You may have first heard about the Camino from the 2010 Martin Sheen movie "The Way." The Camino is "hot" now, that is, it is increasingly popular with all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons.

But what is this walk?  A little history might help. The Camino de Santiago has been a pilgrimage route for more than a 1000 years. The Camino can start as far off as the French Pyrenees, but most pilgrims walk the route in northern Spain. It is said that the remains of Saint James are buried in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.  During the Middle Ages, over 250,000 per year walked it. Today even more people, nearly 280,000 pilgrims yearly, walk "The Way." 

Religious pilgrims hope to qualify for a certificate proving they have walked at least the last 100 km.  Non-religious pilgrims can qualify for an alternative certificate with the same conditions. They prove this by getting their "passport" -- Credential de Peregrino -- officially stamped in every way point they pass through.

Today many people are in the "SBNR" category who walk this route. Given that we are in a much less religious age, I'm wondering why this pilgrimage seems even more popular today than in the more religious past. Is it saying something about a deep spiritual longing in our society?  A search for health and wellness, of all kinds? A desire to take on a challenge? A social event? Just a new experience?  I hope to find out. 

In the meantime, please visit my website to learn more about the "spiritual but not religious" movement. www.healthybeliefs.com

Why Do Non-Religious People Walk the Camino de Santiago?

Why do so many people walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain? This ancient pilgrimage route has been walked by devout Christians for centuries but it is now a walk that many "spiritual but not religious" people travel. I intend to find out why!  In my book *Belief without Borders: Inside the Minds of the Spiritual but not Religious* I interviewed hundreds of SBNRs and learned why they consider religion non-essential for spiritual growth. I learned what they reject in Christianity, but also what beliefs they do hold.  I'll be taking this research "on the road" to find out more. Follow my journey this June and see what I find out!