I am Hali Liddell, I work as a Cultural Assistant in S:t Staffan’s Parish in Staffanstorp, Sweden where I also lead pilgrim walks inspired by S:t Olavsleden and Camino de Santiago.
Since my pilgrimage along S.t Olavsleden I have been holding inspirational talks about the trail in various places. At every talk I get the same question: Aren’t you afraid of walking alone?
I enjoy walking alone, surrounded by the beautiful wonders of Nature which makes all my defences crumble, makes my thoughts and feelings more instinctive, and in that state of mind, important questions about my life become much easier to sort out than in everyday life. Problems are suddenly solved and my mind feels as crystal clear as the cool, delicious water I drink from streams along the Way.
As a pilgrim walking alone all day for many weeks, the meetings with other people have a deeper impact and come to affect the thoughts and feelings of my day. And all along this Way, I was greeted with so much kindness and hospitality, caring and friendship, S:t Olavsleden is such a friendly trail.
In a time when there is so much hate in our world, when the news and social media is often full of it, my pilgrimage along S:t Olavsleden restored my faith in humanity. It brought back the feeling from childhood that strangers are just friends waiting to happen. And the amazing nature experiences along the Way soothed my soul and reminded me that our world is still such a wonderful place.
I end all of my talks with the miracle of S:t Olavsleden:
“The medieval pilgrims along S:t Olavsleden hoped for a miracle when they reached their destination.
For me as a modern day pilgrim the miracle happens every day along the trail, in the meeting with Nature, in the meeting with myself and in the meeting with every new friend along the Way.”
If you would like to book an inspirational talk about S:t Olavsleden you can contact me at: hali.liddell@svenskakyrkan.se.
Or if you would like to read all about my experiences along the trail you can visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stolav2016/
