Languages: Spanish/Catalan/EnglishI -GUIDANCE ON DONATION BASIS-
Retreat pilgrimage
The path of wisdom and fluidity
30 April – 3 May, 2022
Costa Brava, Catalonia
4-day pilgrimage through the wildest coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Led by Gemma Polo
group limited to 12 participants
GUIDANCE ON DONATION BASIS
www.gemmapolopujol.com
We will practice the art of walking in silence, in deep contact with the elements, becoming intimate with ourselves, and being a prayer for the world.
Our journey will also be an exploration of the threshold between land and sea, the world of depth and mystery and what we experience as secure and known, as metaphor of moving between the realms of death and life.
As we embrace the unknown and let our inner wisdom guide us, we find ourselves flowing in the midst of life’s challenges, and a deep sense of joy and ease arises.
Wisdom and fluidity will dance together, as we simply walk the path, step by step, immersed in breath-taking beauty.
A taste of what we will do:
The essence of this walking retreat or non-religious pilgrimage is the practice of walking in itself, as a spiritual and transformative journey. These are some additional elements on our path:
– Wake up with the sunrise.
– Combine walking in silence and resting through the whole day in direct contact with nature.
– Circle sharing, meditative singing, guided connected movement.
– Moments of solitude and integration.
– Sleep in different places of great beauty.
– Share meals cooked for us.
Some practicalities:
-We will be walking 4 to 6 hours every day (10-15 Km per day).
-No technical knowledge of mountaineering is needed but it is crucial that you are used or able to walk in nature for 3-5 hours. Please start walking regularly if you are thinking of joining!
-We will sleep 1 night in a guesthouse 1 night in apartments, and 1 night in bungalows.
-We will walk carrying all of our luggage plus the daily picnic. Once you formalize the reservation you will receive a very specific list of things to bring with the aim of walking as light as possible.
-The group will be limited to a minimum of 5 and maximum of 12 participants.
Photos: Kirsti Abernethy during the pilgrimage “The immense blue” that we led together with Xènia Ros.
Where and when?
This walking retreat will take place around the Natural park of Cap de Creus located on the North-East of Catalonia, in the well-known area of Costa Brava, Spain.
We will meet on Saturday April 30th at 10 am in a place near the city of Roses called Punta Falconera https://goo.gl/maps/i7wG2sTPG3HFxWw38
We will finish on Tuesday, May the 3rd at around 5:00 p.m. in Cap de Creus
https://goo.gl/maps/NPUSpNB48rMAwVUp6
On the last day we will organize taxis to return to the city of Roses where you can spend the night or continue your journey by bus http://www.sarfa.com.
The largest cities nearby and well connected by train (http://www.renfe.com) are Figueres and Girona. When making plans, please leave plenty of time before and after the retreat to get to the airport with time. If this were an option for you, the best would be to get to the area a day earlier and leave a day after the retreat ends.
About the facilitator:
Gemma Polo Pujol is a spiritual guide, co-founder of Open Dharma Europe, and a pioneering eco-retreat centre in Spain. For the last two decades, she has been offering deep rest and meditation retreats around the world, one-to-one guidance, and nature-based circles and pilgrimages.
Her first book “There is Light and only Light, teachings to illuminate your inner journey” was published in 2020 by Watkins publishing.
To know more, you can visit: www.gemmapolopujol.com
To be a pilgrim is to enter the sanctuary of myself, discover the wonder of being brought beyond my strength and my determination. It means to become humble, open to the beauty and magic of each landscape, savoring the energy and wisdom of each territory.
Please see the page about pilgrimages on Gemma’s website to have a better way of tuning into her understanding of what it means to be a pilgrim: https://gemmapolopujol.com/en/pilgrimages/
You can also enjoy watching this precious 3-minute video called Pilgrimage: the art of walking with the heart:
Price and donations:
The price for the 4 days of the pilgrimage retreat is 300 euros + conscious donation for the facilitator.
The starting price of 300 euros includes:
-Three nights of accommodation.
-All breakfasts, meals (except for day 1 and 4), and dinners (except for day 3).
-The trip back to Roses by taxi.
-Accident insurance.
Gemma offers her guidance without any fixed price, as it has been done in many traditions for millennia in the spiritual realm, with the intention of giving space to everyone, and with the beauty of not limiting what is infinite. At the end of the pilgrimage you will have the opportunity to offer donations to Gemma and honor her dedication in guiding, creating the route and organizing the pilgrimage. Thanks for your generosity!
There is a universe of freedom when we offer without a fixed price, both for the one who gives and for the one who receives.
Registration:
1- If you wish to participate, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/vjd9cHzknaD6nt9q8
2- To reserve accommodation in advance and ensure your place on the pilgrimage, we ask you to make a deposit of 200 euros through bank transfer or 210 € through PayPal (the extra10 € is to cover PayPal fees ). Thanks!
3- Please email us at gemmapolopujol@gmail.com once the payment is made to inform us:
Through bank transfer:
Account Name: Open Dharma association
Account number: 1491 0001 2210 0953 9220
IBAN number: ES31 1491 0001 2210 0953 9220
Swift code: TRIOESMMXXX
Bank Name: Triodos Bank
Bank Address: C/ Ferraz 52 (esq. C/ Quintana)
28008 – Madrid, Spain
Please add in the concept your full name and “Pilgrimage sea”.
Or through PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/OpenDharmaSpain/210
Cancellation policy:
If you have to cancel your place after having made the reservation payment, we will refund the entire reservation (minus 10% for administration costs) until March 18th. After this date we can only refund 50% of the reservation. From April the 22nd onwards, we will not be able to return your reservation. Thanks for your understanding.
If we have to cancel the pilgrimage retreat due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, we will refund the entire reservation at any time.
Important note from Gemma:
I offer pilgrimages with the intention of sharing my love for practicing walking meditation and being in wild nature. It is not my intention to act as a mountain guide even though I do have many years of experience walking and climbing mountains and I know very well each valley of the Pyrenees. My task in guiding this pilgrimage focuses on a spiritual and personal accompaniment of each individual and the group, encouraging inner growth in accordance to each individual’s genuine call.
During the pilgrimage, each person will be responsible for her, his or they physical and mental health and we will walk as a group of adults moved by an intention of the heart and capable of helping each other along the way.
If you have any question about the pilgrimage, please write to us at:
Looking forward to walking together this path of wisdom and fluidity.
Gemma
The sea shore is sacred. As we sit at her feet our first prayer should be to the goddess of the ocean.
Sri Mata Amritanandamaji