Free Downloads To The Field Of Stars: A Pilgrim's Journey To Santiago De Compostela
“I am about to share here a story about stars that dance. . . . If the very thought of seeing stars dance piques your curiosity at some deep level of your soul, then pay attention to what follows, for the walk to the Field of Stars, to Santiago de Compostela, is a journey that has the power to change lives forever.” -- from the introduction “Pilgrimage” is a strange notion to our modern, practical minds. How many of us have walked to a distant holy place in order to draw nearer to God? Yet the pilgrimage experience is growing these days in various parts of the world. Seeking to take stock of his life, Kevin Codd set out in July 2003 on a pilgrimage that would profoundly change his life. To the Field of Stars tells the fascinating story of his unusual spiritual and physical journey on foot across Spain to Santiago de Compostela, the traditional burial place of the apostle James the Greater. Each brief chapter chronicling Codd's thirty-five-day trek is dedicated to one or two days on the road. Codd shares tales of other pilgrims, his own changes of perspective, and his challenges and triumphs along the way -- all told with a disarming candor. Seen through the eyes of a Catholic priest who honors the religious worldview that originally gave rise to these medieval odysseys, “pilgrimage” comes to life and takes on new meaning in these pages.
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Eerdmans; First Edition edition (March 18, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802825923
ISBN-13: 978-0802825926
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (192 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #202,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #61 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Literary & Religious #189 in Books > Travel > Europe > Spain > General #211 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Holidays
In preparation for walking the Camino de Santiago later this year, I have read several accounts of pilgrim journeys. None has spoken to me as clearly to me as Kevin Codd's book. His humanity shines through the pages as he writes of both external and internal joys and challenges along the way. I read the book over a period of a couple of weeks, at a pace of one or two chapters a day. Nearing the end, I began to feel a sense of what I imagine is the rhythm of the Camino. This is a book that offers a beautiful experience in the reading.
After reading this book I've ordered several more for friends and family - a great read!What I liked most is that while Kevin walked the camino he looked - and acted - pretty much like everyone else. Few seemed to suspect, at least initially, that under that scruffy external appearance walked a deeply devout and religious man. Thus the conversations he relates were not restrained by how people might have expected a priest to behave - nor how one was supposed to behave in the company of a priest. To the other pilgrims he apparently came across a regular guy who liked to drink beer, and when irritated enough, could cuss as well as the rest.For anyone who has already done the camino, it will certainly bring back fond memories, and make them live again, as you follow the author, trudging from albergue to albergue, blisters and all. If you haven't already done the camino, you should certainly find a great deal in this book stimulating you to get on and do it yourself - without creating any illusions that such a pilgrimage would be like a big picnic!And finally, even those who are adverse to the idea of walking or biking the camino will certainly be fed spiritually and emotionally, by the many inner reflections that Father Codd shares with us as he walks along the pilgrim way of St. James.
To date, I have read 5 books on walking the Camino. .and I rank this among the best so far. . .The details the author went into detailing the places he slept. . .places he ate. . .the friends he made. . .and the pains he suffered. .were mixed in with a decent amount of humor, made his tale seem more lifelike. . .The author delved into his religion and core beliefs more then I thought he would. . but with the author being a priest, I can understand why he would. If your into walking the Camino from the spiritual side. .this would be a good read!
What an extraordinary book this is. It is a story of humanity, of an amazing pilgrimage, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, and it is a grace, a blessing that leads us at the end to Field of Stars where we are drawn to consider so many aspects of our own day-to-day caminos. It is Kevin's story, but it is our story, it is your story if you will allow it. As another reviewer has exclaimed, "I LOVE THIS BOOK!" This is the only book I have ever IMMEDIATELY started to re-read upon finishing the last page! I just did not want to leave the world within this book. I think when you are in it's pages, you are as near to being on the camino as you possibly can be without actually being there. But, in the end, it's not only about the walking. No, my friend, it's much, much more. Do yourself a HUGE favor and BUY THIS BOOK. Even in you have no present intention of walking the camino yourself, you will love this book. Buen camino, everyone!
After walking the camino myself, I read Kevin Codd's book to help me process my own experience. Although he walked five hundred miles compared to my one hundred, I can say that we had very similar experiences, but he described them much better than I could have! I was a little disappointed that he didn't have a positive experience with those that he and his camino companions called the "sinmochilas", the pilgrims who traveled with support vehicles. I personally had the dream of walking the camino during my lifetime, and as a single woman who had recently had physical challenges, I thought that traveling with a group with a support vehicle was the safest way for me to walk the camino, at least the first time. The group that I traveled with was wonderful, and the company that hosted us seemed to go to great effort to be respectful of the camino and of other pilgrims, even telling us that we could invite pilgrims outside our group for meals. Perhaps some of those "huffing and puffing sinmochilas" in Father Codd's book were also people with physical challenges. Regardless, I believe that the book is a beautiful, poetic account of a most profound spiritual experience.
Kevin's book really describes the daily routine of the "Camino". The "Camino" is this friendship and fellowship among the pilgrims. It reflects with rich and live details the saga of a pilgrim. And I can affirm it, because I was one the Camino's family members that Kevin mentions on his book. I had the privilege to walk along with him and our other family members. Kevin thank you for this wonderful book.
Wow this book has rocked my world. Fr Codd writes with such brutal honesty and openness that you feel like you are inside his head actually living the spiritual, emotional and physical agony and ecstasy he goes through as he makes his journey. I am not Catholic so some of his prayers and customs are a bit foreign to me but the tenderness of this man's heart towards God is truly inspirational. If you want live a true pilgrim's journey to Santiago this book is for you. Besides the risk of losing a couple of hours sleep the need to do this walk yourself might take seed in your sole.
To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela A Village to Village Guide to Hiking the Camino De Santiago: Camino Frances : St Jean - Santiago - Finisterre A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets (Peterson Field Guides) A Field Guide to Stars and Planets (Peterson Field Guides) Pilgrim of the Clouds: Poems and Essays from Ming Dynasty China (Companions for the Journey) The Journey in Between: A Thru-Hiking Adventure Story on El Camino de Santiago Hollywood Window to the Stars, Volume 2: More Revealing Facts About Hollywoods Biggest Stars The Pilgrim Church: Being Some Account of the Continuance Through Succeeding Centuries of Churches Practising the Principles Taught and Exemplified in The New Testament Pilgrim Souvenirs and Secular Badges (Medieval Finds from Excavations in London) The Desert Pilgrim: En Route to Mysticism and Miracles Historia sociodemografica de Santiago de Guatemala, 1541-1773 (Serie monografica / Centro de Investigaciones Regionales de Mesoamerica-CIRMA) (Spanish Edition) El Biciclista Suicida: Camino de Santiago (Las Extraordinarias Aventuras del Pollo Guerrero) (Volume 1) (Spanish Edition) Santiago Calatrava: Los puentes / The Bridges (Spanish Edition) Desde El Trono En Oriente: Discursos Masónicos de Santiago R. Palmer, 1883-1906 (Spanish Edition) Santiago el soñador entre las estrellas (Spanish Edition) Como en Santiago / Cada oveja con su pareja (Spanish Edition) The Poisoned Pilgrim (US Edition) (A Hangman's Daughter Tale Book 4) Biblia de bosquejos y sermones: Hebreos y Santiago (Biblia de Bosquejos y Sermones N.T.) (Spanish Edition) Scott Pilgrim 6: La hora de la verdad / Finest Hour (Spanish Edition) El Camino Primitivo de Santiago entre Asturias y Galicia - Diario de Viaje - (Spanish Edition)
