remember what kind of support I would seek back home in times of poor health, and how I could find similar support in a strange town in France. As I was trying to figure that out I overheard someone asking the lady at Information for directions to Lourdes. A train would only take one hour and cost seven euro’s. Hmmm, it sounded like an attractive alternative to staying in this town full of Dutch tourists, but will it be a good place to heal myself? The fever slowed down my thinking and I remembered an event I attended before I left New Zealand about healing and water.
It was a presentation by Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto about his experiments with water. I had seen his work previously in the movie “What the Bleep…” He had photographed frozen water and discovered that polluted water or water exposed to negative words forms incomplete, asymmetrical and dull crystals and that water from natural springs and water exposed to loving words (such as prayers) forms brilliant, complex and colourful crystals.
The water in Lourdes is spring water and is constantly exposed to loving, positive words through prayer. Tens of thousands visit the spring each day and, most likely unknowingly, energise the water with their prayers. Maybe I do not have to consider believing in the famous miracle that is said to have happened there in order to benefit from a visit to Lourdes and get well. Maybe all I have to do is trust the healing power of water and go there with intend and focus to get well again.
Despite many negative reports about Lourdes about its ugly commercial side I decided to tag myself to the three people from my flight that were heading for Lourdes. We had to rush to catch a waiting train. With no time to buy a ticket and no inspector checking for tickets we had a free ride to Lourdes. As usual my fever was not affecting me that evening and I was able to go down to the sanctuary that night and watch the Marian candlelight procession.
