I
hope most of you are familiar with Shirley Maclaine, the actress and dancer who
became popular during the Fifties and Sixties, and who still takes occasional,
eccentric older roles (notably as Lady Cora’s mother in Downton Abbey). The first in
her series of spiritual memoirs, Out on a
Limb, became a landmark of New Age literature after it came out in
1986. As a result, she was much chastised
and ridiculed, a perhaps more-enlightened Gwyneth Paltrow of her day, and has
become more selective in her roles in recent years.
In
2000, she published The Camino: A Journey
of the Spirit, a chronicle of her 1994 journey on the Camino de Santiago,
the famous 800-kilometer pilgrimage on foot across northern Spain to Santiago
de Compostella, where the remains of St. James are reputedly buried. It is a pilgrimage made by peasants and
kings, old and young, Christians and non-Christians alike, following a
traditional Roman trade route to Cape Finisterre, literally the end of their
known world. Lit at night by the Milky
Way overhead, it is said to follow one or more ley lines.
Maclaine
tackled the Camino at about age 60, at a juncture in her life, and in part
inspired by a dying friend. The book
documents the rigours and wonders of the journey itself, her dealings with
travelling companions, and her increasing efforts to dodge the press as they
discovered that she was making the pilgrimage.
She also had issues with wild dogs, though the press was probably worse. Along the way, she had dreams and visions of
past lives, accompanied by a spirit guide calling himself “John the Scot”. These culminated in a vision of what can only
be called a New Age creation myth, in part involving extraterrestrials and past
lives in Lemuria and Atlantis.
One
can be forgiven for doing a little eye-rolling at her visions, but as she says,
each person’s experience on the Camino is different, and what worked for her
doesn’t necessarily work for someone else. Take it as one woman’s spiritual
journey, or as a travelogue, or as a guide for anyone considering taking the
Camino themselves.
Summer festival time is upon us again; see the
calendar for details.
August Events:
Note these events are listed for
information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see
the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this
listing, please contact me. All times MDT.
Jul 27-30: Calgary Folk Music
Festival. http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com
Jul 28-29: Peak of Delta Aquarids
Meteor Shower.
Jul 29, 2:00 pm: Calgary Heathens Meet and Greet in Pearce Estate Park.
Jul 29, 8:00 pm: Paranormal Investigation at Twin Cities Hotel, Longview, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta. Tickets through Eventbrite.
Jul 29, 8:00 pm: Paranormal Investigation at Twin Cities Hotel, Longview, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta. Tickets through Eventbrite.
Jul 30, 10:00 am: Diagon Alley in
Kensington.
Jul 31-Aug 1: Traditional Lughnasadh,
Freysblot, Lammas, etc.
Aug 4: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power opens at Landmark Cinemas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huX1bmfdkyA
Aug 4-7: Panfest 2017, south of
Edmonton. http://www.panfest.ca
Aug 4-12: Calgary Fringe
Festival. http://calgaryfringe.ca
Aug 5: Coll/Hazel Tree Month
begins, according to Robert Graves.
Aug 5, 11:00 am: Inglewood
Sunfest. https://inglewoodsunfest.ca/
Aug 5-6: Didsbury Days of Yore
Festival. http://mountainviewartssociety.ca/
Aug 7: Heritage Day and similar
Civic Holidays (most of Canada).
Aug 7, 12:11 pm: Full (Sturgeon,
Bear, or Corn) Moon. Lunar Eclipse (not
visible in North America).
Aug 12, 10:00 am: Calgary New Age
Craft Market at Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Hall.
Aug 12, 7:00 pm: Mercury
Retrograde until September 5.
Aug 12-13: Brooks Medieval
Faire. http://brooksfaire.com
Aug 12-13: Peak of Perseids
Meteor Shower, hampered by gibbous Moon.
Aug 15-26: Globalfest
International Fireworks Festival at Elliston Park. http://globalfest.ca
Aug 21, 12:25 pm: New Moon. “Great
American” Solar Eclipse begins 10:20 am; maximum coverage (in Calgary approx.
80%) at 11:33 am; ends 12:50 pm. Tinne/Holly Lunar Month begins.
Aug 25-Sep 4: Calgary Pride
Week. http://calgarypride.ca
Aug 26, 2:00 pm: Calgary Heathens Meet and Greet in Pearce Estate Park.
Sep 3: Calgary Pride Parade, and Pride in the Park at Prince’s Island.
Sep 3: Calgary Pride Parade, and Pride in the Park at Prince’s Island.
