Tomas would continually come over and reassure me, telling me to have faith and courage for the journey ahead. He encouraged me to meditate in the energy circle he had on the property, and to gather my strength. I did just that and, along with my yoga, found myself receptive in ways that I had never been before.
Two more Templars arrived during my stay. Being with them every day and participating in the prayers, it was difficult not to feel as if I was already on the path to Jerusalem. Every day, I would help Tomas put on his cape, a ritual that began quite by accident when he was putting on a cape that he had newly received. He was having difficulty tying the knot around his neck, and so I helped him. Standing before the wall-sized print of a Templar Knight praying before the city of Jerusalem, and adding the flowing cape to Tomas’ habitual uniform and sword, I truly felt as if I was in another time and place.
“You and I knew each other in Phoenicia,” he said unexpectedly one day, gazing deeply into my eyes, as a smile of recognition crossed his lips. I stopped the knot tying. “You were a Sufi warrior and I a Christian knight. Your name was Yasser ibn Tubal. We had a deep bond and, together, fought for good and justice in that land. You were also with me when I died in Nazareth in 1270, and were the last person to tie my cape before I was buried. Your last words to me were that we would meet again, and that I would recognize you by the light in your eyes.”
And then, he proceeded to the ceremony without uttering another word, or speaking of it ever again. Such was my time with Tomas, marked by one fly-by encounter after another that only added to my questions.
As the only Arab woman in the group, I was affectionately called la sarracena, a term referring to the Saracens, the Muslims who ruled most of Spain for 500 years. When one of the Templars there, named Andres, was to be initiated into the Order of the Knights Templar, I was invited to attend the ceremony and asked to stand as a Saracen, to symbolically unite Muslims and Christians in their common goals of brotherhood and peace. I couldn’t be more thrilled, or honored. Donning a scarf that covered the lower part of my face, and wearing flowing pants and shirt, I looked very much the part, especially with my tanned skin and darker features.
The late night air was fresh as we drove the winding roads that led us high into the Galician mountains. At one of the highest points, we finally stopped and stood before the stone ruins of what was once a Templar church. The wind howled at those heights, as darkness covered the valleys below. Only the stars lent their light. I had no idea where we were, only that the magical awaited us.
To be continued . . .
Pilgrim Mony Dojeiji
Canada
walkingforpeace.com
Completed first Camino in 2001 Mony Dojeiji is a pilgrim who walked the Camino Francés in 2001 and later that year embarked on a 5000-kilometer, 13-country, 13-month walk for peace with fellow Spanish pilgrim Alberto Agraso. Details of their journey can be found on their website http://walkingforpeace.com.