The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit

( 25 )

Overview

It has been nearly three decades since Shirley MacLaine commenced her brave and public commitment to chronicling her personal quest for spiritual understanding. In testament to the endurance and vitality of her message, each of her eight legendary bestsellers — from Don't Fall Off the Mountain to My Lucky Stars — continues today to attract, dazzle, and transform countless new readers. Now Shirley is back — with her most breathtakingly powerful and unique book yet.
This is the ...

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More About This Book

Overview

It has been nearly three decades since Shirley MacLaine commenced her brave and public commitment to chronicling her personal quest for spiritual understanding. In testament to the endurance and vitality of her message, each of her eight legendary bestsellers — from Don't Fall Off the Mountain to My Lucky Stars — continues today to attract, dazzle, and transform countless new readers. Now Shirley is back — with her most breathtakingly powerful and unique book yet.
This is the story of a journey. It is the eagerly anticipated and altogether startling culmination of Shirley MacLaine's extraordinary — and ultimately rewarding — road through life. The riveting odyssey began with a pair of anonymous handwritten letters imploring Shirley to make a difficult pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain. Throughout history, countless illustrious pilgrims from all over Europe have taken up the trail. It is an ancient — and allegedly enchanted — pilgrimage. People from St. Francis of Assisi and Charlemagne to Ferdinand and Isabella to Dante and Chaucer have taken the journey, which comprises a nearly 500-mile trek across highways, mountains and valleys, cities and towns, and fields. Now it would be Shirley's turn.
For Shirley, the Camino was both an intense spiritual and physical challenge. A woman in her sixth decade completing such a grueling trip on foot in thirty days at twenty miles per day was nothing short of remarkable. But even more astounding was the route she took spiritually: back thousands of years, through past lives to the very origin of the universe. Immensely gifted with intelligence, curiosity, warmth, and a profound openness to people and places outside her own experience, Shirley MacLaine is truly an American treasure. And once again, she brings her inimitable qualities of mind and heart to her writing. Balancing and negotiating the revelations inspired by the mysterious energy of the Camino, she endured her exhausting journey to Compostela until it gradually gave way to a far more universal voyage: that of the soul. Through a range of astonishing and liberating visions and revelations, Shirley saw into the meaning of the cosmos, including the secrets of the ancient civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria, insights into human genesis, the essence of gender and sexuality, and the true path to higher love.
With rich insight, humility, and her trademark grace, Shirley MacLaine gently leads us on a sacred adventure toward an inexpressibly transcendent climax. The Camino promises readers the journey of a thousand lifetimes.

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble Review
On the path of The Camino, Shirley MacLaine wanders through puzzling visions. Often, these visions seem to her too strange to share; at one point, she wonders: "Could I ever tell my dream visions to anyone without seeing his eyes roll? It took an act of control not to roll my eyes at myself!" MacLaine is right to worry about revealing her premonitions. Skeptics too easily dismiss spiritual groping as vague-headed silliness, while they joke about subjects they cannot fathom. Despite the danger, however, MacLaine boldly records her spiritual wanderings in The Camino. In it, as in each of her bestselling memoirs, MacLaine relates her experiences in simple, forthright terms. She braves the critics and their eye-rolling to allow us a share in her spiritual struggles.

MacLaine's many books have chronicled her life's metaphysical stretches: In Out on a Limb, for example, she surprised readers by revealing her faith in past lives. In each of her revelations, MacLaine explores the connections between her public and private worlds. For MacLaine, the spiritual realm is connected to physical matter -- and she willingly traverses the paths that connect them. In The Camino, she describes her thoughts and adventures along the Camino trail, a 500-mile pilgrimage that begins in France and cuts through northern Spain to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The Camino presents a physical challenge, even for a lifelong dancer like MacLaine: It is filthy, dangerous, and tiring. MacLaine walks it alone, beset by dogs, deceptive tourists, and the violent taunting of the press. She wears blisters into her heels; she carves ten pounds off her lean dancer's frame; she walks miserably through walls of bees. The Camino, as an exercise, pushes MacLaine to her physical limits.

But the hike also pushes MacLaine spiritually. Throughout the brutal trek, MacLaine confronts a series of visions in which she begins to investigate both her solitude and her personal relationships. In many of MacLaine's visions -- or memories -- she sees herself in another life, as a Moorish girl who had once ridden across the Camino. In this persona, MacLaine listens to a monk named John the Scot, who describes the healing possibilities of the pilgrim's trail. She explains: "He said the Camino accentuated feelings of unresolved issues&.the dreams and visions of people walking the trail created footmarks of past truth, which created reminiscences, which were part of the human subconscious lurking within each of us as foreshadowings." MacLaine and her ghostly mentor hint, that is, that visions can help each person understand her past distress. And by understanding this distress, somehow she can make room for a pleasure that can ease life and death. MacLaine and John write: "The joy comes when the cup of sorrow is emptied. Therefore, the joys and the sorrows along the Camino are the rediscovery of your own soul."

MacLaine's journey moves her through episodes in her Moorish life, where she finds herself accepting Christianity along with her own magical powers of healing. This inner journey culminates with a prolonged vision of the beginnings of the world, in which MacLaine explores her desire to be alone and her powerful need for human connection. In this final vision, MacLaine sees herself in another era of human evolution, in which androgynous persons become sexed in order to approach God in their reconnection. She dreams of civilizations in which total connection is possible and then reawakens to her own solitude on the trail.

For MacLaine, these visions need not be material to be meaningful; they need only encourage moral growth. She shrugs: "The Camino&seemed to be a walking meditation on what I had learned internally&.If the Garden of Eden had indeed been lost, I would seek to find it again. If other terrestrial species had sought to achieve that balance themselves, then I would give more attention to UFO sightings and why they were here&. And if we had once been androgynous, then I would cease to stereotype any person's sexual orientation or preference. If the Camino's energy had amplified all those memories for me, then I would trust it." Most importantly, then, MacLaine's imagined worlds (or memories) guide her to explore her beliefs more deeply and to speak about them more honestly.

In this latest chronicle of discovery, MacLaine bravely and openly explores her own imagination, memories, and heart. In doing so, she pushes her readers to think more freely about their own spiritual journeys. MacLaine's progress encourages us to connect dreams with physical life, to develop our bodies morally. The journey is incredible. (Jesse Gale)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Following a centuries-old tradition, entertainer MacLaine walked nearly 500 miles across northern Spain's Camino Santiago de Compostela. This memoir of her formidable journey, like her other books, is a likely candidate for bestsellerdom as well as for ridicule in some quarters. An effort to "feel human again," her physical feat was daunting: she hiked for 10 hours a day on her own, often in intense heat, and slept in refugios--crowded, dirty shelters. Though she observes the small villages, historic cathedrals and other trekkers along the way, MacLaine is most interested in her interior journey. The actress, who has written before about her numerous past lives in such books as Out on a Limb and Dancing in the Light, senses that she's walked the Camino before as a coffee-colored, dark-haired woman of Charlemagne's time. Visited in dreams by a spiritual guide, she connects her various lives and soul mates, revealing that her former lover (in this life) was Olaf Palme, the assassinated Swedish Prime Minister. As the journey progresses, she revisits the origins of the human race in the edenic Lemuria, then the dawn of Atlantis and on to ADAMic civilization. On the earthly plane, MacLaine seems to enjoy evading the press, which she compares to fearsome dogs, and whose pursuit escalates as she gets closer to the end of the journey. Though she completed the Camino in 30 days instead of the planned 40, her arrival in Santiago lacks a Hollywood finale. Instead, she slips into the famous cathedral and leaves immediately for Madrid. Major ad/promo; author tour; 20-city TV satellite tour; 20-city radio satellite tour. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Library Journal
MacLaine's eighth book confirms her gift for storytelling; her pitch and timing are perfect. She wryly blends her spirituality with self-deprecating humor. While working in Brazil, the actress received a handwritten, anonymous letter urging her to make a pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain. She discussed the letter with friends, gave some thought to the notion, and promptly forgot all about the idea. Several years later, again while working in Brazil, MacLaine received another anonymous letter in the same handwriting again urging her to make the journey. Eventually, she determined that the time had come for her to make the trip. People from St. Francis of Assisi to Dante and Chaucer have taken this 500-mile walk across the highways, mountains, cities, villages, and fields in Spain. The government offers protection for spiritual seekers, and villagers routinely offer food and shelter. MacLaine, who is in her sixth decade, found the trip to be both an intense physical and spiritual challenge. She reveals her dreams, fears, and humiliations with honesty and insight. Recommended for libraries with large biography and spiritual collections.--Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780743400732
  • Publisher: Atria Books
  • Publication date: 4/1/2001
  • Pages: 320
  • Sales rank: 160457
  • Product dimensions: 5.31 (w) x 8.25 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine has appeared in more than fifty films, has been nominated for an Academy Award six times, and received the Oscar for Best Actress in 1984 for Terms of Endearment. She also recently starred in the hit TV show Downton Abbey. A longtime outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, she is the author of ten international bestsellers. She lives in Malibu, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

Whenever I travel, I prefer to do it light; however, seven pounds of lightness was new to me. Having done the trek herself, my Brazilian friend Anna Strong warned me that each ounce I carried in my backpack would become tons after a few weeks. Sooo...shoes would be essential and must be carefully selected — just one pair to walk in and one pair to put on at the end of each day. I have always had trouble with extraneous sounds while sleeping. I knew I would be sleeping in shelters (refugios) along the way with many others who snored, coughed, talked, and dreamed out loud. I wondered about my ever-present sound machine. Too heavy, I decided. I couldn't carry the batteries. I opted instead for earplugs, even though I had been told by my homeopath and acupuncturist that earplugs obstructed the meridians to the kidneys. I carried a light sleeping bag, two pairs of socks, two pairs of panties, two T-shirts, a small towel, a small washcloth, one bar of soap, one pair of shorts, one pair of light leggings to shield me from the sun's rays, some homeopathic remedies (for giardiases, nausea, cuts and bruises), Band-Aids, Nu Skin, adhesive tape, a water bottle (there would be fountains of clear water in every village along the way), my passport, several notebooks, a tiny address book, a few credit cards (which I vowed not to use), a little money (which I hoped I would not resort to), one Gortex jacket, one pair of Gortex slacks, one sweater (since I'd be walking in cold as well as hot weather), a sun hat, sunglasses, melatonin for sleep, and my precious Pearlcorder with many small tapes.

I am a Taurus, and therefore a person who accumulates things. I immediately understood this journey would be an examination of what was essential to me. "The road and her energy will provide all you need," Anna told me. "She will tell you what to throw away — and you will become humble as a result. You will see what a temple your body really is, that it is not a prison, and you will discover your essence." She told me I would find a stick to walk with. It would speak to me as though it would want to help. My feet would derive energy from the ground itself, which is why it is infinitely better to walk than to ride the Camino in a vehicle. I would receive messages from the path as though it was talking to me, until I became the path and all of its history.

I met with others who had taken the pilgrimage. They advised me not to eat too much and to drink lots of water — at least two liters per day. There would be many good restaurants, but it was best to stay within the energy of the path's intent, which was to be essentially stripped of trappings. I should not be afraid of anything while trekking — first of all, they told me, the Spanish government protected all pilgrims and had harsh laws against interfering with a pilgrim's progress. I was told it would be better to walk alone, even though I would encounter many people along the way. Everything I carried with me would be a distraction. I should learn to let go. And I should be prepared to die, because to do such a pilgrimage meant I was ready to give up the old values that conflicted my life.

I could honestly say that I had no problem with dying if that was what was meant to be. I had had enough of the state of affairs as I knew them to be. I was ready for a new understanding to propel me forward for the rest of my life.

In preparing for my walk, I decided to rehearse with my backpack.

I packed all the items and one day decided to walk the hills of Calabasas in California as a precursor. That is exactly what happened. I felt "precursed" with what I experienced.
par

It was a trail I had often taken. As I parked my car at the entrance, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Latino man, scruffy, no shoes, and slightly wild-eyed, in the trees near the trail.

I ignored him, locked my car, strapped on my backpack, and began my hike. I fingered my Swiss Army knife and made a mental note that I was safe with it. I also noted that I would try to make it way up the trail to a bench where I knew I could remove my backpack and rest.

Thus began my contemplation on how goal-oriented I was. A goal was so important to me that sometimes the reaching of it justified the means by which I accomplished it. I walked for miles thinking about reaching that bench. Then I walked even further. The backpack was heavy and the hike was becoming a struggle. I stopped and put some Emergency C into my water bottle. I drank and walked on. Finally, I stopped, exhausted, and realized I had long since passed the bench that had been my goal! The significance of this small event was not lost on me. I was truly disappointed in my overachievement. But I had often done such things, remaining separated from the path I was on because of my intense desire to reach the goal. Maybe that was the definition of "success" in this world. I was an example of the accepted term, when what I was looking for was the true meaning of "success." One has to achieve some version of success in order to know there is another version.

In any case, I turned around, retraced my steps, and after some miles, recognized the bench. I decided not to rest on it and continued down the mountain. When I reached my car, there was the Latino man, looking in worse shape than before.

"May I help you?" I asked him.

"My feet are burning from no shoes," he said. "I need a ride to my car."

I realized I was talking to a man of Spanish descent and feeling almost as though I were living a future event on the Camino. I thought, "I should be kind to strangers."

I offered him a ride to his car, which I supposed wasn't far away. He climbed in beside me. He was filthy and smelled bad.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," he said in a confused state.

"Sometimes we all do things for reasons we don't understand," I answered, thinking of what I would be doing in a week without understanding it either. I started the car and told him I was going to do the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. He seemed to understand and know it.

"Are you Catholic?" I asked.

He nodded and said, "Yes."

"Are you doing penance?" I asked. He nodded.

"Are you doing penance?" he asked.

I said I didn't think so.

Then he looked at my breasts. I had made a conscious decision not to wear a bra on the Camino because the straps hurt my shoulders with the backpack. It had occurred to me that such an elimination of underwear would be provocative. I wondered if I had manifested my concern into a reality.

The man continued to stare at my breasts. Oh, God, I thought. This could be dangerous. There was no one in sight for miles.

He finally took his eyes off my anatomy and said, "Can I make love to you?"

It was surreal. I slammed on the brakes and erupted. "Are you out of your mind?" I screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Of course not, you idiot. I picked you up because you needed help, your feet were burning, you needed water and to return to your car, and this is what you do? You are outrageous!" I was furious, which seemed to activate some sense of misplaced justice in his mind.

"There you go, you see?" he said. "I asked you, instead of demanding, and you won't do it."

My mouth fell open. I was in trouble now. I thought of really going after him more irately, but something I saw flicker across his face stopped me. He had not touched me or advanced toward me physically. Then he said, "I passed my car. Let me out," he demanded.

There was no car in sight anywhere.

"Sure," I answered. He opened the door on his side and climbed out.

"Listen," I said, "you should watch that sex stuff, you know. It can get you in a lot of trouble."

Over his shoulder he said, "Yes, thank you. I know. I'm always doing this."

Then he walked away.

I sat in my car in a state of bewilderment. Had he been real? It was as though an experiential vision had just happened to me. I turned to look at him again. He had disappeared. There was no man and no car. I vowed to never be afraid of going braless again, and I knew I would have to give much thought to the truth that reality was where the mind was and that I had been so determined to make a goal of my bench that I had passed it....Reality simply was where the mind was. I could understand more deeply why I was an actress. I could manifest what I needed in reality. I had manifested a barefoot, filthy wanderer to warn me that the Camino was feminine and, as a result, human sexuality would rise. Everyone had told me that the Camino offered those who walked it a love affair. It was the individual's choice whether to take it. Some weeks later, I would be faced with that choice.

Copyright © 2000 by Shirley MacLaine

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First Chapter

Chapter 1

Whenever I travel, I prefer to do it light; however, seven pounds of lightness was new to me. Having done the trek herself, my Brazilian friend Anna Strong warned me that each ounce I carried in my backpack would become tons after a few weeks. Sooo...shoes would be essential and must be carefully selected — just one pair to walk in and one pair to put on at the end of each day. I have always had trouble with extraneous sounds while sleeping. I knew I would be sleeping in shelters (refugios) along the way with many others who snored, coughed, talked, and dreamed out loud. I wondered about my ever-present sound machine. Too heavy, I decided. I couldn't carry the batteries. I opted instead for earplugs, even though I had been told by my homeopath and acupuncturist that earplugs obstructed the meridians to the kidneys. I carried a light sleeping bag, two pairs of socks, two pairs of panties, two T-shirts, a small towel, a small washcloth, one bar of soap, one pair of shorts, one pair of light leggings to shield me from the sun's rays, some homeopathic remedies (for giardiases, nausea, cuts and bruises), Band-Aids, Nu Skin, adhesive tape, a water bottle (there would be fountains of clear water in every village along the way), my passport, several notebooks, a tiny address book, a few credit cards (which I vowed not to use), a little money (which I hoped I would not resort to), one Gortex jacket, one pair of Gortex slacks, one sweater (since I'd be walking in cold as well as hot weather), a sun hat, sunglasses, melatonin for sleep, and my precious Pearlcorder with many small tapes.

I am a Taurus, and therefore a person who accumulates things. I immediately understood this journey would be an examination of what was essential to me. "The road and her energy will provide all you need," Anna told me. "She will tell you what to throw away — and you will become humble as a result. You will see what a temple your body really is, that it is not a prison, and you will discover your essence." She told me I would find a stick to walk with. It would speak to me as though it would want to help. My feet would derive energy from the ground itself, which is why it is infinitely better to walk than to ride the Camino in a vehicle. I would receive messages from the path as though it was talking to me, until I became the path and all of its history.

I met with others who had taken the pilgrimage. They advised me not to eat too much and to drink lots of water — at least two liters per day. There would be many good restaurants, but it was best to stay within the energy of the path's intent, which was to be essentially stripped of trappings. I should not be afraid of anything while trekking — first of all, they told me, the Spanish government protected all pilgrims and had harsh laws against interfering with a pilgrim's progress. I was told it would be better to walk alone, even though I would encounter many people along the way. Everything I carried with me would be a distraction. I should learn to let go. And I should be prepared to die, because to do such a pilgrimage meant I was ready to give up the old values that conflicted my life.

I could honestly say that I had no problem with dying if that was what was meant to be. I had had enough of the state of affairs as I knew them to be. I was ready for a new understanding to propel me forward for the rest of my life.


In preparing for my walk, I decided to rehearse with my backpack.

I packed all the items and one day decided to walk the hills of Calabasas in California as a precursor. That is exactly what happened. I felt "precursed" with what I experienced.

It was a trail I had often taken. As I parked my car at the entrance, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Latino man, scruffy, no shoes, and slightly wild-eyed, in the trees near the trail.

I ignored him, locked my car, strapped on my backpack, and began my hike. I fingered my Swiss Army knife and made a mental note that I was safe with it. I also noted that I would try to make it way up the trail to a bench where I knew I could remove my backpack and rest.

Thus began my contemplation on how goal-oriented I was. A goal was so important to me that sometimes the reaching of it justified the means by which I accomplished it. I walked for miles thinking about reaching that bench. Then I walked even further. The backpack was heavy and the hike was becoming a struggle. I stopped and put some Emergency C into my water bottle. I drank and walked on. Finally, I stopped, exhausted, and realized I had long since passed the bench that had been my goal! The significance of this small event was not lost on me. I was truly disappointed in my overachievement. But I had often done such things, remaining separated from the path I was on because of my intense desire to reach the goal. Maybe that was the definition of "success" in this world. I was an example of the accepted term, when what I was looking for was the true meaning of "success." One has to achieve some version of success in order to know there is another version.

In any case, I turned around, retraced my steps, and after some miles, recognized the bench. I decided not to rest on it and continued down the mountain. When I reached my car, there was the Latino man, looking in worse shape than before.

"May I help you?" I asked him.

"My feet are burning from no shoes," he said. "I need a ride to my car."

I realized I was talking to a man of Spanish descent and feeling almost as though I were living a future event on the Camino. I thought, "I should be kind to strangers."

I offered him a ride to his car, which I supposed wasn't far away. He climbed in beside me. He was filthy and smelled bad.

"I don't know why I'm doing this," he said in a confused state.

"Sometimes we all do things for reasons we don't understand," I answered, thinking of what I would be doing in a week without understanding it either. I started the car and told him I was going to do the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. He seemed to understand and know it.

"Are you Catholic?" I asked.

He nodded and said, "Yes."

"Are you doing penance?" I asked. He nodded.

"Are you doing penance?" he asked.

I said I didn't think so.

Then he looked at my breasts. I had made a conscious decision not to wear a bra on the Camino because the straps hurt my shoulders with the backpack. It had occurred to me that such an elimination of underwear would be provocative. I wondered if I had manifested my concern into a reality.

The man continued to stare at my breasts. Oh, God, I thought. This could be dangerous. There was no one in sight for miles.

He finally took his eyes off my anatomy and said, "Can I make love to you?"

It was surreal. I slammed on the brakes and erupted. "Are you out of your mind?" I screamed. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Of course not, you idiot. I picked you up because you needed help, your feet were burning, you needed water and to return to your car, and this is what you do? You are outrageous!" I was furious, which seemed to activate some sense of misplaced justice in his mind.

"There you go, you see?" he said. "I asked you, instead of demanding, and you won't do it."

My mouth fell open. I was in trouble now. I thought of really going after him more irately, but something I saw flicker across his face stopped me. He had not touched me or advanced toward me physically. Then he said, "I passed my car. Let me out," he demanded.

There was no car in sight anywhere.

"Sure," I answered. He opened the door on his side and climbed out.

"Listen," I said, "you should watch that sex stuff, you know. It can get you in a lot of trouble."

Over his shoulder he said, "Yes, thank you. I know. I'm always doing this."

Then he walked away.

I sat in my car in a state of bewilderment. Had he been real? It was as though an experiential vision had just happened to me. I turned to look at him again. He had disappeared. There was no man and no car. I vowed to never be afraid of going braless again, and I knew I would have to give much thought to the truth that reality was where the mind was and that I had been so determined to make a goal of my bench that I had passed it....Reality simply was where the mind was. I could understand more deeply why I was an actress. I could manifest what I needed in reality. I had manifested a barefoot, filthy wanderer to warn me that the Camino was feminine and, as a result, human sexuality would rise. Everyone had told me that the Camino offered those who walked it a love affair. It was the individual's choice whether to take it. Some weeks later, I would be faced with that choice.

Copyright © 2000 by Shirley MacLaine

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Introduction

May 2000

A Journey of a Thousand Lifetimes

Throughout her career as an actress and a bestselling author, Shirley MacLaine has always kept us on our toes, and her stamina and versatility are nothing short of remarkable. So it should come as no surprise that this 60-something Academy-Award winning actress recently completed the grueling -- yet ultimately rewarding -- pilgrimage along Spain's Santiago de Compostela Camino. In her eagerly anticipated book The Camino, MacLaine recounts her intense physical and spiritual journey on an ancient -- and some say enchanted -- route that not only crosses mountains and valleys, but also lifetimes. Read an excerpt from MacLaine's book below.


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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 25 )
Rating Distribution

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(12)

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(8)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 25 Customer Reviews

  • Posted Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 EDT 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    Serpent of Light Beyond 2012: The Movement of the Earth's Kundalini and the Rise of the Female Light, 1949-2013

    The Camino

    I found The Camino most enlightening. I learned many new things I've heard about or 'just knew' about, but hearing it from another helped to reinforce this. The Creation of the Universe, Lemeria, Atlantis, our Androgenous selves before our separation & the ability of telepathy-Awesome! Shirley's spiritual journey and her expression in writing of where it took her was exciting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is on the spiritual path to truth & confirmation of what they already know, but just need a bit of reinforcement. Enjoy the journey!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Mar 10 00:00:00 EST 2001

    This Book Was Wonderful!!

    This book was one of Shirley's great ones!! I read in a one day, and I wish that I could have read it slower, so I went back to it again, and I did. Shirley's rek across the Camino can really make a person think. She continues to put herself to these tests because she says she wants to see just how far she can go, and she really went her limit this time just to write this book. I give her 5 stars hands down!!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Dec 21 00:00:00 EST 2000

    Interesting, Funny, Witty & I Couldn't Put It Down

    This was the first book I have ever read by Shirley McLaine and I am very impressed! There were times that I laughed my butt off at her comical nature and times I almost cried because of the true struggle she made on her journey. She opened up alot of feelings I never could express in my own words. She is a very good writer in my opinion. I admire her alot.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Mon Dec 11 00:00:00 EST 2006

    A Great Atlantean Memory

    A great book! In it, Shirley MacLaine describes her memories of Atlantis during the time when she was androgynous¿had both sexes in one body. The extra-terrestrials who visited Atlantis helped her to separate into an individual male and female. I wanted to call Shirley MacLaine up and tell her about my own memories of Atlantis, when I had been an extra-terrestrial from Arcturus who got caught here on earth. I wrote about my experiences in When We Were Gods. Her story entranced me: her description of her experiences on El Camino, the path through the Pyrenees in the North of Spain starting at the Mediterranean and ending at the Atlantic Ocean, possibly where Atlantis once was located. Tradition has it that traveling this footpath can bring one in touch with her or her deepest spiritual roots and also help a person to resolve deep personal conflicts. She freely shares with us her own discoveries about herself and about humanity¿s beginnings on earth. In addition, her descriptions of the way-stations along the route, the people she met along the way, and her own challenges because of her celebrity where she isn¿t even allowed the privacy to hide behind a rock to go to the bathroom are very entertaining. Carole Chapman is the author of ¿When We Were Gods, which is the revised updated version of ¿The Golden Ones: From Atlantis to a New World,¿ and ¿Blessed: A Quest for Atlantis in Egypt Leads to Apparitions of the Virgin Mary.¿

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2002

    Shirley definitely creates intrigue

    Shirley did it agian indeed with her sensativity to the supernatural. Another book that challenges the reader supernaturally and in questioning what their purpose in life is, is called 'Faithwalk' by Bonnie Oliver.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001

    Shirley adds another piece to the revelatory jigsaw.

    Shirley goes within - agin. Despite sore feet, and travelling companions who would try the patience of a saint, she's vouchsafed some revelatory, even 'spooky', experiences which cast new light on human origin and reveal the existence of the 'presences' that religion has always affirmed. For those familiar with the work of Alice Bailey, Shirley's revelations seem to be complementary to, rather than contradictory of, the relevant parts of that text. There seems to be pressure building 'behind the scenes' to kick-start humanity into a better understanding of the realities of its existence. Those eagerly awaiting Shirley's next book might like, in the interim, to try Talking with Angels by Gitta Mallasz (ISBN 3-85630-564-5), but be warned - this is heavier stuff.

    1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001

    Heavy Revelations

    I have enjoyed all of Shirley Maclaine's books, both in paperback and the audio version. The Camino is very facinating and written with wit and clarity. I especially enjoyed the audio version listening to Shirley telling the story herself. The experiences she shares are really far out there and may be really heavy for those just discovering the metaphysical aspect of life. However, the book provides great food for contemplation and is well written.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Fri May 25 00:00:00 EDT 2001

    Interesting

    I really enjoyed her tale of this arduous journey across Spain. She is a good writer with an interesting story to tell. I didn't enjoy the spiritual aspect of it as much. It was a little far-fetched and I tended to skip back to the physical journey alot. However, spiritual travelers will enjoy it as well as adventurers who love travel writing.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2001

    kewl!, very kewl .....

    This is the first book of Shirley Maclains that I have read. Well written from and in a human way. Her drescription of her trip was kept my attention so much that I read the entire book in one day.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Nov 02 00:00:00 EST 2000

    A greater understanding of Life.......Our Journey begins

    Shirley's book at first was just interesting with all the details but the second part of her book was comforting & riveting to me.... Many ideas and thoughts I've had made more sense and the pieces seemed to fall into place for me. The book was out there but also in here... The numbers of souls on this path keep amazing me and they grow each day... it sure is a pleasure to be apart of Our New Beginning as Souls journeying in this life and other lives. Thanks to Shirley for her courage to share her life and experiences. She has been a light in my life and I appreciate her gifts. I feel lighter today after reading The Camino... and also discovered I was in Spain three weeks out of the four that she was on this pilgrimage... my visit was touring Spain, it villages and culture.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sun Oct 22 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    Simply The Best

    I have never been one for 'psychic' or 'spiritual journey' subjects. When my mate began listening to the audiobook in our car, I was intrigued. I found myself totally captivated by the book and have listened to it now 4 times. Excellent subject matter, very detailed and most of all uplifting and spiritually motivating. You will not be able to put this book down. Words cannot describe how much of an impact this book has had on my life and my own personal reflections of life. Do yourself a favor, READ THIS BOOK!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    A book you can't put down

    I just love how she writes, I would love to meet her so very much. I bought this book and could not put it down as it was so interesting. I was ready to grab my hiking boots and take off until I got to the birthing part and felt you could not take it serious unless you experienced it yourself...which is exactly what she says herself..was she dreaming or was it a past life..who knows. I just love the flow of her writing and would like to have read more details of the walk itself. Worth reading. Well done Shirley!!!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu Aug 10 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    One Small Step For Shirley, One Giant Step for All Souls!

    A very difficult book to put down. I felt as if I was with her during the entire trek. I plan to read it again. We each choose our own path and experience the consequences of those choices. Shirley brings the journey of her soul to all of us. For that I am grateful.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Jun 24 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    Read also Paulo Coelho's

    An interesting book, that will be heavily criticized by pilgrims, who think this road should be for the choosen ones. I suggest the readers of 'El Camino' to read 'The Pilgrimage', by Paulo Coelho and go to try for themselves.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    TREKKING & REINCARNATING

    To the fans of OUT ON A LIMB, DANCING IN THE LIGHT & GOING WITHIN, Shirley MacLaine has finally written another autobiography that deals with her spiritual journey. You may, however, need a very 'open mind' to deal with the information being given. I suspect that THE CAMINO: A Journey of the Spirit will be one of the most heavily criticized of Ms. MacLaine's books because of its subject matter. The Camino is a 500-mile road or trail that starts out at the border of France and run across the northern part of Spain. To make this journey on foot is considered to be a holy pilgrimage, one in which the individual will gain deep spiritual insight and perhaps understand their place in the larger scheme of things. When Ms. MacLaine receives two anonymous letters suggesting that she make this journey, she decides to take the bull by the horns and do it. This is not an easy trek to make. She anticipates it to take between thirty and forty days of very hard walking, but she won't be alone. The Camino is constantly being traveled by people seeking answers to their most inner questions. It's what happens on Ms. MacLaine's journey that will certainly stir up a controvery. She will not only face many deep fears that have plagued her for most of her life, but will also experience many past lives, including one in which she became the mistress of the French king, Charlemague, and two in which she lived in Atlantis and Lemuria. These experiences teach Ms. MacLaine many things about her life and the people in it. She honestly questions these visions (for want of a better word) that she is having, wondering if they are actually real or simply the creations of her imagination. The reading is definitely interesting. I feel that Ms. MacLaine is telling us her truth as she sees it, and I praise her courage in choosing to go way out on the limb with this book. All may not buy her story, but I'm sure that most will find it facinating in some aspect or another. She does complete the journing, experiencing trials and tribulations with other people making the pilgrimage, as well as with a number of wild dogs and photojournalists, each of which will test her resolve to finish what she started. One thing that comes through in this story is that Ms. MacLaine does not want to be a 'New Age' guru of any kind. She only wants to tell her story and maybe to help others who are also on their journey of self-discovery. I wish I could say that I've had as many interesting reincarnations as she, but in most of mine I've lived simple and unexciting lives. Remember, however, to please read this with an 'open mind', and you too may come away with something very special. You will at least want to question yourn own life and the relationships you have a little more closely.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Tue Jun 13 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    Off-Beat, But Readable and Interesting!

    I finished this book in one day. I had a difficult time putting it aside. I enjoyed reading about all the interesting characters she met along the road, including the other-world visitations, but had a difficult time with the 'Lemuria' and 'Atlantis' segments. I've read one other book by Ms. McClaine, and this one ranks right up there with 'Out on a Limb.'

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Sat Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    A Guide for a Soul-Being wanting a Spirit-filled Physical Experience

    I opened this book one morning and didn't close it until I finished it late the same night. The following morning I opened it again and reread parts of it. I couldn't help it! Ms. MacLaine tells in her captivating writing style of her 500 mile pilgrimage on the Camino across northern Spain. It is an arduous journey. Sleeping and eating conditons are worse than primitive. The body must become accustomed to being sore and weary. But, MacLaine talks to us as she walks on and on and it's easy to feel the melding of her soul and mind and body. And, when we learn of the revelations that come miraculously to her, it's enough to make our souls long for such an experience.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Thu May 25 00:00:00 EDT 2000

    NEW JOURNEY

    I had a hard time setting the book down but had to force myself to, so I could review what I had read. It was so moving and I could relate to so much of the book. As an actress she knows how to capture an audience and it comes through in her writing also. I wish there was a place to have and open conversation with people about these kinds of experiences without people looking at you like you were crazy. Also it would be nice to get some new insights on this subject matter

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted Wed Nov 21 00:00:00 EST 2012

    Very Odd Book!

    This might be the strangest book I have ever read. It began with a great story and shifted into this weird story of how MacLaine was this androgynous being at the beginning of the earth's existence. This was a poor investment and I wish I could be reimbursed.

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  • Posted Sun May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2012

    Fascinating Book!

    I am amazed at Shirley MacLaine's courage. She takes on the Camino and the paparazzi with amazing strength and resolve. Her visions are fascinating and provide a lot of food for thought. Kevin Codd's book is better if you are looking for something just about walking the Camino. Shirley MacLaine's book is for you, though, if you are looking to have your beliefs challenged in a most entertaining way.

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