Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago [Paperback]

Elyn Aviva (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2003

Following the Milky Way is the story of Elyn Aviva's 500-mile-long journey on foot on the Camino de Santiago. This 1000-year-old pilgrimage road stretches from the French Pyrenees across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, supposed tomb of St. James the Apostle. It is a journey that crosses the landscape of the soul as well as the mountains and mesetas of Spain. This book is a vivid memoir of a life-changing adventure, chance encounters, unforeseen dangers, and unexpected pleasures. Spanish history, wine, food, literature, art, architecture, and legend share equal time with the stories of pilgrims that Elyn meets along the way. Following the Milky Way is a fascinating historical document. Today, hundreds of thousands of people-including Shirley MacLaine-are going on the Camino, but Following the Milky Way describes the pilgrimage in 1982, when the Camino was nearly abandoned. This second edition includes a new introduction that explores the meaning of pilgrimage in greater detail, delves more deeply into the esoteric symbols and pre-Christian shrines that lie hidden within the Way, and provides a unique look at the changes that have occurred in the pilgrimage in recent years.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Whether you are a spiritual seeker, an avid outdoor adventurer, or an armchair traveler, you will find this a compelling account of a journey that is as old as human longing and as modern as tomorrow.

About the Author

Elyn Aviva has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Princeton University; her dissertation topic was the modern-day pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. She has traveled the Camino a number of times, including three times on foot. Elyn earned a Master of Divinity degree from Iliff School of Theology in 1997. When not traveling in Europe, Elyn lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Gary White. She continues to write and do research on sacred sites, spiritual quest, and pilgrimage. She is also the author of Dead End on the Camino, a modern mystery set on the pilgrimage road. Elyn can be reached at [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Pilgrims' Process, Inc.; 2nd edition (July 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971060908
• ISBN-13: 978-0971060906
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Going to Santiago...a must read!, July 23, 2001

By 

Kathy Gower (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago (Paperback)

This account of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, made in 1982, before the current resurgence, contains everything you need to know about history, architecture, myth and legend along the ancient route across northern Spain and more. It is a personal account, but one chock full of customs and lore, as well as facts and individual musings on the nature of pilgrimage and what drives a pilgrim to leave home and hearth to trek 500 miles to the medieval end of the world.

Elyn tells her story with humor and pathos and ask the reader to consider just what the pilgrimage route and the symbols contained therein might really mean for today's pilgrims. It is, after all, both an inner and outer journey.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "If we were religious, would it hurt less?", March 7, 2004

By 

Timecheck "backpack45.com - Camino Chronicle... (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago (Paperback)

The review heading is a quote from day 10, July 18, 1982 in Elyn Aviva's fascinating tapestry of trail journal and scholarly insight. This story was first published in 1989. The 2nd edition was published in 2001. Prior to the 2nd edition, the author walked the Camino again in 1997 and again in 2000.

The Camino in 1982 was a vastly different experience from the modern Camino, and for this reason the author has left the text of the body unchanged except for some editing. She has added an 18 page Introduction to the 2nd Edition where she describes some of the changes over the last twenty years and talks about the other pre Christian pilgrimage routes that some believe evolved into the Christian Camino.

I had never read the original edition, and really enjoyed the account of Elyn and her friend Bill's journey. They had never backpacked before, and started out carrying heavy packs, wearing new boots, and throughout the book I emphasized with the experience of new backpackers, gradually becoming fit. In 1982 there were few refugios compared to today, and frequently they slept under the open sky. The trail was poorly marked, sometimes non existent compared to today. Sometimes they had to hitch. Particularly in the earlier part of the trek, the local people did not look on pilgrims with favor.

Each day gets a section in the book, with a little map showing maybe a third of the entire Camino, with a little bracket showing the distance walked for the day. The first day has a similar map of the entire route - not a map for detailed info, but a simple line with place names. Day 1 starts in St. Jean Pied de Port and the book ends with Day 47 - leaving Santiago.

Anyone who has walked the Camino will appreciate this story, and anyone about to travel the route will benefit from the history included with the day to day narrative.

Modern day walkers - read this for background, but be sure to get the Confraternity of St. James The Camino Frances guide to take with you, as well as either John Brierley's guide or Davies and Cole's guide. Also, check the forums such as GoCamino and Santiagobis and websites such as backpack45.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best on the Camino., August 24, 2001

By 

Laura Rose (Lakeside, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following the Milky Way: A Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago (Paperback)

Elyn Aviva has written an excellent book on walking the Camino. She includes the human interest angle as well as interesting info about the history, cultural aspects, and architecture. The fact that her walk was in 1982, before the Camino became the popular pilgrimage route it is now, is quite interesting. I consider this book to be a great addition to my growing library of books on this subject.